Chapter 14 - New Beginnings, Fresh Start
1687 Words
"Wake up, sleepyhead," I hear before I begin to stir and open my eyes.
I stretch my arms up over my head and yawn, "Mornin Momma." I respond.
Momma reaches up and brushes the hair from my eyes with her index finger, "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get ready to head out. Mariah is on her way over here."
"Okay," I reply before rolling off the bed and placing my feet flat on the floor. A sudden wave of emotion sweeps over me. Today I will begin a new chapter in my life: new beginnings and a fresh start. My stomach flips as I force myself up and grab the clothes I laid out on my empty desk table before marching to the bathroom.
"I'll be downstairs waiting on you, sugar," Momma calls out from my bedroom.
As bile rises in my throat, I am unable to respond. I'm a nervous wreck, and I'm absolutely riddled with heartache. I open the bathroom door and flip the shower lever on, allowing it to heat up while I brush my teeth. I can't help but wonder how Seth is feeling today. I wonder if he's grieving as much as I am. Come on, Brie; you know boys don't get in their feels as girls do.
I quickly get myself cleaned up and dressed. After I leave this bathroom, I will no longer allow myself to grieve. Life moves on, so I have to keep up the pace along with it. I turn the knob and exit the bathroom before marching down the hallway. All is well with my soul now; it has to be. I just needed some alone time to make sense of it all, " Momma!" I call out.
"Yes, baby, Mariah and I are downstairs," she responds.
I quickly jot down the steps towards the living room. Once I enter, I notice Mariah is sitting on the sofa, and she looks up once she notices me, "Hey Brie." she mumbles quietly. Her eyes are wet with tears.
"No! You are not allowed to do that, Colie!" I say aloud, pointing my finger at her.
She snickers, "I know I am so sorry." She responds.
"You will mess up your makeup, which by the way, you did an amazing job covering up the bruise. I can't tell you were ever in an accident."
She shrugs her shoulders, "It's almost completely healed. I just used a little bit of concealer over the yellow spots."
Momma chimes in, "You girls ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm ready, " I mumble as I amble through the entry and grab my purse off the coat rack while lugging my Jansport backpack over my shoulder filled with my makeup and hair supplies.
Momma and Mariah follow close behind me as I lead the way out the doors towards Momma's SUV. We climb into the vehicle and take off down the road en route to Knoxville, TN.
Along the way, I attempt to make small talk. "Colie, I'm so surprised Dylan let you come today," I mention as I flip through the radio stations searching for a recognizable song.
She chuckles, "Well, he wasn't happy about it. He thinks I'm a fragile piece of glass that will shatter at any time just because I'm pregnant. Don't get me wrong; I love how protective and loving he is, but there's no way he can keep me from tagging along to see my baby cousin off to college today."
"God love that knucklehead," I respond as I stop scanning the radio stations once I come across a George Strait tune.
I gently hum along to the melody as I stare out the window. Luckily I have gorgeous scenery to gaze at on the way, noticing that there's not a cloud in the sky. I roll down my window and enjoy the gentle warm breeze blowing my hair wildly around my face.
"Have you spoken to your roommate?" Momma asks curiously while snapping me out of my daydream.
"Yeah, I did last week. She's arriving today as well." I respond.
"Where does she live?" Mariah asks.
"Memphis."
"Stacy, right?" Momma asks.
I nod my head and turn to look out the window.
"I think you'll enjoy college life," Mariah adds.
The remainder of the nearly seven-hour trip was peaceful. We stopped once to stretch our legs and use the restroom while grabbing snacks for the rest of the way. A few moments after we arrive in Knoxville, Momma pulls into the parking lot of the dorm I'm staying in, "Well, here we are sug." she says.
The three of us climb out and load the boxes onto the dolly that Momma brought and wheel it inside. The moment we step foot inside the front entrance, there are girls lined up along the halls talking amongst themselves. I weave through the crowds of teenage girls as I lead the way down the hall while Momma and Mariah follow closely behind. I stop at the door numbered with the gold letters 187, "Here's my room." I say as I stop to turn the knob and enter.
