I love all your comments simcharley! It's always nice to hear from you.

Another update is on its way later today.

My senior year of high school was great so far. I was finally taking some classes I had waited 3 years to get into, and was picking up college credits in AP classes. Kelli and I had grown a lot closer this year. She had broken up with Damion before school started, so I didn’t see him much anymore. And things with Sean were wonderful.

One lazy morning in October, I was eating breakfast with Momma when I was faced with the inevitable question: college.



“Have you narrowed down your list of schools?” she asked.



“Well, I already have scholarship offers from Sim State, Académie Le Tour, and Danview University. It might be nice to go to school with Sophia at Sim State, but you know I’ve wanted to go to Le Tour for… well, as long as I can remember!” I replied thoughtfully.



“Académie Le Tour is pretty far away Kat, are you sure you want to be that far from home?” Momma said. “You could always start at Sim State and transfer after your first year to help you adjust to living on your own.”



“Yeah, but Le Tour is only an hour and a half away from Nonna’s house, so you wouldn’t have to worry about me too much,” I said, hoping Momma wouldn’t object to me living out of state. I had done my research and Académie Le Tour was definitely the school of my dreams.

“Okay, Kat. I will set up tours of those three schools for next month and I’ll go with you. You still have time to decide,” she said.

So in November we toured my top three colleges and met with the Dean of the Nursing School at each one. Le Tour was still my top pick, and I could tell that Momma was starting to like it too. It was prestigious, had the best nursing program, and the campus was beautiful. It was also more expensive, but with scholarships we wouldn’t have to worry about that.

I spent December filling out applications, writing essays, getting references, and researching scholarships online. I wasn’t too worried about being rejected from Le Tour, but just to be on the safe side, I sent in applications to Sim State and Danview University as well. Both of them were in state, so it wouldn’t be too hard to fall back on them if necessary.



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One night Kelli was at my house for a sleepover. It was good to take my mind off of colleges for a couple of days. We camped out in my room watching an old Marilyn Monroe movie on TV. During my favorite scene of the movie, a news report flashed on screen.

“Good evening. We interrupt this program with breaking news,” blabbered the local anchorman. “A serial rapist is on the prowl in Danview Valley.” A fuzzy surveillance video was shown, followed by a black and white police sketch of the accused man. “If you have seen this man, or have any information on his whereabouts, we urge you to contact the authorities. He is a white male, in his 30s, and thought to be about 6 feet tall. Two local victims have…”

Kelli switched off the TV before the report ended.



“What’s wrong?” I asked from my spot on the floor. When Kelli turned away and remained silent, I became a little worried. I sat up and rested my head on my hand, thinking.



I didn’t know what to do or say, so I just sat there waiting for her to talk first. After a little while I heard a soft sob. Aware that something was seriously wrong, I jumped onto the bed beside Kelli and hugged her tightly. Things were starting to make more sense. I’d had my suspicions that whatever had happened after Prom last year had been a serious tragedy for Kelli, but she never wanted to talk about it. It was easy enough for me to put two and two together after seeing her reaction to that news report. I hated to assume the worst, but my friend was hurting and needed help.

“I’m listening if you ever need to talk about it, Kelli,” I said quietly.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, but Kelli finally began to speak with tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I just needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts,” she explained. She paused before starting again. “It’s about Prom. You know how I told you I wanted to sleep with Damion that night?”

I nodded in reply.



“Well, I told him the day before – you know, to tease him a little. Needless to say, he was overexcited. He said he was really nervous because he’d never had sex before, so he swiped some Vodka from his dad the night of Prom and was spiking his own punch that night. That’s why he was always by the punch stand instead of dancing. By the time we got to the hotel, he was completely wasted.” She paused to wipe at her tears and take a deep breath.

“It was my first time so I wanted it to be magical, and drunk Damion was not exactly what I had imagined. We got into a huge fight and I told him I didn’t want to do it that night because he was too drunk. Well, then he got really mad and started screaming at me, calling me a tease and much worse. He said he had waited so long for me and he wasn’t going to let me say no. He ripped my dress, threw me onto the bed, and had his way with me.”

