Hooked (49 page)

     I sure was going to miss her.  She was a trip.  I stood there thinking about our memories from childhood till now. 
The moment wasn’t lost on me that Cash’s name should have been called out before mine
,
but
I was smiling when they ca
lled my name, Millie Adele Diamond
.  A
s I walked across the stage, I had a moment of pure joy.  I hadn’t felt like this in so long, it was hard to describe it.  I realized that almost everyone in this room
would be
going separate ways
,
even though we’d all been on the same path together for thirteen years.  I thought about the time my mom told me about different kinds of loves.  I was beginning to see that I loved some of these people
,
but would probably never see them again.  I loved my friends and we would always be friends
,
but we had to start a new, different chapter that would change us as people, as adults.  Some people come in your life as a blessing, some as lessons.  I guess to mark the end of adolescence is to recognize the beginning of adulthood and that’s what I was doing.

CHAPTER
24

     Of course, mom and dad insisted on coming with me for my first night in my dorm for college.  They made Eli come so he would have an idea of what he would be doing in a couple of years, although I think he wanted to come along.  We made our way up to my dorm room after looking around the campus.  I was a little nervous
,
but mostly ready for classes to start.  Luckily
,
I had a dad that always wanted me to do stuff I didn’t have to
,
but if the option was available, he wanted me to take it, like advanced classes.  I took some of those classes my senior year, so I was almost a full semester ahead.  I still didn’t know what I was going to major in
,
but I had a year to figure it out.

     Dad walked over to my bed and sat my suit case on it.  “Sweetheart, good luck
,
I’m really proud of you.” 

    
I smiled sadly as I looked down at my ring that had Cash’s name on it remembering how that was his name for me.  I hadn’t heard it in eight months and I missed it. 

     “Thanks dad, I’m going to miss you guys.”

     “We’ll miss you too
,
Mil.  I hope you’ll try to come home at least once a month,” mom said as she hugged me.

     “I’ll try.  I’m sure since I’ll be here with Cara, we’ll carpool some.” 

    
Eli walked over to hug me.  It was weird looking at him.  He had changed so much this past year.  He was bigger, stronger, just more of a man.  I was proud of him.  “I love you
,
E
.
I’m going to miss you.”

     “I love you too
,
sis,” he hugged me and whispered as he pulled me close, “but I’m probably going to be coming to a lot of these parties up here
,
so we’ll still see each other.”
  I smiled into his shoulder.  I loved that he could make anything funny.

     “We’ll go now and let you get settled.  Call us if you need anything or if you just want to talk,” mom said hugging me again.

     “I will, love you.”

     After they left, I
sprawled out
on my twin size bed.  It felt weird not being in my own bed from home
,
but at the same time, it was a welcomed feeling.  Just as my eyes were closing, Cara
,
along with her parents
,
Jake and Jess walked in.  I was so thankful for her dad.  I don’t know how he pulled it off
,
but Cara ended up picking the University of Tennessee as
her
school of choice after she didn’t get in the school Jason was going to and he was able to get us a room together. 

     “I’m so excited
,
Mil!”  Cara said as she entered our room.

     “This is going to awesome, y
’
all will have a freaking blast,” Jess said sitting on my bed.

     “You’re
gonna
have fun too
,
babe,” Jake said.

     “I know
,
but two hot girls, single, living together, doing whatever they want, cute single college guy
s, I mean that’s a recipe for,
”
she stopped as she looked up at Cara’s parents who were both staring at her, “disaster, Cara, so don’t do any of those things I listed,” she added at the end looking at Jake who was laughing behind his parents backs.

     While Cara’s parents were helping her get settled, Jess and I sat on my bed and talked.  “So, I see your still wearing your ring,” she said looking at it.

     “I’ll never tak
e it off.  We promised each other and I know that even though I haven’t talked to him, we will be together again.  My dad had to go to Boston a couple of months ago and told me that Cash was doing
well
.  The trial went as planned and between him and nine other guys
,
the
F
eds were able to put the main guys behind that organization away for life.  It only took four days.  Dad told me that he and Cash spent those four days together and Cash told him he was coming back
,
he just had to get settled first.  I guess he’s been talking with his mom, you know
,
checking on her since she’s been back, because she said the same thing.  I think she’s decided to stay here though.  She is doing really good and was able to get her job back at the factory.”

    “Wow, it’s weird, there’s so much that’s happened over the last year
,
” Jess said actually being serious at the moment.

      “Yeah, I know.  If you would have made this a prediction, I think I would have laughed even harder than I did at the one you actually made.”

