Chapter 9

Nine

Jacob

The next day, Jacob was in his car, driving on winding roads through upstate New York, feeling bittersweet. The leaves on the trees had become fully grown, as late spring became summer. He loved driving through these roads when the leaves were full – he hated it in winter when they all just became gray, barren and skeletal. But he would miss these tree-lined roads in summer, when you looked out and all you could see was green.

Jacob had no clue when he'd be in New York again. He had lived here his whole life and would soon be leaving behind everything he knew.

He was driving to his childhood home, where his mom and sister still lived. It was about an hour away from where he went to college, but he didn't visit all too often. He had always been so busy in school, and now he was slightly regretting not spending more time with his family. They were an hour away, and I didn't visit enough , he thought, what's it gonna be like when I'm 3,000 miles away ? The thought worried him.

He arrived at the house and hugged his mom and sister hello.

"Jeez, Rachel, how are you still growing? You seem taller than you were even when I visited last winter!" he said to his sister, half-joking. She was seventeen, and Jacob missed her all the time. They hadn't been close enough in age to be friends growing up, but Jacob was so proud to see her turning into a smart and accomplished young woman.

They walked into the house and Jacob sat down in the living room. He could remember countless times playing with his friends in this room as a kid, and later on playing video games or sneaking out in the middle of the night from that same front door.

"So you're headed out tomorrow," his mom said, sighing and offering a small smile. Jacob could tell she was sad.

"Yup, after tomorrow I'll be on the road, and in San Diego in about a week," he said, trying to hide any nervousness from his mom.

"Wow, a whole week. I can't believe it. Be careful out there, Jake. I can't believe you're doing all that driving on your own," she said.

"Actually, I recruited a buddy to come along with me. He's gotta go back to Arizona, and that's my last stop along the way, so he'll come along and split gas and hotel costs with me," Jacob said, reassured by the idea of Will coming with him.

"Oh, that's great , honey! Oh, thank god. That'll make me worry a whole lot less," his mom said, hugging him again.

"That sounds awesome, Jake! I wanna go on a road trip. Maybe me and Sam can go on one this summer," Rachel said, excited.

"Who is Sam?" Jacob asked.

"He's my boyfriend," Rachel said, with a sheepish smile.

"You are definitely not going on a road trip with Sam ," their mom said, sternly.

"You have a boyfriend , Rachel?! God, why does nobody tell me these things?" Jacob said, shaking his head.

"Come on mom, it sounds so romantic! Just me and him, on the open road, for days…" Rachel said, dreamily.

"It can be romantic. I used to love going on road trips with your father," their mom said, lost in memory. "But that was when I was much older than you, Rach. Definitely not happening."

Rachel sighed, plopping down on the couch next to Jacob.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Jacob said.

"Hey, now we have an excuse to go visit the beach in San Diego, right, mom?" Rachel asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Sure, sweetie. Save up money from your job this summer and then we'll talk," their mom said, walking into the kitchen.

Jacob stayed for dinner and enjoyed spending time with them more than he usually did. He didn't know if it was because Rachel was finally grown up, or because he was feeling sad about leaving. But when he left his mom and Rachel around 9 o'clock and got back into the front seat of his car, he had to fight back tears.

He got on the road and headed back to his apartment near college for one final night. He couldn't shake his sadness, pulling up to the apartment for what might be the last time. He sighed deeply, trying to gather his emotions before heading back in. He wasn't used to feeling so emotional, and he felt like he had a knot in his chest.

He wearily climbed up the steps and in the front door, and was instantly greeted by a fantastic warm and sweet smell in the apartment. He walked in further and found Will bustling around the kitchen.

"I just took them out of the oven!" Will said, smiling and pointing to a pan of cupcakes. "They're from a box mix, I told you I can't cook. But I figured we gotta celebrate finally leaving town."

Jacob felt a smile creep over his face. His overall bittersweet feeling didn't leave, but it faded a bit, being replaced by a sense of tenderness and calm as he saw Will cooking.

He wouldn't be all alone, leaving New York. He'd have Will along for the ride with him. And that made his nervousness float away.