Chapter 31

Ryan was waiting when I reached the coast.He leaned against the railing with an untouched coffee at his feet. The wind had blown his hair out of place. He straightened when he saw me.“You came.”“I said I would. Let’s talk.”He picked up the coffee and held it toward me.“I got the one you used to order. I wasn’t sure if you still drink it.”The label on the lid showed my favorite order from high school. I glanced at it.“You can keep it.”His hand hovered before he set the cup beside the railing.The wind was strong, and I zipped my jacket higher. Ryan took half a step toward me, then stopped.“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “Do you feel that whatever I do now comes too late?”“Some things happened a long time ago. Other things are happening now.”“Such as?”“I asked you to stop sending flowers and waiting outside my dorm. You came anyway.”“I thought you needed more time.”“I asked you to stop coming.”He looked at me and let the words settle.A dog ran past our feet with a ball in

Chapter 32

I remembered the first morning of classes, when I circled between buildings until I asked an older student for help. I had felt lost that day. Since then, I had learned the campus, made friends I could ask for help, and begun checking maps before I set out.Ryan remembered the girl who forgot her gloves in high school. These days, I checked the weather before class. I still forgot things sometimes and dealt with the cold on the way.Wind swept my hair across my face. I pushed it aside.“You’ve brought flowers and books. You’ve come to my dorm and my school. I’ve told you what I want, and I’m saying it again in person. Ryan, I don’t want to start over with you.”His fingers tightened around the railing.“Could you give me a chance?”“I loved you before. That was a part of my life. I’m making a different choice now.”Ryan watched me for a long time.“What I said in the activity room was wrong,” he said at last.I waited.“My friends asked about you, and I made them laugh at your expense.

Chapter 33

The wind grew stronger along the water.Ryan picked up the coffee, now cold, and set it back on the railing.“We planned to go to college together,” he said. “We talked about traveling afterward.”“I remember.”When we were fifteen, we spread an old map across my living-room floor and circled places we wanted to visit. We misplaced a few of the cities and talked through the trip anyway. Ryan said he would book the tickets, and I would find places for us to eat. I wrote down restaurant names in a notebook.The notebook might still be in a drawer at home. I could remember that afternoon fondly and make new travel plans.“You still want any of it?” Ryan asked.“I want to go to college, and I want to travel.” I looked out at the water. “I’m finding my own way to do both.”Ryan’s eyes reddened.“At the hotel, I said we were done being friends. I thought you’d call me back.”“I would have, once.”“And now you let me go.”“Yes.”A child ran through a puddle on the path while his mother called

Chapter 34

I took a moment to answer. Six months ago, I might have agreed to spare his feelings and worried whenever my phone lit up afterward. I could be clearer now.“I need some time without messages,” I said. “I want to focus on my life here.”Ryan looked down and managed a small smile.“I hear you.”“Thank you.”He walked a few steps toward the parking lot, then stopped with his back to me.“Your mom mentioned the album your grandma gave you,” he said. “She said it has a lot of pictures of you as a kid.”“It does. I’d forgotten some of those days.”“I’m glad you have it.”I let his words stand. Ryan continued toward the parking lot, and I walked the other way along the path.Mia had messaged that morning to ask whether I wanted to go to the supermarket with her that evening.I’ll go. Send me the shopping list.She replied with several things we needed, then added:How did it go at the beach?We said what we needed to. See you tonight.The wind made my eyes water. I put my phone away and head

Chapter 35

By the time Ethan walked me back, the sky had begun to darken. He stopped outside the dorm and asked if I wanted him to come in.“I’m going to the supermarket with Mia,” I said. “You’ve already rescued me from missing lunch.”“I only found the restaurant.”“That counts. You checked the directions.”He smiled. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow?”“We can decide tomorrow.”“Works for me.”Inside, Mia had spread our shopping list across her desk. She had added three kinds of snacks beneath the things we actually needed.“Did you eat?” she asked.“I did.”“Good. Are you ready to go, or do you want a minute?”I put down my bag and sat beside the window. I told her Ryan had apologized for what he said in the activity room. I told her I had asked him to return to Boston and to give me time without messages. Mia listened, then asked how I felt.“Sad,” I said. “And relieved.”She nodded. She did not tell me which feeling I ought to keep.At the supermarket, we bought milk, bread, and everything on Mia

All Chapters of The Morning After, I Heard Him Call Me Practice: Chapter 31 - Chapter 35

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35