Chapter 19
1608 Words
Friday arrived carrying the kind of excitement that seemed to spread across campus before the sun was fully up.
Homecoming banners fluttered between the lamp posts, the marching band could already be heard practicing somewhere near the football stadium, and students hurried past wearing school colors instead of their usual sweatshirts.
Ava smiled as she crossed the quad.
There was something contagious about the energy.
Even people she had never seen smile before looked lighter.
Her phone buzzed.
Mason: Big presentation this morning. Wish me luck.
She smiled and typed back.
You’ll do great. Call me when it’s over.
A moment later, three dots appeared.
I’ll try.
She stared at the screen for a second.
I’ll try.
Again.
It wasn’t that the words bothered her.
It was that they had become familiar.
She slipped her phone into her pocket before she could dwell on it.
Today was too important.
She had nursing lab.
Work.
And she still needed to choose three photographs for tomorrow’s contest submission.
Her stomach fluttered just thinking about it.
⸻
Inside the nursing building, Professor Lewis was writing today’s objectives across the whiteboard.
When Ava walked in, he looked up.
“Good morning, Miss Monroe.”
“Morning.”
“You look less nervous today.”
“I slept.”
He laughed.
“That usually helps.”
Emily slid into the seat beside her.
“Guess who forgot today was quiz day.”
Ava looked over.
“You?”
“I studied the wrong chapter.”
“Oh no.”
“I’m accepting my fate.”
Jordan leaned over from the row behind them.
“I’ve already planned my funeral.”
Professor Lewis looked up without missing a beat.
“If either of you dies before the quiz, please let me know.”
The class erupted into laughter.
Even Professor Lewis smiled.
For the next forty-five minutes, everyone focused on the quiz.
When time was called, Emily dropped her pencil dramatically.
“I survived.”
“Barely,” Jordan muttered.
As students packed up, Professor Lewis clapped his hands together.
“One more thing.”
The room quieted.
“Tomorrow’s football game is important.”
Several students cheered.
He raised a finger.
“But remember…”
“The game lasts four quarters.”
“Your nursing career lasts decades.”
A few students groaned.
He smiled.
“So don’t make choices Friday night that ruin Saturday morning.”
More laughter filled the room.
As Ava walked out with Emily, she shook her head.
“I like him.”
Emily smiled.
“He somehow manages to sound like everybody’s dad.”
“He really does.”
⸻
The art department was buzzing.
Students carried framed photographs and paintings through the hallways, preparing for the Homecoming art showcase.
Ava stood outside the submission room holding a padded envelope.
Inside were her three photographs.
The little girl chasing pigeons.
The elderly couple sharing ice cream.
The grandfather tying his granddaughter’s shoe.
She had changed her mind at least six times.
Maybe seven.
“You haven’t gone in yet.”
She turned.
Ethan was walking toward the architecture studio carrying a large presentation board.
“No.”
She laughed nervously.
“I’m reconsidering every life choice I’ve ever made.”
He smiled.
“I’ve seen that face.”
“When?”
“The bookstore.”
“The camera.”
“The volunteer interview.”
She laughed.
“Do I always look this nervous?”
“Only before you do something brave.”
His answer caught her off guard.
“I’m not brave.”
“You are.”
He nodded toward the envelope.
“You just don’t always realize it.”
She looked down.
“I keep wondering if my pictures are good enough.”
He adjusted the presentation board under his arm.
“I’ve wondered the same thing about every design I’ve ever submitted.”
“You have?”
“Every single one.”
She smiled.
“I guess that makes me feel better.”
“It should.”
He started toward the architecture building before stopping.
“For what it’s worth…”
She looked up.
“I think people are going to see what you see.”
Then he continued walking before she could respond.
Ava stood there for another moment.
Finally, she took a deep breath and pushed open the submission room door.
“Hi,” the volunteer behind the table said.
“I’m here to submit.”
The volunteer accepted her envelope and wrote her participant number on a receipt.
“Good luck.”
Ava looked down at the receipt in her hand.
It was done.
There was no taking it back now.
As she stepped back into the hallway, a strange feeling settled over her.
Not fear.
Relief.
Sometimes the hardest part wasn’t succeeding.
