Chapter Four

Chapter four of my book, Nothing Is Ever By Accidnet

Chapter 4

 

            Jamie sat at her desk, researching information for colleges on the east coast that would suit exactly what she was looking for. Nothing was calling out to her yet. She wanted a place where adventures were possible, something completely opposite than her life out here in Colorado. Even though she would miss her scenic Rocky Mountains, she needed a change in her life. There were too many painful memories of Aaron here. It has been two years and she sensed that it was time to move on.

            Jamie was looking for a school that offered art programs. She had a passion for painting and sculpting, but kept it mostly to herself. Her parents didn’t approve of her art. They said it would never be something that could support her and make steady money for her. Jamie didn’t care about the money though, she painted and sculpted because it was something that she loved and enjoyed. Ever since Aaron had died, painting had given her peace and tranquility, a sense of comfort in life. She wasn’t great at it, but going to school could improve her and it sounded like a great opportunity. Jamie just hoped her parents wouldn’t put up a fight about it and that they would just understand her viewpoint on the situation.

            As she was browsing, an ad came up on the right side of her screen, advertising an art institution in New York.

            Wow, New York… Jamie thought to herself.

            She clicked on the link that sent her to the institution’s webpage. She read the descriptions of their degree programs and viewed some art from the students who were currently enrolled in the school. Everything about this place appealed to Jamie’s needs and wants; a place where she could better her passion and start her life over in a new city. She clicked the print button for the pages describing their programs and slid the information into a purple folder on her desk. She favorited the webpage and leaned back in her chair, content with life and where it was about to take her.

*****

            Jamie had been at her parent’s house now for about an hour, telling them about her plans for school and moving to New York. Neither of her parents were very thrilled with her decision. It took them quite some time to even sit and listen to what Jamie had to say. After some persuasion and begging Jamie convinced them to listen to her goal. Eventually both her parents got into the idea and were helping her make some final plans. Everyone was happy and in agreement after the end of the conversation.

            “Are you going to live on their campus or rent your own apartment?” her mother, Lorraine asked.

            “I was thinking of renting my own apartment, since I have the money for it.” Jamie’s Uncle Mark had passed away a few years back and had left a significant amount of money to Jamie. She had put it away in savings for her wedding, but now she was going to use it for school instead.

            Her mother nodded her approval and reached for Jamie’s hand, “Hunny, I want to say how very proud your father and I are of you,” she looked over at Dennis, Jamie’s dad. “I’m sorry we were never supportive of this passion of yours at first, but now I see how happy it makes you and we are here for you one hundred percent.”

 Lorraine’s crystal blue eyes shone and she ran her hand through her graying hair. “We will do whatever we can to help you accomplish this dream of yours.”

Jamie reached over and gave her mom a gentle hug, thanking her for the support and encouragement.

Jamie turned to look over at her dad. He was sitting in his favorite leather recliner. His dark hair was cropped short and his hazel eyes were becoming a little misty. “We love you sweetheart and we will miss you when you’re gone. You better come visit us old folks every once in a while.”

“Don’t worry dad. I’ll fly out whenever I get the chance.” Jamie walked over and hugged him, taking in the smell of his rugged cologne. The realization of having to leave her parents behind for the first time in her life, had hit her.

*****

The next few weeks were a blur for Jamie. She had enrolled in the art institute’s spring program, which began February 3^rd, but she wanted to arrive two weeks earlier than that to get settled in and adjusted. Her books were ordered and her classes were scheduled. Jamie knew it was going to be quite a culture shock at first, but she was ready for it.

Apartment searching had been overwhelming and stressful at first, but between Jamie, her mother, and Corinne they had found a two-bedroom apartment close to the school and right in Jamie’s price range. Many other students lived in the complex so it would give her a great opportunity to connect with her classmates.

Jamie was on her way to meet Corinne for an afternoon hike up one of the smaller peaks, Mount Lampete. They wanted to get one more climb in before Jamie left for New York. It had snowed a few inches during the night so everything was blanketed in a sheet of snow. The sun was out so everything sparkled, making it look like a winter wonderland.

“Isn’t it gorgeous out here today?” Corinne said, as she adjusted the strap on her boot. Her blond hair escaped from her knit cap.

“It certainly is a great day to say goodbye to Colorado.” Jamie pulled her hat over her silky, brunette curls and slid her sunglasses on to shield her hazel eyes.

“So, are you all ready to go?” Corinne asked.

“I believe so. I have some packing left to do, but my plane ticket is booked and my furniture is being shipped to my apartment tomorrow afternoon.”

Corinne started laughing, “I meant are you ready to climb the peak? But I’m glad to know you’re ready for New York too.” Corinne playfully punched Jamie on the arm as they made their way to the hiking path.

The mountain was peaceful and calm that afternoon, just what the girls had hoped for. Occasionally a little grey squirrel would cross their path or a bird would fly overhead in the treetops. At one point, they spotted a set of fresh, fox prints, but the fox was nowhere in sight.

The air was brisk, but nothing was going to prevent them from reaching the top. It was Jamie’s last hike for a while and she wanted to get as much out of it as she could.

            They stopped a little past halfway up the trail for a snack break. There was a small creek over to their right, which provided the only noise in the area. A little waterfall was towards the end of it, causing a quiet crashing sound.

“I love how peaceful it is today,” Corinne said, breaking the silence.

Jamie took a long sip from her water bottle. “Me too. It’s going to be quite the opposite in New York, so I’m glad I can enjoy this silence today.”

Corinne smiled and took another bite of her granola bar.

