Coast to Coast

It was a cold, bleak evening as snowflakes began to drift through the borough of Brooklyn, New York. Winter had firmly set in, bringing an unexpected surge of optimism for the upcoming Christmas holidays—especially for Jordan Bartel. Jordan is a tall eighteen-year-old with tight curls fading into a crisp cut. In less than a month, he was scheduled to move halfway across the country to attend the University of California, Los Angeles. He was young, naive, and deeply in love. The truth was, he didn't want to leave New York as much as he claimed to. Staying close to home meant staying close to Jersey, solving the single biggest threat to his relationship: the dreaded long-distance college dynamic. he fantasised visiting Rachel at Princeton, and about what their future together in the tri-state area would look like. Beyond his relationship, family obligations weighed heavily on him. His household was financially strained. He had lost his father the summer after graduation, and his older sister, Naomi, had been kicked out during his sophomore year of high school after her addiction issues pushed the family to the brink of bankruptcy. His parents had fought constantly, and those arguments almost always revolved around Naomi. After his father passed, his mother had pleaded for Naomi to return, but the calls went unanswered. Whispers circulated that she had been arrested at least twice since leaving and was last spotted on the outskirts of downtown Miami. To Jordan, his mother was all he had left. His sister, whom he had idolized as a child, was now a ghost. He felt an overwhelming responsibility to step up and emulate the sacrifices his mother had made for their family. When Christmas finally arrived, Rachel came over from Jersey. Throughout her visit, she spoke endlessly about the future—about how they would spend their weekends together once he officially settled in at NYU. What she didn't know was that Jordan had quietly declined his NYU offer weeks ago in favor of UCLA. Every time he attempted to break the news, she would distract him with affection, or the moment would slip away. Desperate for perspective, Jordan had called his best friend, Tyrese. Also a black kid native to Brooklyn, he was a richly melanated teenager who had been Jordan’s friend since middle school, initially brought together because their mothers attended the same church. Tyrese was heading to Arizona State, making him fully supportive of Jordan’s move to California since they would end up in neighboring states. "Follow your heart, man, and right now that's Cali," Tyrese had advised over the phone. "If she really loves you, long distance is gonna work. If it doesn't, maybe she just ain't the one." "Yeah, I guess," Jordan had replied before hanging up. Now, sitting in his room, Jordan looked into Rachel's striking hazel eyes. "Rachel... can we talk?" he asked. "Yeah, what's up?" she asked, leaning in. "I..." Jordan hesitated, struggling to find the right words before forcing them out. "I really love you. You know that, right?" Rachel's expression shifted from warmth to concern. "Jordan, what's wrong?" "I'm going to California," he said, his voice finally steadying. "For New Year's?" she asked, puzzled. "No. I'm going to UCLA. I've always wanted to go there, and when the acceptance letter came, I couldn't say no. I wanted to tell you earlier, but seeing how excited you were about us being close... I just couldn't find the courage." "So you lied to me," Rachel said, pulling back slightly. "No—no, it wasn't like that," Jordan insisted, trying to mitigate the damage. "I just didn't want you to freak out." "Freak out? You didn't even give me the chance to be happy for you," Rachel replied, hurt evident in her tone. "Am I thrilled you're moving thousands of miles away? No. But you should have been honest with me so we could figure this out together." "I know. I'm sorry," Jordan admitted. "When do you leave?" "In less than a month." Rachel stared at him for a quiet moment before her expression softened. "Well... then we're going to have to make the most of the time we have left." She wrapped her arms around his neck, tiptoeing to kiss him—a gentle touch that quickly grew urgent. Jordan unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it aside as the tension between them shifted completely. Before things could progress any further, Rachel's phone illuminated on the nightstand, ringing loudly with an expected call. She paused, reaching across the bed to check the screen. "Who is it?" Jordan asked, sitting up half-clothed. "It's Vick. I wonder what she wants." "Just pick it up and find out," he suggested. Rachel answered, placing the phone to her ear, only to be met with immediate frustration from her older sister. "What took you so long to answer?" Vicky demanded without preamble. "Get over to my place now! It's an emergency." Before Rachel could ask what was wrong, the line went dead. She set the phone down, looking utterly perplexed. Without saying a word, Rachel slid off the bed, gathered her clothes, and dressed quickly. She walked over to Jordan, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "I have to go." "What? Right now? What happened?" Jordan pressed, sitting up further. "Why didn't she tell you what's going on? Do you want a ride?" "It's fine, I'll call a cab," she said, retrieving her purse and phone before heading for the door. After the door clicked shut, Jordan lay back down and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if a long-distance relationship could genuinely survive the distance. They loved each other, but their history was complicated. Back in high school, their relationship had started under unusual circumstances. Rachel had initially approached Jordan to start a 'fake' relationship to make her ex-boyfriend jealous after he cheated on her. Jordan had found the proposal absurd at first, but Tyrese had convinced him to go along with it, arguing it was a strategic way to get closer to Rachel's friend, Ayanna—a girl Jordan had harbored a crush on since middle school. That plan had failed completely. Ayanna never saw Jordan as anything more than a distraction, reducing their brief interactions to meaningless hookups. Rachel, however, turned out to be different. Over time, despite being polar opposites, she and Jordan developed a genuine connection. In high school, Jordan had been the starting point guard for the basketball team—stylish, confident, and frequently labeled a "pretty boy." Yet, he never quite reached the legendary status of Damari, the star quarterback. Damari was the center of attention at Saint Davidson High, beloved by students and faculty alike—so much so that a scandalous rumor once linked him to their science teacher, Ms. Christine. Because Damari was already eighteen at the time—two years older than his peers—Ms. Christine was terminated without legal charges, leaving the school flooded with gossip for weeks. Rachel was entirely different. Where Jordan relied on natural charm and athletic talent, Rachel was an intense academic overachiever. She carried a heavy load of AP classes, captained the debate team, and volunteered at the local animal shelter, all to build an undeniable application for her dream school, Princeton. When she broke down over receiving a 94% on an exam, classmates mocked her perfectionism. But being with Jordan had grounded her, teaching her that it was okay to accept imperfection. Ultimately, her hard work paid off with an acceptance to Princeton. Meanwhile, Rachel had operated under the assumption that Jordan was bound for NYU—a plan he had discussed casually throughout sophomore and junior years but never formally revisited. She had envisioned their college years taking place side by side in the Northeast, completely unaware that his aspirations were taking him to the West Coast.