Part 5 - The College Years

NOTE: This series is directed at a teenage and older audience, as it contains reference to subjects such as "woohoo", though the word may not actually be used. You have been warned!

Welcome back to my scrapbook autobiography! Fear not, this part isn't quite as long as the last one!

As I said last time, Jillian and I both got accepted into Twinbrook's college. It's said to be the best place to go to pursue your ambitions (and yes, this was a four year college). I was a little hesitant to leave home, as I'd lived with my parents my whole life, but at the same time I knew it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to be a detective, and I wanted to go to the best school I could to make that happen. Jillian, on the other hand, was excited to leave Riverview and see a new place. She and her family had taken vacations to Sunset Valley before, and once she'd gone to Barnacle Bay, but she'd never seen Twinbrook. She said she was ready to get out of her house, but I had a hunch that deep down she'd miss her family and little sisters, despite how annoying she found them at times. She did promise to visit whenever she could though, and she was true to her word.

On the day we were to leave, Jillian and I met at my house, since I would be driving us to Twinbrook in the car my parents generously gave me as a high school graduation present. Plus, it would be easier to travel with some wheels. Even easier if those wheels were on a car instead of a bike. Not to mention I wasn't in the best shape, so biking wouldn't be too easy for me.

Here's a picture of us on the day we were to leave (by this time, I had to have glasses to see decently; I refuse to wear contacts, because the thought of putting anything in or near my eye makes me physically ill):

If you put in a request soon enough, you can choose your own dorm roommate. So Jillian and I hustled and were lucky to be granted our wish; we got to stay in the same dorm room! College was sounding more and more fun every day.

A lot of girls were spending their time pledging sororities, but I avoided that at all costs. I'd heard too many horror stories about how sorority girls were stuck-up rich snobs that literally took permanent markers and drew on girls' bodies where they needed to lose weight. For me, they'd just mark my entire body, and I didn't want to be a part of that, even if I could live in a house for free. Jillian was going to pledge but she decided against it when she found out I didn't want to; I told her she still could, but she wanted us to be roommates. I feel a little guilty about that, but I did hear confirmed reports of the aforementioned sorority horror stories (hazing much?), so it's a good thing in the end.

A week into the semester, Jillian bought an easel and began painting; she'd always been a great artist, but now that she was studying architectural design (and starting to think of using that knowledge to become a fashion designer), she was painting much more assiduously.

She finished that painting pretty quickly, so she turned around after I took that picture and posed, as if to say, "Oh yeah, I'm good."

A few weeks after that, there was a welcome party open to all students in the commons area of the college. Jillian, being a party animal, insisted we go, even though I was already getting pretty busy with my studies.

But I figured, I'd only be in college once, why not enjoy it? Not only that, but Jillian said she'd met a guy and he'd asked her out, and they were going to the party together. Good grief, we'd barely been in school a month and a guy had asked her out? I was already suspicious, but I kept my mouth shut.

The other kicker was that Jillian insisted we both get new wardrobes, me especially. I guess I wasn't wearing anything risqué enough for a college party, and she's a shopaholic so she loves getting new clothes as it is.

Jillian took us to a consignment store, where there were new things as well as used things for sale. Jillian picked out some clothes for me that I didn't picture myself being caught dead in, and then dragged me to the dressing rooms in the back. Reluctantly, I tried on the clothes. I have to admit, I looked pretty good for a size 8 (yes, back then I was smaller than I am now). Jillian even wanted to get a picture of me, so she had me strike a model pose in one of the outfits I tried on.

The clothes were nice but I didn't think I needed them for a party. But I guess there was no sense in arguing with Jillian; she's always had an eye for fashion.

After we bought the clothes (we each got new outfits), we went back to our dorm and gussied up, getting ready for the party. Here are some pictures of us there, taken by Jillian's new boyfriend, Liam:

And I got some shots of Jillian dancing with Liam:

I hope this awkward position was an accident:

Like I said before, I didn't think I needed new clothes for a party, but I guess I was dressed to impress, since a guy actually came up to me and started talking to me, and he wasn't wanting help with his homework. I was outside getting some air when he approached me (actually, we accidentally bumped into each other, but that's beside the point), and Jillian, seeing this, took a shot from inside (and just my luck, the camera's flash didn't reflect off the glass).

This guy was very good-looking, I have to admit. He had dark hair, deep brown eyes, and he was a real gentleman. He was the kind of guy you read about in fairy tales. He was also dressed a lot nicer than the other guys there.

