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Chapter Eight // Defy Gravity

December 2014

"Sadie, honey, there's another present here for you." I looked up to my mom who was holding out her arm, and in her hand was a small box - the same one that Chase tried to give me last week. I took it from her and disappeared to my room. I felt like I was holding the world in my hands, and to be honest, I was too scared to open it.

Why would Chase even get me a present? He's made it clear he doesn't want me in his life so why should I bother with this?

I sat on the edge of my bed, looking out my window. It was rare for it to snow in the south on Christmas, but it's currently doing that and as much as I've always wanted a white Christmas, it just made me feel hopeless.

What has my life come to? Me going to college only to end up at some office job doing work I didn't even study for, all the while I try and mend my broken heart?

I ripped the perfect bow off the box, teared at the paper and opened the lid. A small piece of paper was folded neatly inside.

Everyone deserves the chance to fly - so follow your dreams

Love, Chase

I hesitantly pulled back the folded cloth unsure of what I would find, but once I did, I felt my life suddenly fall into place.

Inside were picks, guitar picks to be exact, at least a dozen of them. But they weren't your everyday go to the store and buy the generic ones - these were hand cut, imprinted with my initials and there was no mistaking they came from one of Chase's cars.

I dumped them all out on my bed, trying to figure out which car these came from when I saw another note.

Defy gravity, Sadie xx

I jumped off my bed in a rush, running towards my closet and pulling out my suitcase. This was the incentive I needed to get out. Chase was no longer a valid reason for me to be here, school wasn't even a good enough excuse anymore.

And what did it for me, wasn't the guitar picks - it was the lyrics, the ones I used to sing underneath my breath because Chase didn't understand my love of Broadway shows when I'm a country girl at heart.

I quickly packed everything I needed and was amazed at how little time it took. I placed my suitcase and guitar by my bedroom door knowing this time tomorrow night I'll be driving to Nashville, chasing my dream of becoming a country star, and no one is going to stop me.

**

Chase was quiet following me into his RV, and I was grateful for it. My mind was all over the place and I couldn't stop crying.

It wasn't fair that he was kissing me again, because all it did was dig up my feelings for him that I've buried a long time ago. It just made me confused because I thought he was the one that didn't want our relationship to happen.

I quietly wiped my tears away, grabbed my suitcase and locking myself in the bathroom. I knew we had to be at his signing in an hour so I quickly got rid of my wet clothes and got into dry ones, immediately feeling better.

I opened my toiletry bag and froze.

"Oh no."