Chapter Two
Aspen
Lubbock, Texas – May 9th
The sun blazed down on me as I made the long walk to the post office to check my mail. A warm breeze made the afternoon seem hotter than it had been the day before.
Lubbock wasn’t exactly paradise, but it was the only place I’d ever lived. Somehow, I’d never gotten used to the oppressive heat, but I had learned how to dress for the summer weather. Shorts and a cotton T-shirt along with flip-flops made it bearable. My thick dark curls had to be pulled up into a high ponytail to keep it off my neck.
Climbing up the stairs of the post office, I passed one of my professors.
“Afternoon, Aspen. It’s a nice day today, don’t you think?” Professor Sampson asked me. She’d been one of my favorites in last semester’s classes. Natural gas engineering see