Momma and Mariah stop short behind me as I notice a pretty little petite blonde with green eyes reading a book while sprawled out on the bed. She looks up as she notices me," "Aww... Hi! I'm Brie; you must be Stacy." I say casually as I approach the bed with my hand outstretched.
She stutters, "Um...I...um...yes, I'm Stacy. Nice to meet you, Brie."
Poor thing must be shy. I flash a smile at her in hopes to make her feel more comfortable, "Likewise! So, this is it?" I ask curiously.
She nods as she looks around the room, "Yep, this is our home."
I walk over to the empty bed to my left and set my suitcase on top before I unzip it and begin to unpack, "Did you just get here today?" I ask as I turn back to glance at her.
"Yes, my parents just left a while ago," she chokes out. I feel bad the poor thing is so shy.
I hang my blouses on my hangers and neatly arrange them in the empty closet at the foot of my bed.
"Hi sweetheart, I'm Lori, Brie's Momma. It's so nice to meet you finally. I've heard a lot about you," Momma says as she reaches out her hand to Stacy.
"Good to meet you," she responds as she shakes her hand.
Mariah chimes in, "Hi, I'm Mariah. I'm Brie's cousin. So nice to meet you." She says.
"Hi there. I'm Stacy; nice to meet you. I think your eyes are really cool."
Mariah chuckles, "Oh, thank you. I have a genetic defect. My eyes are green, but the right one has a brown spot."
"Wow, that is really unique," Stacy replies.
Stacy clears her throat; I turn around to focus my attention on her, "Brie, my parents bought a mini fridge for us. I eat out normally, so the only thing I will keep in there is my diet coke. Feel free to use it if you need to. We can share it."
I flip my hair around flash a smile, "That's very sweet of you, thank you. I don't have a lot, but whatever I have, you are welcome to as well." I tell her as she bites her lip and chuckles. I think she is starting to get warmed up a bit.
"So, what are you studying?" Momma asks Stacy.
"I'm studying law," Stacy replies.
Momma chuckles and crosses her arms in front of her, "Oh, wow! Fun!"
Stacy places her hands on her backside, "Well, I don't know about that."
"Brie hasn't decided yet. She's just doing the general classes," Momma adds as she plops down onto my bed.
I roll my eyes, "I know, I'm a loser."
"Nonsense, dear. It's okay not to know what you want to do right off the bat. You are so young; you have plenty of time."
Stacy quietly crawls on her bed on all fours, lays on her side, and opens her book. I glance at the title and notice she likes Stephen King's novels. Based on that, I can tell we are going to get along. She peeks up from her book every so often to watch us unpack.
Finally, once the last box is unpacked and I'm settled in, Momma approaches me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, "I told myself I wasn't going to make this harder than it is. Enjoy yourself and have fun, sugar. I love you," she whispers into my ear.
"I will, Momma. I love you too. Don't worry; I'll be fine. I'll call you guys later." I tell her.
She kisses my cheek before Mariah cuts in to embrace me, "Bye, sweet girl. I love you so much." she says.
"Bye, Colie. I love you too. I'll be back for the delivery so I can be there for you." I respond.
She kisses my forehead before turning around to head out the door, with Momma following behind her. I bid them both farewell and watch as they shut the door behind them on the way out. I turn to glance at Stacy as I walk over and plop down on the bed, "First time away from home?" she asks curiously as she peeks over her book to look at me.
"Yeah, it's definitely a new experience," I respond.
"Don't worry, Brie. We will have fun together. I'm sure of it." she says as she winks at me before turning her attention back to her book.
I chuckle as I lay back on the bed and exhale audibly, staring at the ceiling. Stacy sits up and places her book down on the bed next to her, "Hey, are you hungry?" she asks.
I turn to look at her, "Yeah, I could eat something."
"There's a sports bar a few blocks from here. What do you say you and I walk over there and grab some dinner?" she suggests.
I flash her a smile and quickly sit up, "I'd love that, Stacy. Thank you for being so kind." I tell her.
She scoots off the bed, "No worries, roomie." she says as she struts over to grab her purse before turning back towards me, "My treat." she says as she opens the front door.
"Aww... thank you, Stacy," I respond as I hop off the bed and grab my purse before exiting the room. Here we go!
- Writer
