Page 295 of The Havenport Collection

Sam

I was positively vibrating with excitement. I still couldn’t believe it. I wanted to pinch myself. My entire life was about to change. The dreams I’d been working so hard for were finally coming true.

Not only was I getting far away from my hometown, but I was getting to pursue my passion. All these years of getting good grades, busting my ass at terrible part-time jobs, and doing every activity and resume booster I could find, were finally paying off.

Although it was May, the night air was cool, and I hopped back and forth on my Chucks, waiting for Gio.

I finally saw him, heading up the ladder with his black backpack, and my heart clenched. It was the one downside of my plan, not getting to see him every day.

I had finally been able to extract myself from the festivities. My grandparents and mom were so proud of me graduating early, with honors, that they threw me a surprise graduation party. Half the town showed up, and my grandmother made me greet and thank every single person.

It was surreal. I was happy—but not nearly as happy as my mother.

She was positively bursting. It made me feel so good to make her proud, especially with all that she had sacrificed for me.

She had spent the last twenty years as the disgraced teen mom.

The statistic, the failure. And although she had made a wonderful life for herself, I could tell she still carried that shame with her.

Seeing me graduate from a top university and having the entire town come out to celebrate was a small step toward healing those wounds, and I was so happy that I could give this small thing to her. And as much as I would miss her, I knew I had to go and not look back.

But I was exhausted. Peopling all day was tiring, and I wanted nothing more than to mindlessly flip channels and go to bed. But there was something I had to do. Something important.

He looked cute, wearing shorts and a button-down shirt.

Over the course of the day, the collar had been unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up, but I appreciated how he made an effort.

Because my family is so small, I had an extra ticket to the ceremony and he was there, sitting next to my grandmother, cheering so loud when they called my name, snapping endless photos of my family, and being the most supportive best friend in the universe.

I knew he would be happy for me. But I also knew how hard it would be.

We had been together for everything since grade school.

He hadn’t been the same since Matteo left for California two years ago.

I bit my lip, wishing he could come with me.

I wished adulthood wasn’t going to send us in different directions.

He pulled himself up and unzipped his backpack. “I brought you something.”

He held out a tiny bottle of champagne topped with a pink bow.

“Congrats, Sam. Graduating with honors in three years. I’m so proud of you.”

I blushed. “Thanks.”

“And”—he gestured to the house—“I’m not the only one. The entire town came out to celebrate your success. That’s pretty awesome.”

He popped the small cork and handed it to me.

“To a great summer,” he said, smiling. Gio would be working at his family’s restaurant for the summer and shuttling his younger siblings around.

Normally, I would work as a counselor at the day camp and then waitress at Schmitt’s on the weekends, and Gio, Rose, and I would spend our nights off on the beach or eating pizza and watching movies.

But I wouldn’t be doing any of that this year.

I needed to tell him. I had been sitting on this news for too long. I opened my mouth and no words came out.

Instead, he put his arm around me as we looked out at the crescent moon.

“I’ll miss you so much next year.” He squeezed me close before releasing his grip. I always enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me.

I nudged him gently. “Oh please. You are Mr. Popular. And you’ll have Mia.

” Her name tasted bad in my mouth. I didn’t like Mia.

Or actually, Mia hated me. She and Gio had dated on and off for a few months, and she shot daggers in my direction every time she saw me.

Like many of the girls Gio dated, she was not even close to good enough for him, but he seemed happy, and that’s what mattered.

“I broke up with Mia.”

“For now.” I rolled my eyes. This was their pattern and had happened several times already.

“No, for good. She’s going to do an internship in New York for the summer, and I’m just not into her. She’s kind of mean and judgy, and I want to enjoy my summer.”

I got a weird feeling. Not bad weird, but tingly weird. This happened occasionally when Gio and I were alone, especially in the tree house.

My stomach fluttered, and it felt like I couldn’t take a deep, full breath.

“I just want to spend the summer with you. I…” He looked down at his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Gio, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Sorry, I’m messing this all up.”

I paused. He was clearly trying to get something out. But I was bursting to share my news. Things were happening for me. After twenty-one years in this town, I was breaking out, starting over. And ready to take on the world.

Gio continued to stare at his feet, avoiding my gaze.

“Ugh. Hold on. Didn’t you say you had news?”

“Yes. But what were you saying?” I prompted.

“Oh nothing. Just you know, the summer. We’ll have so much fun, especially because you’re twenty-one now.”

He took another step toward me, our chests almost flush. Our faces were so close, and his breathing was ragged.

I wasn’t sure what was happening. The air had shifted, and my body was on high alert. I stared at his lips, shifting subtly toward him just as he began to lower his head.

Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed with panic. “I’m joining the Peace Corps!” I blurted out.

Gio took a step back, looking confused.

I plastered on a fake smile, trying to overpower the awkwardness hanging in the air. Did we almost just kiss? What the hell was happening? “That’s what my news is about, actually.”

“Oh.” He took a step back and pushed his hands through his hair. I instantly felt guilty. I was so excited when I got the news, I hadn’t stopped to think about what I was leaving behind. My mom, my grandparents, and Gio.

I wanted to get out of this town; hell, I needed to get out of this town. But I knew I’d be leaving part of my heart here.

“I’m not going to be here this summer.” I forced myself to smile.

“I don’t understand.”

“I got my letter this week. From the Peace Corps. I was accepted, and I leave Monday for training.”

Gio looked stricken. “You heard back already? That’s so great.”

“Your face says otherwise,” I replied. He looked so sad. I wanted to reach out and hug him and tell him everything would be fine and he would still be my best friend forever.

He shook his head. “Sorry. I’m psyched. I know this was your dream.”

“It is.” Or at least I thought it was. Looking at him now, I’m having second thoughts.

“I’ve worked so hard, Gio. And this is my chance to do something really special.”

“You will be amazing. I’m really proud of you.” He pulled me into a hug, and I clung to him, feeling the beat of his heart and breathing in his familiar scent.

I didn’t want to get stuck in Havenport like my mom did. When she was young, she had great plans and dreams, but they all took a backseat once she got pregnant with me.

Instead, she lived with her parents, raised me, worked, and went to school at night. Over time, she built a career and a life for herself, but I knew there must be a part of her with regrets.

And I hate that I caused that. That I kept her from getting out into the big bad world.

So I needed to go. I needed to experience the world outside of Havenport.

To a place where I wasn’t the product of a teen mom.

To where I hadn’t scraped enough credits together to graduate early and save tuition money.

To where I hadn’t done every underappreciated, menial job to get myself to where I am now.

This was always the plan. And I was sticking to it.

Gio sat down, gesturing for me to join him. I took a sip of the champagne and handed him the bottle. We sat, passing it back and forth for a few minutes before he spoke.

“You are the best person I know, Sam. I know you will do amazing things. The Peace Corps is lucky to have you. Hell, the world is lucky to have you.”

I leaned my head onto his shoulder, the earlier awkwardness already forgotten. “I’m the lucky one.”