What can you say after your best friend tells you she was raped? Don’t ask me because I don’t know. All I could do was sit there in silence and squeeze her hand for support. We were both crying.

Kelli continued, “That was nine months ago, and in his rush to satisfy himself, Damion didn’t use the condoms we’d brought for the ‘special’ night. When I saw that news report, I was just thinking how I could have been pregnant and having his baby by this time. Luckily, that’s not the case.”

“But, if he did that horrible thing to you, why didn’t you break up with him right after Prom?” I finally asked, dumbfounded.



“I… don’t… know… Kat.” Her words were hard to make out between sobs now. “He was too drunk to remember much of what he did… but he knew it had happened. So I used that as an excuse for his behavior… Damion apologized – a lot… and I loved him so I wanted to get past it. We tried to have sex again when… I got back from California. Damion was very gentle this time, but I couldn’t forget that horrible night and couldn’t go through with it... I needed more time to move past it, so I… broke up with him.”

“Have you told your parents?” I asked, handing her new tissues and crumpling up her old ones.

“No way! In fact, the reason I went to my Aunt’s house in California this summer was to avoid them. I hoped I could deal with my feelings before I had to face them or Damion again. They wouldn’t understand. You’re the only person I’ve told.”

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After that night Kelli made up her mind to go to college and I helped her research schools. Kelli had never pictured herself as college material, and had planned to be done with school as soon as humanly possible. But at this point in her life she thought that it might be the second chance she needed. And at least school work would take her mind off of all things Damion related for the next four years. It was pretty easy to talk her into applying to Académie Le Tour with me. She thought it was a great idea and we’d be able to stay together.

Kelli is an incredible artist and writer, so she put together a portfolio of her work. With her amazing talent, and family’s low income status, she won enough scholarships to pay her tuition at Le Tour for the next four years and planned on picking up a part time job to cover the cost of living.

One day, about two months before graduation, I came home from school to find a large envelope from Académie Le Tour sitting on my bed. I was accepted!

After doing a happy dance around my room for several minutes, I logged onto my computer to chat with Kelli and Sophia to tell them my good news. After a few minutes of messaging back and forth, I heard a knock on my door.

“Kat, Sean is here to see you,” Momma called from the hallway.

“Uh, okay. He can come in,” I replied, as I logged off.



“Kat! Guess what? I got my acceptance letter from Sim State yesterday!” Sean said excitedly.



His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been so caught up in being accepted to my dream school that I had forgotten that it meant being separated from Sean.

“Oh, that’s great sweetie,” I said with mock enthusiasm. But I didn’t feel great about it. In fact, I felt terrible. I absentmindedly played with my hair as I shut my eyes and tried to force back the tears I felt coming on.



“Aww, Kat, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Sean said. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”



“Oh no, of course I am happy for you! I just… I just… realized how far away we’ll be from each other,” I frowned.



Sean sat down in front of me. “We’ve talked about this before. It’ll be okay. We’ll talk on the phone every day, and I’ll come visit you every month. Nothing will change.”



“My feelings for you will never change Katarina,” Sean continued. “We’ll make it work, you’ll see.” He smiled up at me.



“Really?” I asked, as he pulled me up into his arms.



“Yeah. We both got into our dream schools, what could be better than this?” Sean said, caressing my cheek.



All of my worries started to melt away as he took my hands in his and we sat in the floor making plans for a long distance relationship and dreaming about our futures.



Everything would work out, it had to. Right?

________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading! And for all the nice comments you guys leave. :D

Coming up next:
-Graduation
-The return of an old face
-Bittersweet goodbyes

Poor Kelli that's horrible!! at least she's going to the same college as Kat.. I can't even imagine what could I say to a friend who's been in that situation

as for Kat and Sean.. I have the feeling it won't work... it NEVER works when they are so far away lol.. too bad, maybe she'll find a nice italian guy at Le Tour LOL and her grand parents will be happy :p

nice chapter!!

Shhhhh! You'll have to wait and see...

edit: Yeah, Kelli's part is made up, not part of the true story. I like her sim alot, so I wanter to develop her character a little more. Poor girl, but Kat is a great friend.

aww thankyou :P
and another great update Treena. Poor Kelli and sean is so so sweet, i hope they last through collage, or maybe they spilt up, get married to other people then bump into each other again and fall in love with each other all over again :P, just my theory.
and btw call me charley:D

LoL yeah, maybe they'll see each other again when they are elders, and have grand kids and they will marry and finish their lives together in a nice little country house with some cats.....

