Worth Fighting For

Chapter 19

It was a long and devastating drive home as I cried my eyes out trying not to think of Liam. I didn't want it to hurt me, but it honestly did. He was the love of my life, and I had just let him go. I gave myself a hard time and felt sorry for myself the entire way home and even after I arrived home. I guess I'll just have to get used to life without Liam Turner...

————
Present day...

"That's it?!" Emerson shouted. "Are you crazy?!" Nova chimed in right after her. "Yep, that's the whole story," I said, feeling better after getting all of that off of my chest. "Are you crazy?!" Nova shouted again. "You just let him go?" she continued. "I regret it," I confessed. "You have to get him back!" Nova exclaimed. "That's sweet, Nova," I said with a smile. "I wish I could, but that happened many, many years ago," I added. "So? If he's the love of your life, you need to fight for him like you did in the story!" Emerson said. "I'm serious, you have to get him back!" Nova said immediately after her sister. "How would I do that? I don't keep up with him and don't even know where he lives," I said back to them. "Think about it, Aunt Skye, is he worth fighting for?" I thought about it for a second and answered her question. "Yes, he is," I answered. "Then fight for him," Emerson replied.

Nova started to laugh. "I just realized that mom and dad were in the story," she said to her sister. Shane and Amanda are Nova and Emerson's parents. My mom was here now and ready to pick up the girls.

"How did it go?" my mom asked while greeting the girls. "Today was my favorite!" Emerson exclaimed. "Yeah, Aunt Skye has the best stories!" Nova added to her sister's comment. "I told them the story of Liam," I explained to my mom. "Are you okay?" she asked, knowing that was a sensitive topic for me. "Yeah, it helps telling the story," I said with my best smile.

After saying goodbye to my mom and to the girls, I let out one big sigh and stared at the mess that was still lying in my house. I dedicated the entire day to cleaning and made sure my house was sparkly clean. It made me feel better, to be honest. I feel better about myself after cleaning. I made myself some dinner and checked on my inbox one last time for the day to see if any publishing companies had gotten back to me. I was really hoping that Journalism degree from the University of Florida would pay off after all especially since I went without Liam.

I clicked on my email, opened my inbox, and checked for the newest messages. I read the newest one that was delivered about an hour ago and opened it. It was from the publishing company in downtown Chicago.

'Congratulations, Skye Stewart! You're application to the Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. has been reviewed and accepted. We believe you will be an excellent fit for our staff and would like to schedule an interview next week, September 18.'

I couldn't believe my eyes. I had gotten a job! Well, almost. But having an interview is something I've never had before and is a huge step! I immediately packed my bags and got my portfolio ready to leave on Sunday. Today was Friday and I was booking my flight to Chicago, Illinois, to leave in two days.

Sunday got here faster than I expected and I was on my way to the airport. Today was the first day of the rest of my life, I thought to myself. I was no longer looking in the past. I had a bright future in front of me and nothing could get in the way of that. As I got to the airport, I grabbed my bags and strolled them along the tile floor of the airport. I put them into the baggage claim, went through security check, and boarded my flight at my assigned gate. The flight to Chicago was quicker than I had imagined and I was supper excited, especially since I've never been before.

One by one, people filled the aisle of the plane and slowly started to get off. When I finally made my way to the front of the plane because of all the people, I gathered my bags from baggage claim, and headed outside to find my assigned taxi. I definitely was not a city girl so I didn't know how this whole taxi thing worked. I had booked one last night under my last name but didn't know where to wait or if it just automatically showed up. I headed outside, and looked up at the gigantic skyscrapers towering over me. Now, this, this felt like a movie. A taxi driver held a sign with my last name on it and I followed him to the car. I felt like a celebrity. I put my bags in the trunk and hopped into the backseat.