He told me his name was Bryce Cooper, and that he was a native of Twinbrook. We wasted no time getting to know each other; we just clicked. Here we are talking over roasting marshmallows (who says I can't have a good time at a party?):

Bryce was in the literature program, hoping to become an author. That was a coincidence, since I loved reading (I'd been a bookworm since I was a kid), and I sometimes wrote short stories on the side.

We eventually went back inside and some guy started a jam session with the provided instruments. Bryce joined in on the guitar and Jillian and Liam broke into a dance, so I stood back and took some pictures.

Then Liam joined on the guitar and some different people started jamming, so Bryce asked me to dance. I've never been good at saying no, so I figured, it's just a dance, so what the heck? So I started dancing with him, while Jillian got some shots.

Later, I was heading back outside to get some air while Bryce got something to eat, and I saw another opportunity for a "blackmail" picture:

I guess I never should have started that fad, since Jillian got me back about ten minutes later when a slow song came on and I found myself dancing with Bryce yet again. Pardon the couple making out behind us! There's a lot of that at college parties.

There was a hot tub on the patio outside, and Jillian and Liam decided to go for a dip. Thankfully they both had their bathing suits with them; the party invitation flyer had said to bring them if you planned to use the hot tub. I'm glad it did, or someone might have decided to go skinny dipping, and I don't care to see that.

I didn't get in the hot tub, but I did get on the edge of it to get a picture or two. Jillian didn't mind, and Liam actually encouraged the second one to be on camera:

I went back inside to use the bathroom, and when I came back outside, I noticed everyone was gone and seemed to have gone back inside. I didn't understand why, since it was a nice night. But then I understood.

I didn't take a picture of this on prom night, but that was behind a closed door. This was out in public.

I have to admit, I was scared for Jillian, and a little irritated; since she'd become a teenager, she seemed to have guys on the brain all the time, and since prom night, she'd been woohoo crazy. I guess I can understand that, having experienced it (ssshhh!), but come on! She'd barely met Liam and she was already woohooing with him, and in public of all places?! What next?! And I know it was her because, not only were she and Liam the only people I didn't see inside, but I saw them both come out of the hot tub afterward.

I really didn't want to start anything there at the party, but I was sure going to give her a piece of my mind later that night. And I did. As soon as the party was over (Bryce and I said goodbye but we did exchange emails and instant messenger IDs so we could chat) and we were back in our dorm room, I tried to calmly and maturely ask her what in the world she thought she was doing. I love her to death, but her judgment with men was severely flawed. She always seemed to pick the guys interested in only one thing, and once they get it from her, or in the case of Spencer, they don't get it from her, they leave her. And she just keeps crawling back to the same type of guy. In my irrational state of mind after seeing what I had, I told her that. That was a mistake, since that started an argument that would last a couple of days.

But like I said, we'd had conflicts in the past and we got through it. She didn't flat out admit that I was right, but she didn't deny my accusations either. I didn't really know Liam, I just didn't think much of him if he wanted to be seen making out with his girlfriend on camera and then woohooing in public.

In October, there was another party in the commons area for Spooky Day. The entire room had been decorated for the holiday, with spooky ghosts and cats everywhere as well as a few jack-o-lanterns. Jillian and I no longer trick-or-treated, but we did dress up for the party. She and Liam were going as a couple (doctor and nurse), while I went crazy and dressed up as a vampire (hey, I couldn't find a werewolf costume!).

I even got the fake teeth, so Jillian made me pose so she could take a picture:

Later that night, I got a surprise - I saw Bryce walk in and join the party! We'd been messaging each other a lot, and had seen each other briefly a few times, but this was the first time I'd really seen him in a while. He was dressed as a ghost hunter, and still looked as handsome as ever.

We started chatting on one of the sofas, and just picked up where we'd left off. I was pretty surprised when he put his arm around me, but I didn't push him away. Of course, Jillian took advantage of this situation:

Again, that's what I get for sneaking pictures of her when we were younger - revenge. But hey, we weren't doing anything...at least not for a while. We danced a few times and then sat back down to catch our breath. The whole time, we just kept talking and talking; we had a lot in common and similar interests, yet we were opposites in many ways. Well it is said that opposites attract, right?