:confused:

this is such a good story,i cant wait to see what happens next. sorry i havent commented in awhile i have just been busy with real life

yup, a nice little country house with a little white picket fence, a pond and nice open flowery and garden and 27 cats, who all have thier own scratching post.
-
haha but i meant when their adults just before they become elders so the can have babiesi mean come on, all sim stories have gotta have a baby.

haha! :P



EDIT: and maybe kelli can kick that nasty damion's butt :D

Haha! Charley and Lunatic, You guys are too funny!
Thanks for commenting again sweetbaby. I understand about real life, it's okay. I'm glad you're still reading.

Sorry for the delay! I know I'm usually quicker at updating, but I got a little busy. Plus I lost the whole cast when moving their lot to another neighborhood, and I got caught up in recreating them for a little while.
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Senior year had flown by so fast, and the next thing I knew, Kelli and I stood in my room getting ready for our graduation ceremony. Since I was the salutatorian of my class, I had to prepare a speech to give at the ceremony along with the valedictorian. I was going over my lines out loud one last time.



“Sounds great! You’re so smart. I can’t believe Amy Dillon got valedictorian over you, Kat.” Said Kelli.



I started to reply about how I had no hard feelings toward Amy when my bedroom door opened and a tall blonde woman walked in. Oh my goodness! … Sophia?



“Sofie!!!! What are you doing here?” I asked with my jaw hanging open in surprise.



“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss my little sister’s graduation,” she replied. “Especially after all that science homework you helped me with in high school.”



Sophia had rushed a sorority that year at Sim State and she and Pete were quite the item. I hadn’t seen my sister since Christmas, and she was planning to spend the summer in London taking a summer theater class, so I didn’t expect to see her for a long time.

Sophia told us all about college life. It all sounded so exciting! Kelli and I were going to be roommates next year at Le Tour and we couldn’t wait to start a new chapter in our lives.



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The graduation ceremony was held in our school gym. After we took our places, waving to our parents in the back of the gym, we had to sit through our principal’s long welcome speech. Then Amy and I said a few words, and the handing out of our diplomas finally began.



Damion had to walk behind me in order of last names. He had really distanced himself from Kelli after their breakup. He always seemed sad these days, but I couldn’t really feel sorry for him after what he had done to my best friend. Luckily, we didn’t have to speak to each other as we walked in line to the stage.



I walked on stage and shook hands with Principal Sullivan as she handed me my diploma.

“Good luck in your future Katarina,” she said.



I made it!

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The summer was especially hot that year. To escape the heat, Sean and I would take day trips to the beach that was an hour away as often as we could. The water was such a relief from the hot sun, and the waves were so relaxing that we almost forgot that in only a few weeks we’d be separated by several hundred miles.



One day in particular, we were sitting on the beach watching the tide come in after a day of shopping on the boardwalk. I knew Sean was thinking the same thing I was. We were silently clinging on to the last moments we might have together like this. The days of spending every moment with each other were coming to an end.



After spending most of the day at the beach we stood up to walk back to the car. Sean turned and hugged me instead.



We just stood there for a while staring into each other’s eyes.



“Seriously, Kat,” Sean said finally. “Stop worrying about this. This distance is only for a little while, and then you’ll come back and we can be together. I promise – and I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

He kissed my neck and I was content with his words.



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Before I knew it, fall had come. I was all packed and ready to leave for Le Tour in the morning. Sean couldn’t see me off in the morning because he had to leave for Sim State. At least the school schedules were similar and we’d have most breaks off together. That night, Sean came to my house to say goodbye. It was late and Momma was sleeping, so I met Sean outside.

“I got you something,” Sean said, holding up a beautiful necklace. It was a locket in the shape of a heart with a diamond in the center.



“Oh Sean! It’s gorgeous!” I gasped. “I’ll think of you every time I wear this.”



I hugged him, never wanting to let go.



“I will always love you, Katarina,” he whispered into my ear.

