Four Months Later

Looking out of my bedroom window, I see the mailman’s truck pass by, going down the street. I leap up from my bed, running downstairs. I run through the living room, and pull open the front door, running as fast as I can to the mailbox. Today’s date is December 1st. Also known as the day that I learn if I got accepted early decision into any of the nine colleges I applied to. I applied at UCLA [University of California - Los Angles], North Texas - deciding that I wouldn’t mind staying near Phil and my mom, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, The University of Notre Dame, The University of California - Berkley, NYU [New York University] and Ole Miss, I pull open the mailbox, looking around my street and seeing other seniors that I go to school with looking in their own mailboxes. I take out the plethora of envelopes and close the mailbox.

I decide to open the one on top first. It is from Ole Miss. I don’t really even know why I applied to Ole Miss, I don’t think I’d like living in Mississippi. I sit the other envelopes on top of the box and shakily slide my finger under the seal. I won’t be distraught or anything if I don’t get in, I probably won’t even be sad. It was literally the last college I applied to in October before they were sent out. I pop the envelope open, and slide the paper out. I unfold it and just as I’m about to read the letter, I hear a voice behind me.

          “What are you so nervous for? I’m sure you got in.”

It’s Ryder’s voice. But I don’t know what he’s doing here in Dallas. We kinda got into a minor fight a few nights ago when we were Skyping. I was kinda….upset because he told me that he couldn’t make it down to Texas as early as he thought he could. So he wasn’t able to come for Thanksgiving, which was about a week ago. And I hung up on him. Well it was Skype so I just turned my webcam off, but still, same concept. I turn around, still holding the envelope in my hand, and see Ryder standing there, leaning casually against a car with his hands stuck down in his pockets.

          “Ryder,” I say, my voice my more high-pitched than usual. “What are you doing here?”

          “Well,” He begins; walking towards me with his hands still perched down in his pockets. “I was in my biology class, and the Professor was talking. We have end of term exams coming up in a few weeks, and he said it was in our best interest to take notes. So I was writing and looking up at the board, making sure I got everything. Then I looked down at my paper, and I saw that instead of my biology notes, I’d been your writing name. Over and over like twenty times.”

I chuckle, as he stands right before me, shrugging like it’s no big deal, “Really?”

He nods, “Yup. So when I fail my end of term biology exam, it’s gonna be your entire fault.” He says, jokingly. “So I got up, I left class, got in my car and drove to L.A.X. I bought a plane ticket and here I am. Well I went home first, and then I went to L.A.X., but you know what I mean. Plus, you’re mad at me and I had to make your stop being mad at me. You know I hate when you’re mad at me.”

I smile, “I’m not mad at you anymore.”

          “Promise?”

          “On my life,” I tell him.

          “Good. So why don’t you go on and open your college stuff now? I can see the anticipation is killing you.”

          “Anticipation, yes, but not to open my letters,” I correct him.

          “No?”

I shake my head, “No.”

Ryder takes the envelope from my hands, and reaches back, putting it on top of the mailbox with the other. He grabs my hands, bringing them up to his lips and kissing them. “I missed you. I missed you so much, Mickey.”

          “I missed you too.” I say my voice just above a whisper.

       “Come here,” he says, pulling me closer to him, dropping my hands and pushing his lips up against mine.

I don’t know how long we stand there, at the end of my driveway at my mailbox kissing before my phone rings in my pocket, making us both jump. I smile apologetically at Ryder and pull my phone from my pocket. I look down and see that it’s my best friend, Rachel, texting me.

“Oh my God, I got into Arkansas! Where’d you get in?”  I didn’t apply for University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, it just didn’t appeal to me. It’s always been Rachel’s dream to go there though. Rachel and I didn’t really talk much over the summer, mostly because her parents sent her on this detox thing in Italy, and that’s where she was for the summary. The detox place didn’t allow electronics of any kind, is what Rachel told me.

“Not quite sure yet, haven’t looked. I’ll call you later though, Ryder’s here.” I send back. When I got back home, I promptly called up Rachel who’d also just recently came back home. Anyway, I told her about my summer, and she just finds my and Ryder’s whole relationship so ‘adorbs’. Yes, that’s the exact word she uses to describe it.

