Two years after a horrible accident, Kinsley's determined to make it through vet school, but she didn't expect to meet country boy Noel McLean who's just as mysterious as he is charming.
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Kinsley Hastings suffers from PTSD. After surviving a fata...
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Three months later...
Kinsley
I'm late with the burger-and-milkshake tradition Jessa and I had. But I decided it would be best for me to do something else that could ensure starting my semester off with a bang. Rather than sitting in a pub alone, I took my grandparents out for a nice dinner at a local restaurant here in Calgary. Before our food arrived, we made a toast to everyone. Mom, Dad, Jessa, Aaron, and Mads. I figured it would be better to remember them together as opposed to being alone. Since then, I've been too busy balancing classes with my new job to sit down and enjoy the burger, fries, and strawberry milkshake we always used to get.
Which is why I'm continuing the tradition tonight, here on campus with Cole. Though he wasn't the other person in the accident, he knows the story, from both perspectives, inside-out. Suffice to say, he's been a great friend throughout everything that's happened. Sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without him.
Anyway, tonight is one of the first nights I've been off and have had little to no homework to do. Why not complete two events (the tradition and getting together with my friend) at once?
As I walk down the familiar sidewalk, wearing jeans and a warm jacket, I find myself reminiscing. It's hard to believe that it was just last year I was walking down this same sidewalk, trying to find a place to eat and mourn all alone. It's hard to believe how much everything has changed. How much I've changed.
I've made a fair number of friends this term. I've also been working on my knee, hoping that one day I'll be able to sprint again. I have a job, I'm using my vehicle.
I'm living.
But if there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's how much I miss Noel. Yes, we've kept in touch over the past few months, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt when he told me he was dropping out of university and heading to Nashville to pursue a career in music. However, while I was sad I wouldn't be able to see him very often, I was still happy for him. As I've said multiple times before, he has a talent that needs nursing. One day, he's going to make a great country singer.
Pushing the door to the pub open, I head to the back of the building, searching for Cole. It takes me a minute to find him thanks to the heavy crowd here tonight, but I eventually do. He's sitting at a booth near the pool tables. On the way to the table, I run into a few of my classmates and politely say hello. I will admit, it was hard to be social at first when considering how long I avoided creating relationships, but once I got used to it, I began to enjoy it more and more. I like having people to study with, hang out with, and laugh with. I like that I don't feel like a total loner anymore.
"Hello, love," Cole says as I sit down across from him.
I hang my bag off of my knee and shoot a smile at him. "Hey, how's it going?"
"The bee's knees," he replies.
His response earns a chuckle. Cole's a little strange, but I love him.