I'd say we were attracted, if this next picture Jillian snuck is any indication:

My first kiss with Bryce, and it was on camera. Lovely. But I got Jillian back as she was making out on another couch with Liam; I even told them I was sure it was illegal for doctors and nurses to engage in romantic relationships, but that didn't seem to phase them.

After that party, Bryce and I spent more and more time together until he finally asked me to be his girlfriend. I was ecstatic; the guy was perfect. He was the kind of guy I'd always dreamed about, had read about in romance books since I was a teenager. He was handsome, smart, funny, kind, and just...perfect. He was my everything.

Turns out I wasn't the only one with a roommate who loved snapping pictures of my love life; his roommate was taking photography courses and got this shot of us in their dorm room:

At least not all our kisses were made public. Bryce was in the literature program to be an author, but he minored in painting. I was surprised Jillian hadn't run across him; or maybe she had and didn't realize it. In any case, later that day, Bryce asked me to come outside with him. He had me sit in front of a fountain and he painted a portrait of me. Granted it wasn't exactly museum-quality, but it was still beautiful, and so kind of him. I loved the painting and I hung it on the wall above my bed. Jillian saw it later and got a picture with me standing in front of it.

A year later, Bryce and I were still going strong, and Jillian had her longest relationship yet with Liam. There was yet another Halloween party, and this time we double dated. Here are some pictures we took:

Bryce and I went as a Renaissance princess and knight, while Jillian and Liam went as pirates.

I'd went home to Riverview for Snowflake Day the previous year, but this year I brought Bryce with me. My parents were looking forward to seeing who the new man was in my life. They all got along great, and Bryce happily answered the questions asked to him about Twinbrook (my parents haven't traveled too much either except for a few vacations we took when I was a kid) and how college was going for him and what he wanted to write about as an author (he said mysteries, what are the odds since I was studying to be a detective?).

I have to admit, it was pretty embarrassing discussing the bed situation. We didn't have a fold-out couch, nor did we have a guest room. And it would have been so rude to ask Bryce to sleep on the couch, although he said he wouldn't mind it. There was also the hotel factor, but Bryce didn't have a lot of money and it would have been rude of my parents to pay for that, because it would look like a bribe to get rid of him. I did have my double bed but my parents are pretty old-fashioned; they don't believe in anyone sharing a bed before marriage. So I reluctantly slept in my room (which my parents hadn't changed since I'd left, and it had looked the same way since I turned 13), my parents in theirs, and Bryce on the couch.

Or so that was the plan.

My parents don't even know about Austin and I on graduation night, and this is top secret, so ssshhh! Bryce and I were in love, and we'd even told each other several times; we'd been going out for over a year, and I wasn't comfortable with him sleeping on the couch. It just didn't feel civil. So I snuck out of my room in the middle of the night, woke Bryce up, and told him to come into my bed with me.

He was a little reluctant but he didn't put up too much of a fight. It felt nice to lay together and have Bryce hold me in his arms. He hadn't seen me in my pajamas before, nor had I seen him in his (not that I minded, he looked just as good under his clothes as he did with them covering him. Ahem). But I must have done something right because, well, to put it bluntly, we ended up christening my bedroom (in case you're dying to know, with Austin it was at his house; we were hanging out after our graduation party and his parents had gone out).

My parents never found out; they both sleep like rocks, despite my dad's snoring. The plan was for Bryce to get up early and go back out on the couch as though nothing had happened, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. My mom woke up early and went to make coffee when she noticed the empty couch with its made-up bed. She didn't even have to ask; she marched into my bedroom and opened the door (there are no locks on our doors) without knocking. Thank goodness Bryce and I had put our clothes back on; all she saw was us spooning in each other's arms, fully clothed (we'd put our clothes back on to make it easier when Bryce went back to the couch, had the plan worked).

She talked to me about it later that day, but I swore to her that nothing happened; I just felt bad that Bryce had to sleep on that lumpy old couch when I had a perfectly good bed in my room we could share, and we were in love after all. Mom, like me, is a hopeless romantic (I have no idea why I had to get that trait from her), so that softened her view and she talked to Dad, and they allowed Bryce to sleep with me in my bed. But they did say "just sleep", and were very firm about that. They realized I was grown up and old enough to make my own choices, and I'd always been very responsible, plus they liked Bryce enough, so there didn't seem to be an issue. That really surprised me, since all my life I'd been told that I'd have to follow their rules while under their roof, but I guess they trusted me enough.

Let's just say Bryce and I took full advantage of our new freedom to share a bed. Ahem.

