Letters by Her [Book 2]

Chapter 32

"I'm going to miss this place." Ashley sighed as she surveyed the now empty bedroom.

"Me too." Dusty leaned her head upon her friend's shoulder and sighed.

"We've had some good times in here," Ashley continued, her voice breaking slightly.

"Yeah," Dusty agreed, her own voice catching in her throat. The realization that they were looking at the end of an era hung heavily over them both like a lead curtain. Life and its unwavering march forward was pulling them along, forcing Kappa Pi and Princeton into the realms of the past.

"I didn't want to get upset," Ashley said tearfully, dabbing at her eyes with a pink tissue.

"Oh, Ash." Dusty rubbed her friend's back, tears now falling down her own cheeks. "I'm just, I'm so grateful that I met you." Ashley turned and embraced Dusty, holding her tightly. Their bond of friendship had grown from the initial seed of introduction to the great oak of sisterhood that they now shared.

The roots forged during their time at Princeton would forever be within them, unmovable. Whatever the future had in store for them, they would face it together. "You're my best friend," Dusty cried into Ashley's dark hair.

"Best friends forever," Ashley declared.

"Forever," Dusty agreed. Pulling apart, the girls looked around the room one last time. The space they had shared seemed so sad and lack- luster now that it was stripped of all their belongings, all the things that gave a room life and personality.

All that remained were the generic furniture pieces left stark and bare. It was as if they had never been there, that the room had never been theirs. "It's time for someone else to have adventures here," Dusty said, using her sleeved arm to wipe away tears. She was proudly wearing her Princeton hooded sweater. It felt comforting to be taking a part of the college with her even if it was just its logo emblazoned on a sweater.

"Room, we shall miss thee," Ashley jokingly told the space.

"We shall miss thee dearly." Dusty smiled.

"Okay, let's go before I start sobbing and making a scene." Ashley turned and began walking down the corridor, heading for the stairs. Dusty lingered a moment longer. Her goodbye felt harder as she realized it was the second time she'd had to leave a beautiful house and a lovely bedroom. A part of her feared that she may never again get the opportunity to live in such luxury. What if her future consisted of dingy apartments and trailers?

The Kappa Pi house embodied the dream she'd tried to recapture, the essence of magic her comfortable upbringing had given her. Living in the house, studying at Princeton had helped her feel closer to her father's memory because it was where he would have wanted her to be.
Beyond college, out in the great wide world, she had no idea what he would have envisioned for her. She was going to be alone, making her own decisions, and forging her own path, and the thought terrified her.

Her mind drifted to Kyera, understanding her desperation when she felt she'd rather take her own life than progress into adulthood. There was something truly daunting about moving forward, especially when you so consciously tried to cling to the past.

Dusty looked to the bedside table where her father's picture had proudly stood. It was now packed away with her other belongings, bound for West and ultimately New York. She liked that he came along with her, watching over her in a sense.

"Hey, Black, not sure if anyone told you, but we graduated. We need to get out of here," Ashley shouted from the hallway.

"Coming." Dusty leant into the hallway and shouted; her voice carried down to her waiting friend. Taking one last long look at the room, Dusty sighed but smiled. She'd enjoyed her time at Princeton. She had grown and developed as a person. She was finally the person she wanted to be: ambitious and driven and with amazing, genuine friends.