Worth Fighting For - PUBLISHED

Chapter 1

Nova

Writing has always been an outlet for me. It's something that lets me suppress all the darkness inside me without infecting other people with it, other than my therapist of course. It's her job to deal with my shit on a weekly basis without judging me.

Every year before classes start, my best friend, Mia, and I celebrate by having a lost girl's weekend. Freshman year was a trip to New York. Sophomore year was a trip to Los Angeles. And last year, my personal favorite, was New Orleans. This year we decided to stay in New Haven near school since it's our last before graduation.

This year, something is just different. It's still a month or so before school begins, but I'm not in the mood for a lost girl's weekend, nor do I care to even go out. I'm not sure if it's because this marks my last year before the real world starts, or if it's because life wants to fuck me again and remove the one bit of joy I had in it.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you ready?" Mia stands in the doorway of my room, glaring at me for my defiance in not getting ready.

"I told you Mia...I'm not sure I want to go out this year. It's just different. I can't explain it."

"Absolutely not," she says, storming the rest of the way in the room and jumping on my bed to sit in front of me. "I know you struggle a lot and it's been five years since he passed, but you can't let the weight of what happened keep you from living. That's what the lost girl's weekend is for. To get out of our heads and be people that we normally aren't."

"Mia, you don't get it."

"No, I don't," she sighs. "But what I do know is that you're young, you're hot, and you can't let what happened keep you from living. We're in our early twenties, Nova. We are supposed to be living."

"I am living, Mia," I grunt. I love my best friend, but fucking hell can she push my buttons sometimes.

"No, Nova. You're not. You may have survived then, and that's the only version of alive that you are. But you're not truly living." She walks over to my bed and takes a seat, putting on her best pouty face. "This is our last year together before real adulthood starts. Give me this one last lost weekend. Please?"

"You're not letting this go...are you?" I sigh.

"Nope. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't push you out of your comfort zone? You never know which adventure will bring something amazing. And you, Nova, deserve all the amazing things that life can provide."

"You mean like the amazing something life gave me when I met you?" My eyebrows raise.

"Exactly like that," her eyes sparkle with amusement, and the mention of the memory brings me back to our first meeting in freshman year, four years ago.

Move in day. I can't believe I'm finally at Yale. A year ago, I still didn't think this was possible, but here I am, a survivor. Pawpaw has the ranch to worry about, so I convinced them to let me drive up alone, which I had to beg them to let me do for about six months before they caved.

I pick up my room key and assignment from the registration desk and make my way to the dorms. The door is unlocked when I get there, and as I enter, I see that half of the room is already set up – but there's not much there.

My roommate must already be here.

I'm so nervous. Living with a brother is completely different than living with another girl. What will she be like? Will we like the same things? Oh my gosh, will she even like me? I hope so.

I unpack all my things within a two-hour span and by that point, I'm sweaty, gross and exhausted. Since my roommate still isn't here, I take it upon myself to grab a shower, so she doesn't think I'm gross or something.