Route 28

18

Being a cry baby is one of my top three personalities next to dumb bitch and hopeless romantic. And that's exactly what I did in this situation of being stuck and lost with Colt- again. Of course Colt's parents won't pick up the phone and of course mine are in South Carolina- of fucking course. If this is another sign, well thanks universe I got the message. I mean, everything happens for a reason, but what the fuck.

"Autumn," Colt tried to calm me down, "just eat the chipotle, relax. I'll call a friend."

I nodded my head and already scorched down half my bowl. Colt opened the door, opened my trunk, and sat there just staring at the sky and eating his burrito. What a dick.

"Hey," I turned around to face the trunk, "I don't remember you asking if you could sit in my trunk?"

"Not my fault you have a memory of a goldfish!" he called back and continued eating.

Irritated, I walk out and sit next to him. Weather was nice at least. Soon, we both finished our bowl and continued to sit in silence, just enjoying the weather, neither of us knowing what to say.

"My friend will be here soon," Colt informed me. 

More awkward silence.

"I applied to Notre Dame," I broke the silence, "I don't know why, but I did."

More awkward silence.

"I'm looking to get recruited to Chapel Hill," Colt responded. "I know why I did it though. I did it because they have a good football program, good academics, and you might be there. It's a win-win."

"Oh," was all I could say to that.

I was never the type to follow a boy to college. I've always been told by my dad not to follow a boy to college- not that I would even have one to follow anyway. But here I was, facing a boy who was supposedly following me to where I want to go. Oh how the tables have turned.

It's very clear Colt likes me somewhat. I don't know why I keep holding back now at this point. Maybe it's the betrayal or just the fear of this being real or the fear of being hurt. I push it all way like I always do, and just stare at the stars. Being away from all the artificial light at home and being on an empty road, you can actually see the stars much more clearly. I never noticed it before.

Overtime you look at the stars, its like opening a door. You could be anyone anywhere- to be yourself at any moment in your life. You open that door and you realize you're the same person under the same stars. Out here where the world begins and ends, it's like nothing ever stops happening. I turned over to see if Colt was looking at the stars too. Instead, he was staring at me. It startled me. 

"Thoughts on soulmates?" I ask Colt, "Since you always seem to have an answer for everything."

"What?" Colt smirks, "How do you go from completely tossing me to thinking we're soulmates?"

"No!" I blush, "I just, the stars-"

"Relax! I'm just messing with you!" he laughs. "Soulmates? I think they exist. Just not always romantically. I think there are certain people you will meet in your life who you just connect with more than anyone else and you just know it isn't a typical thing and you understand each other perfectly. And this person won't always be your "significant other". I mean it could be your friend or sibling or parent or teacher or the person you dating or whoever it could be just about anyone you've ever interacted with."

"Oh."

"Well, what about you?"

"When I think about the enormity of this earth and the millions of people I have met, I think about how crazy it is out of all the humans in the world ... somehow for some reason I ended up with them. The people we meet in our life are merely by chance, but I believe that chance is for a reason."

"Maybe you should stop overthinking so much and trust the way life happens."

And then he kissed me. And I kissed back. And suddenly everything felt right. From knowing each other since elementary school, to kissing each other and being together in the back of my car years later. Maybe the universe fights for two souls to be together. Some things are too strange and strong to be a coincidence.

yay, finally done! I know the ending seems kinda rushed, but honestly I just wanted to finish this, it was super old. but woo! check out my other book "the birth of phoenix" and a new book called "it's not a wonderful life" is coming soon, so look out for that! (trying to be productive with this quarantine haha- stay safe y'all)