I put my phone back in my pocket, and look up at Ryder, “I can’t believe you actually came all the way here.”

          “I’d travel the globe for you if I had to. Now come on, let’s get these letters opened.” He says, picking them up and handing them to me.

          “How long are you gonna be here?”

          “I was thinking until about say uh, May-ish.”

          “May!?” I exclaim, happily.

He nods, “That’s when you graduate, right?”

I nod, “Yeah, b-but what about college? You can’t just take that long off.”

          “Right, of course I can’t. But on the flight here, I was thinking something.”

          “What were you thinking?”

          “I was thinking that maybe UCLA’s not the place for me. I think I’m just gonna transfer.”

         “Where to though?” I ask, looking around and seeing that all of my fellow neighbors have gone back in their homes.

         “I’m no physic or anything, but I’m betting all my money on Northwestern.” He tells me, sliding his finger over the NU envelope.

       “I’m so confused, but I don’t even care, I’m opening it first,” I say, flipping the Northwestern University envelope over and seizing it open, careful not to rip the seal.

I take the paper out, flip it right side up and take a deep breath before reading the first line:

Dear Miss McKenna Bryant,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the College of Northwestern University.

It says other stuff but I don’t read it, not in that instant anyway. “Oh my God,” I say.

               “You in?” Ryder wonders.

        “I’m in. I’m going to Northwestern,” I reply quietly, not quite believing it. “I’m going to Northwestern!” I shout, jumping into Ryder’s arms. He spins me around a few times, smiling.

                 “I knew you’d would in.”

          “Oh my God, I don’t even wanna open the others. It doesn’t even matter, I’m going to Northwestern,” I say for the third time.

                 “And I also brought you something.”

             “What is it?” I ask, my heart rate still accelerated from learning of the fact that I, McKenna Bryant, am going to Northwestern University.

             “I’ll be right back, wait here.” He says, jogging of to his car that I’m guessing he rented. He opens the trunk pulls out a little gift bag, closes the trunk and comes back over to me, handing me the bag, smiling.

               “What is it?” I wonder, taking it from him eagerly.

               “Look in it and see, dingy.”

I smile at his use of the word ‘dingy’, as he used to sometimes call me that when we were younger and reach down in the bag, feeling a smooth fabric on my hand. I pull it out and my jaw drops when I see that it’s a purple Northwestern hoodie. Across the front of it, it reads: Northwestern University in large white letters and directly below it in smaller letters it says ‘EST 1851’.

          “Oh my gosh, where’d you get this?” I gape at Ryder.

          “Northwestern,” He says simply.

          “You were at Northwestern?” I ask, surprised.

He nods, “I was, about three days ago actually.”

          “Seriously? Why?”

          “Had to get some paper work done.”

That’s when it clicks in my mind. Call me slow, or whatever, but it did just click in my brain. He’s here. He brought a hoodie from there. He said UCLA isn’t the place for him. He even said he wants to transfer. Then he said he’s betting all his money on NU.

          “You’re going to NU?”

          “Nope.” Ryder replies, shortly. My smile falters and he opens his mouth again to speak, “We’re going to Northwestern.”

 I can’t contain the scream that’s in me and I let it out, shouting as loud as my lungs allow me to. I jump in Ryder’s arm again and he chuckles, hugging me tightly.When he puts me down, he says, “I think it’d be best if we go in now. The neighbors are gonna get suspicious.”

          “Oh right, come on.” I retort, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the front door, holding my hoodie in one hand and the bag which I put the envelops all in in the same hand. I push the front door open and see my mom and Phi still sitting on the couch, probably wondering what the screaming was.

          “Guys, I got into Northwestern! And look, Ryder came and he’s going with me!”

My mom stands up as does Phil and they both hug me, congratulating me. “Wow Ryder, look at you all grown up.” My mom says to him, as she goes to hug him.

Phil clears his throat, obviously wanting a proper introduction. “Phil, this is my boyfriend, Ryder.” I tell him. “Ryder, this is my step-dad, Phil.”

          “Nice to meet you sir,” Ryder says politely, shaking Phil’s hand.

          “Likewise, so you’re the boy McKenna has been going crazy over?”

