CHANGES
Chapter Eighteen
One Month Later
"Ready for Harvard?" Jack teased as
he and Rose got ready for bed. They started school the next day, and Rose had
been a bit stressed about it.
Rose glared at him. "Ha ha. Shut
up."
Jack grinned and pulled her down onto the
bed. "Aw, come on. There's nothing to worry about. You were the smartest
person in high school. There's no reason you wouldn't be now."
Rose sighed as she snuggled down next to him.
"We went to school with a bunch of idiots. The people here were the
smartest at their schools, too."
Jack chuckled. "You'll be fine. Stop
worrying about it so much."
"I'll try not to. You think Mandy will
be okay at daycare?"
"She'll be fine. They're ranked the
second best daycare in the United States. She'll be in good hands. You know
that."
"I know. I'm just going to miss her
during the day. I've never been away from her for more than a couple
hours."
Jack hugged her. "I'll miss her, too.
We'll get used to it. Just give it time."
Rose nodded and leaned up to kiss him.
"We better get some sleep. I love you."
"Love you, too."
*****
Rose watched as Jack drove off towards his
first class and turned to face the building her own was in. It was large...much
too large, she decided. Suddenly, there was a familiar voice behind her.
"Hey, Rose!"
Rose turned around and smiled when she saw
Helga. The two had become good friends in the past month and she was relieved
to see someone she knew. "Hey, Helga. Where you headed?"
Helga indicated the building in front of
them. "Right there. You?"
"Same, actually."
"Great! Come on!" Helga exclaimed,
climbing the stairs. Rose reluctantly followed.
*****
Luckily, Rose and Helga had the same class.
Helga introduced her to a few people she knew and everyone was incredibly nice.
The class went by quickly and before Rose knew it, the day was over. She had
made it through her first day at Harvard!
*****
Once classes were over, she walked with Tommy
Ryan, Helga's half brother, to a nearby coffee shop where she and Jack agreed
to meet.
"So how was your first day? No big
disruptions, hmm?" Tommy asked, opening the door for her.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Jack told you
about my anxiety, huh?"
Tommy grinned good-naturedly. "Ah, well,
don't hold it against him. I was nervous my first day, too. It's normal."
"I suppose it is. Have you talked to
Fabri lately? I haven't seen him around," Rose said, eager to change the
subject.
Tommy nodded after they had ordered.
"Aye. Yesterday, in fact. He's seeing some chick in Arlington. So he's uh...been
busy, so to speak."
Rose burst out laughing. "Fabrizio di
Rossi, the womanizer! Who would've known?"
Tommy chuckled. "Right. He better watch
it, or Sylvia's going to catch on and whoop him good."
Rose shook her head. Fabrizio, another one of
their neighbors, had become a good friend, along with his girlfriend, Sylvia.
"Serves him right. Nobody deserves to be cheated on."
"I agree."
Just as Tommy got up to leave, Jack came in.
"Hey, Tommy. Hey, Rose," he greeted, kissing Rose.
Tommy looked crestfallen. "What, no kiss
for me?" he joked.
Jack laughed and sat down next to Rose.
"Sorry bud, my boat don't float down your river."
Tommy grinned. "Eh, you're not my type
anyway. I gotta get to work, so I'll see you two later."
"Bye!" they both called in unison.
After he left, Jack turned to Rose.
"You ready to hit the road? We have to
pick Mandy up by four."
Rose nodded. "Yep. We should stop
somewhere and pick up dinner, though. We're running on empty at home."
Jack nodded. "All right. Come on."