The Goodbye Letter

Chapter 4 - Dorm Room Drama

January.
The month of dread, stress and resolutions.
I personally never had a resolution but this year there's only one thing I'd put on my list.

"Move out of your parents' house."

Simple yet not so easy.
Wait I just thought of another.

"Pass your driver's test and get your own car."

Definitely neither simple nor easy.
It might take a while but I have the entire year ahead of me.

I leave for college next week and I'm both happy and sad.
Happy to get away while everyone has baby fever and sad because I'll miss my friends.
None of us go to the same college besides Josh and I.
Josh and I aren't that close but we do eat lunch together when we feel like it.
He's great.
Aubrey had came over to help me pack and take me to the mall for some new deco and fun stuff.
I could always count on Aubrey, we were like sisters, while my siblings were off starting their own lives Aubrey was there to fill in their spot.
"So when are you leaving for college?" I asked her, planning out when to pack what and where to pack it.
I'm a bit of a control freak in the sense of "my shit needs to be where I know they should be" so I'd make little notes on the side of each box to display what they contain.
"I'm only supposed to leave two weeks, it sucks you have to go so soon."
"Aw, it'll be over before we know it. We come home for break though so we'll see each other then." I smile.
Aubrey wasn't attending any of the same schools as the rest of our friends were, she was attending a fancy art school somewhere in Australia. I have no idea where or what school it is but she's all done with packing, that's all I know.
"Charlotte, could you come downstairs for a moment?!"
I frowned, that's odd, my mother rarely calls me to come downstairs.
The only times she's done that is when guests have arrived or I'm in trouble.
I tell Aubrey to take a break and cautiously make my way down the stairs.
"Yeah?"
"Take a seat sweetie." My mother orders, grinning from ear to ear.
Oh no, this doesn't look good... I think?
"What's up?"
"Well, this came in the mail for you. It's a Letter from Yale. I hope you don't mind that I read it first but, it's to inform you that you cannot return to your dorm rooms."
"Whoa, what, why?" Utter shock oozing from every syllable.
"Apparently there's this big mishap, some old students had set fire to the entire surrounding area of dorms. Isn't that tragic?"
"Then why are you smiling?" I ask, somewhat upset, this was the only chance for me to get away from them.
"Because you'll have to stay here and I get to see you more often." she smiles gleefully.
"But how am I supposed to get there? Walk? Hitchhike? Use that silly Lyft App?"
"Oh don't worry, we'll find a way Pumpkin." She smiles with sympathy.
"Is that all you needed to tell me?"
"Oh we're going out with Mr. Johnson tonight if you wanted to come?"
"I think I'll pass." I take the letter from out of my mother's hand and leave.
I groan as I make my way upstairs, wondering what in the firey pits of hell I did to deserve this.
When I reach my room I belly flop onto my bed.
"This is a disaster." I groan.
"What's wrong?"
"Just read it, it explains itself." Handing her the letter while suffocating my face in a pillow.
"What are you gonna do? Do you think your parents would pay for an apartment?"
"Stop packing. My mom is too attached, she's having trouble with letting her last 'baby' leave the nest."
"What? What about college?" Aubrey asked worried.
"I'm staying here. I'll just have to find a way to get there everyday." I whine sitting upright.
"I'm sure you'll find a way, you always do." I embrace Aubrey in a hug and decide right then that I can either wallow in my sadness or I can make the best out of this situation.
The world obviously hates me.

I sit at Scarlet's dining table enjoying lunch with Scarlet, Aubrey, Stefanie, Maci, Jeff and Gordon.
Jeff and Gordon are Maci's best friends that we occasionally hang out with.
"My name's Jeff!" Aubrey teases as Jeff returns from the bathroom.
He glares her way and smirks.
"You're not funny anymore."
"So you admit it was funny?" Everyone chuckles and Jeff sticks his tongue out at her.
"So what's for lunch?"
"Pasta salad with Portuguese rolls and Cheese spread." Scarlet smiled, placing the food on the table.
You'd understand better if you knew about how Scarlet has no skills when it comes to cooking.
This was the best she could do.
"So basically just the 'usual'"Maci snorts.
Scarlet glares at her but forgets about it for the sake of their sanity.
"Thanks Scarlet, this looks great." Aubrey smiles as she nudges at Maci, encouraging her to compliment Scarlet's "skills."
"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be great." I said getting up and refilling my glass.
"Thanks guys, help yourselves."
"So what's everyone's plans for this month? Any Bucketlists? New year resolutions?" Gordon asks as he scoops some pasta salad onto his plate.
Oh great.
"Well I'm leaving for college on Friday." Scarlet smiles.
"I've gotta go to Sicily for my sister's wedding." Jeff smirks.
"Omg, I'm so jealous Jeff, I'm heading off next Tuesday." Stefanie shows a hint of sadness in her expression.
"Well I've got to go job hunting in Miami so I can get an apartment while I make arrangements for my new bar." Gordon fist pumps.
"I don't know when I'm going to leave, it's mostly preparation for moving into my dorm. If I could guess I probably leave in less or more then 2 weeks." Aubrey smiles.
"I'm leaving tomorrow." Maci bursts out laughing.
"Jeez, so soon? We barely got time to see you."
"Medical school doesn't wait for anyone." Maci shrugs.
"Don't worry, I'll come visit." I smiled, winking.
"Well I'm not allowed to get drunk so we'd have to be chill and lowkey." Maci chuckled.
"That's a bummer."
"Yeah that like totally spoiled my summer plans."
"I'm sorry guys, only 5 more years after this one."
"That reminds me, Hailee and Grace was thinking about going back to Aspen in the summer and they invited me so how about we all go, meet up there and have some fun?"
They all started getting into the conversation of plans for Summer.
All I could think about was the fact that I'd have to somehow find my way to Yale every single day.
I can't get a job, I'll never get a job.
I don't want a job.
I'll just have to use that dumb Lyft app or Uber.
Honestly I don't know how but I will.
I am determined to.

When I got home my phone vibrated indicating I'd been receiving a phone call.
Strangely it was a phone call from Matt.
I smiled and answered the call.
"Hey Matt."
"Hey Char, what've you been up to?"
"Nothing really, I just got home."
"Cool, so I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
Oh brother.
"Sure..."
"Well I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime."
I knew this would happen.
"Um... I'll think about it?"
"Oh c'mon, we all know you've wanted to since like forever and I'm finally ready to give it a try. Just say yes."
Jeez.
"Alright, alright, let's do it."
"For a minute there I thought you'd hang up."
"Well I would've if we weren't such good friends."
"Well I'm happy you didn't."
"Well good for you."
"Well thanks for saying yes."
"Well you're welcome?"
"Well I guess I gotta go now."
"Well I guess so."
"Well."
"Well."
"Well well well."
I love Duffy.
Matt laughs and hangs up.
This is not something I'm looking forward to.

First ever Author's note here we go...

Okay, wow hi, didn't really expect that people would read my book, thanks tho for the votes and everyone who's added this book to their libraries or reading lists, it means a lot.
Anywho, thanks again but now I'd just like to inform you all that if I ever do not update for a week or two it means that I have no internet connection, it happens a lot but I try my best to avoid it(pinterest is just so addicting, I have to spend all my data on it) so I'll refrain from any other data draining apps for as long as I can.

I hope everyone has a great day and enjoys my work of garbage.
Adios.