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Chapter 8
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A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 10
Three years later, early summer settled over Meridian, the breeze soft and easy.I stood in a tailored blazer and slacks in front of the city's tallest landmark building — the first project I'd ever seen through from design to completion.As the youngest lead designer at one of the top architecture firms in the industry, I'd just won a major industry award for emerging talent.Next month, I would be heading overseas for advanced study.Before I left, I made one trip back to my old hometown to file the paperwork transferring my legal residence.The streets there were still as run-down as ever.I walked out of the county records office with a brand-new set of residency papers in hand.The line for head of household listed only one name: mine.At the corner, I stopped walking.Not far off, outside the entrance to the market, stood three people — familiar, and yet strangers now.Mom and Dad's hair had both gone gray, their backs stooped, haggling with a vendor over a few cents' d
A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 9
The Radley family had come apart at the seams.The instructor hadn't dropped the charges, and Amber was staring down a massive settlement. To cover the shortfall, Mom and Dad were forced to sell their old family home for far less than it was worth.Derek, unable to stomach the grim mood at home, blew up at our parents and dropped out of school to go work some job in another city.As for Grayson, he'd fallen apart completely. He'd gone back to Bedford, only to find he could no longer focus on anything at all.He made a trip back to his old hometown, trying to find some trace of the past in what used to be my old bedroom. He found it stripped completely bare. Nothing left but a bed frame and a desk.A few days later, a massive package arrived at his door.The sender was listed as Claire Radley, Meridian campus.His hands shook as he tore it open.Inside was everything he'd ever given me over the years — cheap hair clips, plush toys he'd bought without thinking, and that old crack
A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 8
Word of Grayson's failed trip to Meridian made its way back home fast.But it didn't seem to prompt much soul-searching. Because back in Bedford, something far bigger had just blown up.Amber had been caught in a serious cheating scandal during her end-of-term evaluation in the Foundation Program.Not only had she copied a classmate's design work, she'd paid someone to build her physical model for her. When it came out, instead of owning up to it, she threw a screaming fit in the department office and shoved her pregnant instructor to the ground.Bedford University expelled her on the spot and issued a public notice condemning her conduct. On top of that, she was facing a criminal assault charge from the instructor she'd shoved.The family's pride and joy, the golden child they'd built their whole world around, had turned into the whole family's disgrace overnight.Mom, Dad, and Derek all fell apart. They called in every favor they had, tried every connection, and got nowhere.O
A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 7
Winter in Meridian still carried a trace of warmth.I had no classes that afternoon, so I walked out of the studio building with a stack of drawings in my arms.Bobby Sandler, a senior in my design group, walked beside me, carrying the heavy paint case for me."Claire, your take on that facade design is brilliant. Dinner tonight, to celebrate? My treat."Bobby grinned, easy and sunny.I nodded. "Sounds good. But next time, I'm buying."We walked side by side toward the campus gate, talking through the modeling details for our next project.The moment we stepped outside, the smile froze on my face.Grayson was standing under a massive oak tree.He had on a thin black coat, his face sickly pale. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and stubble shadowed his jaw. He looked nothing like the polished, arrogant Whitfield heir I used to know.He spotted me, and his eyes lit up. He strode toward me in a few quick steps.His gaze locked onto the less-than-a-foot gap between me and Bobby, and
A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 6
Three months slipped by in Meridian's warm sunshine.Without the endless put-downs and comparisons, my life felt lighter than it ever had.I joined the design studio in my department and landed the top spot in my freshman class. My advisor thought highly of me and put me in charge of an important corporate partnership project.Every day was spent buried in the studio and the library, busy and full.On weekends, my roommates and I would go get shaved ice on the old streets of Meridian, or head to the beach to watch the sunset.In my world, there was no more Grayson Whitfield. No more Amber Radley.Two thousand miles away, in Bedford, life apparently wasn't going nearly as smoothly.I pieced this much together from scraps of gossip in my old high school group chat.Amber's time in the Foundation Program was a mess.She'd never learned to do anything for herself, and she couldn't handle real independence. She was constantly at odds with her roommates. Her coursework was falling a
A New Skyline, A New Me Chapter 5
Meridian's wind carried the damp warmth of the south.I handed my signed form to the upperclassman and picked up my dorm key and campus card."Need help carrying your bags?" He nodded toward my small suitcase, eager to help."No, thanks, I've got it," I said, smiling as I turned him down.I pulled my suitcase along the tree-lined path, then turned my phone back on.The screen instantly flooded with missed calls and notifications.On the messaging app, Grayson had sent a dozen-plus voice messages.The first one still sounded calm. "Landed yet? I'm heading to the train station to pick you up."By the third, his patience was already thinning. "Claire, don't push it. Everyone's busy setting up Amber's dorm, and you decide now's the time to go dark on me?"The fifth one had real anger in it. "You want me to beg? Fine, I'm begging. Get your ass over here."The last one had come in ten minutes earlier. "Claire, if you don't pick up now, don't ever bother picking up again."I listen
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