Chapter 19 #2
It took a little over a week before I received his next letter.
When I got called for the mail once more, again I was surprised to have received anything from him at all.
But as I read through his newest letter, it almost felt like little pieces of myself - the old me from before I had torn myself to shreds trying to be something I wasn’t - were slowly falling back into place.
Hey there, Sutton.
Nice to actually hear back from you. I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d respond.
So, tell me a little about yourself. The most I could get out of you when we met was your name but I’d like to know more.
What are your interests? What do you do in your free time?
Not that you have much of that these days, but like, when you get out - what are you hoping to do for fun?
And how old are you anyway? You look a bit older than Luka, but not as old as me. I’m guessing. . . and don’t be offended here, my momma would slap me upside the head if she knew I was asking a woman about her age. . . but I’m guessing you’re somewhere around seventeen, is that right? Junior?
I'm a recent graduate, myself. Will be headed off to college in the fall. Got a sweet deal planned out for me with a nice set of scholarships, and honestly, I can’t say I’m too sad to be leaving this place.
Things have been weird with Keagan and Luka both gone.
Keagan’s my older brother, by the way. Not sure if I mentioned him when I was over there visiting.
He left home a few years ago and has been off doing his own thing for a while.
And Luka, well. . . you obviously already know. So yeah, things have been weird.
But hopefully by the time I leave for school Luka will be back at it, and then mom and dad can focus on him and leave me the hell alone for a hot second.
I mean, honestly? I get it. They’re worried about him, and Keagan and they can’t do a damn thing about either one, and so their stress gets aimed solely at me.
And I know they don’t always mean it, but it can be a bit smothering, ya know?
Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on a rant. Forget that I told you all that. Or actually, if it endears me to you, don’t forget.
Circling back to the point I was trying to make, tell me about yourself. I wanna get to know all about my new friend.
And hey, I know things can be intense in there, but chin up, got it? You’ve got this.
- Jonah
This time, I was more quick to respond.
Dear Jonah,
So, you wanna get to know me, huh? Well, I’ll have you know, I’m also a senior this year.
Although I’m not due to graduate for another few weeks.
Your school must get out really early. Nice try with the guessing by the way, but maybe don’t make assumptions about a woman’s age.
I bet your mom would have a fit about it if she knew that you not only guessed but then had the audacity to get it wrong.
Although. . . if you are guessing wrong, at least you guessed younger.
I suppose that’s better than you thinking I’m a lot older than I actually am.
To be fair, I’m sure part of your guess was at least partially due to how I look right now.
Normally I don't look quite so. . . well, I don’t look like this, anyway.
As for my interests, there isn’t much to tell.
I don’t have many friends. I have one best friend, Lena, and I love her like a sister.
We’ve literally been best friends and neighbors since birth.
She’s great, but she moved a while ago to live with her mom out of state after her parents divorced, so I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like, which really sucks.
I had another. . . well. . . I thought her older brother was my friend too, but I guess I was wrong about him.
Other than that, I can't say there are many people I’m super close to.
I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve always been pretty quiet in school, and not much of one for going out of my way to make new friends.
I do like writing though. And music. And theater.
Those hobbies are kinda my life. So yeah, that’s me in a nutshell.
Not much to tell. Anyway, thanks again for writing to me.
- Sutton
Dear Sutton,
How, in all of our letters over the past two months have you never told me that your Dad is a hockey coach? Seriously! This is huge news! Like, a big fucking deal. I play hockey. Actually, I’m going to U of M on a full scholarship for hockey in the fall.
Chin up, babes. You got this.
- Jonah
I grimace. We’ve been writing back and forth to each other several times a week for the last couple of months, and somehow in the last letter, he got me to share with him more than I normally would.
Among the other embarrassing information that info-dumped, I accidentally let slip the fact that my dad’s a hockey coach.
Just in broad terms, he’d wanted to know more about my family, and I honestly didn’t think it would be a big thing when I’d told him.
But Jonah’s a hockey player? Of course he is. Seriously, how is this my life? Ugh.
Hey Jonah,
Yeah, so . . . you can just forget that I mentioned the hockey thing at all.
Honestly, it was a big part of my life growing up, but now it’s just something I’d like to leave in my past. Congrats, though, on your scholarship.
I may be against hockey these days, but that is still a huge deal, so way to go, you!
And oh my god. You’re going to U of M? How funny.
That’s my backup school after NYU, where I’m registered for the fall.
My major is creative writing, with a minor in theater arts and musical composition.
At least, that was the plan anyway, before all of this.
Honestly, with everything that’s happened, my parents are really pushing for me to stay at home and start with community college in the fall.
I think they’re afraid that if I’m alone that I’ll just totally fall apart again.
Which, I mean, I guess I understand why they feel that way but it still sucks.
I want to go somewhere that has a strong Fine Arts program and the school near my hometown.
. . doesn’t. Still I’ll probably end up going to the school they’d prefer.
It’s the least I could do after the trouble I’ve caused them. Anyway -
Hope you’re doing well.
- Sutton
P.S. ‘Babes’ . . . ?”
Alright, alright. Not ‘Babes’ -
He doesn’t even bother with a salutation in his latest letter.
- but I can’t keep calling you ‘Newbie’ forever. Buddy didn’t seem right. Darlin’. . . lovely. . . pal. . . oh, I know! How about ‘Baby’? ‘Baby Girl’ ?
Jonah
P.S. You’re choosing NYU over U of M? That’s a shame. You realize this school has a pretty stellar Fine Arts program too, right?
P.P.S Plus, if you came to U of M, we’d be able to actually see each other once in a while around campus.
We could hang out, get to know each other better.
. . it might give your parents some peace of mind too, knowing that you’d have a friend who's got your back so you’re not alone at school.
But also, you have to admit, It would be fucking baller.
You and me, Baby Girl. . . we’ll be sticking it together ‘till the end. And yep, I’ve decided, ‘Baby Girl’ it is.
P.P.P.S (or however you’re supposed to write that shit) Um, excuse me? Leave hockey in the past? Explain yourself, lady.
In spite of myself, I actually laugh out loud reading his note.
When I was admitted to this program earlier this spring, I thought there was no way in hell I would get through it, and why should I even try?
It’s not like I had a whole lot going for me back home anymore.
Aside from Lena, and my parents, I doubted anyone would even care if I was gone, not really, anyway. .
Who knew that through such a disaster of a life I’d made for myself, when I was literally at rock bottom, that I would make a new friend?
Grinning, I shake my head. Maybe trying isn’t such a bad thing, after all.