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THE BIG DECISION

"SO... WHERE DO YOU THINK I SHOULD GO TO COLLEGE?"

Embry Call just looked at her like she was stupid. "Why are you asking me? I'm not the one going."

"Because I've been asking around, and the consensus is nine people for Seattle, and a whopping two for Pepperdine... and one of those Pepperdine votes is myself."

He grimaced. "Tough crowd."

Billie shrugged, hovering near the kitchen island where her friend was making a late lunch for them. It was the Friday afternoon of the big deadline, and the Burbank girl had until midnight to click accept on one of her acceptances. So, naturally when the school bell rang, she drove over to the Call residence to get a final word of advice from her friend.

"I had a dream that I took a year off, found myself and all that mojo, before deciding," she told him, passing him a few pieces of lettuce from a container in the fridge. "But I think that's cause I just don't want to decide."

"So take a year off," Embry proposed, holding up a tomato in her direction with a raised brow. She shook her head, declining, before he sliced some for his own sandwich. "Shit, take two years off; that way we could enrol somewhere together."

She snorted at his optimism, wishing it were that simple. "My mom would have my head on a stick if I did," she laughed, taking the plate that Embry was holding out to her before they migrated to the kitchen table. "Her whole outlook on college is get a degree first, take a year off later."

Embry hummed. "That'd be cool too," he said through his chewing, and Billie had to kick his shin lightly to get him to finish before speaking next. "What would you do, if you had a year— before or after?"

"Travel," was her instantaneous reply. "I wanna immerse myself in as many cultures as possible, I think."

At that, Embry's eyes seemed to light up. "Immersing yourself in different cultures, huh?" he smiled, "would you wanna start that sooner than later?"

"What do you mean?" she asked after she swallowed down a bite of her Turkey sandwich.

"We're having a bonfire next week–ish, and all the ancient ass Quileute legends get spilled," he told her, stealing a cucumber off her plate that had fallen from her sandwich. "Given that you're my imprint, you've been invited this time around."

Billie's smile was blinding at the offer. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, dude," she stated happily, and it earned her an equally as radiant smile from the boy across from her.

Oh, how good it was to be involved.

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Billie had her laptop in her hands when she knocked on the door to her mother's office. She heard a shout sound from within, and slowly creaked the door open.

"You're up late," she said to Katherine, noticing that it was nearing ten o'clock and her mother was usually tucked in with a face mask on before nine thirty.

The Burbank matriarch was typing away on her own computer, nodding to the empty chair across from the desk for Billie to sit in. Complying, laptop placed in her lap, she heard her mother groan. "If your father wasn't worth half of your genetic makeup, I'd have killed him by now," she all but scowled, still looking at her laptop as though it was personally offending her. "They should've stayed down South, I'll tell you that. Damn bastards."

"What's wrong?" Billie immediately questioned, and her thoughts regarding the important task at hand on her screen momentarily vanished.

What was Vincent up to now, other than moving into the neighbourhood and stomping on what peace the Burbanks had found in Forks?

Katherine swallowed, giving her daughter a smile. "It's nothing you need to worry about, honey," she waved off, pushing her laptop to the side and unaware of the way Billie was actively clocking the stress lines on her forehead. "What's got you up?"

"College deadline," she admitted meekly, watching another wave of frustration pass onto her mother's face— now for an entirely different reason.

"Isn't that tonight?" she asked, and upon seeing the blonde girl nod her head and spin her laptop screen towards her, Katherine shook her head. "And you've left it til the last minute?"

Billie's throat closed up at her tone. "I've been stressed," she mumbled out, "stressed about what I should do— about what I need to do."

Understatement of the year, Wilhelmina Burbank, her subconscious supplied for her.

Yeah, Billie was stressed about everything as of late. The school year was coming to a close rapidly, and she still had yet to pick a new captain for the debate team for the next year. She was stressed about keeping in contact with her friends after graduation, knowing they'd all be split up at the end of the day. And now, she was stressed about her father, on behalf of her mother.

It was funny that the only thing she wasn't even minutely stressed out about was the whole Aro situation, given that he was giving her the chance to really live. He told her he could be patient, and he hadn't given her any reason to not believe in his word.

Katherine pursed her lips. "What you need to do?" she parroted back to the girl, her now scrutinizing gaze searching for something.

"Everyone wants me to go to Seattle," she responded, "you want me to go there. Dad does too—"

"What has he said about it?" was the immediate question, Katherine looking at though she was on edge.

Billie stopped herself from sighing, the conversation she had with him on replay. "He said he can schedule some tours for me... if I decide on Seattle."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "He means if you can decide on pre-law?"

The blonde girl hung her head, picking at the fabric on her sweater. "You want the same for me, don't you?"

Her mother's scoff had her actions stilling, yet still not looking up just yet. "I want you to be close, sure, and I know you picked their pre-law program for me," at Billie's move to interject, Katherine held a finger up, "and don't deny it because you're my kid, I know you. But Seattle's got a lot of other options... like Art History."

Billie looked up, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Do they?"

While she'd applied to Seattle University's pre-law program and Pepperdine's general arts, anyone who really knew Billie knew that she loved anything involving the histories of curated art. It was all a dream to her though, an impractical career path that wouldn't provide her anything close to the amount of income she'd make as a lawyer or litigator.

"I think you'd like it," her mother mused, pulling her daughter's laptop closer to her to look at. "But I'd never stop you from going down south, Billie Mae. All I want is for you to be happy, alright?"

Sliding the laptop back towards the younger girl, and Billie took it as she stood. "Thanks, mama," she said earnestly, rounding the desk to place a kiss on her mother's cheek before starting towards the door. Her hand on the handle, one hand balancing the laptop, she turned back one last time. "You sure you're okay? Dad isn't bugging you, is he?"

Katherine's shake of her head was instant. "I'm peachy keen," was her reply, following by a mock kiss being blown into Billie's direction. "Submit your acceptance, and get to bed, young lady."

With the consensus written on a sticky note on her computer screen and her mother's words in her brain, she marched on up the stairs and dropped into her desk chair. Sure, she'd have to email admissions to switch things around, but the answer was clearer now— the best of both worlds was clearer, now.

Dragging her cursor across the screen, she made her decision and closed her eyes with a baited breath, not wanting to watch as it went through.

She just hoped she'd like the dorm rooms that Seattle had to offer, though.

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[ wyn's note ]

big moves on billie's end!!! this chap was pure fluff for me cause i love a good mother-daughter duo <3

also just for clarification, billie's real full name is wilhelmina mae burbank, but she absolutely loathes it so she's billie (to everyone expect vincent, apparently smh)

thanks for 8k reads you guys! all my love xx