A Fragile Illusion

Chapter three: The decision

Ava woke the next morning with a sense of anticipation she hadn't felt in months. The decision to take a gap year had settled into her bones overnight, and now the idea buzzed beneath her skin, half exhilarating, half terrifying.

Clara was already up, sitting cross-legged at the small kitchen table with her laptop in front of her and a mug of coffee cradled in her hands. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on her face as she clicked away at her keyboard.

"Morning," Clara said without looking up. "Guess what I've been doing?"

Ava poured herself some coffee and sat down next to her. "Dare I ask?"

"Research!" Clara grinned, turning her laptop toward Ava. "I've already found a bunch of cool programs for working abroad, plus some freelance websites where we could pick up gigs. There's this amazing one for teaching English in South Korea, and another for working in hostels across Europe."

Ava sipped her coffee, a mix of excitement and anxiety swirling inside her. Clara was always so quick to dive headfirst into things, while Ava preferred to wade in slowly, testing the waters first. But the more Clara talked, the more real it all started to feel.

"What about money?" Ava asked, voicing one of her biggest concerns. "I mean, we'll need to save up, right? Traveling isn't cheap."

Clara nodded. "Yeah, I've thought about that. We'll definitely need to save for plane tickets and emergencies, but a lot of these programs offer housing in exchange for work, so it's not as expensive as it seems. Plus, if we pick up freelance work along the way, we can keep the income flowing."

Ava bit her lip, glancing at the open tabs on Clara's laptop. The practical side of her brain screamed caution, warning her that this was a huge leap into the unknown. But another part of her—a part that had been buried under the weight of academic expectations and family pressure—felt alive at the prospect of doing something bold, something completely out of the box.

"Okay," Ava said slowly, her voice more measured now. "But we should have a real plan. Like, what countries we want to visit, how long we're staying, and a budget. I'm all for spontaneity, but we need a backup in case things go south."

Clara nodded eagerly. "Agreed. I'm down for some structure, as long as we leave room for adventure. I'll start mapping out some possible itineraries today, and we can go over it together."

Ava smiled, grateful for Clara's enthusiasm. It was contagious. But as Clara turned back to her laptop, Ava's mind wandered to a less exciting but inevitable part of the plan—telling her parents.

Later that afternoon, Ava sat at her desk, her phone in hand, staring at the blank message screen where she was supposed to type something that would explain her decision. Her parents had always been supportive, but they were practical people. They valued stability, predictability, and responsibility, and Ava knew that a year of wandering the globe wasn't exactly in line with their idea of post-graduation success.

Finally, with a deep breath, she typed out a short message to her mom:

Hey, can we talk later today? There's something important I want to tell you.

It wasn't long before the reply came:

Of course, sweetheart. Call us when you're ready.

Ava stared at the screen, her stomach twisting. She'd never been one to go against the grain, at least not when it came to her family. But this was something she wanted—really wanted—and if she was going to make it happen, she'd have to stand her ground.

The rest of the afternoon crawled by as she and Clara talked through travel logistics, job ideas, and potential countries to visit. They laid out a rough draft of their plan—starting with Europe, where they could use Clara's art connections to stay with a few friends in Spain and Italy before moving on to Southeast Asia. It all felt dreamy, like a life lifted from the pages of a travel blog. But beneath the excitement, Ava couldn't shake the dread of the conversation she had yet to have.

As evening fell, Clara left to meet up with a friend, and Ava found herself alone in the apartment, phone in hand. Her heart raced as she scrolled through her contacts, landing on her mom's number. She pressed "call" before she could talk herself out of it.

Her mom picked up on the second ring.

"Ava, honey! How are you?" Her mom's voice was warm, familiar, and instantly made Ava's throat tighten.

"Hey, Mom. I'm good. How are you and Dad?"

"We're great! Your dad's been working on some garden projects, and I've been thinking about what we'll do for Thanksgiving this year. Can you believe