College Fund

//That Was The Last Time I was Going to Cry//

"You are?" Bria gasped, and I could tell that she was genuinely shocked I said yes. At this time in my life, I needed a distraction, and a trip to Europe was exactly what I needed.

"Of course. I have plenty of money in my bank account, I'll be fine."

"You realize this is for a full year, right?"

I nodded, forgetting she couldn't see me. "Yup. I'll just call the university and tell them I'm not coming this year. No big deal."

"Sounds great! I'll text you the flight details. Make sure to book it soon so we can get seats next to each other!"

"I'll get right on it. Talk to you in a bit."

"Bye Cass!" Bria chorused, and I hung up.

What had I just done?

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"Hi, I was wondering if you have any computers that are available for public use?"

The hotel secretary replied, "Of course, if you come down to the lobby there are a few desktops that are open."

"Thank you." I hung up the phone and grabbed my room key before heading to the elevators.

"Going somewhere?"

I jolted at the sound of Eric's voice. I hadn't expected him to be leaving his room at the same time as me. "The lobby. I need to do some...banking."

Eric nodded and grabbed my hand, swinging our joined hands as we waited for the elevator to arrive. "Cool. Can I come with?"

"Yeah, I guess," I struggled to smile.

The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. I let go of Eric's hand, choosing instead to lean against the wall.

"So," Eric cleared his throat. "I know that we, uh, are sort of in a complicated relationship right now, and I wondered if I could make where we stand more clear."

My eyes were locked on the slowly decreasing numbers, praying that they would go faster.

"Look, I just have to ask... Will you be my girlfriend?"

My jaw must have dropped to the floor. Did he really just ask me this, now?

The elevator chimed, and the doors opened, revealing the lobby. "Eric, no, I just can't..." Without saying another word, I sprinted out of the elevator.

I knew Eric would be shocked, and would demand an explanation, but I couldn't put my emotions into words right now. Instead, I ran to the nearest computer and logged onto my banking account.

Taking a deep breath, I transferred all of the money from my college fund into my chequing account. And let me tell you, it was a hefty sum. I would need every penny of it to get to Europe and back.

Once I was sure that my credit card was fully loaded, I made my way back over to the elevators. Eric was standing there, clearly waiting for me.

"Hey, can we talk?" He placed his hand lightly on my arm.

I guessed I owed him that much. "Yeah."

He led me over to the plush chairs in the waiting area of the hotel lobby. "What's going on? I mean, I get if you don't want to be my girlfriend but-"

I could tell where he was going. I must have seemed so bipolar, suddenly going all cold on him. "Eric, it just can't work out between us. I'm going abroad."