Page 53 of Beautiful Beginning

Journey: See you soon

When I answered the door for him, his face mimicked mine. He looked like he’d been through four days in 24 hours, and there wasn’t an end in sight. “You okay?”

He followed me to my room. Inside he said, “That meeting was intense. And complete bullshit.”

Before he arrived I was dragging, but he was a shot of espresso waking me up. “Whoa. What happened?”

“The mid-year budget cuts target programs that only impact the university. None that’ll impact the many other state funded schools.” He pounded his fist into his palm. “This is the type of stuff I’m talking about. There must be real change.”

“Slow down.” I raised my hand. “How bad is it?”

“Bad enough that it may decrease the student population in the next few years if we don’t have these programs.” He lifted his shoulders. “I could see current or prospective students finding other schools out of the state.”

“Damn.” I didn’t want to sound selfish and ask about us—the graduating seniors. But I had to know. “And what about us? Those of us graduating this semester.”

“Shouldn’t have an impact.” He rolled his eyes. “Lucky us. I guess.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

He put his hand to my face and said, “I wanted to see you.” He licked his lips. “Kiss you a little. But I don’t want to disrupt your studying.” Then he stole a kiss. “So, give me one more of these and we can talk about all this later.”

I gave him one more. Staring up at him I said, “I was thinking you could keep yourself busy while I finish.” I looked over at the full-sized bed, the size of his back home. “We could get comfy while I sleep for a couple of hours.”

He winced. “As tempting as that sounds, I should go. I need to research these cuts. Then study for this exam I have in a couple of days.”

“Busy, busy.” I sighed.

He wrapped his hand with mine as we walked to the front door. Then he looked at me with a half-smile. “Our last semester of college, then all this will be over. No more studying, no more exams.”

It should have been a rallying cry to ignite my inner child. She should have been able to rejoice and jump for joy. Sixteen years of school, finally complete. But no matter how hard she tried to leap she felt a little bad for her excitement. She tampered her joy, hid her smile, and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s almost over.”

Our foreheads met, and I inhaled him one last time before he left the apartment.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Chaz

Budget cuts, programs ending, and mundane tasks to finish the school year. On top of my final classes, projects, and papers that kept coming, I was starting to look forward to the end of college.

Although, walking across the stage was the easy part. Thinking about what was next was the challenge. I had no idea where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, or how I wanted to do it. Well, I did know I wanted to be in politics. But that was as good as asking a kindergartener what he wanted to be when he grew up. Which was never my answer as a kid. I didn’t dress up as the president or think twice about the branches of government. When I was in kindergarten pretty sure I wanted to be some sort of superhero. One stacked with superpowers. In my head, I could combine all the powers available and make one hell of a hero.

I guess, in a way, I was still trying to save the world. But without a cape, or superpowers, my hero status was questionable.

“And at the end of the week, we’ll have an exam.” Professor Martin’s smile had me thinking he was a sadist. The week before we had a paper due. The class was nothing like the one he taught the semester before. In comparison, he was good versus evil in the flesh.

I tossed my notebook into my bag and stood from my seat. The students around me scattered. None interested in sticking around to form a study group. Nobody made plans to meet in the library or at the coffee shop. They dispersed like sheep left without a shepherd.

I smirked as I looked down at Professor Martin. Warned, “Your professor rating is going to tank.”

He shrugged his shoulder. “Graduating seniors don’t often complete the rating. They are too worried about what they are going to do once they flip that tassel.” He leaned against the desk and got too comfortable. Staring at me over the top of his reading glasses. “Speaking of what’s next. Have you considered where you’ll lend your political prowess once you leave Hillside?” Then he scoffed. “I mean of course you have. You have months left in the semester. You know exactly where you are going, right?”

Professor Martin had more confidence in me than I had in me. “That would be too much like right.” I smirked. “I’m out here living like a freshman with nowhere to go for four more years.”

A look of concern crossed his face, and he pulled his glasses from his eyes. “You’re joking, right?”

My head shook side to side. “Wish I was.”

“What are you waiting on?”

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