At our graduation ceremony, cheer captain Blair Montgomery cornered me. The prize for winning her bet? The captain of our school's lacrosse team.
"Only the most popular girl on campus deserves Nathaniel," she declared.
Nathaniel Harrington just scoffed. "Save it, Blair. My love life is none of your business."
Then, after the prom, he told me how he felt in front of everyone.
I thought it was the answer to a crush I’d nurtured for years. Amid the cheers of our friends, I blushed and accepted.
That summer, he took me to his family's lake house. We were practically inseparable.
I was on the verge of turning down a university on the East Coast to stay in-state for him when I overheard one of his calls.
"Blair, they're ready. The fake photos, just like you asked for."
Blair's laughter, sharp and triumphant, crackled through his phone.
"You've worked hard. Let's wait for the town's graduation farewell party and project them for everyone to see. With a scandal like that, let's see if Yale will still want Cassie."
"Nathaniel," she added nonchalantly, "you're not having second thoughts, are you?"
He paused before answering, "Why would I? She brought this on herself. Why does she always have to be better than everyone at everything?"
I set down the custom patch I’d been about to sew onto his varsity jacket. I tossed it on the table next to the spare key he had given me. Then, I opened my email and clicked "Confirm" on the acceptance letter from Yale University that had been waiting in my inbox for a week.
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1
I stepped into my house, which felt as hollow as it always did.
Three years ago, my dad cheated. My mom didn't hesitate to file for divorce and move to the East Coast.
She had always wanted me to start a new life with her in Connecticut, but I just couldn't do it. Every time, I shook my head and refused.
My mom called me constantly, her voice laced with an insistent urgency. "Cassie, your acceptance letter from Yale has been sitting there for weeks. I've already sorted out your dorm and enrollment. What are you waiting for?"
"I want to stay. I'm used to it here."
It was my usual excuse, playing the part of the self-sufficient daughter.
But all my forced smiles and brave fronts couldn't mask the truth I knew deep down.
It was all because Nathaniel Harrington was in this small town.
I picked up the phone and called my mom.
She answered immediately, her voice as gentle and urgent as ever. "Cassie, there are only a few days until freshman orientation. Why are you so stubborn?"
Her words tightened a knot in my chest.
I paused, then said softly, "Mom, I'll go."
There was a beat of silence on the other end, followed by a surge of pure joy.
"Really?! Oh, thank God, that's wonderful! I'll book your flight for the day after tomorrow. You can go straight to the airport after the party."
"Okay," I managed.
"Oh, by the way," my mom said, a new thought brightening her voice, "you mentioned someone special you wanted me to meet. Who was it again?"
I froze for a second.
Back when Nathaniel and I had just gotten together, I was dizzy with fantasies about our future.
I had planned to introduce him to my mom when the time was right, to show her the boy I thought was worth staying for.
But now, the thought was just utterly ridiculous.
"No one important," I said calmly.
I hung up, looked down, and yanked the zipper on my suitcase shut.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the lock on my door clicked. I jumped.
After we got together, I had naively given him a spare key to my house.
He started spending the night, and for the first time, this empty house began to feel like a home.
"Packing? Going somewhere?" Nathaniel drawled, leaning against the doorframe. A lazy smile played on his lips as his eyes landed on the suitcase on my bed.
I shrugged, affecting a casual tone. "Yeah, university is starting soon. Just getting ready in advance."
Hearing this, his eyes softened. He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Cassie, you're always so on top of things, planning everything out. I swear, with you, I never have to sweat the small stuff."
He finished speaking and then, as if just remembering, pulled a cheap-looking keychain from his pocket, dangling it in front of me.
