ART 3–CHAPTER 152
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The thought still felt strange sometimes. A year ago, I was in college, on track for something completely different. A “normal” life, I guess. But that wasn’t me anymore. I left school about six months ago, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard at first. My parents were disappointed. Hell, everyone was disappointed – except Aiden.
He was the one who pushed me. The one who told me I needed to run again. And God, I hated him for it at first. For trying to force me to be someone, I didn’t feel like I was anymore. For pushing me to relive something I didn’t even remember.
But now, I know I owe him every time I lace up my shoes. He knew, even when I couldn’t see it. He knew this was what I needed.
I needed to thank him.
I rounded a bend in the trail, my heart pounding with effort and exhilaration. The sun had just started to rise over the trees, casting long shadows across the path, and for a moment, everything felt still.
Perfect.
It was in these moments, with nothing but the sound of my own breath and the steady beat of my shoes against the dirt, that I felt closest to who I used to be–or maybe who I was becoming now. A new version of Jess. Stronger. More sure of herself.
And yet, there was always that nagging emptiness. That piece of me that felt… incomplete.
I couldn’t explain it, but it was like something was missing. Someone, maybe. Sometimes, when I was out here in the
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