Chapter 21: Moving In

***June 16th, 3:38 P.M. | Tamia***

It was my 18th birthday, and I was having a pool party in my backyard. In addition to my family, Morrissa and Vie were there, and so were Jason and his brothers. Actually, this party was for both me and Jason because his birthday was five days before mine. We decided to combine our birthday celebrations whenever we could, and this year was the perfect opportunity. Graduation was last week and once the month was over, The Draper Brothers would be going on tour in Europe, and Morrissa, Vie, and I were going off to college.

"I still can't believe you three are going to three different colleges!" Caiden said.

"Yeah," Raymond chimed in, "you girls are like The Three Musketeers."

Honestly, I was a little sad that we weren't all going to the same college. When Larry and I started dating, we decided that we wanted to move to Atlanta and so that's where we applied: Seaver College. It's a liberal arts school because I want to major in Psychology (specifically, expressive arts therapy) and Larry wanted to major in music. We found out that we both got accepted before we broke up, and it's the only college I applied to.

Vie applied to a college in her hometown, Manhattan College of Design, to study graphic design. Morrissa applied and got accepted into a few colleges, settling on the University of Indiana to major in logistics. We were all going to college out-of-state on full scholarships, but I wasn't as excited as I was a few months ago. Back then, I was happy that Larry and I were going to the same school, but now that we've broken up— and now that I've met Jason...





***5:16 P.M. | Jason***

We were enjoying this cool summer afternoon at Tamia's house for her 18th birthday. It was a party for me too since my birthday was last week. We were having a good time, but I noticed Tamia looked a little sad.

"What's up?" I asked her when we had a moment alone. We were sitting by the edge of her pool, with our feet in the water. Her brothers and sister were at the other end of the pool, and my brothers were sitting at the table with Vie and Morrissa.

"Nothing," she replied.

I nudged her playfully. "I've known you long enough to know when something's on your mind."

She laughed and nudged me back. "Yeah, you're right," she said and took a deep breath. "I guess I'm just anxious about these next few months."

"Yeah," I said, "I guess going off to college can be scary."

"It's not just that," she continued. "You guys are going on tour next month, and then the month after that, Morrissa, Vie, and I will be going our separate ways— across the country! I guess I'm just not ready for that."

"I get that," I said. "But like I said, I'm gonna come visit you whenever I can."

"I know you will," she said.

I thought back to our talk on prom night. Even though we'd only known each other for less than a year, she knew how busy the life of a superstar could get. I knew my schedule was going to be busy, but I really was going to make an effort to see her.





***Move-In Day. 12:52 P.M. | Tamia***

Today was the day! My family and I had traveled all the way to the east coast to Atlanta to help move me into my dorm. It was an apartment-style dorm, so I had my own room. I was also the first to arrive of my two roommates.

"I think that should do it," my dad said. He'd put together a small bookshelf since my room only came with a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk.

My mom and sister were helping me with my room decor, and my brothers were sitting on the floor watching the TV that was on my dresser.

"Cool," I said, "and we're done with the decor too." Suddenly, I got sad. My family was about to leave me. Well, not really because they were staying in a hotel tonight and were taking me to breakfast before they left in the morning.

"You excited, sis?" Tiera asked me.

"Yeah," I replied, "and nervous."

"Why? We've lived in different cities before," she replied, referring to the fact that we were army brats.

"It's not that, it's..." I said, lowering my voice. It's true that I was used to moving to different cities and having to make new friends— even though the last four years of my life were lived in Los Angeles and I had made some great friends... some *really* great friends.

"Jason," my sister said, finishing my sentence.

She was right.

"Didn't he say that he was gonna try and do more shows out here?" Tiera asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "but it's not the same as when we were in school."

"You really like him, don't you?" she asked, but I didn't answer because I already knew that she knew the answer. *I* already knew the answer.

These past few months, I started thinking that maybe I'd made a mistake in telling Jason that we could only be friends. I mean, we both wanted to be more, but I was too afraid that we'd drift apart. I could have also chosen to delay college for a year and tour with him, but I knew Jason didn't want me to put my education on hold— especially since I'd already gotten accepted into a school. *Ugh*. And then there was the fact that Larry and I were attending the same school. Since it was a smaller college, it was very likely that I was going to see him around campus. Luckily, I don't think that Starr or Lanna were going to college here...