Gap Year Project Page 3

  She had a whole week to pack, but she needed to take action to feel as if she had some control over her life. Besides, she wanted to spend the rest of the time hanging out with her friends and visiting places and restaurants that she wouldn’t see for a whole year. There was so much to do in such a short amount of time.

  An hour later Dana called for Ashlyn, and off they went to lunch. Hopefully, this would take her mind off things for a while. She would talk about the party and nothing else.

  “Campbell, this is a surprise. I thought you were going to Spain for the summer,” Ashlyn said with a sinking feeling in her stomach as Campbell and his mom suddenly appeared at her table at Santini’s.

  “Well, I decided to follow in your footsteps and keep you company. My mom told me how upset you were about being drafted. I couldn’t leave you hanging like that,” Campbell replied, with a wink and devilish grin. “Why don’t we join you and start the next adventure together now? Waiter, we’ll be joining our friends.” They sat without waiting for a reply. Ashlyn and Dana quickly glanced at each other with simmering anger, then turned and smiled to their uninvited lunch guests.

  “Campbell, have you already applied? How do you know that we’ll be together? You could be sent to God knows where,” asked Ashlyn, praying that he hadn’t done anything yet as was his usual way to procrastinate about everything.

  “Well, it’s all done. I got a confirmation this morning that my application was accepted and that we are in the same unit. You should really thank me for saving you. I can do all the heavy lifting for you, and we can be our own team. I’m not stoked to go to the woods. But who knows? Maybe it’ll be fun after all. I’ll get to hang with you all day,” Campbell said, with a leering smile and winked again at Ashlyn.

  “Ashlyn, this is so great. You and Campbell have been best friends since pre-K and now you’ll be starting your adult lives together. I’m so proud of him for helping you. That’s what true friends do,” added Molly, beaming at her son.

  As she spoke, Campbell reached across the table and grabbed Ashlyn’s hands. “I’ll take care of you. You’ve always been there for me, and now it’s my turn to be there for you.”

  Ashlyn wanted to hurl her steak knife at him. She was furious. One, that he would think that she, of all people, needed to be rescued from anything and two, that she would want his help or company at all. Maybe she should have ignored him all those years instead of making him feel like one of the gang. Had she led him on? No, she knew very well that she had made it clear that she tolerated him but barely. She never kept him in her confidence. She never called him. She always communicated with him as part of the group. Every time he tried to hug her or kiss her cheek or invade her personal space, she literally pushed him away and said stop.

  “You are wrong if you think I need to be rescued, especially by you. And I didn’t ask for your help, Campbell. I don’t want you there, and I certainly don’t need you there. Please call them back and ask them for a transfer,” said Ashlyn, sternly.

  “What? That’s no way to treat Campbell. You apologize. He’s being a good friend,” said Molly, shocked at Ashlyn’s outburst.

  “I will not,” replied Ashlyn, looking directly into Molly’s eyes. “I will never apologize. Your son is not interested in helping anyone but himself. He’s interested in helping himself to me and getting into my pants. He has made so many unwanted attempts that I will never be alone with him. I can’t stand his company,” Ashlyn then turned her eyes to Campbell. “You know what I’m saying is true. I will never be alone with you. I will never allow you to do anything I don’t want.” Ashlyn jumped up, threw her napkin on the table and stormed out of the restaurant. Dana remained seated with a slight smile on her face as she watched her daughter transform into a woman right before her eyes.

  “Excuse me, Molly, Campbell. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss. I’ll leave you alone,” Dana said, calmly as she gathered her purse and left the table to follow Ashlyn.

  “Mom, I’m sorry. I know Molly is your best friend, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to say something. I know I could have said it better. I just snapped. Can you forgive me?” Ashlyn said in a near whisper searching her mom’s face for her true thoughts.

  “Ashlyn, there is no reason to ask for my forgiveness. You stood up for yourself. Perhaps you could have said it better, but I don’t think it would have stopped him from coming onto you again and again. Molly and I will have some healing to do, but it’s done and out in the open. I’ll give her a day before I call. Now, we have to figure out what to do if he remains in your unit.”

  Ashlyn stopped walking as the realization hit her that she could, most likely would, have to spend the next year with him. How would she deal with that? She would have to reiterate her boundaries to him. If he crossed the line, she would tell her boss (do you call them a boss or commander or sergeant?) and ask for a transfer.

  She straightened her back, held her chin up and took her mother’s arm as they walked to their waiting car. At least she had finally taken control of that situation. She felt relieved and optimistic for the first time in days.

  “Miss Ashlyn, there’s a package for you in your room,” Lupe said as she took her mother’s jacket.

  “Thanks, Lupe, do you know who it’s from?”

  “No. It just arrived a few minutes ago.”

  Ashlyn ran upstairs eager to see who it was from and what it was. Who doesn’t love packages? On her desk was a large brown cardboard box with her name and address but no return address. That’s odd she thought.

  She got her scissors and carefully cut the packing tape. She opened it to find a basket full of her favorite snacks and a card which she quickly opened. On the front was a picture of a lake and tall oak trees with a snowcapped mountain in the background. The note inside read, “Ashlyn, we will miss you! Here’s a little something to show we love you. Text us and send pics. Love, Stephanie, Nicole, Alexa, Elizabeth and Jill.”

  “Oh, they do love me. I’m gonna miss my girls so much!” Inside was a mound of dark chocolates, caramels, and her favorite coffee beans. Ashlyn was so touched by her friends’ thoughtfulness. “Okay. I can do this. I am doing this. And I’ve got my friends and family, too,” she said out loud.

  Ashlyn answered her phone with a huge smile on her face, “Hello?”

