desertion

136

Have fun with these new chapters... I'm way ahead of my usual writing schedule so, I'm trying to clean out all the drafts!!

LYDIA

Sitting at my desk, I stared at the blinking cursor on my laptop screen, my mind wandering back over the whirlwind of everything that had happened over the past few months. Life had been a strange mix of chaos and calm, like the moments between waves at the beach-you never knew when another one would roll in, but for now, the water was still.

I thought about the hospital, the bridge collapse, seeing Dad and Buck walk out bruised but alive. The memory still made my chest tighten. I'd never forget the way my heart had dropped watching the news or the relief that flooded me when Athena said they'd be okay. Then there was Miles, my constant. He was always there, whether it was a quiet night in my room or a chaotic day at the pizzeria.

And speaking of the pizzeria, that place had become my second home. Delilah and Tyler kept the energy alive, always throwing playful jabs or laughing about something ridiculous. Miles balanced us all out, steady and calm. I loved working with them-it made the long shifts feel less like work.

But lately, something else had started to take up space in my life: college.

********

It still felt strange saying it. "I'm in college." Well, online college. A few weeks ago, I'd enrolled in a program to study criminal justice, working toward becoming a private investigator. It had always been in the back of my mind-something I thought would be interesting but never seriously considered until now.

I'd spent hours researching programs and weighing the pros and cons before finally clicking "enroll." The idea of working as a private investigator excited me, but it terrified me too.

Would I be good at it? Could I really make this work?

The first week of classes had been overwhelming. Balancing work at the pizzeria with coursework wasn't easy, but I'd found a system that worked. Most of the time, I stayed up front at the register, laptop open beside the till, balancing pizza orders with writing discussion posts or reviewing case studies. My professors didn't seem to care where I did the work, as long as I turned it in on time.

********

One quiet afternoon at the pizzeria, I was typing out a response to an assignment about ethical boundaries in investigations when Delilah leaned over the counter.

"What are you working on now?" she asked, popping a piece of gum into her mouth.

"Just some discussion board stuff," I said, glancing up from my screen.

"Man, I don't know how you do it," she said, shaking her head. "If I were in college, I'd lose my mind trying to balance it all."

"It's not as bad as you think," I said, shrugging. "I mean, it's stressful, but it's... manageable. I kind of like it, honestly. Keeps me busy."

"Lydia likes being busy. Shocking," Tyler chimed in as he walked by with a tray of breadsticks.

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes.

Miles came out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "You're doing good, Lyds. Better than I would, that's for sure."

I smiled at him, my chest warming at the sincerity in his voice. "Thanks, Miles."

He gave me a small nod before heading back to the kitchen, and I turned back to my laptop.

********

That night, after my shift, I sat at the dining table at home, my notebook spread out beside my laptop as I went over case studies. Dad came in, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"You're really doing this, huh?" he said, nodding toward my books.

"Yeah," I said, glancing up. "I am."

"I'm proud of you, kid," he said simply, ruffling my hair as he walked by.

I smiled, the weight of his words settling over me. For so long, I'd been afraid to take this step, unsure of what I wanted or if I was capable of handling it. But now, I was doing it. And it felt... good.

********

The next day at the pizzeria, I balanced taking orders with finishing a reading on surveillance techniques. Delilah teased me about "becoming a spy," and Tyler joked about me investigating pizza-related crimes. Miles just smiled, shaking his head at their antics.

Life wasn't perfect, but for now, it was good. And that was all I could ask for.