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The next morning I hugged Momma goodbye, thinking of how only a year ago I was standing there watching Sophia leave for college.



Kelli had come to pick me up and helped me pack my things into her car. We were moving into a campus apartment, which was furnished, so I didn’t have to pack much. I told Momma I’d call her as soon as we got to our apartment, and not to worry about me. I walked to Kelli’s car, with Momma watching from the steps.



I was SO ready to leave this small town!

fab update :D
sean is so sweet! :P
i want to know how collage goes...

Great update! KAts so pretty. I wonder what college has in store for her and Kelli :D

YAY COLLEGE!! Can't wait to see the nice italian boy she's going to meet! lol

Thanks for the comments everyone! I love 'em! This chapter mainly shows how Kat and Sean adapt to the distance between them. The next few chapters are where it gets interesting.
___________________________________________________________



Kelli and I stood on the sidewalk looking up at our new apartment. I’d thought that this moment would be scary. This was the first time I was on my own. But instead, it was exciting! I could make my own decisions, and if that meant eating pizza for breakfast and going to bed at 4 am, then no one could tell me no! College was going to be great!



Our apartment was on campus, and our room had ugly black furniture. It seemed too dreary to me, but Kelli liked it. Luckily, we didn’t have to bring much so we unpacked quickly and went to explore the rest of our new place.



As we were checking out the living room area, the front door opened and a pretty girl walked in.

“Oh, hey guys! You must be my roommates,” she said.



Her name was Shawna and she was a sophomore. We talked for a little while and she told us all the cool places to check out near campus.

It was almost dark, since the drive to Le Tour had taken most of the day, and Shawna said there was a big party going on that night at the student lounge. Kelli and Shawna headed out for the party, but I stayed behind. I told them I would stop by later, but I wanted to finish organizing my room and settle in a bit more.



I was finishing e-mailing Sean about my day before heading out to the party when Kelli came back unexpectedly.



“Ugh! That party was SO lame! Some creep kept hitting on me!” she complained. “I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

Kelli had vowed not to even think about guys this year. She didn’t want to trust guys again after the incident with Damion. I didn’t blame her.



So, we nixed the party idea for the night and just lounged in our new room.

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My first week of classes wasn’t so bad. I was taking the general required classes this year before working on my nursing degree. I was majoring in biology to get a B.S.N. after four years which would entitle me to work as a nurse.



It was my first weekend at college and I was fixing myself some cereal when my cell phone rang. It was Sean!



“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey sweetie,” he said. “There’s a surprise for you at your front door.”

I walked to the door confused. Through the glass I could see someone standing on the porch. ‘A flower delivery or something?’ I thought to myself. But as I got closer I could see that it was Sean himself standing there!



I flung open the door and jumped into his arms. “What a great surprise! But how did you get here?” I asked excitedly. This was the first time we’d seen each other since I’d left home, and I hadn’t been expecting him to visit until next weekend.

“I got directions from your mom,” he laughed and pulled me closer.



We went to a coffee shop in town that Shawna had taken Kelli and me to earlier that week. It was a quiet place to go and talk, and Sean and I had a lot of catching up to do, so I figured this was the perfect place.



“How do you like Le Tour?” Sean asked once we sat down with our coffee.



“It’s nice here. Most of my professors are cool, but Mr. Clark is going to be really tough.” I told Sean about my biology class and an assignment I already had due for English class.

After talking about classes for a while, Sean brought up a new topic. “Guess who I have a class with?”

“Who?” I asked.

“Damion. We have American History together,” Sean explained. “And I ran into Sophia and Pete the other day.”

After we’d finished our drinks, I took Sean to campus. I thought it would be a good idea to give him a casual tour of the place. We liked to take walks together at home, and the campus was so scenic and romantic. When it started to get dark, my stomach was rumbling, and I invited him back to my apartment for dinner.



I made some spaghetti because I didn’t really have much on hand. It wasn’t fancy, but it seemed nicer than Ramen noodles.



We sat on the porch after dinner watching the stars. Neither of us wanted the day to end because it meant us being apart again. I told Sean he could stay the night and sleep on the couch, but he said he needed to be home tomorrow morning because his mom was flying back from Tokyo.



