A Ticket South, A Life Reclaimed

Synopsis

Zoey Archer, the girl Andrew Weston liked, was going to some no-name college. So before the deadline, he used my password to log into my application portal. He withdrew my applications to the top universities and submitted a new one—to the same college she'd chosen. "Why?" I asked him. "She's scared to go so far away on her own. You should go with her. And keep an eye on her. Make sure no one else gets close," Andrew replied, his tone flat. Before the final cutoff, I logged back in. I withdrew his submission and, with minutes to spare, applied to the farthest university I could find, deep in the south. When the acceptance letter came, I bought a one-way ticket and boarded the plane alone.