Lexi's Had Enough

Chapter 29

Just then, Isaac could hear Laura's car coming up the driveway. She had just arrived home from work and would likely want to catch up with him. He took this as his cue to end his and Lexi's conversation.

Isaac: I gotta go, Laura's home from work.

Lexi: No problem! Please tell her I said hi!

Isaac: Will do. I'll call you in a couple days, okay? I love you and I can't wait to see you again.

Lexi: Sounds good. Love you too, babe! Can't wait to see you again.

***

Lexi wasn't too upset about having to stay in her New York City apartment during Spring Break this year. She and her parents had decided beforehand that there wasn't any point in having her visit home during that time when she would be moving back to San Diego about a month later. With Nikita having left their apartment a few days ago to go home, Lexi had the place all to herself for the entire week. As nice as it was to have Nikita as a roommate, being alone was always a welcome change.

It wasn't until Friday afternoon when Isaac followed through on his previous promise to call her. The conversation itself wasn't anything new; they spoke about Spring Break and how both of their families were doing. But it was still nice for her to hear his voice and chat about even the most mundane of things.

Once their phone call had ended, Lexi grabbed her laptop and sat on her bed to write her book. She didn't have to work a shift at Barnes & Noble that day, and she didn't have any upcoming assignments she had to work on. Now was the best time for her to write until either her hands gave out or couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

But before she could even think about getting started, Lexi's phone suddenly rang. She answered without hesitation when she saw who it was.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, dear. Did I call you at a bad time?"

"Oh no, not at all," Lexi said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you for asking," her mother replied. "How are things in New York City?"

"Everything's good so far," Lexi revealed with a smile. "I had to work yesterday, and I also finished a paper too. Luckily, I'm off from work today for a change, So, I'm just gonna chill out."

"Sounds good. School is going well, then?"

"Yeah, school has been great! My grades have been high as usual, and I'm not having issues with any of my classes whatsoever."

"Good. And how are things with you and Isaac?"

"They're great! We're just trying to spend a lot of time together before the semester ends and we have to move out of NYC again. But I'm still excited to move back home next month. Honestly, Mom, everything has been going so well for me. School, Isaac, and my friends are all going great. I truly couldn't be happier." Lexi smiled from ear to ear as she spoke.

"I'm so happy to hear all that," Lexi's mother remarked. "Still... Aren't you worried about what will happen once you graduate? I mean, what if nothing pans out in the end career-wise?"

"Mom, things will be fine," Lexi insisted while holding back an aggravated sigh. "Besides, it's not like anyone graduates college and then gets their dream job right off the bat. I'm sure I'll be able to find a job— any job— before I graduate. Also, I'm currently working while in school and during the summer too. It's not like I sit around and do nothing outside of attending class or spending time with others."

Her mother sighed. "Yeah, that's true. I tend to forget about that."

Lexi bit her lip to suppress another sigh. "It's okay, Mom. I understand. How's Dad doing, by the way? I haven't spoken to him recently." She desperately needed to change the subject.

"He's doing great! He's had to perform a lot of surgeries recently, so he's been quite busy the past few weeks or so. But he's well, and that's what matters."

"Good. And work is going well for you too?"

"Oh, yes. I have another important trial coming soon, so that's been keeping me busy. Actually... I hate to do this, but I should probably get going now. I have a meeting in about 20 minutes that I haven't prepared for yet."

"No worries. I love you, Mom. I can't wait to come home."

"I love you too, sweetie. I'm eager to have you home too."

Once the phone call ended, Lexi ran one hand through her long hair and bit her lip for a second time. While she had meant what she said to her mom about coming home, a part of her still dreaded leaving New York City once the semester was over. After all, it meant that her and Isaac's relationship would become long-distance once again.

Just enjoy the time you two have together now, she thought. That's all you can do for now.

Lexi stretched her arms out and checked the time of her phone— it was almost 3:30 PM at this point. She decided to make herself a bag of butter popcorn to munch on before she began writing. She got up from her bed and went into the kitchen to do exactly that. She returned to her bedroom with a bowl of freshly microwaved popcorn in hand and sat in the same spot on her bed.

Once comfortable, Lexi finally started writing. She had been working on her book off and on for the past few weeks in between school, work, and spending time with Isaac and her friends. She had become so determined to finish it that she had stayed up extremely late more than once on a school night to get more writing time in. As tired as it made her, Lexi knew it would be worth it in the end.

On this particular day, she eventually made it to the final chapter of her book. Lexi knew she had been fast approaching it, yet it still didn't feel real. She had been working on this book since starting college roughly three years ago, so to see the first draft coming to an end was more than a little surreal. But she didn't let this fact distract her from today's goal— finishing the first draft of her novel. It had to be done.

Lexi typed for what felt like forever, pausing only to munch on some popcorn or change whatever song she was listening to. But she remained steadfast in reaching her book's finish line today come hell or high water. It didn't matter how bad her writing was or if everything was or wasn't perfect; it would be fixed later. She kept reminding herself so she wouldn't get lost in reviewing her writing and dwelling on how shitty it was. Now was not the time to be doing that— nor was it the time to break down and become upset at the current quality of her writing.

Before she could fully process it, Lexi finally typed out the last couple of sentences of her book. She quickly saved her work before staring at her laptop screen with a blank yet stunned stare. She didn't know whether to feel relief or shock— or both— while staring at the ending of her freshly completed novel.

My book is done. Holy shit, my book is actually done. I can't believe I did it!!! I finished this fucking book. Fucking FINALLY!

Lexi could feel tears form in her eyes, but she didn't care this time around. She smiled as she continued to tear up. She knew her book was far from perfect— it was going to need a lot of self-editing and rewrites before she could even think about looking for a professional editor to do their job. But Lexi's book was done. The first draft was finally done and over with.

I can't wait to edit this, she thought while wiping tears away. Maybe I should start it tomorrow? Wait— no. I shouldn't worry about editing it right now. I need to focus on the last of my assignments, as well as final exams. I need to ace all of those before I can even think about editing. Besides, I really need a break from this after spending so much time writing it.

With that thought in mind, Lexi switched from writing her book to watching some of her favourite horror movies on her laptop. It seemed like the best way to reward herself for finishing such a momentous task. A low-key evening of watching gory flicks was exactly what she needed to cap off a super productive Spring Break.