Page 27 of What Comes After

Maybe I didn’t care about the graduation ceremony or what it signified in my life, but if one thing was for certain, I would never turn down an opportunity to have a picture taken with someone I loved.

And though Theo didn’t know the full extent of my feelings for him, there was no question he knew just how important he was in my life.

I just hoped I’d eventually get to a place where I’d finally be able to tell him the truth.

SIX

Devyn

Five months later

The hits just kept on coming.

Time passed, and things never seemed to get any easier.

I didn’t know if this was what people meant when they often warned kids to just wait until they entered the real world, but this was getting to be too much.

I was eighteen now, and I was officially in charge of every aspect of my life. Though I knew I had Theo and his family along with my other relatives there for me, the reality was that I was responsible for myself.

But I’d been in that role since long before my age indicated that was the case.

No sooner had I graduated high school, I’d gotten myself a job. I worked in customer service for a retail company, and I absolutely hated it. But it didn’t require any education beyond my high school diploma and the pay was reasonable.

Of course, the job I had wasn’t a lifelong career choice, but it was what I could do now that would provide a steady income.

Sadly, without the ability to go to culinary school, I just didn’t know how I’d ever be able to make a change. Because while I’d been lucky enough to not have to worry about covering the costs of continuing to live in the home I’d shared with my parents and had been raised in while I finished up high school, there was a finite supply of funds. The money was only going to go so far.

Maybe I’d been a bit naïve, but I had believed that as long as I got a job, everything was going to work out okay. My parents had done it; I could, too.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The money I made just barely covered the expenses I had, and if there was any chance or hope of me being able to fulfill my dreams in the future, I needed to make a change. Jobs that paid a lot more money for someone like me weren’t exactly aplenty. And though I’d gotten a second job waitressing recently, it still wasn’t enough.

Because going through life making just enough money to cover the expenses meant that not only could I not save for the schooling I wanted and needed, but I also didn’t have anything set aside for when there was an emergency.

And I was quickly learning that owning a home required maintenance, nearly all of which I couldn’t afford, nor did I know how to do.

Scott helped out when I had a problem that could be fixed by a handyman with some tools, but when the water heater took a crap and needed to be replaced, I had no choice but to acquire some credit card debt.

As time went on and the bills mounted, I had to face the facts. This wasn’t feasible. While it pained me to admit it, I had to do something I’d promised myself I’d never do.

I had to sell the house.

God, it pained me to even think about it, but I was out of options. Things were already tight for me, and I needed to get out before something major happened that put me in a position that was even worse.

I’d contacted a realtor, had her come out to check out the house, and gotten a punch list of items that I needed to deal with before she would list the house on the market. I’d gotten through most of that list, and she’d set things up to have her photographer come out to take photos of the house early next week. That meant I needed to do this now.

This being letting the people who needed to know what I was up to and what was happening.

Since it was Friday evening after dinner, I figured there was no time like the present.

I walked out of the house and made my way across the street to the McCormick residence.

Theo was away for a few days working on a secret project he promised to tell me about once he returned in a week, but I didn’t want to delay. I could at least let Scott and Mary know about my plans. After all they’d done for me, they deserved to know.

Just as I walked up to the front door, Scott walked out.

“Hey, Devyn. Everything okay?” he asked.

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