     “Yes, but I was right, wasn’t I?”
  Jess smiled and I could tell she was thinking about her comment about the condoms.

     “You sure were
.  So, did you get your puppy?”

     “You know it.  Her name is Bella and I think Jake spoils her more than I do.”

     “How are you
guys adjusting
to family life and your new apartment?”

     “It’s great Mil, better than I could’ve ever imagined.  I did worry about Anna at first
,
but she’s got a boyfriend now.  I guess after she got the problem child grown, she felt she could do something for herself
.
”
S
he laughed.

     “Well, I’m really glad for you guys.  I can’t wait for the wedding.”

     “Yeah, it’ll probably be after I graduate though, or at least after Jake graduates.”

     “Babe, you ready?  I’ve got class in the morning and so do you
,
” Jake asked as he came over to her to pull her up off the bed.

     “Yep
,
have fun girls, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said laughing.
She turned around as she got to the door and said, “W
e’re still going to the movies Saturday night, right?”

     “Yes ma’am,” Cara answered.

     After she said her goodbyes,
Cara
and I sat on our beds talking about college and how excited we were for a new beginning.

     “So, should we make predictions?”
  Cara asked grinning.

     “Sure, you go first.”

     “Alright, you are actually going to figure out what you want to major in by second semester, make a ton of new friends, and I really believe Cash will be back by summer.”

    
“Oh, I like that one.  You my
friend
will have a perfect GPA, because
you’re
too smart for your own good, start seeing Rob
exclusively
and probably leave this room for his sometime this semester
,
since he’s going to school here
,
too.
” I laughed.

     Our first semester went great.  Cara was right, I made many new friends.  We started a tradition of going to a local sports bar every Friday night.  There is nothing on earth like Tennessee sports fans.  It was fun just hanging out.  Cara and Rob continued
dating and his friend Tyler hung out with us
quite
a bit
.  We never dated or anything
,
but I did really like him.  He was sweet and kind and he never pushed me to date him, he just went with the flow. 
We usually ended up in the same crowd, but I just couldn’t bring myself to like him like that.  Cash had my heart and always would. 

    
Jess kept in touch and sometimes she and Jake would come to the bar with us on Friday.  We found time to do lunch or a movie at least once a month.  I talked to mom or dad at least that much and usually went home the last weekend of the month.  Eli was usually too busy with all of his girlfriends to actually hang out with me.  I wasn’t offended though, he was growing up too, although I didn’t understand his need to date so many girls. 

     I ended up choosing to go home during the summer break.  It was actually fun hanging out with mom and dad.  We went shopping, fishing and camping.  We tried to do as much as we could together like when Eli and I were kids. 

    
Of course, Eli brought a girl when we went camping and mom and I spent most of the trip talking and laughing at them.  The girl (Christie) seemed nice
,
but she sure was aggressive and a very girly girl.  She whined the whole time about being dirty.  She wouldn’t let Eli out of her sight.  She would call his name from across the campsite and whine that her feet hurt or whatever emergency she was having that particular hour.  Mom and I laughed so hard at Eli because he would roll his eyes every time she would say his name. 
It was absolutely hilarious watching Eli try to handle her.  She whined when she got wet, other than the times she was in her barely there bikini, which mom made sure to scold Eli about.  She whined when she broke a nail.  She whined when her toenail polish got scraped off
on a rock in the lake and she c
ouldn’t fix it.  She whined when we went fishing because she didn’t want to bait the hook or touch the fish.  And last
,
but not least, she griped f
or
thirty minutes solid at Eli because she was going to have to eat hot dogs. 

    
Eli started out trying to appease her
,
but that didn’t last too long.  He kept rolling his eyes behind her back.  Mom and I just laughed at him and mom told him
the one time Christie left camp to try to find phone service so she could update her
facebook
page, that he was banned from bringing anymore girls to the lake
.
I laughed when he actually agreed with her. 
We called it right
,
too.  Mom said he’d break up with her as soon as we got back home…and he did.

    
CHAPTER
22

     When Cara and I met back up for spring semester she had some news for me.  “So, I think Rob and I are going to look for an apartment near campus soon.”

    
“Oh
,
really?”
  I laughed.  “I told you!”

   
“Yeah, yeah
,
I know.  I love him so much.  It’s so easy with him.  He’s so laid back.  He lets me be who I am and just supports me.  I love this feeling
.
”
S
he smiled.

     “I know exactly what feeling you’re talking about.  It’s amazing
.
”
I smiled sadly.