is it casual now? - e. edwards

chapter one!

march 2021

lacy was walking back and forth for what seemed hours to her parents. "lacy will you please sit down" dalton asked her nicely. "no, i'm so nervous i might throw up" jane laughed, "lace, it's going to be okay" lacy gave her small relieved smile but stopped immediately when the phone rang. dalton and jane laughed at their daughter who had almost fell trying to grab the phone, "hey ace, have you opened it yet?" lacy automatically felt at ease as she heard her best friend's voice on the other side of the phone. "no not yet lu, i'm so freakin nervous"

lacy knew where she wanted to go to college for what seemed her whole life, from living in michigan over the summer and doing small road-trips all over michigan, lacy knew exactly where she wanted to spend her college days and that was at the michigan state. when lacy found out that quinn was going to umich, she was excited for him. she made him promise her that he would send pictures and souvenirs even if it didn't make sense to want souvenirs from your dream school's rival. quinn never understood it but let the girl be happy and did what he was told.

"okay lace, check!" her parents told her. lacy's hand wouldn't stop shaking as she clicked the admissions portal. luke quickly yelled at her to stop "ace, facetime me i wanna see your face". when luke could finally see lacy's face he gave her permission to open the portal. "which one should i open first?" lacy asked with a quiver in her voice, "umich, umich, umich" luke excitedly yelled at her.

when lacy found out that luke was also following quinn's footsteps and was committing to umich for hockey, she was over the moon, praying and hoping that she could go to college close to one of her closest best friends. even though michigan state was lacy's dream school, after luke figured out where he was commenting he begged lacy to apply to umich too.

lacy giggled as she opened the umich portal, "holy crap, i got accepted" lacy beamed while luke screamed frantically and ran around the house to show his parents.

"how exciting lacy! you can go with luke!" ellen told her when luke shoved his phone in her face. "well if i don't get accepted to state, yeah" lacy tried her best to joke around but ultimately couldn't because of how nervous she was.

when luke was back in his room it was time to open the state portal, "hey, everything's going to be okay ace, i promise" luke tried his best to comfort the girl. lacy grabbed her mom's hand and pressed the button. as the portal loaded, lacy's heart raced with anticipation. every second felt like an eternity as she waited for the page to reveal her future. finally, the screen displayed the result, and lacy's heart dropped as she read the words "we regret to inform you..." tears quickly collected in her eyes, and she struggled to process the overwhelming disappointment.

luke immediately knew what had happened. luke watched helplessly as lacy's expression shifted from hope to despair. feeling helpless on the other side of the phone "im sorry ace, i know how hard you worked to get accepted" dalton and jane exchanged worried glances, their hearts breaking for their daughter. jane quickly wrapped her in a hug. after a moment of silence, lacy took a deep breath and forced a shaky smile. "It's okay lu" she whispered, though her voice trembled with emotion. "i'll figure something out."

lacy decided to let luke go so he can go on about his day. "bye lu". before she could hang out luke quickly stopped her with "I love you ace". lacy let out a small and soft giggle, "love you more lu". when she hung up she let out a sigh and looked at her parents, dalton was the first one to say something, "I know this wasn't the outcome you were hoping for lacy, but I want you to know that I believe in you. you've worked so hard, and one setback doesn't define your worth or your future." jane nodded as she hugged her daughter, kissing her on her head "were so incredibly proud of you".

in the days that followed, lacy wrestled with feelings of disappointment and uncertainty about her future. she grappled with the idea of attending the university of michigan, knowing it wasn't her dream school but recognizing the opportunity to be closer to luke and it presented itself as a new adventure.

as lacy looked around her room, her eyes landed on the college brochures scattered across her desk. she grabbed the umich and started reading it, her phone buzzed with a new message. she glanced down to see notifications from both jack and quinn, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

NEW MESSAGE
FROM 'jacky'

jacky
hey lace i heard abt what
happened i hope u feel better
and im here to listen to u
and ur annoying ass 💗

lacy
thanks jacky boy, miss u

jacky
yeah u should should come
to jersey one of these days
just don't bring moose
he's been annoying lately

lacy
we'll see if i can keep it a secret...

jacky
u and ur big mouth

lacy
hey! u love me

jacky
yup always will
take care lace
lacy
u too jacky 🤍

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

NEW MESSAGE
FROM 'quinny'

quinny
hey lace, luke told me what happened.
i just wanted to say i'm really sorry
things didn't work out the way
you hoped but i know you're strong
and i have no doubt that you'll find 
ur way no matter what. umich is great btw

lacy
thanks quinny i really
appreciate that and u

quinny
i'll always be here for you,
you're basically part of the family
you're mom's favorite
and luke's

lacy
we can both be her favorites

quinny
deal
lacy
love you quinny hughes 🤍

quinny
love you more lace pierce

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

days and weeks after the admissions drama, lacy spent the rest of her senior year excited.

"you coming to jessica's grad party?" amber asked lacy as she sat on lacy's bed. "i don't think so, i've got a lot of packing to do" grumbled lacy as she thought about all the luggage she had to pack. "oh, come on lacy it's basically your last week in california before you're off to michigan".

lacy thought about her bittersweet journey and finally gave in to amber's puppy eyes "fine but only if you help me pick out an outfit".
lacy laughed as amber eyes became wide with excitement, "yes! deal!"

at the party lacy had countless conversations with inside jokes and stories from her high school years, thinking about the many memories she's made in california.

on graduation day, lacy woke up excited. she rolled out of bed and put on her beautiful pink dress that complemented her eyes perfectly. as she gazed in the mirror, fixing her dress, jane came up behind her and hug her with tears in her eyes. "you look gorgeous lace, i'm so proud of you"
"thank you mom, i owe it all to you and dad" lacy smiled into her mom's hand which was placed on her shoulder in a loving manner.

dalton then came in the room asking if they were ready. lacy looked at her mom and nodded. "yep we're all set"

and with that the pierce family made their way to the ceremony.

lacy sat in the crowd, listening to all her teachers and classmates talk about the future. she smiles at the fact that her future is finally falling into place.

when the ceremony was over lacy got a text from luke. "are you on your way?"
lacy smiled. "yep i'll see you in a couple hours."