last of my savings, I booked a one-way bus ticket to Oregon. But I wasn't leaving empty-handed. No, I took my father'scheckbook as a parting gift. By the time they'd

eavy heart, I hurled my trackable iPhone into the

here was no tu

n. If my parents called the cops, there'd be no trail leading them to me. Thankfully, my mo

e, a baseball cap and dark shades, nothing for the street camer

e loosen as peace began to fill the air. When I eventually crossed the border to Oregon, the air wa

I checked into a filthy, two-star roadside motel, the kind where the receptionists don't wearpants or ask questions, and the only witnesses

n sleeping on a hundred pieces of broken glass, and it still wouldn't ha

'd become a new person, someone untouchable. A

hen the time came, I'd apply for loans just like any other student, reali

could trap me. The

my luggage, the one carrying all the cash I had stolen. I clung to it all night, absolutely terrified that in my sleep, som

re. Whew!"

dampness and regret. Peeling myself off the rickety mattress, I scrambled to the shower, only to recoil at the sigh

I didn't care

hoving it into my mouth as I readjusted the same clothes from the day before. The fabric clung to me

air the moment I shoved through the motel's rusted door. And just whe

dn't question it. Luck was a stranger to me, and when it did appear, I acted on it.

lump. The kind of man who blended well into the background of everyday life. Nothing about him was remarkable e

I ignored the stares. Today

ads, swallowing everything whole. Trees blurred past in a quick motion, endless and dark, their towering fi

ervously, dragging my stolen money and luggage onto the pa

im an enormous tip. Too generous, perhaps, but I had no change

re. Stepping into the life that awaited me b

I exhaled, anxiety

y wrapped around the handles of my bags, I heard

th my admission letter in hand. But he wasn't sporting the all-black attire that made him appear enigmatic. T

eyes to exam

tood apart from the average male crowd, giving off a quiet confidence that commanded attenti

as he stared down at me arrogantly; a smug smile lingering on

zled, I que

ese. The name's Jackson Yu by the way. Sophomore." jest

ramatically letting it out

w his way around, as he swaggered on like he owned the place, and all I could do was awkwardly try to keep up w

I was i

elf-absorbed attendant who checked herself in her mirror and adjusted her hair every 10 to 12 seconds. When she finally handed

, I collided with someone, or at least someone collided with me. Unbothered, he took off without looking back or uttering a word of apology. While t

ure had unusu

d only make out his denim-clad backside. The most unusual thing about him was the intoxicating,

ng almost unnatural like a fragrance that didn't just

en, he