2020 WATTYS WINNER in NEW ADULT!
Oliver Ausman has been given a second chance at life, but it's hard to feel grateful when he was the one trying to end it in the first place.
Returning to his normal life after being released from the hospital is har...
this chapter is dedicated to camomile_addison , who gave me such a wonderfully written, helpful, and nice review in her book "Reviews: On the Hunt For the Hidden Gems"! I appreciate it so so much, and I wish I had a better way to show my thanks!!❤
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There's something less exciting than I expected about entering New York City. I guess I've always had a picture of the city in my head, filled with every cliche in the book-- towering skyscrapers and bright marquees advertising Broadway shows, busy streets filled with even busier people. But at seven in the morning, with a hazy sky and the sun gently lighting the dull buildings that line the streets on the edge of the city, it doesn't seem that special at all. Just another place with more people.
Despite the lack of awe, my insides are swirling with a distracting amount of other emotions. I'm nervous to meet Isaac, anxiously wondering if he'll even be there, scared that either Mom or Peter will find the note soon and call me, and wishing that Brooklyn was a lot farther away so I could have more time with Kat.
The last hour of the drive was filled with small talk, which I'd started in an attempt to make both of us forget about the scars I hadn't meant to show. But it was good small talk, about things we like, interests we share and hobbies we have. Not the usual, "how's school?" or, "what are your plans for college?" that I always get from everyone else.
The more I've learned about her, like how she likes the same music as me, or how she has nearly ten dream jobs (a stark contrast to my zero), and is only slightly embarrassed that all her favorite movies are "chick flicks"-- her words, not mine-- the less I want her to go.
Usually, I think people are more exciting before you get to know them. You can project anything you want onto someone you don't know, idealize them and make them into whoever you hope they are. But meeting someone who's better than anything I could create in my head has been more exciting than I can fathom. Kat is real and human just like me, and I feel like I could spend forever learning about all the intricacies of who she is without getting bored.
One thing about the city that is just as I expected is the traffic-- we're already in stop and go, to the point that I have a minute to turn and face Kat. She's looking out her window with almost as wonderstruck of an expression as Charlie has in the backseat. It's like they both see something that I don't, totally entranced by the brick apartment buildings, shoddy corner stores, and comfortable looking locals walking past with their morning coffees.
"I guess, uh... I guess I'll drop you off at your brother's before we head to the Hilton," I say, drawing her attention to me. In the simplest and most truthful way of putting it, this sucks. She's beautiful and fun to talk to, and we're about to say goodbye. I feel sick from the mixture of butterflies and disappointment.
She quirks an eyebrow, looking at me like I'm crazy. "Are you kidding? I have to see how this plays out."
"You mean--" My eyebrows raise, causing her to shrug a shoulder. "Really?"