Anyway, on the eve of Snowflake Day, I noticed Bryce acting strangely, and I didn't know why. He also seemed to be talking to my parents secretly quite a bit about something. I tried asking him about it, but he just smiled and said to not go into detective mode yet (easier said than done).

It was driving me crazy what was going on, but no one would spill the beans. When we got up the next morning (I'd long since stopped running out to the Snowflake Day tree at the crack of dawn, and instead began the process of getting dressed first and then waiting for everyone else to wake up), everyone seemed in a hurry to hustle me to the tree. I was more confused than ever.

Dad sat down on the loveseat and Mom had a camera ready. I was getting more suspicious by the minute and was about to burst. We began opening presents, and among mine was a porcelain rabbit, in honor of my Chinese zodiac (I still love the Asian culture, ever since my prom), and my newfound attitude toward animal rights (I'm an animal lover to the extreme!).

Once everyone else opened their presents (my parents both got Bryce a gift card, not knowing what else to get him since I'd only talked about him over the phone; I got him a sweater that looked perfect for an author, and I guess I also got him woohoo but that part's a secret), Mom pulled out the camera again and Dad started clasping and unclasping his hands.

I demanded to know what was going on and why everyone was acting so strange. Bryce laughed and told me that's why I'd make such a good detective,  but he also wanted me to be more than that. His exact words were:

"Kenzie, you're going to be an amazing detective, but I want you to be more than that. I love you and you make me the happiest man alive. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

He dropped to one knee and presented me with one heck of a rock. No wonder Mom had the camera out; how often do you get footage of your only child getting proposed to?

As you can see, I was in shock.  Bryce, the perfect guy, whom I loved so much, wanted me to be his wife! It was so clear now; he'd been talking to my parents to get their permission (ever the gentleman)!

What else could I say but "yes"?

I had absolutely no doubts. Bryce and I were deeply and madly in love, and it only seemed to grow each day. The fact that he went out of his way to get permission from my parents, and to make sure I fulfilled my dream as well, was so heartwarming I thought I'd burst of happiness.

I didn't even think at the time how easy it must have been to persuade my parents to let Bryce ask me for my hand in marriage. But like I said, Mom's a hopeless romantic and has always wanted me to end up with a great guy, and Dad's always wanted me to be happy, so I guess those factors were a big help.

After that big gift, Mom began preparing Snowflake Day dinner while Dad snapped some pictures of us enjoying our new relationship status.

Then it was time to eat; here's Bryce and I ready for the turkey while Mom gets ready to set it on the table:

Dad and Bryce got along great, which is a good thing; they say a girl marries a guy who reminds them of her father. Well, I don't know how alike Bryce was to my father, but at least they got along well. I'm not like the girls who date a guy just because my parents hate him; my parents and I are very close, and I value their opinion. I want them to like any guy I'm with.

Here's a picture of Dad showing Bryce some of the stuff he works on for his job:

That was my sophomore year in college. Jillian broke up with Liam after finding out he was a tool; that was actually the first time she'd dumped a guy. The others she'd dated had dumped her. So she was pretty crushed, but not as bad as she would have been if she'd been the one dumped. She was ecstatic when I told her the news about my engagement to Bryce though; when I'd called her that night, she screamed so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear (she'd gone home to see her family as well for Snowflake Day, true to her word of visiting them when she could).

My senior year of college was wild. And I don't mean wild with parties. I was done with parties the minute I began to fall behind on my school work; I was dead serious about becoming a detective and I wanted to once again get the top grades. I'd managed to get a job doing low-level police work, which even counted for some of my training. I started that the summer before my junior year of college and did it right through my senior year.

My hard work paid off, because I did get the high grades once again, so I got strong recommendations for employment. My senior year of college was supposed to be the start of my life, the start of great things. But for some things, it was the end.

It happened in November of my senior year. Finals for the holidays were coming up, and because it was my last year at college, things were crazy. Not to mention, Bryce and I planned to get married after we graduated, so there was a wedding to plan. I was having a hard time keeping up with my work and spending time with Bryce and Jillian. But that was nothing compared to what happened next.

After the finals and before winter break, I went to Bryce's dorm room to surprise him. We both had only one more semester to go before we graduated. I don't know why, but something in my gut (perhaps from studying to be a detective) told me to bring my camera with me, perhaps to take a picture of Bryce's face when he saw me surprise him by going to his dorm room (usually we just met somewhere and didn't randomly show up; plus, who hangs out in a dorm room anyway when there are plenty of places to meet on campus?). So I took the camera, and got a surprise myself when I noticed that his door was open a crack. Those doors are supposed to close and lock automatically, and I was just going to knock to come in.

