Turned out, though, that the acting and modeling stuff had helped her in the long run. She’d been homeschooled by a qualified teacher, and she was way ahead of her public school educated colleagues. Hence the amazing scores on the standardized college admission tests.

She was always bright. But even her intelligence couldn’t make an actress out of her. She didn’t have that kind of talent, and she just wasn’t interested. She wanted more. She wanted to help others. What better way than to become a physician? A healer? She dreamed of bringing new lives into the world, so she’d already decided that when—not if—she made it to medical school, she’d specialize in obstetrics.

Her mother was against Smith.

Her mother was against a career in medicine.

But the girl was eighteen. She could make her own decisions. Her own choices.

Her first choice was to leave acting and modeling behind.

No more auditions.

No more dieting.

No more dance classes.

Though she’d actually enjoyed the dance classes. She was a capable dancer, and she’d reaped the benefit of the hard work for the last ten years. Her body was toned and muscled.

But she just wouldn’t have time for dancing as she embarked on her new life.

Her brief foray into modeling had given her a lovely wardrobe, and she packed all of her clothes into her car for the road trip to Smith.

Her mother refused to go with her. Refused even to co-sign on her student loans.

No problem. She’d get deferments until she was done with school altogether, and as a physician, she’d be able to pay off the loans in a reasonable amount of time.

She and her mother said their goodbyes. There was no hug. No handshake, even.

Just a goodbye.

They both seemed okay with that.

The girl drove herself into the city. She’d been there many times before, to meet with agents, but she’d never done the tourist thing.

She wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ground Zero, the MOMA—so she allotted herself three days in Queens in the only hotel she could afford, and she learned the subway system to see her heart’s desire.

She ate the best bagel she’d ever tasted at a deli. Okay, maybe it was the best because at least five years had passed since she last ate a bagel. Still, it was delicious with the smear of cream cheese and the zing of poppy seeds.

She ate a hot dog from a street vendor. Then a slice of New York-style pizza.

She laughed, knowing what any agent—or her mother—would say about these treats.

Didn’t matter. That was her old life.

This was the new.