I lay on top of the coversof my neatly made bed, gazing at the ceiling of my room in deep thought. There are patterns and clouds my mother painted onto my ceiling as a child, and I never really paid much attention to them before.

Staring at the intricate designs, which cover the entirety of the roof, I truly am amazed at my mother's artistic skills — one of the characteristics I'm proud my mother and I share. Although now, as she is much older, she stopped her hobby of painting.

I wish she hadn't.

The clouds above remind me of my childhood and growing up, and how every day was a new day. The world was my limit... there wasn't anything to be scared of. I glance at the clock on my nightstand and sigh, knowing I have to leave soon.

University.

A new beginning.

The word itself scares me, reminding me that I'm leaving behind everything and everyone I know. This is good, I keep reminding myself.

I also already put down my first deposit, I think with a slight eye roll.

I get off my bed and flatten out the creases my body made on top of the blanket. Turning around, I hesitantly grab my suitcase off the ground and start to exit my room.

Ultimately, I end up standing on our porch outside looking at my car.

Why is this so hard for me?

All of my other belongings and essentials are already packed away into my car, ready for the adventure that awaits. Am I ready? I'm so accustomed to my small life here with my parents. Everything already changed though, as I get older, I know it is time to branch off onto my own.

"Adira, I have something for you," my mother says from behind me. I jump slightly, not expecting her to sneak up on me like that. I sheepishly look at her, with a small grin that mirrors her own.

"What is it?" I say with a small voice.

"A necklace. It was your grandmother's, and she got it from your great-grandfather. I know she wanted you to have it, and I do too," she says softly while passing me and small blue box.

I open it carefully and immediately recognize the small stone. It was a beautiful opal rock, and my grandmother always wore it. It shone of green and blue colours, all highlighted and morphed as one in an amazing way. My mother knew I had always loved this necklace. My eyes slightly started to tear up as I gaze at her.

"Thank you," I breathe. This necklace meant a lot to my family, being passed through the generations, and it was the perfect parting gift my mother could give me until I see her next. I look down at the necklace and smile.

"Could you help me put it on?" I ask my mother gingerly.

"Of course!" she says while gently retrieving the necklace and clasping in around my neck. I clasp onto it and turn around to face my mother.

"Thank you, again. This really means so much to me," I tell my mother.

"I know your grandmother would be so happy to see you wearing it," my mother said with unshed tears in her eyes. "Please wear it always— and think of me."

"I miss her too, mom. And of course, I will," I say while gently holding her arm. "I'm also really going to miss you guys while I'm gone, but I'm always a Facetime away," I say teasingly.

~

After hugging my mother goodbye, and giving my dad a small kiss on the cheek, I was on the road. The drive was taking a long time, as I was already a couple of hours away from my parent's house. I had already finished snacking on a whole bag of Cheetos (the puffy kind— of course), and I really just wanted to stretch my legs.

I saw a nearby convenience store and decided to stop there. Pulling into the parking lot, I turned my car off and stepped out. Fuck, I thought. My back is killing me. I walk into the store, hearing the bell chime above me and decide to by a drink, grabbing one from the nearest fridge located inside.

Once I was at the counter, I almost drop the blue Pepsi can right onto the ground. Standing in front of me is seriously one of the cutest guys I have ever seen. He looks to be similar to my age, maybe a couple of years older than me. I'm guessing he's about 24 or so. He has a head full of blonde hair, full lips and piercing blue eyes. My eyes trail down to his body quickly and I notice that his body is made out of almost pure muscle.

Woah.

He also gazes at me and slightly cocks his head to the side.

"I haven't seen you around here before," he says while almost narrowing his eyes accusingly.

"Do you know every single person who walks into this store?" I jokingly say, trying to make this interaction less uncomfortable.

"Yes."

"Oh..." I say while pressing my lips together. This blondie is super weird, I think to myself.

"What are you doing out here? This town never sees new folk," blondie says.

"I'm actually going to school here. It starts in a few days so..." I trail off. Can I just buy this Pepsi?

"Wow. Well, you must be a smart cookie to get into Myersdale University. They don't usually let in the outlanders," blondie reply's with a coy wink. I smile in return while looking down so he doesn't see my face turn a slight shade of pink. I hand him the Pepsi and then he hands it back to me.

"No charge, you're new around here. Consider this your welcome gift to Myersdale," he says teasingly.

"Uh, thanks." I smile gratefully and turn around to leave. As I open the door to leave, he jogs over to me and gently grabs my arm. Now facing him, my eyebrows draw together in confusion.

He opens his mouth to say something, then shuts it again. "Er, by the way, I'm Isaac. What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't," I say with a smile and I wink his way. "Although, if you really must know, my name is Adira. Everyone just calls me Addy though," I say with a slight shrug and smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Addy," Isaac replies with a slight chuckle. He then looks me square in the eyes and says "Be careful out here though, some of us bite."

~

Finally leaving the store, I get back in my car and start driving down the road. Turns out, the heart of the town of Myersdale was only a couple minutes away from the store I had just been at. I pass by a giant wooden sign that looks like it's slowly deteriorating, which reads 'MYERSDALE est. 1888'. Wow, I think.

This place is so small and beautiful.

I'm suddenly surrounded by dozens of forestry and greenery all around me. Opening my car window, I slowly inhale and exhale the fresh air all around me. This is nothing like the city. It's perfect.

Eventually, I make it to my new home. My parents helped me purchase a small apartment which is only a 10-minute drive from Myersdale University. Unloading everything from my car to the apartment took a solid 30 minutes, and I'm grateful a lot of the furniture came alongside the apartment so I didn't have much to set up. Slowly putting things in place around the small apartment, I look out the window. Surely enough, the view is gorgeous. From where I'm standing, I can see a multitude of kilometers of trees and forestry. I mentally take notes to go exploring in the near future.

For now, I just want to take a nap. It really has been a long day.

I begin to strip off my clothes and change into one of my ex-boyfriend's t-shirts. I don't miss him or anything, as we have been broken up for quite a while, it just fits quite largely on me, and it is really comfy. The shirt reaches just under my butt cheeks, and I'm left wearing only a shirt and some panties. I crawl into the bed, under my new duvet covers, and close my eyes.

I suddenly peel my eyes open and stare at the ceiling above me.

Maybe I can get used to a ceiling without clouds.