Underneath the textbooks were a few other books. No, not just any books. My books. I picked up the worn copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and pulled it to my chest. He had told me I couldn't bring anything with me. But he had snuck in a few things of mine underneath everything else. Now I was crying. I wiped away my happy tears and quickly opened up the cover to see my father's inscription. There was a sticky note on top of it. "Anything is possible if you believe, Sadie," was scrawled across it in Mr. Crawford's handwriting.
I smiled as I lifted up the sticky note.
Summer,
I hope that I'm beginning to instill in you a joy of reading and a sense of adventure. Just remember that one day, your real life will become an adventure even greater than the stories you've read. When that time comes, I know you'll embrace it. You may not have a scar on your forehead, but I know you're destined for great things. Never stop believing in the impossible.
Love always,
Dad
I wiped my tears away again. Maybe my life right now wasn't how I'd dreamed it would be. But this was my adventure. I needed to embrace it.
I placed the sticky note back over my father's inscription and put the book on top of all my textbooks. No, my parents weren't here to see me experience life anymore. I could still make them proud, though. I was always determined to do well in school growing up. But there was more to life than textbooks and good grades. It was about experiences. If people asked a few questions along the way, so what? I was done hiding. I was Sadie Davis. And I was going to own it.
"Hey, you ready to get going?" Kins asked as she walked back into the room.
I grabbed a manila envelope labeled "bank documents," out of a pouch in the suitcase and closed the lid. "Yeah." I set the envelope down on my bed. Tonight I was going to be completely focused on getting to know the other people on my floor. It was going to be fun.
My phone started vibrating on my desk.
Kins was closer to it than me. A smile spread across her face as she lifted up my phone. "You have one new message from Eli." She tossed it at me. "What'd he say?"
I swiped my finger across the screen. "He said to meet him outside." I looked up at Kins.
"Now that's romantic."
"I'll just tell him I'm going to the floor party." I started typing out the text. But my stomach felt like it had flipped over. We had agreed to be friends. What was he doing standing outside my dorm building? I tried to hide my smile.
"Are you kidding? You should just go outside."
I shook my head. "I already told you I'd come with you, though."
"You can't shoot him down. It's probably some big romantic gesture."
"I'm sure it's not." I kind of hoped it was. It was like I was getting a second chance. At lunch today I felt like I'd stomped on any idea of us being more than friends. I wasn't so sure that's what I wanted though.
"Seriously, Sadie, I'm just going to be flirting with our RA all night. I'm not going to ask you to miss this opportunity for you to witness me embarrassing myself. You can always stop by later if you want. But Eli is clearly into you. It's definitely some romantic surprise."
"We're just friends." I smiled to myself.
"Did he say anything else except for 'meet me outside'?"
"No, that's it." I showed her the screen.
"Then go get your surprise. I'll vet our floor and introduce you to anyone worthwhile later. You won't be missing anything."
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm. You should definitely put on something...well, less. You've been living in that hoodie. It's 90 degrees outside."
"I like this hoodie."
"Suit yourself. It'll officially be the most comfortable first date in history."
"That's what I was going for. You look great, by the way." I had just noticed the extra makeup she was wearing. And she had changed into a crop top paired with the shortest shorts I had ever seen. Mr. RA would be the one drooling tonight.
"Thank you." She smiled. "Now I just have to try not to make a fool of myself. I have to go though. I want to be one of the first ones there so that I get a seat next to the RA. God, I'm getting all nervous just thinking about him." She opened up the door.