I force a smile as I reimagine all the amazing things college will bring without Bryan. For starters, I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. I can be absolutely selfish with my time. Truthfully, I have no idea what that looks like anymore, but I’m ready to find out.

I put in my earbuds, hit play, and fall asleep with Beyoncé on repeat.

The next morning, Ava and I get ready for classes. She’s got the TV hooked up and Vampire Diaries season one, episode one playing. Feels right somehow. The first season of everything starting today.

Our room finally looks like two excited freshmen live here. Ava’s side is a little more personalized, photos of her and Trent, her boyfriend, take up most of the wall above her bed.

My roommate is in a serious relationship with her high school boyfriend, who is going to college upstate. It was something else we’d shared when we first connected over the summer, being in serious relationships. They don’t seem concerned about the distance, although it’s not nearly as far as Idaho.

Ava’s been on the phone or texting him the better part of the last week since we moved in. She’s nice and I think we’ll be great roommates. I guess since she’s in a relationship, at least I won’t have to worry about her bringing random guys back to the dorm. Because I’ll be starting college single and not exactly thrilled about the opposite sex, it’ll be nice not to worry about that.

“Do you want to come to breakfast with us?” I ask as I’m preparing to leave.

“No thanks.” She shakes her head, making her short, black hair toss around her heart-shaped face. “I’m going to video chat with Trent on our way to our first classes.”

A little pang of jealousy hits me, but I push it aside and head downstairs to meet Adam. Excited energy floats in the air. Blue and yellow banners hang on the front of the dorms welcoming us to the new school year.

Students are already out in droves heading off to classes, backpacks strapped to their shoulders, coffees in hand. They walk mostly in groups to their destinations; those who don’t have earbuds in or stare down at their phones.

The Valley campus is truly beautiful. When we dropped Adam off before his freshman year and I got a look at the campus for the first time, I knew that it’s where I wanted to go to college too. The buildings are mostly old and historic looking, green grass makes it feel a little less like the desert, and there’s a huge fountain in the middle of campus.

“Ginny,” Adam calls out, catching me by surprise while I’m lost people watching.

“Hey.” I turn to see him and his friend and teammate Rhett with him.