I looked closer and saw that the reason the door was open was because part of a shoe was wedged in it; part of a high-heeled shoe.

My first instinct was to burst through the door, but instead I stealthily opened it and was shocked at what I saw. I snapped a picture before I could say anything (every good detective documents evidence with pictures).

That caused Bryce and his little companion to spring apart like a bomb had gone off. I guess, in a way, one had. Bryce looked like he'd swallowed a basketball when he saw me standing there with my camera in my hand. Would you believe he tried to apologize and justify his actions, right in front of the tramp he was with? Sorry if that's harsh, but when you find out the man you're engaged to marry is cheating on you, you won't have a good thing to say about him or the girl.

I just told him it was over and turned around. He literally ran after me, in his boxers (I'm afraid to ask what would've happened if he'd been naked), down the hall, stopped me, and tried to explain. He swore it was a mistake, that she'd forced herself on him, and it meant nothing. As if that would make it better; that he was cheating on me for someone that meant nothing to him. And if she was forcing herself on him, well, he wasn't fighting back too hard; last time I checked, it takes two to tango. He swore it was a mistake and that he'd never do it again, but where I come from, the philosophy is: Once a cheater, always a cheater. I don't even care that they weren't in bed together yet, and just making out; it was obvious they were headed that way. And since the girl was so scrawny, they'd have no problem woohooing in a single bed. Not to mention, she didn't leave through all this, probably expecting Bryce to go right back to her as soon as I was gone (which he probably did).

I told Bryce he could shove it and to never contact me again. I ripped the ring off my finger and threw it in his face (though now that I think about it, I should have kept it and pawned it). I hoped it hit him in the eye, but I didn't wait around to find out. I took off running and didn't stop until I got back to my dorm room (what a workout!).

I was hoping Jillian would be there, because I desperately needed someone to talk to. But she wasn't; she was probably still in class taking her final. I went crazy; I grabbed the picture I had of Bryce on the desk and threw it on the ground, smashing the glass. I then remembered seeing my picture on Bryce's nightstand next to his bed, and he was messing around with another girl with it right there! What a pig!

I then got on my laptop and deleted all contact information for Bryce and blocked him. He must not have been missing me too much, since I had no emails or messages from him. He probably resumed what had been interrupted with that skank as soon as I'd left, since he was now technically a free man.

I also deleted him from my cell phone and ripped the portrait he'd painted of me off the wall. Then, I looked down at the clothes I was wearing and remembered Jillian getting them for me. She'd said I needed a new wardrobe, but those clothes weren't me. I wasn't like that. I grabbed a garbage bag and began throwing all the clothes she got me into it to donate.

But before I could fully get rid of the stuff, Jillian came back in, took one look around, and asked what was wrong.

That's another good thing about us being best friends - we can always tell when something is bothering the other. I didn't want to talk about it, but Jillian wouldn't let up. So I finally broke down and told her everything. I'd never seen her look so angry. She'd been dumped and used, but never cheated on. She could only imagine the pain I'd felt. Then she asked what the heck I was doing with the garbage bag. She had a fit over that, and in my depressed emotional state, I blamed her for this ever happening because she insisted I buy new clothes.

But I quickly recovered and apologized, and she understood. So I did keep the clothes but didn't plan on wearing them anytime soon.

That was the day before Christmas break. I was going to go home to Riverview again with Bryce (we went to see his family on Thanksgiving; that became a tradition too), but now that was the last thing I wanted to do. How would I explain it?

Good old Jillian called my parents for me and explained the whole thing. From the way she was talking, Dad was ready to drive to Twinbrook and strangle the guy with his bare hands. No one messes with his little girl. Kind of a touching gesture, actually. I was tempted to let him do it, but I didn't want him to go to jail. Jillian and I returned to Riverview for Christmas, and my parents were a big help and very supportive and comforting, but I was still hurt.

When I returned to college in January, I was still so hurt and betrayed that my grades began to slip. Here it was, my last semester of college, and I was on the verge of failing despite having the highest grades in the class. My teachers began to notice and so did some other students; I was generally always in a happy mood, and they knew something wasn't right. But I was an adult; if I didn't want to talk about it, they couldn't force me to. I even started blaming myself for what happened; if I hadn't been so focused on my studies and spent more time with Bryce, he wouldn't have felt the need to find another girl.

