The First Drop Of Rain

Chapter Sixty Three

September

Gaia not being the yearbook editor was probably the oddest feeling I had by far. However, the worst feeling was the one I got when all my classmates started talking about where they were going to apply to school and what they would be going for. The SATs were around the corner and my throat may well have been super glued shut with the trouble I was having breathing. Edward had been a wonderful boyfriend of course and constantly reassured me that I could go in undeclared and get all my core studies out of the way before declaring a major. That of course would never do. I needed a plan that could be easily mapped out on a timeline or spreadsheet. Problem was, that plan would require a direction I was not ready to give it.

It wasn't until I sat in the library during my free period that I realized there was a bigger problem at hand. Without a direction I didn't even know what school I wanted to attend. I stared at my notebook feeling untethered, my future twisting and flipping in the wind like a loose tarp. While I was certainly no valedictorian, I had decent enough grades and a broad enough student profile. Even removing the supernatural elements of my life I still had some decent admissions essay material in there. I could probably apply to Ivy Leagues if I wanted to. I have an extensive portfolio if I wanted to explore an art degree. So many paths lay before me that I could plan through with Edward. I could barely focus on the pages in front of me, my reading report seemed to be swimming across the page before I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. When I looked up I met Gaia's eyes, and she simply sighed and quietly spoke. "Yeah. I thought that was your 'the world is ending' shoulders."

"What? I don't have specific shoulders!" I whispered in shock as I became acutely aware of how stiff my joints felt.

"You've been white knuckling your pen for fifteen minutes and haven't made a single mark on your page." Edward piped up, causing me to jump. I had forgotten that half the books that littered the table were his. When I turned my gaze I saw him exactly as I had left him, sitting across from me with a book in his hand and a blue pen twirling lazily between his fingers. He was good at this human thing, it really did look like he was reading Jane Eyre for the first time. "Ahhh, welcome back to the land of the living. Wanna clue us into what was happening in that angry swarm of bees?" Edward's cool whisper sent a chill down my spine.

"College." I grumbled, tossing my pen down and cracking each individual knuckle.

"You have a year and a half to obsess over this." Gaia sighed, flopping into the seat beside me. "Besides. I thought it was obvious what degree you would go for." She procured a jolly rancher from her pocket, dumping a handful on the table, and then taking her sweet time to unwrap it before finally popping it into her mouth and declaring my major. "You would get a degree in fine art or something and then become the next hotshot artist."

"Is that so?" I asked with a smile, suddenly remembering that it had been my dream job just five years ago.

"Seems like sound logic to me." Edward smiled over his book. "I'd support the decision."

"You have to say that. You're a good boyfriend." I shot a look at him as I turned my attention back to Gi.

Gaia rolled her eyes at me before looking at Edward with a "can you believe her" look on her face. "Duhh, because I am going to become a freelance photographer and cover your first gallery show."

"Well you'll be too busy shooting for Time magazine and National Geographic covers like your dad." I countered.

"Oh my god! He's coming home!" Gaia was suddenly flapping her arms excitedly.