Chapter 13- JULIA
1376 Words
Chapter 13
Julia
I was due to start at the University of Texas just after Christmas. I was utterly heartbroken by what Ryan did. I never thought he would cheat on me, and now that he had; I felt like I was going to die. The need to vomit was so overwhelming sometimes. I just needed a clean break. A place where I can start again.
The day I was supposed to go to his mom’s house with him for Christmas, I called my mom. I told her what had happened and that I was scared of seeing him when he came back after Christmas. I suggested moving back home and doing college next year, I was only 17, I wasn’t supposed to technically be in college for another year anyway. But my mom wouldn’t hear of it. They had already paid for my tuition. I decided to look into transferring schools, being closer to home. I would miss Emmy so much, but every time I even thought about Ryan, my heart would shatter. I told my mom that I wanted to transfer. She tried to convince me to stay and hear him out; but I couldn’t. I had to stop thinking about him completely. I needed him out of my life. The only way I could do that was by transferring schools.
Emmy came home later that evening. She was an amazing friend, and I would miss her so much. She had been amazing this whole time, doing whatever I needed to do to feel better. She even took a day off from classes to stay and look after me. It had been two days since Ryan left. I had made my decision with leaving, I had spoken to one of my professors and they told me what I would need to do. I booked an appointment with the Dean of Admissions, and now all I had to do was tell Emmy and pack. The Dean knew the Dean of Admissions in Texas University, so he said he would make a call and check they had room for me. He would email me later on this afternoon to tell me. Emmy had her last day of classes today before she went home for Christmas. I needed to tell her today that I wasn’t going to be coming back.
I heard the door open a few hours later, Emmy bounced in with a coffee cup in her hand. “Hey! How are you today?” she asked, passing the coffee cup to me. “I’m ok, can we talk?” She stopped what she was doing and looked over to me. “Uh oh. This doesn’t sound good. Is it to do with Ryan?” I nodded. “I have requested a transfer to Texas University.” “What? Why the hell would you do that?” She cried. “I’m sorry Emmy, I’m gonna miss you so much, but I need a clean break. Riley hurt me when he cheated on me, but it’s not like I loved him, and he left me heartbroken. Ryan literally obliterated my heart. I can’t stay here knowing he is so close to me.” She walked over to the sofa where I was sitting and sat down, taking my hand in hers. “I understand Jules. I’m so sorry about what happened, but I really don’t believe he cheated on you. Why don’t you just call him and give him a chance to explain. You may feel differently afterwards. I just don’t want you to regret this for the rest of your life, and I think you will if you go through with the transfer. I love you and I will be here to support you and help you, no matter what you decide, but I need you to make sure you are making the right decision, not just a spare of the moment thing.” I knew Emmy was making a good point, but I didn’t know if I was ready to talk to him yet. I just couldn’t get the picture out of my mind of him kissing another girl. It was killing me. My head and heart both hurt. I needed a fresh start.
Later that afternoon, I received the email from the Dean that there was a place available in Texas University for me, the same classes were also available, and they had accommodation for me. I was able to start in Texas on the 9th January. I booked my flights and called my mom to tell her I was on my way home. She promised her and my dad would be at the airport to pick me up. I packed up my belongings, Emmy promised she would Fedex anything I had forgotten. That was it. I was no longer a student at Caltech university, but a student at the University of Texas.
I flew to North Carolina to see my family. I cried most of the time I was there. I had been home for around two days when I heard a knock at my bedroom door. “Come in” I called. The door opened and my brother James walked in. “Ok, tell me everything. What the f**k did he do to you?” he asked. “He cheated on me.” I sobbed. James came to sit next to me on the bed and pulled me up and forced me against his chest. His arms wrapped around my back as I continued to sob into his chest. “I’ll f*****g kill him.” He muttered. I pulled back. “No, just leave it now. I won’t see him again, I transferred to another college. He jumped up, enraged. “What the f**k do you mean you transferred from Caltech?!? That’s been your dream for years! I was so f*****g proud of you when you were accepted, and now you’ve thrown it away for that dumb fucker?” He yelled. I didn’t know what to say. He was right, it had been my dream since I was younger. I shook my head. “I loved him James. I loved him with everything I had. I thought we were going to get married eventually and have children. We talked about him moving home with me, he wanted his mom to move here too. I thought we would spend the rest of our lives together. He broke my heart James. My dream no longer matters, nothing matters anymore. I don’t care where I go to school, I just needed to get away from there. From him. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed in me, I’m sorry if I no longer make you proud, but this was my decision. I had to leave.” The anger in his face disappeared, replaced by sadness. “I’m sorry baby sister. I haven’t been round to look after you, but that is changing from now. I am proud of you, so proud of you in fact. Where have you enrolled?” he asked. I guess he hadn’t spoken to mom. “Texas.” “Ok, that’s a good school too, and you’re a lot closer to me now. I can look after you. I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt again.”
The transition had been a lot simpler than I thought it would have been. I was assigned to a dorm room, sharing with 2 other girls. They seemed nice; their last roommate had moved to another country with her family. Classes were similar to the ones at Caltech. I had an appointment with the guidance counsellor. They needed to know why I had transferred from a prestigious school, and to make sure I was ok. That was fine, I would tell them about Ryan, tell them the reason I left. It won’t affect me here. I moved to the dorms a week before classes were due to start, I needed to find my way around campus and get all my belongings moved into my new dorm room. I didn’t leave campus at all, knowing that Ryan was still there. I know Texas is a huge place, but I wasn’t sure where about he was from, so I didn’t want to risk running into him. I had spoken to Emmy every day, I really missed her.
***Authors note***
Do you think Julia is making the right decision?
Let me know what you think
xoxo
- Writer