It was simply deciding to try.
⸻
The Willow Bean was packed after classes let out.
Students stopped in wearing school sweatshirts and carrying posters for Saturday’s game.
The smell of pumpkin spice and fresh pastries filled the café.
Denise glanced toward the line stretching nearly to the door.
“You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“That’s the spirit.”
For nearly two hours, Ava barely stopped moving.
“Large caramel latte.”
“Two hot chocolates.”
“One turkey sandwich.”
“Extra whipped cream.”
She loved busy afternoons.
There wasn’t time to overthink anything.
Near closing, a familiar customer walked in.
Mrs. Patterson.
She carried a small paper bag instead of flowers this time.
“I brought you something.”
Ava smiled.
“You really don’t have to keep bringing me gifts.”
“I know.”
Mrs. Patterson handed her the bag.
Inside was a tiny silver charm shaped like an old-fashioned camera.
Ava looked up.
“It’s beautiful.”
“I saw it yesterday.”
Mrs. Patterson smiled warmly.
“It reminded me of you.”
Emotion welled unexpectedly in Ava’s chest.
“I can’t accept this.”
“You can.”
“It’s not expensive.”
She gently closed Ava’s fingers around it.
“Think of it as a good luck charm.”
Ava blinked back sudden tears.
“Thank you.”
Mrs. Patterson reached over the counter and squeezed her hand.
“I hope you never stop noticing beautiful things.”
After she left, Denise smiled knowingly.
“You’ve got a fan club.”
Ava laughed through the emotion.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve all these wonderful people.”
Denise looked at her for a long moment.
“You’ve been kind.”
She shrugged.
“Longer than most people.”
“Kindness has a funny way of finding its way home.”
⸻
That evening, campus transformed.
String lights were wrapped around trees.
Food trucks lined the main walkway.
Music drifted across the quad as students gathered for the annual Homecoming kickoff festival.
Chloe insisted they go.
“You need one night where you’re not studying or working.”
“I have homework.”
“It’ll still be there.”
“I have laundry.”
“It’ll still be dirty.”
Ava laughed.
“You always have an answer.”
“I know.”
The festival was more crowded than Ava expected.
Students played carnival games.
Local bands performed on a temporary stage.
The smell of kettle corn floated through the cool evening air.
“This is nice,” Ava admitted.
“I told you.”
Chloe handed her a cup of hot apple cider.
“You spend too much time indoors.”
They wandered slowly through the booths.
At one stand, students were painting pumpkins.
At another, the photography club displayed entries from previous years.
Ava stopped.
One photograph showed a father teaching his daughter to ride a bicycle.
Another captured an elderly veteran saluting during a parade.
“They’re incredible.”
“They are.”
Chloe looked sideways at her.
“So are yours.”
Ava smiled.
“I don’t know.”
“I do.”
Before Ava could answer, someone called her name.
“Ava!”
Emily and Jordan waved enthusiastically from across the quad.
“You actually came!” Emily said.
“I said I would.”
Jordan handed her a ticket.
“For tomorrow.”
“The football game.”
“I already bought one.”
Ava looked surprised.
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know.”
He grinned.
“But now you can’t back out.”
She laughed.
“I guess I’m officially going.”
As they talked, the campus clock tower began chiming eight o’clock.
Students gathered near the stage for the fireworks scheduled to end the evening.
The first burst of color exploded across the night sky.
Gold.
Blue.
Crimson.
Everyone around them looked up.
Ava smiled without realizing someone else, standing farther back in the crowd, had noticed.
Ethan had arrived with Ben only minutes earlier.
They were too far away to speak.
Too many people stood between them.
Ben followed Ethan’s gaze.
“There she is.”
Ethan nodded.
She was laughing at something Jordan had said.
The fireworks reflected in her eyes.
Ben smiled.
“You know…”
“What?”
“I think she’s finally starting to look like herself.”
Ethan watched another burst of color spread across the sky.
“So do I.”
He smiled quietly.
“And that’s all I’ve wanted.”
Neither of them knew that by this time tomorrow, the first real crack in Ava and Mason’s relationship would begin to show—not through harsh words or betrayal, but through a choice that neither of them saw coming until it was too late.
- Writer
