All I Have to Give

Chapter 2

The sky was just beginning to turn a light shade of pink as Rachel drove down the Florida Turnpike and music softly played through her car. Waves of anxiety and apprehension began to sweep over her as she read the mileage sign. Orlando was less than two miles away. She was officially 1,105 miles away from her hometown. It was the furthest she'd traveled alone but it was scary and freeing at the same time. This was the beginning of a whole new life. New school, new city, and new friends. What more could she possibly want? Rachel tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she let her mind wander to the life she left behind in Missouri. She wondered if her mom was being nice to her brother. Was she keeping the men out of the house? Was she driving drunk or falling asleep at the wheel? These were just a few of many reasons why Rachel wanted to get out as fast as she could. She'd had enough of the drama in her family. It was time to move on to something better and become the person she always wanted to be. Of course, she questioned if her mother would ever let her be that person. Was traveling across the country far enough away or would she manage to wreak havoc despite the distance?

A frown rested upon her face as she shifted her position in her seat, gripping the steering wheel as she let out a yawn. After driving six hours from Atlanta, she was ready to arrive at her apartment in Orlando. Kristin was probably wondering where she was. Rachel was surprised her phone hadn't rang in the past hour. She was running behind after waking up late and getting on the road two hours past her original scheduled time. She thought that not stopping for lunch would get her there faster, but she didn't take in account of the road work that happened back in Tallahassee. Rachel was never on time. Punctuality wasn't her strong suit.

Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, she reached over and turned up the volume to her favorite Martina McBride song that was playing for the tenth time in a row. Humming along to the melody, Rachel glanced into her rearview mirror before passing a slow moving semi in front of her. Her foot slowly hit the gas a little harder and she passed the big white truck. Merging back into the right hand lane, she began to sing along to the chorus.

"And with a broken wing she still sings. She keeps an eye on the sky. With a broken wing she carries her dreams. Man, you ought to see her fly," she sang loudly.

Raising her hand up to motion along with the music, she smiled to herself at the familiarity of the lyrics. Flying...that's exactly what she was doing in this new season of her life. The chorus came around again and Rachel sang even louder, pumping her fist in the air, declaring her presence upon the Florida Turnpike. Her sweet, soprano voice filled the car in perfect pitch. The anxiety she was previously feeling was slowly melting as she continued to sing along and her mood was beginning to lift. Merging into the far right lane, she softly smiled to herself as found herself officially in Orlando. Butterflies began to form in her stomach as she carefully flowed with the traffic, merging off the turnpike and into the city.

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The air conditioner whirred loudly as Kristin turned down the temperature and let out a loud sigh from exhaustion. As much as she enjoyed the idea of living in Orlando, she wasn't used to the change in climate. Compared to the usual weather of Chicago, Orlando had a swampy humidity that she wasn't accustomed to. Kristin knew it was going to take her a while to get used to it. Luckily, she had enough bikinis in her wardrobe to last her for weeks. Any excuse to walk around in a bikini top was more than okay. Kristin was looking forward to spending time by the pool and taking weekend trips to the beach. Her philosophy in life was live every moment as if you're on the red carpet. Florida was full of VIP opportunities and she intended to explore everything she could find.

A slight smile crept across her face as she continued to daydream about parties, shopping, and boys while she picked up a shaggy purple area rug and draped it across the living room floor. She looked around the apartment and nodded in satisfaction. The movers had arrived earlier that day to place her furniture where she wanted it. Everything was brand new, a graduation present from her grandparents. Kristin sat down on the black leather couch and sighed as she rubbed her hand over the smooth material. Taking in a deep breath, the scent of new leather reached her nose and she smiled in contentment as she kicked off her pink flip flops and propped her feet up on the cushion. Running her fingers through her thick, black hair, she closed her eyes and continued to daydream as she soaked in the stillness of the apartment. She smirked at thought of the excitement that had yet to come. Kristin was glad to be on her own. College life was going to open doors that she had waited for years to open. Even though she grew up in a rich family, her parents were strict. She hardly got to experience a normal teenage life. Her parents expected her to make straight A's in school so her social life was practically non existent. Aside from playing the clarinet in marching band, Kristin never got to hang out with people her own age. Her only real friend was Rachel, but after Kristin's family moved to Chicago, the never saw each other except the rare occasion that Rachel came to visit. Their friendship primarily consisted of Emails and late night chats on AOL. Once in a while they would talk on the phone, but it was hard to maintain a normal conversation with her father breathing down her neck to get back to her studies. However, now that she was on her own, she intended to live life to the fullest. She wanted to explore everything that came her way. The only restriction she had was the requirement to maintain a 3.5 GPA in school. If she failed to do that then her parents would stop funding her way through college. Even though they still had the upper hand, Kristin still found living in Florida would be better than being back at home.