Dueling Dragon

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Journey

 I stood in my parents' driveway trying, without success, to disentangle myself from the fierce grips of my family. The moment I would unravel myself away from one embrace, I was pulled right into a new one. The day was emotional for my parents, their oldest daughter was leaving home for college and they were not handling it well.

I have a larger family; I have twin sisters that are a year younger than me, Aspen, and Maddie and an older brother, Luke that is just over three years older than me. We were a close family and enjoyed each other's company. My sisters felt they were losing their ally and confidant, and my older brother was indifferent; possibly a little annoyed by all the emotion and the fact our mother had mandated he be present for my sendoff. I know he loved me he just did not express his feelings like the rest of the family.

Luke remained rooted to our hometown in rural Northern Colorado after he had graduated high school. He had no intention of moving far from home; he loved the family farm, tinkering with old tractors, cars and trucks and the overall serenity of the countryside with the majestic mountain views. He was finishing his Electrical Engineering degree at the Colorado School of Mines. Although he lived in Golden, he would come home as often as he could, and I think spent more time commuting from the farm then staying in his apartment. Luke did not like how cramped he felt living in town and being surrounded by neighbors in his complex.

I had always been far more adventurous than Luke and felt like I was a big fish in a small pond. I always wanted to live in a large city, be in the limelight and experience the diversity. Maddie was more like me in this aspect, whereas Aspen enjoyed the farm life, the mountains, and the general outdoor recreation Colorado offered in both summer and winter. The girls and I were the best of friends. We grew up sharing everything including one large bedroom, clothes, and girly secrets. Strangers often mistook us for triplets given that we looked so much alike, and we were about the same age.

My family was shocked when I told them of my intent to move to New York for college just a few weeks ago. I had never even discussed this possibility with my family, so the news caught them unaware. They knew I aspired to be a fashion designer and supported that dream, but they thought I would stay local.

For the past several years, my plan had been to stay within the state and attend the same college as my high school sweetheart. Matt and I met the beginning of my freshman year; he was a sophomore at that time. We began dating after school had started that year, and we quickly became inseparable. We remained that way through the remainder of his high school years.

After Matt had graduated, he moved into an apartment near the University of Colorado, and I started my senior year of high school. The University was just over an hour away from our hometown, and Matt returned home every weekend. Seeing each other daily to seeing each other once or twice a week was a big change in our relationship; we met a few times a month halfway during the week for dinner. Seeing each other infrequently was not ideal, but we both knew the situation was temporary, and we only had to get through this one school year, and then I would join him at CU.

One spring afternoon, my plans changed the school canceled my tennis match because of an intense rainstorm. I rarely had free time in the day and drove to Matt's apartment to surprise him. I was never able to drop by given my inflexible schedule; Matt had stopped by my parents unannounced on occasion, and I was thrilled that I finally had the opportunity to reciprocate. I loved when he surprised me just because he wanted to see me.

When I had arrived that rainy afternoon, I jumped out of my car and quickly jogged to the door standing under the small overhang on Matt's porch trying to keep from getting soaked. I knocked, and as his roommate swung the door open, I barged in to get in from the weather. When I looked up, I could see the fear in his roommate's eyes. When I peered around the room, I found Matt sitting on the couch with a girl on his lap. He had one hand on her breast and the other under her skirt.

I was in shock; I stood still, staring, unable to open my mouth. Matt finally must have sensed me, and he brusquely stopped with the caresses and looked up at me. His face fell, and after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to regain my composure. I did not even say a word, I turned, pulled open the door and sprinted as quickly as I could back to my car.

I only had eight weeks left of my senior year, but that day my life had been turned upside down. We had always talked about our future together, so seeing him with someone else left me in disbelief. I am not sure anyone saw the break-up coming, especially me. Matt's demeanor and attitude never once changed toward me, and he seemed genuinely excited every time he saw me.

My friends and family were startled by the news and expected me to be devastated and to fall apart. Everyone close to me waited anxiously for the meltdown or my heart to crumble. Concern and confusion troubled my family as they watched me intently. When I quickly moved on, they did not know what to think. I loved Matt, and I gave the relationship everything I had to give. Although I was sad especially because of the why, I quickly moved past the sorrow and did not dwell on the upsetting loss for long. Instead, I imagined the possibilities.

I had always wanted to be a fashion designer. However, Matt criticized this dream. He often complained what a waste of my talent and brain; he made it clear he thought the career choice was impracticable and a silly one at best. My ambitions led to arguments every time I mentioned becoming a designer, so I had buried my dreams. When the relationship with Matt abruptly concluded, I reevaluated my future. I quickly realized I was not going to CU because that is where I wanted to go, or that the school even offered a program that sparked my interests. I had planned to follow Matt to CU to remain close to him and major in business with an emphasis in marketing because at least the degree offered versatility. I came to the conclusion that CU was not the right college for me, and I no longer wanted to conceal my desires.

I began looking into fashion schools and decided on New York. I worried I might have to sit a semester out given how late I submitted my application. I had held back telling my family that I applied to fashion schools; honestly I knew the chances of me getting accepted into a program for the fall semester were slim to none. I thought I could ease them into the idea. However, fate had a different notion, which was dive in head first.

I was exuberant when I received an acceptance letter a couple of weeks after I had applied. I told my parents I would be moving to New York instead of remaining in the state for college the day I received the great news. My parents thought that I was making an impetuous decision and possibly just running as far as I could get from Matt. I spent weeks convincing them that was not the case.

I had endured hours, even days of sobs, parental guidance, interrogation, guilt, and intimidation. My family was usually supportive; I just caught them off guard, and they were having a hard time with this choice. I held firm to my decision, and eventually, my parents understood and offered me their unconditional love, understanding, and support.

After an hour of tears, hugs, kisses and sobs in my parents' driveway, I was finally able to get in my car. I locked the doors and peeled out before one of them jumped in beside me or tied themselves to my bumper. The last couple months felt like the end of the book that was my childhood. I hit the road, and I felt as though I was starting a new book.