Rachel Larson stared out her dorm room window, at the dark sky above her prestigious college. She wondered how she'd even gotten excepted, because of the grades that she had so carelessly made, during high school... to her, it was a miracle... and it really was. But there she was, on the other side of the country as her boyfriend, completely grateful that she had the opportunity that she did... and completely lonely.
~ * ~
Nick Carter sat with his back to the company's front door. He had a wonderful job... high paying, professional, important... but he was only 19, and he had chosen not to go to college. The thoughts of 'What if I were to ever lose my job?' came to him often lately. He had gotten accepted into the same college as Rachel, his girlfriend, and had turned the opportunity down... insisting to Rae, his family, his friends, and even to himself, that keeping the job that he had was the best choice. But as he sat, wondering what Rachel was doing, wondering what the future would hold for the two of them, if they'd even have anything at all, or where he'd be, he began to doubt if it really had been the best choice.
~ * ~
Brittany Thompson walked along the beach, wondering why she hadn't been good enough for him. It had been two weeks since she'd last spoken with him. He'd gone back to hanging out with the wrong people, the wrong crowd, and doing God only knew what. Shannon Lambart had been in just as much shock as Brittany over the whole thing. It wasn't even the same Zack anymore. He was so different. Brittany sighed as she sat down at the edge of the water, praying something good would happen for once.
~ * ~
Zack Larson watched as the party went on around him. He shook his head 'no' as a needle was passed to him. Pot? Yes. Needles? No way. He watched a girl, who'd practically drank herself to death, being led by her sober friend towards their car, so she could be taken to the hospital. He wondered, suddenly, the reason this was so attractive to him. He wondered if it even was anymore... he'd lost so much... and for this? He hadn't spoken to his girlfriend in two weeks; his sister had gone off to college and hardly returned his phone calls anymore; Nick, his best friend, rarely stopped by anymore. He had given up all the late night movies, all the laughing, the jokes, the hugs, and the kisses from his girlfriend, and he had given all of that up for... this.
