The College Dream

Chapter 1

Pine trees, large fields of corn and beans, flatlands as far as the eye can see, and people of which have known each other their entire lives. This is what you'll find in the town of Pinewood. It's a small poor little town. The tiny town is the last town on ur way to the beach making it full of tourist traffic. The tourist usually find the single McDonald's for their bathroom break and head back on their way not wanting to stick around the gloomy Pinewood life.
Teens in Pinewood can be found gathered together in their pickup trucks lounging about in the cheap Daisys department store parking lot.
Life for the average Pinewood resident consists of going to school until one of two things happen, one, you go to school until you graduate and go to the nearest community college, get ur degree, and waste it on being a stay at home mother. Or, you drop out and work as a cashier at the nearest Food Lion. It's a terrible cycle. Every teenager says the same thing "I'm going to get out of this town one day" but, as far as Ditty could tell, there was no escaping Pinewood.
Ditty had just graduated her local high school and had chosen the college furthest away from home as she could get without leaving the state. 500 miles from home. Ditty spent the last bits of summer waiting for the other foot to drop. For some reason as to why she won't be able to go to college. Everyday she waited for her mom to give her some news as to why she has to stay home.
"Me and ur dad are going to go pick up the rental car." Ditty's mother spoke to her from the kitchen. Their house was old and run down. Ditty's father had been out of work due to a liver disease. The family was indeed struggling but managed to pull all they had to get Ditty to college.
"What time are we leaving?" Ditty had asked as she lounged on the couch not realizing the reality of the situation.
"As soon as we load up the car when we get back so have ur stuff ready." Her mother said as she walked out of the door. Ditty put her phone down and took a deep breath. Now she truly was waiting, waiting to hear the words. The words that told her she wasn't going to be able to go to college. In her eyes, it was inevitable, something would happen. She received a phone call about an hour later.
"Ditty, we're having problems with the rental place they say they don't have a car even though we reserved one." Her mother spoke through the speaker.
"We'll what are we supposed to do?" Ditty asked hastily.
"I'm not sure yet the guys on the phone but just understand that if we can't get the rental car we can't go anywhere. Neither of our vehicles will make it." Her mother said in a low tone. This was it this was the foot and it was about to drop
"I know just try to figure it out." She said annoyed. About two hours after they had gotten off the phone Ditty didn't do a single thing she was supposed to. Her things weren't under the garage, she hadn't packed her overnight bag for the hotel, and she hadn't fed the dogs. Her parents pulled into the long driveway that was just near half a mile long. The shine of the rental car flowing from the afternoon air.
"Uh oh." Ditty gulped. She ran frantically as she seen them driving up trying to finish what she could before they reached the house and realize she wasn't ready. Grabbing random clothes to throw in her overnight bag and a random hairbrush she wasn't quite if it was her or her mother's but she didn't care at this point. She basically threw the four large grey totes down the porch steps and into the garage. Her parents walked in the house rushed.
"Why are you not ready yet we left over two hours ago?!" Her mother yelled.
"Uh Boo got out." She said quickly. Boo is her three year old beagle/walker hound. She had saved him from his mother who had killed all of his sibling in the litter. She was sixteen and waking up every couple of hours to feed the tiny puppy that wasn't much bigger than the palm of her hand. He was a beautiful red brown tan. Full of energy, now fully grown, standing at a whopping foot tall from the ground and about three foot long. Ditty was devastated about leaving him for college. She knew there was no way she could keep up with him in that environment. Therefore, home, he must stay.
Her parents didn't quite believe her but were quiet about it for the time being. They loaded up the car and headed off. In the backseat of the car Ditty put her headphones in and tuned the world out. It was slowly creeping in that she was leaving. Leaving the small house in the middle of miles of fields, leaving her beautiful dogs, of which there were 26, leaving her friends, and most importantly, the one hitting the hardest, leaving her family for the first time. She knew if she was going to make it to the college for opening day, it was going to be an amazing journey. Ditty most certainly wasn't prepared for the next year of her life.