Goal-oriented Bea McAdams had a plan in mind as she began her first year at Howard Jennings University: study hard, stay focused, and become a veterinarian to prove to her parents that she's not a failure.
But when cocky musician Archer Westbrook wa...
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As a child, Bea McAdams knew she didn't have much of a choice in her own future if she wanted to make her parents proud. She knew that if she wanted to please her family, she would follow her mother's rules and go to a reputable university, work her ass off for a degree, get a respectable job, and marry a wealthy man with a good reputation. This didn't leave much room in her life for negotiation, and although Bea was a bit of a stickler for the rules, she wasn't opposed to bending them every now and then.
That is why she chose a reputable university in another province, far from her parents and their controlling ways. The only respectable profession in her parent's eyes was a surgeon, so Bea chose to study to be a vet, arguing that it was still a career in medicine. And the marriage thing, well, that was a whole other argument.
"You're going to want to take the next exit," said Bea, looking up at her best friend to make sure she heard her over the loud music. After a moment of Lottie bopping her head to the tune of some noisy and disruptive song, Bea sighed and turned the music off completely. Lottie's head immediately snapped to the side with a look of betrayal on her face, causing Bea to laugh as she pointed to the exit.
Lottie shook her head, turning back to the road. With an exaggerated sigh and a tiny smile, Lottie said "Why is it always Crooked Arrow that pays the price when we fight?"
Bea laughed, "Your boyfriend and his little boy band won't suffer if we only listen to their songs for three and a half hours of our four-hour drive," said Bea with a pointed look as she held back an eye roll.
Sure, Crooked Arrow wasn't Bea's favourite band, but she kept her negativity to herself around her best friend. Lottie was always a huge fan of the band; she went to every gig, promoted them to those around her in any way she could, and she was always the loudest in the crowd. Lottie was a fan before the boys even became a band, partly because she loved the genre, but mostly because her boyfriend of four years was the lead guitarist.
"Plus, if the music is too loud, I can't talk, and I haven't had the chance to rant about my impending doom," Bea added dramatically, "now that I'm going to have to room with some random stranger!"
Bea wasn't angry that Lottie chose to live off-campus with her boyfriend and his band instead of rooming with her in a dorm room, but happy wouldn't be the word she'd use to describe the situation either. Not that Bea would ever say anything, she knew how excited Lottie was to finally see her boyfriend after months of being separated.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll end up with someone nice, maybe someone as obsessed with schoolwork and studying as you," she said, turning down what looked like a deserted back road, "you guys can have nerdy study sessions or whatever it is you do."
"My 'nerdy study sessions' are how I pass school. And you speak as though you're someone who won't be joining these study sessions," Bea laughed.
