Chapter 5: Home Isn’t Always Sweet

My first winter break with Ryan, everything was new and shiny. Because I said I hated winter, he flew me to Hawaii. I’d never even been on a plane before. The second break, he fought with his dad and I ran to his Manhattan penthouse for Christmas. This year, Dad called the landline and threatened to drive to campus and drag me home if I missed Christmas again.

So I took a Greyhound, transferred twice, and walked the last two miles. My back ached, and all I’d eaten was gas station sandwiches and warm Gatorade. When I finally hit Cedar Creek, everyone stared. Old men on porches, kids on bikes, Mrs. Henderson with her beagle. Small towns had their own kind of surround sound gossip.

“This is the Sullivan girl. Ran off the last two years—must’ve been dumped to come back.”

The town ladies’ gossip could end you quicker than Twitter. They’d talk just loud enough for you to hear, but quiet enough to pretend otherwise.