Chapter Twenty-Two
Charlotte
Every year since we were ten, Laurel and I had called each other at the stroke of midnight on our birthdays. We'd stay up for hours, reminiscing about all our inside jokes from the year before. Like the time in sixth grade we ditched PE to "study" for a math test and ended up getting lost in the woods behind school for two periods. Or our dance and karaoke battles in my bedroom to whatever new song was topping the charts. Our birthdays were never complete until we heard each other's voices at twelve A.M. sharp.
This year, I paced my room as 11:59 approached, giddy with anticipation. I scrolled through our text history, cringing at the cheesy details we shared about our boyfriends. I smiled as I recalled our last birthday call and wondered what shenanigans the new year would bring.
Midnight.
The call rang once, twice, three times. No answer. I tried again with no response.
loloboo
wtf lo
pick up
what happened to TRADITION
Finally at 12:03, her face popped up on my phone. "Lo, why didn't you answer?" I demanded.
"I'm sorry!" she said breathlessly, noticeably adjusting her T-shirt and disheveled hair. "Ashton and I were... anyway, I'm here now!"
"How does it feel to be 18?" I asked with a smirk. "My little adult."
"Your little adult who still has to do everything her parents say," she grumbled.
"What happened?" I asked. Laurel's parents were unnecessarily strict. Laurel hadn't even told them about her relationship with Ash, and they had been dating about a month longer than Ben and I.
"I asked them about dating," she said with a sad sigh. "I said 'I'm gonna be eighteen tomorrow, so does that mean I can date?' And they said 'absolutely not, Laurel Joy, you're still a child. Eighteen's just a number.'"
"I'm sorry, Lo," I frowned. "But college is only a few months away! You're still planning on Duke?"
I was sad that Duke was her top choice. It meant that we would be 10 hours away from each other. But she desperately needed to get away from her parents and find her own sense of self and independence in a place they couldn't easily travel to.
"I got in," she admitted hesitantly.
"Laurel, that's amazing!" I exclaimed, beaming for her accomplishment.
"My parents are so fucking focused on State, I can't even bring up another school," she said. Michigan State University was a good school, but it was only thirty minutes from us. Laurel's parents would definitely make her commute if she went there.
"But I didn't even apply to State," she continued. "I haven't told them that. And Ash lent me the money to put down a deposit for Duke. It's just sitting in Apple Cash. Lottie, I'm so fucking scared to do it. I don't want them to hate me."
"Lo, I get that you're scared. Believe me I get it," I said softly. "But you have to do what's best for you. And that's Duke. Duke is a really good school, and I know you're gonna do amazing things there. You have to be able to live your own life. You can't let anyone else dictate it. You've gotta take a leap of faith and just do it."
"I got a full ride, Lot," Laurel admitted sheepishly.
"Oh my God, Laurel!" I gasped, wishing I could hug her through the phone. I was probably waking my mom up, but I was so excited for her. "That's fucking amazing! Holy shit, Lo! I'm so proud of you."
YOU ARE READING
breathe
Teen Fiction[BOOK 2 OF FEARLESS] *mature content* "Why are you sugaring me up?" he asked with a raised brow. "I'm your sugar mommy," she teased. "Minus giving you money. I'm broke as hell." "Do you need money? I can give you some," he offered. She shook her hea...
