G O O D L U C K - kate martin

CHAPTER ONE: 01

Growing up in the surrounded by sports has always been the case for everyone in my family. With my mom being a D1 athlete in college, and my younger brother being the star of the soccer team back in Kansas, I have been kind of shoved aside since I am now entering my second phase of life called adulthood; despite being only 20.

Walking into the small, concrete apartment which will now be my home for the next 2 and a half years, I take all the emotions of anxiety and excitement in. Realizing this is now my life. All by myself in Iowa City, after being used to the city life in Miami for almost 3 years.

My family didn't always live in Kansas. My dad was in the military, so we were constantly moving each time he got stationed. From Texas, to Virginia, to California. I've practically been everywhere. My mom got a degree in education, but due to the military, she was a stay at home mom; sort of. Making ends meet with my dad, making sure he doesn't feel like he's the only one with income flowing in. She would work part time at the concession stands during my brother and I's games, so at least she could get into some of the action. She worked at the local daycare for a bit, and then later went on to work at the gas station once we got older and could drive ourselves. Once my dad retired, the University of Kansas offered her a job to be a professor for early education majors. So that's how my hell of train wreck of a family ended in Kansas.

My family had just dropped me off at this new home of mine. They helped me move my boxes and furniture into my space these past two days. Today was the day I had to say goodbye until before school started. We've just gotten back from dinner at the Perkins just outside of town; forgot about the restaurant chain since the one in Virginia closed when I was in middle school. I set my purse on my counter top and begin to FaceTime my best friend to give her a tour of my new pad that I promised her.

Meeting Caroline at the University of Miami had to be the biggest blessing in disguise. After breaking up with my boyfriend of 2 years and my friends suddenly turning against me, all I needed was an angel. God sent her down to me and saved me from the damage I had just suffered. Although I have a feeling this 22 hour distance between us will be hard, there's no way God put a girl like her into my life just to take her out after two years.

"Hey home owner," She speaks through the phone with pure excitement. I laugh at her clever greeting that made me miss even more than I already did. She never had to deal with a real far distance since she was born in raised just right out of Miami. "Oh please, I'm lucky my parents are helping me with the rent." We chuckle, acting as if we aren't a whole day trip away from each other. "Okay enough, show me this new space of yours." She speaks with a smile across her face while eating some popcorn. I flip the view of the camera so it's facing away from me. "Okay, so if you're walking in, this is what you'll see. To the right, I have a coat rack thing hanging on my wall with my fancy purse and next to it are my spare apartment keys," I explain, doing a crappy job of showing her every detail.

We make it to my room, and it's the most decorated out of all the spaces. My duvet is white with black pin stripes and I have neutral colored pillows piled at the head of my bed. "So here's my new happy place, my bed room." I sigh, showing her the fairly bare room. On top of my drawers I have smaller boxes filled with knick-knacks that have somehow found a place too close to my heart, I couldn't bear to get rid of them. But the only thing out of the boxes, is a picture of Caroline and I during a Christmas themed darty.

"And over here I have a picture of me and my favorite fatty," I say in a jokingly manner. I hear her belt out in an obnoxious laugh, "Pal-ease!" She yells at her phone. We laugh about it for a bit before we get back to using our words properly, "In all seriousness though, that was one of the funnest days ever." I reminisce about the day I realized she was the best person to have ever met. Ending the night with a drunk DoorDash order of Taco Bell and Dairy Queen Blizzards. Looking at the picture with us in matching green bikinis and black denim shorts, realistically too short to be wearing out in public. "Oh God how I'm gonna miss you," She explains with a sigh, "Tell me about it, at least you're at your parent's house. I start workouts in two days and my parents are nearly 4 hours away." She chuckles a little bit but in a way explaining 'I can't be complaining.'