We said goodnight somewhat sullenly.

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That semester was great. Sean called every night, and I fell asleep to his voice more than once. We saw each other about once a month and in those days I was sure that we’d always be together. The distance issue faded, and we fell more in love just by talking on the phone. Everything was perfect.

_____________________________________________________________

Coming up next: What's on Kelli's mind? Who's that cute boy? And Kat spends the holidays at home.

Ps: The apartment is by me and can be found at MTS2 - http://hideki.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=275084 [end shameless plug]

yay a update, its great!
Kats really pretty as a YA , stunning eyes. :D
can't wait to read tomorrows update..

Even though I was talking to Sean on the phone every night, I missed him like crazy. I started wearing the locket he gave me when I left for college on a regular basis. Just having it close to my heart made me feel a little less lonely.



“You girls ready?” Shawna asked, walking into our room. We were going shopping in town today. Kelli and I were hanging out with Shawna a lot and we were all becoming good friends.



We headed to a local store and Shawna immediately started grabbing clothes off the racks. I tried on a few things, and asked Kelli for her opinion, but she was staring at her reflection in the mirror, lost in thought.



“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just having a rough week with midterms,” Kelli replied, shrugging.

I knew her better than that, but I also knew I couldn’t force her to open up. Kelli would have to tell me what was wrong in her own time.

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When we got home, my phone rang. It was my Nonna.

“Hello, Nonna! How are you? ... No, I’m not doing anything this weekend… Sure I can come visit… Okay, I’ll see you at noon on Saturday.” I hung up the phone and made a note on my calendar for my visit.



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Saturday morning I grabbed my overnight bag and made the hour and a half drive to my grandparents’ house for the weekend. When I arrived, Nonna made us lunch and we sat down to eat. Nonno was in town for the day so I wouldn’t get to see him until later.



“How’s your boyfriend? Are you still seeing him, dear?” Nonna asked curiously.



“Sean is fine, Nonna.” I replied, uneasily. “The distance isn’t hard like I thought it would be. I have school to keep me busy anyway.” I always felt uncomfortable talking to my grandparents about Sean.



“That’s a good girl. Keep your mind on school. Your education is important right now,” she said.

Just then the doorbell rang.

“Excuse me,” Nonna said as she got up from the table to answer the door.



I didn’t recognize the man at the door. He looked about my age though. What could a young man be doing visiting Nonna?



“Buon pomeriggio! Mrs. Marino,” the visitor greeted my grandmother warmly in Italian.

“Good afternoon, Emilio!” she greeted him in return. “When you’re done in the yard, can you take a look at the sink in the upstairs bathroom? It’s leaking again.”

“Sure, I can take a look at it now,” he answered.



“Oh, I want you to meet my granddaughter, Katarina. Here she is, in the kitchen,” I heard Nonna saying as she led him over to me. “Kat, this is Emilio De Luca, our neighbor’s son.”

“Hello, Katarina,” he said pleasantly, extending his hand.

I shook his offered hand and replied, “Nice to meet you.”

Then he turned and headed up the stairs to fix the faulty sink.



“Emilio helps us with yard work and household chores,” Nonna explained. “He’s a great help in the garden, and the pool; especially with your grandfather gone most of the time. I just can’t keep up this house like I used to.”



It was nice that my grandparents had some help around the house.

Nonna was feeling tired, and went upstairs to take a nap. I was just finishing washing the dishes from lunch when I noticed I was being watched.



“I finished the pipes, they shouldn’t leak anymore,” he said. “I didn’t want to wake your grandmother, so could you please tell her when she gets up?”

“Oh, sure,” I said, not knowing what to say to the stranger I found myself alone with.



“I’m going to clean the pool now, if you’d like to join me for a dip.” He asked invitingly when I walked him to the door.

“Oh, no thanks, I have to do some studying. Besides, I didn’t bring my suit.” I declined. I saw a small smile come onto his face at the thought of me not having a bathing suit and inwardly kicked myself.

“You’re a student?” Emilio asked.

“Yeah, I’m a Freshman at Académie Le Tour,” I replied.

“No kidding? I go to Le Tour also,” he said. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around campus, Katarina.”