A bright, red cardinal flew down from a tree and perched on a bush, right next to Jamie. She tossed some peanuts in his direction and watched as he hopped form one to the other and pecked at them. Jamie was going to miss moments like these in New York, but she was prepared and ready for the changes.

*****

About an hour later, the girls reached the top and set their backpacks down on a carved, wooden bench. The view was breathtaking and Jamie took it all in. There was nothing like being on top of a mountain and looking down upon all of creation, especially this time of year when everything was covered in pure, white snow.

“Wow, every time this scene just takes my breath away.” Jamie slid her sunglasses off her freckled face and blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness.

“I totally agree,” Corinne responded. “So, I’ve had some exciting news for you, but I wanted to wait to tell you until we got to the top.”

Jamie looked at her best friend curiously, “What is it?”

“I decided to go to New York with you for the first two weeks before your classes start,” Corinne was beaming. “I’m flying out with you on Monday.”

“Are you serious? Corinne that’s awesome!” Jamie ran over and gave her friend a hug.

“I thought you could use an extra hand organizing your apartment, plus someone to go sightseeing with you, so you weren’t going by yourself.”

“Yes I could,” Jamie laughed. “Do my parents know you are flying out with me?”

“It was your dad’s idea for me to do this so, yes, they do know about it.” Corinne grinned.

“So all of you kept this secret from me?”

“It was difficult, but yes, we’ve managed to keep it a secret the past three weeks.”

“Well this is definitely an exciting surprise!” Jamie hugged her friend again.

 

*****

Later that night, as Jamie was doing some packing, she stumbled upon a picture of Aaron. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, as she stared at his smiling face. His blue eyes shot pain into her heart, because she missed him that bad. She wished more than anything that he was going on this journey with her.

At times, the reality of him being gone forever was unbearable, but Jamie knew he was constantly watching over her.

“Aaron, keep watch over me as I start this new chapter in life. It’s heartbreaking knowing you’re not going to a part of it, but this is what’s best for me.” Jamie slid the picture of him in her suitcase, along with a few others of the two of them together.

Jamie knew she had to move on, but a big part of her wanted to hold on to him forever.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I know it doesn't have a lot of action, but I needed to write some more about Jamie so you could get to know her character a little more. Thank you in advance for reading and reviewing :)

Reviews

[Wren]

I like how in this chapter we see another side of jamie, one where she is now ready to move on. It is a great addition. Well done:)

[Sarah E. Pearson]

I've read all four of these first chapters and I think that this book has a ton of potential, and it's going absolutely amazing so far. I love how you are writing from each person's point of view, and giving us insight onto each character. I can't wait for more. Read request me when you get some c:

[Jamie Raintree]

I like the optimism in this chapter and the way we're getting to know Jamie. She's very relatable, which makes readers empathize with her situation--the first step in hooking us!

After reading through these first four chapters, though, I'm having a hard time keeping up with who the characters are. I feel like they were all introduced and then taken away before we got to really know them. Now, when they come back, I forget who they are and what I already know about them. My suggestion would be to flesh them out a bit more in the earlier chapters to create a more lasting impression in the reader's mind.

Jamie's last hike sounded so beautiful! I love the description you gave. It made me want to go there! I love Corrine's surprise! What a great friend!

And great last line. :)

[Coyote Poetry]

A nice chapter. Change is a part of life. People may come and go. Good to hold on to the important people in a life. Thank you for the excellent chapter.
Coyote

[SwagMaster]

Awesome write! Waiting for more!

[Team_Jaward_Gale]

nice chapter cant wait for the rest well done

[Arielle Ann]

beautiful upto here....am waiting for the next chapters to come :)

[Lizzy]

i liked it. nice story line, and with the corrections posted above, it will turn out to be a great book. can't wait for the next chapter.

[Kelly M.]

A beautiful chapter. I loved it! :]

There were a few, minor mistakes. I'll start from the beginning of the chapter, and work my way down.

First off, I was a little bewildered when you had said her parents hadn't supported her in her painting and all... and then suddenly they were totally the opposite. I'm very happy for Jamie and I think it's really neat she likes to paint-- actually, so do I, though I'm really not that great at it either. ;) But, being you said they didn't approve of it, I was a little confused when they suddenly were so supportive. Perhaps if you changed the line, "Surprisingly, they were supportive about the whole thing, which shocked Jamie, considering they had never been fond of Jamie pursuing art as her career choice."

Maybe you could replace it with something like, "They didn't respond immediately, seeming to drink in what she had announced. There were exchanged glances between the two, and then they looked back at their daughter, smiles of approval on their faces..." I'm not really sure if you'd like to do something as that... just an idea. :) I believe it would be more understandable that way, though.

Then, here, "Jamie walked over and hugged him, taking in the smell his rugged cologne and the realization of having to leave her parents behind for the first time in her life, had hit her."

There should be an "of" between "smell" and "his." I also think the sentence would flow much smoother if you put a period after "cologne," and then start off the next sentence as, "The realization of..."

Other than that, I don't believe there was anything more to fix. Everything seemed in proper order, and the details, as usual, were vivid and clear. Simply gorgeous. I love the imagery! Excellent chapter :]

[A. L. Allen]

Yay!!!!! Another chapter! To be quite honest, I was going to come and check in on this before you sent the RR. :D

I like the insights this chapter provides. I'm liking Jamie's character more and more. I figured she'd somehow get to New York, now I'm just waiting impatiently for when she bumps into Ryan. XD

There were a few typos, but I'm sure that if you read through this again you'd easily find them.

Amazing job once again! Keep the chapters coming!!