Rejected Under the Moon

Chapter 8

I was too stunned to speak so I settled on a whisper. "I got in"

"What?" Andy leaned forward. "What did you say?"

"I got in." Louder this time, my voice cracking on the words. "I got in!"

"You got in!" Andy shrieked, launching herself across the table so forcefully that we both nearly toppled over. Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing tight enough to bruise, and I didn't care because I was laughing and crying at the same time and nothing had ever felt so good.

"I knew you would," Alexis said, appearing beside us with a knowing smile. "Psychology suits you, Christy. You're a good listener."

My aunt wiped tears from her eyes when I showed her the full email. My uncle clapped me on the shoulder and said, "Welcome to the next chapter of your life."

That night, I called home.

"Mom, I'm going to study psychology."

Her pause lasted only a heartbeat, but I felt it. "That's wonderful, honey. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Your father and I always knew you'd find your path." There was warmth in her voice, but also something else. Something careful.

"Congratulations Christy."

"Mom is there....."

"Collins wants to talk to you."

Before I could continue, my brother's voice burst through the phone. "Psychology? Are you going to read minds now?"

"That's not how psychology works, Collins."

"So you can't tell me what I'm thinking right now?"

"I don't need psychology for that. You're thinking about food."

His offended gasp made me laugh like a hyena. This laugh wanted to make up for the days of anxiety.

After the call ended, I sat in my room and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow, I would start preparing for orientation.

The day after, I would buy textbooks and supplies. The month after that, classes would begin.

My life was moving forward, whether I was ready or not.

My wolf stirred, restless but no longer drowning. She had stopped howling for Alec sometime in the past few days. The pain was still there, a dull ache that never quite faded, but it had become manageable. Survivable. I had a clear goal now.

I closed my eyes and let myself hope that this was the beginning of something better.

The first day of orientation was overwhelming in the best possible way.

Oslow University sprawled across several city blocks, its buildings a mix of old brick and modern glass. Students flooded the walkways, chattering and laughing, their energy infectious. I found myself swept along with the crowd, clutching my campus map like a lifeline.

"Lost?"

I turned to find a girl with bright red hair and an even brighter smile standing beside me.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked.

"You've been staring at that map for five minutes and walking in circles." She extended her hand. "I'm Maya. First year psychology?"

"How did you know?"

"We have matching schedules." She held up her own map, marked with the same buildings I'd been trying to locate. "Come on, I'll show you where the psychology building is. I took a campus tour last week."

Maya, I would quickly learn, was a force of nature. She talked constantly, filling every silence with observations about the campus, complaints about the heat, and random facts about herself.

"I'm from two towns over. My mom cried for three days when I left. My dad pretended he wasn't sad, but I caught him sniffling when he thought I wasn't looking. Do you have siblings? I have four. Four! Can you imagine the chaos? I'm the middle child, which basically means I'm invisible unless I'm causing trouble."

I found myself smiling as she rambled. Her energy was exhausting but also refreshing. She asked questions but didn't push when I gave vague answers. She filled spaces without demanding anything in return.

By the end of orientation, I had a friend. A human friend.

"We should study together," Maya declared as we walked back to the main gates. "I'm terrible at studying alone. I get distracted and end up watching videos about cats for three hours."

"Sure," I agreed. "I'd like that."

Her grin was contagious. "Perfect! This is going to be the best year ever. I can feel it."

As I watched her bounce away toward the bus stop, I wondered if she was right.

Maybe this year could be good.

Maybe I could be good.

The thought was fragile, easily shattered, but I held onto it anyway.

That evening, I found myself thinking about Rowan.

He had said I could call if I had questions about psychology or university. Did that invitation still stand? It had been over a week. Would it be strange to reach out now?

My wolf, usually indifferent to others, seemed curious about him. Not in the way she had been about Alec, nothing so consuming or painful. Just a gentle interest, like a flower turning toward sunlight.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number he'd given me.

It rang three times before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Rowan. It's Christy. The twins' cousin. We met at the café?"

"Christy." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I remember. How are you?"

"Good. Great, actually. I wanted to tell you that I decided to study psychology. I applied to Oslow University and I have been admitted"

"That's wonderful news. You have done well Christy. Congratulations."

"Thank you." His 'you have done well' hit hard, because I had despite everything I had done well'.

"I just finished orientation today." I paused, suddenly nervous. "I wanted to thank you again. Our conversation really helped me decide."

"I'm glad I could help," he said warmly. "How was orientation?"

We talked for twenty minutes. He asked about my classes, my first impressions of the university, and whether I'd made any friends. I told him about Maya, about the sprawling campus, about the nervous excitement bubbling in my chest.

He listened in that steady way of his, asking questions at the right moments, laughing at my jokes even when they weren't particularly funny.

When we finally said goodbye, I realized I was smiling.

It wasn't the bond. It wasn't fate pulling me somewhere I didn't want to go.

It was just a conversation. Just two people connecting over shared interests.

And somehow, that made it more valuable than anything I'd experienced before.

I fell asleep that night happily envisioning my new future.

Progress, I thought. This is what progress feels like.

My wolf hummed in quiet agreement.

Soon classes would begin. Very soon, my new life would truly start.

I was looking forward to it. This new and exciting aspect of my life, a student of Psychology.

A Psychologist.