I waved goodbye as he walked around the house to the pool.



Studying in the spare bedroom my grandparents had made up for my visit was distracting. It had a view of the pool… and Emilio. It wasn’t that I was gawking at him; I just thought that a dip in the pool and having someone to keep me company was a much better way to pass the time than studying. But like I said, I didn’t have a suit with me, and I needed to prepare for a midterm on Monday. I moved my textbooks to the study downstairs and got to work.

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The rest of the fall semester was crazy. I didn’t expect the work load to be so much around finals time. Group projects, papers, and final exams were overlapping, and I found myself rushing to get everything done. I hadn’t seen Sean since Thanksgiving, but we’d both be home in Danview Valley for the holidays.

Being home was so relaxing. Pete and Sean were over almost all of the time, and Momma was playing quite the hostess to a full house.

Sophia banged away at Christmas Carols on the piano, her childhood lessons paying off finally, and Momma and I belted out the verses as well as we could remember them.



We got some snow a week before Christmas, but of course it didn’t last long. We never had white Christmases in the south. But we enjoyed the snow while it lasted, making snow angels and snowmen until our hands were numb with cold.



Sophia and Pete were inseparable. I’m no psychic, but I think they’re gonna get married someday. It was so cute. My sister hadn't been that happy in a long time, and I was happy for her.



I had some stolen moments with Sean as well. We got to see each other almost every day during the month long winter break.



For Christmas Eve, I helped Momma cook a big turkey dinner. Kelli came over for a few hours and we all sat around the table talking until our bellies were full.



Sean and Kelli left to spend the rest of the night with their families, and Sophia went home with Pete. She was going to stay the night and spend Christmas morning at his house. Momma and I were alone again for the first time since I had left for college.

We put in an old Christmas movie and I settled in beside her on the couch with some hot chocolate and a warm blanket. I couldn’t help but to think about all the ways Momma and I were alike, I was definitely more like her than Sophia was. I just wished Momma had someone special to spend the holidays with.

Soon, my eyelids got heavy and I felt myself drifting off to sleep to the sound of jingle bells.

________________________________________________________

Next time: A bad dream, and an untold story - Kelli faces a tough decision.

OOh, just started reading this story, can't wait to see what happens next!

Fab update Treena!

I absolutely LOVE this story. :]
And yes, I just started reading it, too. xD

another great update! i hope Kat dosn't think of Emilio to much! i want her a sean to stay together :D.

Quick question for Treena410, Where did you get Kat's hair when she was a teen??

Kat's hair, both as a teen and a young adult, can be found here:
RoseSims2
It's a pay hair, but check the booty.

Some recolors are here (if interested, but Kat's color is the original):
Sims2Supernova
by Chihosan. You have to join, but its free.

‘Kelli… Kelli, come back to me…’ Damion’s voice echoed.



Kelli turned her head to find him, and suddenly found herself in her room. She was back in high school. Damion was holding her. She was so happy.



‘Oh, Damion… I love you.’

‘I’m sorry for hurting you Kelli… forgive me…’ he whispered.

Feeling his arms wrap around her she smiled and melted into the warmth and security she felt with those words.



Kelli woke up with a start.



“Another bad dream?” I asked.

Kelli nodded in reply and threw on her clothes. It was no secret that Kelli had been suffering from nightmares ever since we returned from winter break. She never told me what they were about though.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as she grabbed her bag.

“I have to get to class, sorry,” she said and was gone before I could say anything more.



-----------------------------------

Sean visited that afternoon. He had a break from classes and came to spend his long weekend with me. He showed up with my favorite flowers and kissed my hand. Isn’t it just so sweet when a guy does that? I think so. Sean is such a gentleman.





We went to a quiet restaurant in town with a beautiful garden. Over dinner, we found that we actually didn’t have very much to talk about, so we mainly reminisced about old times in high school. We spoke on the phone at least 4 times a week, so we knew everything currently going on in each other’s lives. I hoped that our future together would come soon enough and we wouldn’t always have to talk about the past, and ‘how things used to be.’ Still, it was nice just to see Sean in person.





-----------------------------------

I didn’t think my roommates would appreciate a guy staying the night, so Sean stayed with Shawna’s boyfriend.

