Mom, I'm going to check the mail," I called, trying to sound normal even though my heart was racing for no reason at all. The walk to the mailbox felt longer than usual. I told myself not to expect anything. So, I picked up the mails inside the box. Bills, s, nothing other from the usual we receive every week. And then I saw an envelope with the college logo printed neatly in the corner. My fingers suddenly felt shaky. For a moment, I just stared at it, afraid that whatever was inside could make me either sad or happy. I opened it slowly, my eyes scanning the words until they stopped on the one that made my breath seize and then I saw "Congratulations". I didn't realize I was crying until I screamed. "What is going on over there?" my mom shouted from inside. "Mom... I got in," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I'm going to college. I'm going to New York." She pulled me into her arms, and I held onto her tighter than usual. That night, I lay awake staring at my ceiling, imagining a new life in college I'm gonna have. A different city. A different life. For the first time, my world seemed too small to contain me.

  When I told Chloe, she was really happy and excited. "You did it! I'm so proud of you. I'm going to miss you so much." I laughed, wiping away tears. "I'm still here for a week. We have time." There was a pause on the line that felt like it lasted longer than usual. "About that," she said softly. "I leave tomorrow. I got my admission too." The excitement in my chest shifted into something heavier. "Tomorrow?" I repeated. "Yeah. I wanted to tell you sooner." We both tried to sound happy, but our voices kept breaking and shaking. We talked about memories we hadn't even realized were becoming memories. All the late-night snacks, sharing secrets, laughing at nothing. When the call ended, I felt like a part of me was taken away.

  Two weeks later, I stood at the airport hugging my mum goodbye. Leaving felt strange from what I planned it would be like. On the plane, my fear of heights crept in, but I focused on the clouds outside the window, telling myself this was the beginning of a new life. When I landed in New York, everything felt loud and overwhelming. The city moved fast, like it didn't have time for hesitation.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  On the way to campus, the taxi slowed near the pickup area, and that's when I saw a girl dragging her suitcase, anger written across her face. "It's over," she snapped. "I never want to see you again. You always hurt me; I thought I could make things work with u....... Fuck u!!" She walked away with anger streaming down her face. The guy she left behind stood still for a second then fell into the ground landing on the surface like the weight of her words was a large rock placed on his head. I couldn't see his face clearly, but something about the way he sat there alone in the middle of everything pulled at me. "Stop here," I told the driver, stepping out before I could rethink it. I approached carefully. "Are you okay?" I asked. He didn't respond at first. His hands were clenched into fists. Then slowly, he lifted his head. Green eyes met mine, cute lips with very curly hair. His face was so smooth with a very perfect jaw line and at that moment I felt like I had seen an angel. For a brief second, the noise around us faded and I felt like the world around us had disappear leaving just both of us in space. There was something broken behind that anger, something he didn't want anyone to see. "Leave," he said looking broken. The word wasn't loud, but it was sharp enough to cut. "I just wanted to make sure you're fine," I replied, my voice smaller now. His jaw tightened and said louder and angrier "I said leave me alone." The world behind us disappeared and I came back to my world but then a cool sensation runned down my spin but inside of me was intense heat which became noticeable on my face. "Fine," I said, swallowing the gulp in my throat. "I was only trying to help." I turned and walked back to the taxi, pretending like I never saw anything that happened but inside of me was pale. As we drove away, I looked back once. He was still sitting there, staring at nothing. I didn't know his name or where he is from, I didn't know his story. But something told me that meeting him in that state was totally not an accident