August 14, 2017
I turn over onto my back and open my eyes in frustration, unable to go back to sleep after Grayson left to start his day at 6:00 am. My alarm wasn't slated to go off until 8, which is when I need to get up to get ready for my Physical Therapy program orientation. I shouldn't be so frustrated by this. Grayson has been staying at my place since I got back two weeks ago, and every morning he wakes me up at 6. But I'm still just as frustrated about it today as I was yesterday.
I roll over with a loud sigh. This summer passed by alarmingly fast, and I was finding hard to believe that classes were going to start next week. I had spent the whole summer following Julie around the Twin Cities. Ty didn't have any opinions on wedding stuff, so I was essentially his stand in for everything. From the food, to the cake, even the wedding band design, I (weirdly) had input in all of it. By the time I was getting ready to go back to Durham, everything was planned down to the finest detail.
Grayson's summer was full of ups and downs. He had a good time back home with his family and friends. Luke even went down and visited him before the draft. Speaking of the draft, that night was definitely difficult for Grayson. I think it really cemented the fact that a lot of his friends/teammates were really gone, and there was zero chance that they were coming back. He became closer with the guys that were still there, Brennan being one of them. When he got back to Durham in July he was put on a pretty rigorous schedule. His day started at 6:00 am and he was scheduled from the moment he woke up until he went to bed, which was usually around 9:00 pm. Grayson has always been someone who liked routine, so this definitely worked for him. However, when I got back two weeks ago we realized that his schedule allowed almost zero time for us to see each other during the day. Which lead to Grayson staying at my place every night so we could at least spend a few hours together, even if we were sleeping.
All in all though, I was happy to be back in Durham. It was weird boarding the plane knowing that Julie wouldn't be there with me this year. She had decided to take her nursing boards in Minnesota, and after she passed her boards she was hired at the University of Minnesota Hospital. Her first day was last week, and later this week she will be moving into her new house that Ty had built over the last 6 months. I'm not bitter, really, I'm happy for her. It's just hard to not feel like a failure when everyone else my age is getting married, starting families, and buying houses.
I yawn, and feel my eyelids begin to get heavy. Suddenly my alarm blares, causing my eyes to snap open. I grumble as I grab my phone, turning off the alarm. I get up and head to the shower, feeling my nerves kick in about today.
I was pretty much ready when I check the time on my phone, coincidentally my phone vibrates with a text at the same time.
New Message
From: Grayson
Good luck at orientation!
I grin and send him a quick "thanks" before heading out the door. I was having "first day of school" jitters. It was like being back in elementary school, in the back of my mind I was worried about the other students liking me or thinking that I was dumb. These thoughts were completely juvenile, and made me feel ridiculous, but I couldn't shake them.
We were meeting in one of the auditoriums of the Duke Med. building. If I remember correctly, there are about 80 incoming students to the program. After a final mental pep talk I head into the building. I'm immediately greeted by people at a check in table.
The lady looks at me expectantly for my name, "Uh, I-I'm Danielle Neubauer." Great, now I look like a stuttering idiot.
She smiles and scans over her papers marking my name, "Alright, I'll grab your folder and you can fill out a name tag."
