Blood in the Water

Bama Bound

It was move-in day. Everything had been so tremendous. We finally concluded that dorms were not going to work. I couldn't spend a night without him, so why even try? We've been living together for two years, might as well do it in an apartment. We found one just outside of campus that Lydia and Jackson would be sharing with us. It allowed pets so Jada was arriving with us. Drew and Lucas were staying in a dorm together but they were welcome whenever. Unfortunately, Vera and Drew didn't make it past our wedding. They stayed together to make things at the wedding go smoothly, but she's staying back in Colorado at CU. I wish I could say things went better for Lucas and Karly, but a week ago she broke up with him because she found another mystery man at Ole Miss.

"You ready for this?" I asked Connor.
"Of course I am," he replied.

      We drove so we could fit as much as possible. We filled my mom's entire minivan with stuff and we were bringing our new car, a red Volvo. It matched Alabama perfectly. We were able to shove some more stuff in there with us. His family also had a car full of stuff. It is safe to say we weren't leaving much behind. Also, the wedding gifts were generous, to say the least. After a full day of driving we arrived at our new home.

      We had a whole bunch of people helping move stuff in. Thank god we were on the first floor. It was nice. It had a small, modern kitchen. There was a bedroom off the kitchen and one on the other side of the living space. I think we could make it homey.

We brought all of our stuff inside. My mom started crying as she hugged me goodbye. We were never that close, but without me, she was all alone. That will be very hard on her. Derek and Cate said goodbye to us. They were emotional as I watched them head out of the doorway. My mom was next. The Cardoso's followed her. Lindsay hugged me and then they were gone. Just like that, I'm married, in my own apartment, with my best friends. We started moving boxes around. I unpacked all of Jada's stuff in our room.

"Alyssa get out here," she yelled.
"Coming!" I responded.

      I walked out and saw her holding a huge bottle of Champagne. She popped it and poured it into the glasses we brought.

"Cheers to our next chapter," she said.
"Cheers," we all said together while clanking our glasses.

      We drank it slowly throughout the night. I started in the kitchen, getting plates, silverware, bowls, and cups unpacked. I was surprised at how many kitchen utensils you would need for college. We had little to no food so we ordered pizza for the first night.

After I got the majority of the kitchen done, we steered to the living room and made it a little more homey. I added some plants I brought from home. The couch that we were given was nice, but it needed something. I lightened up the gray couch with some red pillows. I added some books for decorations and coasters to keep any stains from tarnishing our table. I brought a small coffee table and set that in the front walkway with a centerpiece I created. I added a bunch more books onto the bookshelf in the corner. I brought some placemats from home so I set those on the dining room table with some fake candles and plants scattered as well. We were gradually getting rid of boxes. Connor and I went into our room and put our new bedding on. I hung a painting of the mountains. God I will miss seeing the mountains.

He started hanging up clothes and putting them in drawers. I brought our boxy tv from home and set it on the dresser. Our bathroom was nice so I crammed it with all of our toiletries and got the shower filled up with products. Connor laid out our pajamas on the bed.

"It's crazy to think our best friends live across the living room now," I laughed.
"Yeah. This is perfect though," he said.
"I know."

    I changed into my pajamas and went into the living room. I finished off some cold pizza, waiting for Jackson and Lydia. They eventually came into the living room.

"Here we are adults, married, living alone," I said.
"It doesn't feel real but at the same time I'm so ready," Lydia said.
"Same. I'm so anticipatory for the next chapter of our lives," Jackson said.
"This is the beginning of the rest of our new life," Connor said.
"I wonder if we would be here without my attack," I thought.
"We probably wouldn't be," said Lydia.
"That made us grow so close. We would just be normal high schoolers without it," Connor said. "I agree," said Jackson.

     I looked at my friends and had butterflies in my stomach.

"This is my new, amazing life," I thought.

It all started with blood in the water. When I saw the deep red swirl, I thought my life was over. That was it, I was doomed. I truly believed I was cursed forever. But as I struggled on the way to shore, my attitude changed. The blood showed me a deeper truth: time heals everything, even wounds we think are insurmountable.

     What I once saw as a curse morphed into my greatest blessing. That encounter with the shark, fierce and raw, forced me to confront my fears and transform my existence. I realized that pain is not merely an ending but a beginning—a gateway to resilience and understanding. I am here today, not despite that attack, but because of it. I've come to see it not as a tragedy, but as a gift that has reshaped my life in unimaginable ways. I will carry this gratitude forward, knowing that even the darkest moments can lead to profound clarity and strength.