I skip around the truck and jump in, getting comfortable for our first of many two-hour trips to college. Once he’s inside and turns the key in the ignition, I’m already fiddling with the radio to get music going. He backs out, and I wave at my mom, still standing on the front porch, watching us drive toward our future.
“So, I was thinking we could go, take the tour, and eat dinner on campus before we check into the hotel across the street.”
He nods.
“Come on. Give me more than that.”
The corner of his mouth lifts into a small smile. “Sounds good.”
I scoff. My feet tap on the dash while my hands do a drumroll on my knees. “Are you anxious? Excited? Uninterested? Give me something!” I sit up, crossing my legs. “We are headingto our soon to be new home. You have to have some feelings about it. I don’t think I’ve gotten much sleep in days.”
Clayton shakes his head. “You do realize we have to be at the school bright and early for the morning classes you want to attend?”
“Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You just said you haven’t gotten much sleep, so you’re overly tired which means it’s going to be a pain in the butt to wake you up in the morning.” He glances at me, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, whatever.” I look out my window as my eyes narrow and think about how right he probably is.
“Mhm.” His thumb taps on the steering wheel. “Just know, I’ll leave with or without you. You dragged me to come, and I plan to get the most out of this trip.”
My head whips around as my jaw drops. “You wouldn’t dare leave me behind.”
He smirks. “Give me a reason to, Ry.” He chuckles. “But I’ll probably just find the track and run instead of going to classes.”
I frown, feeling the crease forming between my eyebrows. “You’re an evil person, and no. You have to at least go to a few to see which courses you want to enroll in.”
He shrugs, and I wish he would get more excited, but that wouldn’t be Clay.
I fill the rest of the drive by singing along to the radio. My last solo finishes as we pull into the parking garage near the welcome center. All the signs point us in the direction we have to go, and we follow those along with all the other kids who are clearly still in high school too. There are tents set up outside the building, and people with clipboards stand ready to check us in.
“Welcome to UGA. Can I get your names?” a blonde-haired girl with striking blue eyes asks us.
My face breaks into a smile. I’ve been waiting so long to be here, and it’s going to be a dream to walk around. “I’m Rylee Thompson, and this”—I grab Clay’s arm, yanking him closer toward the table—“Is Clayton Daniels.”
The girl hands us a map and our name tags, pointing us in the direction of where we will wait for the tour to start. I’m practically bouncing on the balls of my feet as I take in the old brick buildings and bulldog statues.
“Oh, look.” I point in front of Clayton toward a cafe. “We can get our morning coffees there.”
He nods without saying a word. I want to nudge his arm and tell him to get excited, but then that’s like asking a sloth to move faster.
“Can’t you picture running under all these trees along the paths? It will be nice to have shade to run under rather than the blazing sun at the track.” I peer at him, scanning his face and looking for any reaction at all.
He only nods, and I can’t help but get a little frustrated. I know it’s hard for him to be in a new environment, but I guess I pictured what this overnight trip would be like, and it was always that he was just as excited as I am. I guess I’ll have to be excited enough for the both of us.
22
CLAYTON: THEN
Clayton:18 years old
After walking around the campus for hours and Rylee pointing out all the spots we will go to frequently, I’m exhausted. I don’t know why I agreed to come here. The only thing good about this place isher. Unlike Rylee, this college doesn’t feel like home. She’s whirling around and seeing a future that she’s excited to start, and I feel like I can’t breathe. Nothing feels right or peaceful, except her. I was torn all day. Going back and forth in my head, saying, I can go here if it means I get to be with her, and then feeling like I need to run in the opposite direction because my dad would want me to go here. How can I have Rylee in my life every day and not have him in the back of my mind?
The water from the shower shuts off in the bathroom, and I throw on a pair of sweatpants and a clean T-shirt before she comes out. We checked into our hotel after having dinner in the loud cafeteria. She tried to convince me we needed to walk around campus more, but thankfully, she was okay with ending the night after ice cream. I’m overly stimulated and just need tosleep. But I also need to have a hard talk with Rylee about the future, and I can’t keep putting it off.
Standing at the window, I watch as cars beep their horns, telling the driver in front of them that the light has changed. Groups of young students walk into a local bar as other people leave. The bathroom door opens, and Rylee lets out a sigh. Just the sound of her relaxing with me has my shoulders less tense. I can feel my body more at ease the more alone time I have with her.
“That shower is nice. I wish mine had a waterfall shower head.” Her footsteps get closer until she’s standing next to me, peering out the window. “So I was thinking we should be at the school for an eight a.m. class. There’s a color theory course I’d like to sit in on.”
