When Sean drove me home, I didn’t want the night to end. Summer meant not seeing him as much, since he’d be working more. Momma was working a late shift at the hospital and Sophia had gone over to Kelli’s house to help her pack, so I asked Sean if he wanted to come in for a little while. We were watching TV and Sean pulled me into his lap.

“I love you Katarina,” he said very slowly and seriously.

I wasn’t expecting him to say those three little words so soon, but I knew I felt the same. “I love you too Sean.”



He kissed me, and we got a little carried away.



“Can we go to your room?” he asked between breaths. In the back of my mind I was thinking that things were going too fast, but mostly I was just caught up in the moment and I agreed.

The next thing I knew, we were in my room and had lost our clothes. Sean very gently laid me back onto my bed.



We had made out before, but never more than that. Sean laid me back onto my pillows and his hands started wandering all over me. I loved Sean, and my body wanted to continue what we doing, but this wasn’t how I wanted it to be. I mean, I didn’t even remember what happened to my clothes.



“Sean, wait. I can’t!” I sobbed, pushing him away and standing up.



“Kat, I’m so sorry. I don’t know… I just wanted to make you happy,” Sean said, taking my hands in his.



“I am happy! Just being with you makes me happy,” I replied. “But, I don’t think I’m ready to get physical with you yet.”

“I will never do anything that you don’t want me to, I do love you. I’m sorry,” he said.



I knew his words were true. Sean would never hurt me or force me to do anything. I hugged him and told him how lucky I was to have a boyfriend like him.



We found our clothes and got dressed. I was a little embarrassed about confiding in Sean that I was waiting until marriage to have sex, but I knew he needed to know where I stood. He wasn’t upset like I thought he would be, but instead told me that he was willing to wait however long I wanted.

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That summer was amazing, but it flew by quickly. Sean had picked up more hours at the nursing home, and I volunteered a few days a week at the hospital my mom worked at.

Before I knew it, Sophia was leaving for college at Sim State.

“Wake up sleepy head!” she said barging into my room. “Don’t you want to see your big sis off to college? Or were you hoping to never see me again?”

I rubbed the sleep crusties out of my eyes and threw on some clothes.



I ran out to the front porch to say goodbye and saw Momma hugging Sophia and crying.



A taxi had come to take Sophia to college. Momma couldn’t take her since she had to be at work in half an hour. Luckily, Pete was going to Sim State also and had already moved in to his dorm. He would help Sophia unpack and she wouldn’t be totally alone in a new place. We were going to go up to the campus in two days to help Sophia set up her dorm room and get settled in.

I was really going to miss my sister. She had been with me my whole life and we’d never been apart for more than a couple of weeks. Despite our differences, and the fact that I wasn’t exactly “cool” enough to hang out with her at school, we were best friends. Sophia could see the tears starting to well up in my eyes and gave me a long hug.



“Don’t worry, Kat. You can come visit me anytime and I’ll be back for Christmas in a few months,” she said. “Until then, I’m only a phone call away. We’re not just friends, we’re family, and sisters are forever.”

We watched Sophia get into the taxi, her belongings piled up in the back.



We waved from the porch as the cab drove Sophia away, to her new college life.



I knew I had to start thinking about college too. At this same time next year I would be the one leaving for college.

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Coming up next: Where will Kat go to college? What happened between Kelli and Damion after the Prom?