Heartbreak Girl // A.F.I

19

Kelsey's POV // New Haven, Connecticut // 10 Months Later

My last year at Yale was everything that I thought it would be and more. The time flew by incredibly fast. My senior capstone project was taking up most of my time, but I'm so excited about the final result. Since the guys were in Connecticut, Ashton and I have totally and completely repaired all of our problems and are really good friends again, which is what we agreed that we should do before we can try to pursue anything again. I really hope he didn't change his mind on the whole thing because I sure as hell haven't. Though I really don't think it's a good idea to officially start something until we can be around each other more in person anyway, we have to work through that problem too. 

I feel, deep down, that he is so, so worth it. A lot of the stuff that happened when we broke up is so small, and so beneath us at this point, that it seems stupid to me that I even broke it off with him in the first place. But, there's no point in putting energy toward regrets, because there is no point dwelling on things that I can't change. Maybe that whole thing made us stronger, who knows. I feel like I at least learned some lessons on relationships from that entire thing. It also taught me a lot about myself and what I needed to work on to achieve the things I wanted to. He acknowledged how he had changed in the time we were long distance when I was at my first year of college, and how everything, like the fame, had gotten to his head. I could tell he was being genuine because he didn't make it an excuse for his behavior. He simply told me that it was in fact a factor of why he was being, in his words, stupid.

From our conversations, I think he feels the same as I do about it all. And that acknowledgment between both of us helped us forgive each other for what happened and heal from it. That's how I knew we both grew so, so much over the past few years. I knew we couldn't hold that against each other forever. I really think my respect, trust, and dare I say it, love for him has become even stronger. He is my best friend, after all. Mourning what I had perceived to be the loss of our friendship over the past few years was one of the hardest things I ever had to go through in my entire life, but I'm glad everything is coming full circle and has let me heal. 

And now, it's time for me to enter into full-on adulthood. I graduate from college later today. In a week, I move to Los Angeles to start my career working as a photographer/videographer for an entertainment company out there. Turns out, my portfolio work from the Take Me Home tour really impressed the company I was applying to, and they want me to start right away. 

As I stumble around my half-packed apartment, trying to get ready for my family to come to my apartment, I get a text from my dad.

"Happy Graduation Day!! Mom and I have a surprise for you, we'll be there soon."

Surprise? Hm. 

About 15 minutes later, my grandma, mom, and dad all show up at my door, and I am so incredibly excited to get to see them. They take me out to eat for lunch at my favorite restaurant on campus.

"Have you talked to the boys and Jocelyn lately?" My mom asks me as we wait for our food to arrive at the table. 

"I mean yeah, I talk to them almost every day," I say with a laugh, "why?" She pauses for a minute.

"Oh, nothing in particular, I just wanted to know how they're doing! So the guys are working on their, what is it, third album already?" She asks.

"Yeah, number three already. I know they're planning on taking a bit of a breather for a while, though, since they've been really touring and releasing stuff non-stop since their first tour with One Direction. It's been a lot, I think," I say. Now that's the understatement of the year. I've heard a good amount from them about needing to take a bit of a break, especially since Sounds Live Feels Live was such a long tour. Ashton has been telling me a lot about how he needs some time to just chill, which I totally understand. They've been going, and going, and going.