          “Oh my God Phil, shut up.” I say, laughing.

So maybe it’s kinda true that when I got back home I was kinda really sad. I begged them to let me go back, then when they said no, each and every time, I go mad and stopped talking to either of them for about two weeks. Then they told me that maybe I could over Christmas Break, if I behaved myself, but now that Ryder’s here I don’t have to go back! And he’s staying until my high school graduation!

          “Did I hear McKenna say that you’re going to Northwestern with her? Aren’t you a sophomore in college though?”

He nods, at my mom. “Yeah, I am. But I transferred to NU. I’m gonna take the online classes until May and then in the fall when she goes I’m gonna go, except I’ll be a junior and she’ll be a freshman.” He explains.

          “It’s the best plan ever!” I say excitedly.

          “You’re gonna be staying here in Dallas?” My mom wonders.

Ryder nods, “Yeah,”

          “Where are you staying?” Phil wonders.

          “Well, I was kinda thinking that maybe I could stay here?” He asks hopefully.

Phil and my mom both exchange looks and then they look back at Ryder and me. “Pleaaase, can he stay?”

          “Well,” My mom says, sighing. “Okay, but he has to stay in Mason’s old room, he can’t stay in your room.”

          “And no sex here.” Phil adds firmly. Oh Phil, so naïve.

          “I love you guys, I love you so much!” I say, grabbing Ryder’s hand and pulling him up stairs to my room.

I close the door behind him and sit down on my bed and take out my hoodie again, looking down at it. “I can’t believe that you and I are going to the same college. This is crazy.”

          “Really crazy,” He agrees, “Aren’t you gonna open the rest of your letters?”

          “I don’t really care what they say,” I tell him. “I’m going to Northwestern, no matter which other colleges I got accepted in.

          “But don’t you just wanna know?”

        “I think you wanna know more than I do, but I’ll open them.” I say, taking the letters out and opening them each. Turns out I got accepted into Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, UCLA, NYU, The University of Notre Dame and of course Northwestern.

Later that night, it’s around 10:30 and Ryder are laying up in my bed watching a movie. We’re eating popcorn. Well I am, he’s eating those cheese puff things, because he’s allergic. Phil’s being really overprotective, and he’s insisted that we leave the door open, and he just so happens to walk by every half an hour. He said when the movie goes off Ryder has to go into Mason’s old room.

          “So what are you gonna do about all of your stuff?” I ask him.

         “I brought some clothes and stuff along with me. There’s like two duffels of stuff in that rental car.”

          “It’s so crazy.”

          “What is?”

          “Everything. How I hated you so much in the beginning of the summer, and now we’re living together, for the second time. So what about your family?”

          “What about them?”

          “Won’t they be sad that you’re not gonna be California anymore?”

He shrugs, “I doubt it. We’re all spread out pretty much.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “Well, Todd’s going to UCLA now, he’s a freshman. Will’s gonna be going to NYU next fall. And Jacob is going to Auburn next fall. There’s only gonna be two kids left at home, and that's Hailey and Asher.”

          “Oh,” I say, nodding in understanding.

          “What’s wrong?” He wonders, looking down at me.

I look up at him, “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is absolutely positively perfect.”

          “Good, I’m glad.” And with the ending credits of the movie we’re watching being to roll. “And that’s my cue to leave, before Phil comes up here and castrates me or something.” He says, getting out of the bed. He leans down, pecking me on the forehead before turning and walking towards my door.

          “Hey Ryder?” I say before he walks out.

          “Yeah?” He replies, facing me.

          “I love you.”

          “I love you too. Goodnight.”

          “’Night,” I say, smiling into the darkness.

When I learned that I was going to Vernon for the summer, I wanted to jump in a front of a train. Seriously. But now I’m glad that Phil and my mom made me go. I had life changing experiences and even got to do some stuff that I didn’t think I’d ever do. Like go to Australia, even though Ryder says to ‘never speak of it’, he’s just an over-reactor. I can honestly say that even though, some really horrible happened over the summer, given the chance, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s true that summer doesn’t last forever, but like my hero Sarah Dessen says, “The truth about forever is that it is happening right now.”

The End

 [Potential spin-off information in the next part! Please Read!]