Chapter 15
1512 Words
Monday arrived far too quickly.
Ava hit snooze twice before finally convincing herself to get out of bed. The rain from the night before had left the world looking freshly washed, and cool air drifted through the cracked bedroom window.
She stretched, tied her hair into a loose ponytail, and wandered into the kitchen.
Chloe was already making pancakes.
“You spoil me.”
“I spoil myself,” Chloe corrected. “You just benefit from it.”
Ava laughed and reached for a plate.
“I can live with that.”
As they ate, Chloe glanced over her coffee mug.
“So?”
“So what?”
“Dinner.”
Ava smiled.
“It was nice.”
“Just nice?”
“No.” She thought for a moment. “Really nice.”
“You look happier.”
“I think I needed that.”
“Mason’s parents?”
“They always make me feel… I don’t know.”
“Seen?”
Ava nodded.
“Exactly.”
She told Chloe about Mrs. Carter insisting she take home leftovers and about Mr. Carter’s terrible squirrel stories.
Chloe laughed so hard she nearly dropped her fork.
“I swear that man has the same three stories.”
“He somehow makes them funny every time.”
Then Ava mentioned Mason’s possible relocation after graduation.
The laughter faded.
“Oh.”
“It probably won’t happen.”
“But it could.”
Ava nodded slowly.
“It could.”
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.
Finally Chloe reached across the table.
“Whatever happens…”
Ava looked up.
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
⸻
Campus buzzed with excitement that morning.
Large banners advertising Homecoming Week had appeared overnight, hanging from lamp posts and buildings across the university.
Students crowded around bulletin boards reading schedules for the week’s events.
Pep rallies.
Charity fundraisers.
A talent show.
The annual fall festival.
Even a photography exhibit sponsored by the art department.
Ava slowed as she read one poster.
Photography Contest Entries Due Friday
She stared at it for several seconds.
“You should do it.”
Emily appeared beside her carrying an iced coffee.
“You have a habit of sneaking up on people.”
“I know.”
Emily grinned.
“It’s one of my best qualities.”
Ava laughed.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve got four days.”
“What if they’re terrible?”
“What if they aren’t?”
Ava folded her arms.
“I’ve never entered anything.”
“So this can be your first.”
She opened her backpack and pulled out a folded flyer.
“I already picked up an application.”
Ava blinked.
“You did?”
Emily handed it to her.
“I had a feeling you’d talk yourself out of it.”
Ava laughed.
“You know me too well.”
“I’m learning.”
She tucked the application into her notebook.
“I’ll think about it.”
Emily pointed toward the flyer.
“No.”
Ava frowned.
“No?”
“You’re going to overthink it if you think about it.”
She smiled.
“Just fill it out.”
Before Ava could answer, Jordan jogged over.
“There’s free donuts outside the student union.”
Emily’s eyes widened dramatically.
“Why didn’t you start with that?”
The three of them headed across campus together.
As they walked, Ava realized something.
Just a month ago, she wouldn’t have been walking with classmates between lectures.
She would have rushed straight to the library or the café.
Having friends felt…
Nice.
Unexpected.
Comfortable.
⸻
Nursing lab that afternoon focused on pediatric care.
Professor Lewis wheeled a child-sized simulation mannequin into the room.
“Today’s lesson isn’t about medicine.”
The class looked confused.
“It’s about fear.”
He looked around the room.
“Imagine you’re six years old.”
“You don’t understand why you’re here.”
“You don’t know why people keep sticking you with needles.”
“You just know you’re scared.”
The room grew quiet.
Professor Lewis paired students into teams.
When it was Ava’s turn, she knelt beside the mannequin before checking any equipment.
“Hi.”
Emily smiled knowingly from across the room.
“My name’s Ava.”
“I know hospitals can feel scary.”
She gently tucked the small blanket around the mannequin’s shoulders.
“But I’m going to stay right here with you.”
Professor Lewis watched without interrupting.
When the exercise ended, he addressed the class.
“Many of you checked vital signs.”
“You completed assessments.”
“You followed procedure.”
Then he looked at Ava.
“But only one person remembered to comfort the patient first.”
Several classmates turned toward her.
She immediately looked embarrassed.
“I just…”
She shrugged.
“I figured they were scared.”
Professor Lewis smiled.
“Exactly.”
He dismissed the class a few minutes early.
As students packed up, he stopped Ava again.
“I heard back from Willow Creek Children’s Hospital.”
Her heart skipped.
“You did?”
“They’d like to interview you.”
Ava stared at him.
“For the volunteer program?”
He nodded.
“Wednesday afternoon.”
A smile spread across her face before she could stop it.
“Really?”
“I told you they’d be interested.”
She laughed softly.
“I can’t believe it.”
“I can.”
He handed her a folder with interview information.
“Just be yourself.”
She smiled.
“I think I can do that.”
“I have no doubt.”
⸻
Her shift at the Willow Bean flew by.
Word had spread about Homecoming Week, and nearly every customer seemed excited about one event or another.
Denise was decorating the front counter with miniature pumpkins when Ava walked in.
“Good timing.”
“I try.”
She noticed the pumpkins.
“Those are adorable.”
“I know.”
“I bought too many.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
Denise laughed.
“I like the way you think.”
Around five o’clock, the afternoon rush slowed enough for Ava to check her phone.
One new message.
Mason: Interview with senior executives tomorrow. Wish me luck.
She smiled and typed back.
You’ve got this. Call me afterward?
A few moments later, her phone buzzed again.
I’ll try.
She stared at those two words.
I’ll try.
It wasn’t a bad answer.
It wasn’t even unusual.
Still…
It felt different than it would have a month ago.
She slipped the phone into her apron pocket before another customer approached the register.
A young father carrying a sleepy toddler smiled apologetically.
“Sorry if she gets cranky.”
The little girl rubbed her eyes.
Ava crouched down.
“Long day?”
The child nodded solemnly.
“I’ve got just the thing.”
She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before returning with a warm chocolate chip cookie.
She looked at the father.
“Is this okay?”
He smiled.
“Absolutely.”
The little girl’s face lit up.
“T’ank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
After they left, Denise leaned against the counter.
“You keep proving me right.”
“About what?”
“You belong with kids.”
Ava smiled.
“Professor Lewis said something similar.”
Denise folded her arms.
“Smart man.”
⸻
That evening, after work, Ava stopped by the library to return a textbook.
The building was nearly empty.
As she walked toward the return desk, she noticed the photography exhibit being set up in the main lobby.
Large framed prints leaned against the walls waiting to be hung.
Landscapes.
Portraits.
Street photography.
She stopped in front of one black-and-white image of an elderly woman laughing.
The photograph felt alive.
“You like that one?”
Ava turned.
The gallery coordinator smiled.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It won first place last year.”
Ava nodded slowly.
“I can see why.”
The coordinator glanced at the camera hanging from Ava’s shoulder.
“You entering this year?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“You should.”
Ava laughed.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Maybe everyone’s onto something.”
She smiled politely.
“Maybe.”
As she left the library a few minutes later, she looked down at the application Emily had given her that morning.
Without letting herself think too much, she sat on a bench outside, filled in her name, and signed it.
For several seconds she simply stared at the completed form.
Then she folded it neatly and slipped it into her backpack.
It wasn’t much.
Just one piece of paper.
But somehow…
It felt like she had just said yes to believing in herself.
Above her, crimson leaves drifted gently from the trees, swirling across the campus sidewalks.
Homecoming Week had officially begun.
And with it, opportunities Ava never imagined she’d have the courage to accept.
- Writer