Kelli wasn’t home when I returned to the apartment. I changed into my PJs and sat in bed reading. Before long I heard the front door open, and then Kelli came into our room, clearly upset. I set down my book.



“Kelli, please talk to me,” I begged my friend. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s stupid Damion!” she yelled. “He haunts my dreams!”

“Oh, I figured as much,” I said as I tried to comfort my friend. “What are your dreams like?”

“I usually just see his face, but lately I’ve been dreaming of happy times we shared together and of us being in love,” she explained.

“Well, I’m no dream expert, but usually when you dream about something it’s because you’re thinking about it a lot, or it’s an underlying issue you can’t deal with while you’re awake.”



“Kat, I’m a horrible friend,” Kelli cried. “I should have told you this sooner.”

“Told me what?” I asked curiously.

“Let me start from the beginning. After I broke up with Damion I told him I didn’t want any communication with him for 6 months because I needed my space, but couldn’t wait that long. He sought me out after graduation.

“I had gone to the restroom to get rid of that stupid hat before your party, and when I came out, Damion was waiting by the lockers. He’d seen me leave the auditorium, and figured it would be his chance to talk to me alone.



“I didn’t want to see him, and I tried to walk away, but he pleaded with me to hear him out. He said he’d been thinking a lot about us and it would only take a few minutes.



“I listened to him. It was just a bunch of apologies and professions of his undying love for me. I knew Damion never meant to hurt me, but my pride was wounded and I wanted to be mad at him.



“In the end he said he would respect my wishes and not contact me for 6 months.



“Damion kept his word, but as soon as the 6 month period was over in November he contacted me by e-mail. He sent me a message explaining that he never stopped caring about me and had written letters to me every week since we broke up. He knew I wouldn’t read anything from him until the time had passed, and he forwarded them in his e-mail.

“He wrote me poetry, and apologies, and even told me that he tried to move on and see other women, but that none of them compare to me. They were brutally honest, and deep, and the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Damion begged for the chance just to hear my voice again,” she finished.

“Wow Kelli, how did you respond to his e-mail?” I asked.



“I haven’t,” she said flatly, “and every week he sends me a new message, singing my praises. It’s too much. He’s wearing down my resistance, and now I’m dreaming about him!”

“Hang on, I’ll be right back,” I said, leaving the room. As much as I hated the Damion that hurt my friend, I thought he deserved another chance, but I wanted a second opinion. I quickly found Shawna and brought her to our room and we explained the situation.

“Girl, do you love him?” Shawna asked boldly.

Kelli turned away, uncomfortable. “I loved him, in the past.”



“Well, if there’s any chance that you still love him, then cling onto it,” Shawna said. “There’s nothing more precious in this world than love, and if you’re lucky enough to find someone who loves you as much as this boy clearly does, then you’d better never let it go. That kind of love doesn’t come around twice in a lifetime. Everybody makes mistakes, and I know this boy hurt you, but forgiveness is a powerful thing. It can erase all that hurt that you’re holding onto. Girl, you’d better get over yourself and start talking to him before its too late! If you don’t I’m gonna kick your butt!”

I stood there dumbfounded, once again at a loss for words. Boy was I glad I called Shawna in on this because there’s no way I could have made such an impressive speech. In fact, tears were in MY eyes.

Eventually, Kelli turned around. “Yeah, I love him,” she said quietly. “I really never stopped. I just didn’t want to get hurt again.”



“It sounds like the person you need to forgive is yourself. Once you do that, things will fall into place,” Shawna continued. “Now, if both of you crazy people love each other, then what’s the hold up?



Together we helped Kelli find the words to finally face Damion again.



After that first e-mail, many followed, and before long they were talking on the phone again. They agreed to take things slow in order to rebuild the trust that had been broken between them. It would be a long time before they could get past what happened on prom night, but the past could finally be put behind them.
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Let me know what you think! I just couldn't see Kelli getting over her past issues if she was dating anyone else.

Next time:
-A surprise proposal
-Why is Kat spending the summer with Emilio?

Great chapter!!

Could she be spending the summer with Emilio because her grandma's pressuring her?

You'll have to wait and see! I'm writing it now.