Losing Charley

  Chapter 2

  Piper, Annie, Morgan, Carrie, and I have an amazing graduation trip to Cancun. We live it up every night dancing at clubs, baking in the sun, and meeting a new guy every night.

  About the middle of July, my world starts to cave in on me. I come to the conclusion that I have made a mistake. I do want out of this hick town, and now I can't. How am I going to tell my parents? I come up with a plan to talk to Mama on the way to Grandma's tomorrow. I know I’ll have questions to answer, but that’s expected from my mama, AKA Mrs. Worry Wart.

  The next morning, I wake up and get ready. I look at myself in the mirror, and worry is written all over my face. I pack my clothes for the week and head downstairs. I go to the pantry and grab a chocolate chip cookie and a Choice Cherry Gold—breakfast of champions. Mama and Tessa come into the kitchen and are all ready to go. We load up the Chevy and are on our way.

  Before we hit the county line, Mama looks at me and says, “Okay, spill it!”

  I look at Mama, and tears fill up in my eyes. “I don't want to go to LRC. Are you mad at me?”

  My mama looks over and says, “Of course not! There’s only one problem. Where are you going to go? There are three weeks before classes start, Charley. I don’t even know where to begin. I know that you have been accepted to several places, but will they be able to accommodate you? What schools do you want to look into?”

  “Carolina State and Southern,” I say quietly.

  I had been accepted to Clemson, Carolina State, LRC, and Southern. I’ve always wanted to be a Tiger, but knew that was probably out of the question. I mean, hello? Huge school and three weeks before Moving Day! I loved Carolina State. It is big, so maybe I can fly under the radar. I can keep to myself, stay unnoticed, and get my degree. Southern is small, and I mean smaller than my graduating class, small. But it has always appealed to me ever since a family friend talked about how gorgeous the campus is and all the friends she made there. Carolina State and Southern are close to my grandmother's house.

  “Charley, why don’t we go to Carolina State on our way to Grandma’s and see what we can do?”

  “That sounds great, Mama.”

  When we stop at Carolina State, they tell us they can enroll me, but there is no room in the inn. I'd have to find housing off campus. I don't think so! I’m already scared to make this gigantic change to my life plan. I’m definitely not living off campus in a big city. The admissions counselor says she will put me on the housing waiting list. I smile politely and tell her thank you for her time. I know in my heart of hearts that Carolina State is out the window.

  The entire week I try to keep my mind off the choices that are in my near future. I do all the things most Southern girls like me love to do. I hang out with my cousins, work in my grandma's garden, take Daisy, the horse, for a ride, and shuck corn until I never want to see another ear.

  On Wednesday, we call Southern and schedule an appointment for Friday. There's no turning back now. I pray, “Please God, let this work out for me. I know that I haven’t always made the right choices in my life, but things are starting to get back to how they used to be before I messed up.”

  Friday morning, I choose my grandma's pound cake and her famous sweet tea for breakfast. Then we say our goodbyes and down Highway 49 we go. My mama doesn't say much, and I know what she is thinking. She's thinking about why I want to go to this little rinky-dink school? What made me change my mind? Does this have to do with Dylan or Cash? We ride in silence.

  When we get to the stoplight on Highway 49, we turn right; we go half a mile and see the Southern University sign. Unsure of where to turn, we keep going. Next thing I know, we’ve driven through it completely. In the blink of an eye we are already leaving campus and the town. Well dang, it’s smaller than I thought! We turn the Chevy around and stop at the stoplight. Really? A stoplight? I look to my right and notice the train tracks running straight through the middle of campus. That's going to be fun to wake up to. When the light turns green, we move forward and turn left into a driveway that goes to the Admissions Building. We pull into one of three visitor parking spaces. It's now or never.

  We get out of the car, and Mama looks at me. “What do you think?”

  “I think I love it! It's small, but I don't think I can handle a big school. That's part of the reason I liked LRC.”

  We walk on the lawn to the stairs of the Admissions Building and go inside. Here goes nothing, I think to myself. We meet John, an admissions counselor. He shows us around, and I fall even more in love. The school is old. The buildings are worn out, but there is so much character in each one. I can feel the history. There is one downfall though; the dorm rooms are tiny. I mean, smaller than small. I think even a jail cell might be larger. Even with that little downfall, I know this is where I am supposed to be.

  We continue our tour with the one major question that’s the elephant in the room. Is there room for me? I look at my mama, and she asks John. “I know this is late notice. Charley has been accepted here, but will there be a dorm space available for her?” I wait for what feels like years, and then he speaks, “Yes, there is.”

  Whew! I feel like my heart is about to beat out of my chest, and I smile like I haven't in a long time. I am truly happy about this decision. After making our way back to the Admissions Building, we are given the proper paper work to complete and then head back to Grassy Pond.

  The ride home is awkward. I know what is coming. Mama begins to question my motives for going there, why I really want to go there, and am I positive this time. Yes, I am positive this time. It's the right choice. I know it! For once in my life, I know I have made the right choice.