Born to Ride

Chapter One: Homecoming

Hey everyone! This is my first story, so I hop you like it. Vote and comment please! Tell me what you think!! THANKS!

Just remember, the first chapter's always the worst!

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Chapter One: Homecoming

JESSIE:

One more problem, one more problem. No matter how many times I kept chanting it over in my head, I couldn’t figure out the last chemistry question. I read the question over for the seventeenth time, hoping that maybe the equation for entropy would come to me. “Time,” my professor, Dr. Gregor told me, picking my paper up from my desk.“Sorry, Jessie.” He genuinely looked sorry. “You were a good student, I’m sure that you did fine.” I felt the urge to brush his fine white hair from his face, where it perpetually laid.

I nodded. “Thanks Doc.”

“Will I see you next semester then, for organic chemistry?”

I laughed. “Sorry, but chemistry and I weren’t friends this semester; I got the credit I need to graduate, and that’s as far as I’m going.”

He smiled and pushed his bottle cap glasses up further on his nose. “I know I’ve asked you this before, but you’ll have to forgive me. When you’ve been around as long as the dinosaurs, you tend to forget… what are you majoring in?” A wide grin broke out over my face. “Oh wait, it’s something to do with agriculture, right? Follow in the footsteps of your daddy?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Not quite. Oh Dr. Gregor, I swear, I will never live on a farm, or marry someone who wants to live on a farm.”

“Never say never, baby doll.”

“This is one ‘never’ I feel very confident in saying, and anyway, I want to design shoes. Chemistry is just a requirement.”

Dr. Gregor looked down at my feet. “Are they going to look better ‘an them?” He asked, studiously gazing at my five year old Wal-Mart brand flip flops.

I nodded. “This is actually pretty gross, but these are my shower shoes. I forgot to leave out a pair of shoes when I was packing, and I couldn’t remember which bag they were in.”

“No, no, I know why you’re wearing your shower shoes; you woke up late for my exam didn’t you?”

“Well, that’s partially true, too, I suppose.”

He smiled. “Jessie, what happened to that cute little accent that you used to have?”

“I did everything I could to get rid of it. No reminders of home, right?”

Dr. Gregor looked at me like I just struck him in the heart, and right then I wanted to kick myself in the foot. His wife picked up and left him and their three daughters when he was barely forty, and now, all of his kids blame him for her departure; none of them speak to him anymore, not even a Christmas card. “Now don’t say that. Jessie, what are you doing for your summer vacation?”

I shrugged. “My boyfriend invited me to go to Ireland with him. He paid for the ticket and everything. We’re supposed to be staying the whole summer.”

He shook his head and looked down at his little feet; he reminded me of a cute little turtle. “Now you listen to me, finals officially end tomorrow. I want you to really think about this now – promise me.” I nodded. “Say it.”

“Say what?”

“Say,‘I promise Dr. Gregor, I’ll really think about it and make the right choice.’”