Page 31 of Hailey Goes to College

She hesitates for a moment before speaking. “Let’s talk about… Ryan.”

I feel my heart tighten at the mention of his name. “What about him?” I can feel myself already getting defensive and I try to stop and remember that Kelsey is my friend and she’s only trying to help me.

“I know you’re hurt and upset,” she says gently. “But do you think you might have been a bit unfair? By not taking his calls or listening to his voicemails? What if he didn’t do anything wrong?”

I look down at my hands, fidgeting with the hem of my sweater. “I don’t know, Kelsey. He told me he wasn’t involved in anything illegal, and then I saw that text. It seemed very straightforward to me.”

“Maybe there’s more to the story,” she suggests. “It could all just be a misunderstanding.”

I sigh, feeling torn. “I just don’t know if I can trust him. I mean, you know the saying fool me once…”

Kelsey puts a hand on my shoulder. “I understand. Just think about it, okay? Maybe give him a chance to explain or at least listen to the voicemails.”

My phone feels heavy in my pocket. Ryan has left me so many voicemails my inbox is full. I nod, appreciating her concern. “I’ll think about it.”

Kelsey doesn’t bring up Ryan again, but the conversation stays in the back of my mind as we continue with our day of exploring Chicago’s attractions. It lingers in my mind, adding a layer of doubt. But for now, I try to focus on enjoying the time with my best friend, grateful for her support and understanding and the fact that she flew all the way from home early to spend this time with me.

As the day turns into evening, we head back to our hotel room, tired but happy. The city’s lights twinkle outside our window and the sounds of the traffic create a soothing background hum. We order room service for dinner and settle in for a night of movies and snacks. The room service menu offers a mix of delicious options, and we indulge ourselves with gourmet burgers, truffle fries, and lava cake for dessert.

Kelsey curls up on her bed with a bowl of popcorn. “Today was fun,” she says, smiling at me.

“Hell yeah, it was,” I tell her with a big smile on my face. “I’m so happy you came back to town to do this with me.”

“Only for you, Hailey.”

“Okay,” I say, feeling a renewed sense of happiness and hope. As we watch the classic rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You, laughing at the dialogue and swooning over the romantic moments, I feel a sense of normalcy returning. The reassurance of Kelsey’s presence, the comfort of knowing I have my best friend in my corner, and the promise of a new day tomorrow, help me believe that everything will be alright.

After a while, I turn to Kelsey, curiosity and concern bubbling up inside me. She hasn’t mentioned anything about her time at home, so while I want to hope that it was good, I have the feeling that it wasn’t.

“Kelsey?”

“Yeah?”

“We haven’t talked about your parents. Did you tell them?”

She doesn’t do anything for a long time, but eventually, she picks up the remote and turns off the television. “Yeah, I told them.” She doesn’t sound happy.

“What happened?”

“They were very clear that changing my major to something trivial like drama wasn’t going to happen. I’m sure if I wanted to be a doctor they’d be fine, but an actor over a lawyer? Not happening.” She rolls her eyes.

“Kels-” I get up off my bed and move over to hers, cuddling close. “You should have told me.”

“You were already despondent,” she reminds me. “I didn’t want to burden you when you’re already spiraling over Ryan.”

“Ryan is a boy,” I tell her sternly. “We’re best friends. That means we tell each other stuff. I want to be there for you, too, you know.”

She leans further into me. “I know. I just thought maybe if I didn’t talk about it it wouldn’t be true. They said if I change my major they aren’t going to pay tuition anymore.”

“So make it your minor,” I suggest.

“I mean yeah…” she sighs, and it sounds like she’s trying to stop herself from crying. “I don’t want to, though. Maybe I don’t want to be a lawyer just because I’ve been told my whole life I’d be one. I understand it isn’t exactly practical—but I love it so much.” She puts her face in her hands and takes a deep breath. “I said I would double major. Keep law, you know? And I reminded them that your major doesn’t matter. You can go to law school having majored in whatever you want.”

“And?”

“They still said no. I think they’re afraid I’ll run off to Hollywood and be a starving artist or something. I don’t know.”

I squeeze her hand reassuringly. “We’ll figure something out. If you want to be a drama major we’ll figure it out. There’s a whole office dedicated to student loans for a reason.”

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