Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

Chapter Thirty

It was the middle of August and Andrew's time was almost up. He had to get a letter with an answer sent to the University of New York by tomorrow or he wouldn't be going there at all. It had taken a month for him to reach a decision, and still he was torn. He was going to tell Rose today, and he wasn't entirely sure what he would say.

Aunt Cynthia kept pressuring him into going to the University of New York. She kept telling him to follow his dream and that Rose would be okay with it. She said he needed to do what made him happy. Aunt Cynthia also said he shouldn't give up his dream and his education for a girl. Andrew felt uneasy about the things Aunt Cynthia told him, and he wasn't sure what he wanted.

As he paced back and forth on Rose's front porch, he decided he just needed to be honest. He wanted to go to the University of New York, and he'd only be gone for four years. That gave both of them time to go to school before marrying, if they did. They could do long distance, it would work. With fresh determination, Andrew knocked on the front door.

When minutes past and Rose didn't answer, he knew she must be out and about. Today was her last day with Dr. Tund, and she would be home soon. Andrew sat down on the front step and buried his head in his hands. His stomach began to churn as he waited for Rose to come. 

The minutes felt like hours and he was becoming more and more nervous. He was about to leave when he heard Rose pull up. He looked up and watched her get out of the car. She looked beautiful with her curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She smiled and opened her arms as she walked towards Andrew.

She gave him a hug as she said, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Andrew replied. Trying to distract his mind he asked, "How was Dr. Tund? Are you officially done? Did everything go okay?"

"Woah, slow down," Rose laughed. "And it all went fine. I'm officially done and officially better."

"That's good to hear."

"So, how was your week of touring college campuses?" Rose questioned.

Andrew had spent the last week touring college campuses. The first half of the week was spent in New York, which Rose didn't know, and the second was touring colleges in Washington. Knowing he could no long avoid the conversation, Andrew decided to just blurt it all out.

"That's actually why I'm here, I want to talk to you about something," Andrew said nervously.

Rose gave him a questioning look before sitting down on the steps. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

Andrew took a seat next to her and looked her in the eyes. "I got accepted into the University of New York. That's actually where I was the first part of the week, touring the campus."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me?" Rose asked.

"I wasn't sure how you'd react," Andrew admitted.

Rose nodded. "Okay, did you like it there?" He could tell how hesitant Rose was about this. She began playing with her fingers, indicating she was nervous.

"Rose, I'm going to the University of New York. The semester starts in January and I'm going to be gone for four years," Andrew blurted out.

Rose looked at him, shock and hurt written all over her face. "You're what?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm going to the University of New York," Andrew repeated.

"But why?" Rose asked, her voice raising.

Andrew started to feel a little irritated. Was she really upset with him? Wasn't she supposed to be supportive? "Because it's my dream, Rose. That's where my dad went to school and that's where I want to go. They have a great mechanical engineer program. Plus, my aunt was able to find me some deals. I'm excited about this. My dream is actually coming true, and Aunt Cynthia is encouraging me to go."