Bleed Until You Heal

2- Breaking The News

Eleven Years Later

"I got accepted to the Art Institute," This was the easy part.

"That's amazing!" My mom grins at me from where she's sitting across from me at the dining room table. "Joey, I'm so happy for you. I knew that they couldn't resist you. Los Angeles will be so lucky to have you."

"No, it's not the one in LA," And this was the hard part.

"Oh. Please tell me that you didn't apply to San Francisco, that is just too far away," She tells me with a worried frown on her face and that makes this so much more difficult. Of course I chose the school with campuses all across the country just to make this so much more complicated and drawn out-note the sarcasm.

"It's not San Francisco either," I sigh, holding my hands in each other on my lap. I know that she's going to be so upset when I tell her what I'm about to say because she wants me to stay near our home right outside of Los Angeles, California but that's just not going to happen. "I actually applied to the Art Institute of Atlanta."

"Atlanta?" My mother echoes me as if repeating it would make it false. "Sweetie, don't joke around like that. You really had me worried for a minute there. Why would you want to go back to Georgia when you have a beautiful home here?"

"I'm not joking, Mom," I assure her. "I'm really going back to Atlanta."

"You know that there's no way that I'll allow that, Josephine," She hisses as she realizes the reality of the situation. I didn't want to upset my mother but I can't just not tell her until I move out and then just leave a note on the counter of the kitchen that I've flown across the country for college. It's the end of July now, so this is already a pretty late notice since I'm moving in with Jasper in just a week and a half.

"You don't have to 'allow' it, Mom," I say. "I mean, I'm sorry that you don't approve of my decision but I don't expect you to. That's fine. I'm eighteen though, so I don't need your permission."

"Well, I won't pay for it," She snaps at me. "I can't believe that you'd want to go back there after everything that's happened. What about going to UCLA like your sister? We talked about that before, why can't you just go there? Georgia is in the past, it's forgotten and behind us now, sweetie."

"You don't have to pay for it either, Mom," I continue to explain softly. "After I sent in my portfolio, I got a full ride scholarship. And I never wanted to go to UCLA, that was your idea and I turned it down months ago. This is my final decision, I've already enrolled and everything."

"And where are you going to live? They don't have scholarships for that," She reminds me.

"I've already got a lease ready at this great apartment building around the block from the campus. With the money I've saved from working at the coffee house, I can afford to pay for it myself. Well, I'm only paying for half of it considering Jasper is going with me. We're going to be roommates."

"Jasper is going to Atlanta too?" She wonders incredulously. "Do his parents know about this?"

"Yeah, they've known for a while now. They're very supportive of his decision," I tell her. Although I know that Jasper is sitting down with his family right now too, giving them some important news as well, it just isn't the same as mine.

"Well, I want to be supportive too, Jo, but it's just too far away and it makes me sick that you'd want to go back to that place that did nothing but hurt us."

"I don't think that," I shake my head at her. "It did nothing but hurt you, and that sucks, but it's where I was born. It's where I made some of my first memories and I know that it was hell for you but I remember a lot of great stuff from Atlanta. I want to go back."