I would have lost everything if my parents and Jillian hadn't ganged up on me; they convinced me that Bryce wasn't worth throwing my future away for. I'd wanted to be a detective before I'd even met him, and I was so close to accomplishing that, and I was about to throw it away for some lowlife.

That did it. I wouldn't cheat, but I would hurt him in the ego. I'd graduate top of the class, with honors, with a job, and with a smile on my face, being proud of myself. I wouldn't let him cause me to screw up my whole life and let it spiral out of control. And it sure as heck wasn't my fault.

But I've been skeptical of men ever since; Austin didn't really break my heart, but he was my first of many things, and I thought that had just been puppy love. Bryce was my first serious relationship, and I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him, and he threw it all away. Not to mention the guys that had broken Jillian's heart. Those handsome princes we read about in fairy tales since we were kids? They don't exist. Neither do the perfect, romantic men that we see in movies. I know that now. There's a big difference between fantasy and reality, and it took a major slap in the face for me to see that. You know what they say - if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It took a couple of months for my grades to slip (that's also when I got up to a size 12; eating comfort food isn't always the best method to sulk, trust me), but when March rolled around, I was buckling down harder than ever. I skipped spring break to pull my grades up while Jillian went with some other friends to Sunset Valley to enjoy the beach. I didn't mind; I'd have no distractions that way. She did invite me but understood why I declined. Plus, I didn't have the "beach body" anyway.

In the end, I came out on top. I was once again one of the top students in my class, and by the time graduation rolled around, I'd already received a few job offers thanks to my low-level police work I'd done. I proudly walked across the stage and accepted my diploma and degree, and my parents, who'd come to Twinbrook to see me graduate, had leapt up and cheered for me (thankfully Jillian's family did the same so I wasn't the only one to be totally embarrassed, though someone's family brought an air horn - ouch). I was half scared my parents would hear Bryce's name called and they'd cause a big scene, but I later found out that he had to repeat a semester and wouldn't be graduating with his class. Why? He was too busy fooling around with other girls. He turned into a man-skank. Serves him right!

Because the high school graduation party had been at my house, the college graduation party would be at Jillian's house. The day after our graduation (the drive wasn't very short!), we all went back there to celebrate and take some pictures. Here's Jillian and me:

Here's me with my parents:

Here's Jillian with her parents:

And here's Jillian with her sisters:

All in all it was a great time. But my sadness wasn't over yet; a week later, Jillian dropped a bombshell on me as well as her family - she was going to leave Riverview.

She'd fallen in love with Sunset Valley since she'd been a kid and they'd gone there for vacation, and over spring break she'd been reminded of how gorgeous it was. Not only that, but she'd been offered a job there that she couldn't pass up. She even had a house picked out, and it had two bedrooms. She invited me to go with her.

It was the hardest decision I ever had to make, but I declined her invitation; not only did I have a job in Riverview as a detective for the police station, but Riverview was, and always will be, my home. I may leave it one day, but I wasn't ready to leave it permanently. It was hard enough leaving it for college, but I knew I'd be coming back, so that was different. I wanted to go with Jillian, but I just couldn't bring myself to leave home, at least not yet.

So Jillian found herself another roommate to live with to make paying the bills easier, and she said I could come visit her whenever I wanted. But it wouldn't be the same. Jillian and I had been inseparable since we were eight years old, and we'd been through so much together, and now it felt like our lives were ending instead of beginning. But Jillian's a grown woman; I couldn't tell her what to do then, and I can't now either.

On the day she was going to leave, it seemed neither of us could stop crying, and Jillian seemed hesitant to go. But it was her dream to live in Sunset Valley and be an architect, and she wanted to go. So, we hugged each other while my dad got a picture of her farewell.

That car, by the way, was given to Jillian by her parents as a college graduation present. I guess they got that idea from my parents. Plus, if she was going to be gone permanently, she'd need a car even more.

Jillian got through hugging everyone and got in her car, then took off for Sunset Valley. It felt like a piece of my heart left with her, just like it felt when I lost Bryce, only worse because Jillian had never hurt me, and I'd known her practically my whole life. But she was embarking on a new adventure, and I was about to unfold one of my own.

And that concludes my college years. Next up are the recent years, which have happened since my college graduation. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

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