Letters by Her [Book 2]

Chapter 13

Sophomore Year

Dusty helped Ashley's father unload the last of their suitcases from the trunk of his Mercedes. As she stood beside the mountain of luggage, she looked up admiringly at the sorority house of Kappa Pi, which would be her new home for the next three years. The house was just as beautiful as she remembered it before leaving for the summer.

The cell phone in her jeans pocket began vibrating. Rummaging to retrieve it, Dusty saw that she had an incoming call from her mother. "Hey, Mom."

"Dusty, honey, I'm so glad I caught you. Are you back at college now?"

"Yeah, I just got back."

"Already? The summer goes by so fast," her mom noted. Dusty hadn't made it home to West at all over the holidays, which filled her with guilt. She'd been so caught up with partying in L.A. with Ashley that she'd forgotten all about heading back to her hometown. Or maybe she hadn't completely forgotten.

A part of her just didn't want to return to the trailer, not yet. Dusty enjoyed living in the dorms and was excited to now be living in a grand sorority house. It felt like she was living the life she was meant to lead, as if the past four years since her father's death had been erased and she'd never known poverty or the shame of living in a trailer.

Dusty felt that if she returned to her hometown, she'd burst the bubble of her college life and be reminded of what awaited her if she failed to succeed. The burden to succeed already weighed so heavily on her slender shoulders. So many people had done so much to haul her out of the pit she'd pushed herself into following the tragic shooting when she'd seen her father die.

Valentine had helped more than anyone. She'd seen past Dusty's façade down to the real her, and she'd fallen in love with her. But now she was pushing her away because Valentine was yet another connection to a past she'd rather forget. She'd been calling her all summer, but Dusty had ignored her calls, feeling wretched each time she did so.

"She's not worth it," Ashley had said knowingly back in Los Angeles as they sat lounging by her pool, the California sun bronzing their skin and warming their exposed skin. She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her friend, recognizing all too well the shame face of a broken relationship.

"Whoever she is, wherever she is, trust me, forget about her. You are in L.A., little grasshopper, it's time for you to spread your wings and fly solo! No one is ever worth it," Ashley concluded wisely before turning to take a sip of her iced tea.

"That's just the problem." Dusty had sighed. "She totally is worth it." But worth it or not, Dusty was back at Princeton, outside her new sorority house, and Valentine, her mother and the trailer were nothing but a distant memory.

"I am so excited to see our room," Ashley buzzed ecstatically beside her best friend.

"Me too." Dusty smiled.

"Just you girls take care now," Ashley's dad said, embracing first Dusty and then his daughter.

"Thank you so much for having me this summer," Dusty told him.

"It was our pleasure." Ashley's dad beamed. It was easy to see where Ashley got her friendly and open nature. Dusty had never known such kind, giving people. Ashley's family had welcomed her into their home with open arms.