  “Hey, did you get it?” asked Alexa.

  “Yep, and I love it. Thank you. I’m gonna miss you so much. I really can’t believe that I’m leaving. It just sucks.” “Well, we can’t imagine how you’re really feeling, and we just wanted you to know that we’re here for you no matter what happens. How’s the packing? Need some company?”

  “Packing is done. I really can’t bring much to nature jail, but company I can definitely use. See you in ten?”

  “More like thirty seconds. I’m at your front door.”

  Ashlyn ran down stairs and threw her arms around her friend. “You are not going to believe what happened today,” Ashlyn said with a conspiratorial voice.

  “This sounds like it’s going to be a good one. Do I need to sit down?” Alexa replied.

  “Yes, and yes. I finally stood Campbell down. You won’t believe what a freaking jerk he is. He applied to GYP—to my unit. To “help” me.” Alexa’s mouth dropped in pure disbelieve.

  “Campbell’s never done anything considerate for anyone. What a weirdo. He really hasn’t gotten the hint that you are not into him at all,” said Alexa with disgust.

  “I feel a little bad. I totally blasted him in front of his mom, my mom and everyone at Santini’s. Molly was gushing about what a good friend he is to help me. He just kept looking at me and winking and giving me that “hey baby” look. I just snapped. I told him I didn’t need or want his help or company and walked out,” said Ashlyn, getting angry all over again.

  “I wanted to slice him with my steak knife, but I resisted. I didn’t want to be banned from my favorite restaurant for killing one of their best customers. So, I told him off
and walked out,” boasted Ashlyn with pride.

  “I would have loved to have seen that. Molly must be pissed. How did your mom handle it?”

  “Well, I told her earlier what a creep he is, so it wasn’t a shock for her. But now there’s all this drama between her and Molly. Whatever. They’ll figure it out. I’m the one that still is getting jerked around. I can’t wait for this to be over!” said Ashlyn, angrily.

  “Good for you. He deserved it. I’m sure Molly must have been completely mortified. But she needs to know what a jerk her son is. You really did us all a favor. Maybe he’ll act normal or better yet vanish to Spain for good,” replied Alexa.

  “I don’t think he can get out of it. With a draft going on, they need every person they can get. I just have to be on my guard and let him know that I will not tolerate anything from him. Enough of Campbell, I want to hear about Seth. I saw you two attached at the hip all night at the party. What gives?”

  “You noticed, too.”

  “Who didn’t? The flames of desire where scorching me from across the room. How long has this been going on, and why am I only now finding out?

  “Well, we just kinda clicked right before graduation. We were in a study group for Mrs. Reem’s history class. You know I can’t stand history. Seth has always been into it, and I figured I’d ask for his help. I guess you can say he helped me see a lot, like how amazing he is. He was really patient and didn’t treat me like an idiot for not understanding or not liking history even though everyone loooves Mrs. Reem. And he’s really cute. I know he’s shy, but he’s a lot of fun when it’s just the two of us. We’ve been hanging out every day. There’s just so much going on with you and everyone else. I didn’t say anything. But I really like him.”

  “Alexa, that’s so awesome. You know I’ve always liked Seth, and I told you he was into you. You had to see it for yourself. So, what now? Isn’t he going to Greensburg? You’re going to Smithton. They are on opposite sides of the country.”

  “I don’t know. I can’t imagine being without him. We’ve got the rest of the summer to figure it out. For now, we’re just hanging out. We both got into the schools we really wanted. Neither of us wants to give that up—yet. We’ll enjoy every minute together and see what happens in the fall.”

  “So, that’s not the only reason I came by. I’m volunteering at Girls Are today, and I could really use your help. We’re doing a Wishcircle for the new girls, and Samantha just cancelled. Please, will you help me inspire and build the next generation of kick butt girls?” asked Alexa, while she batted her eyes.

  “Who could say no to creating the next generation of kick butt girls. Alright, let me change?” replied Ashlyn, as she skipped to her closet.

  Ashlyn was always amazed at how she dreaded volunteering but as soon as she showed up, it was so much fun. Working with Alexa was always a blast. She had such amazing energy. You always felt like you were the only one in her world when she spoke to you.

  This day was no exception. Ashlyn felt great focusing on someone else for a while. Each Wishcircle started with a short stretch and breathing exercises to focus the mind. Then each girl went around the circle and introduced themselves and why they were part of Girls Are. They each got a stack of paper and wrote in vivid detail their biggest wishes. The paper became a bracelet as well as a reminder to keep their focus on their wish and take action each day to turn it into reality. There was a twenty-one-day action guide to help motivate them to achieve it. Ashlyn had done it once with Alexa years before and couldn’t believe the power of it.

  Alexa and Ashlyn made it on time but barely. Eva, the Director, was a stickler for punctuality. They pushed through the door just as Eva started the meeting. They went to separate tables and got right to work with the project.

  “Have your dreams come true? I mean really come true. What did you wish for? Did you wish for a lot of money? Or for really nice parents? Or maybe a huge house that you couldn’t be thrown out of just because you couldn’t pay?” asked one energetic girl named Zoe. Zoe had on a bright pink shirt with a unicorn in sparkles that read “Real as Can Be.” Ashlyn replied that yes, in fact her wish did come true, but it didn’t happen by just thinking it.

  The first time Ashlyn had done a Wishcircle was two years ago at a Girls Are meeting. The experience was so powerful and meaningful. Ashlyn had been wanting to create a lounge at school since she was a freshman. By her sophomore year she really started to think about what it would take to make it happen. The Wishcircle gave her the opportunity she needed to get really clear about her idea—what the lounge would look like, where it could be located, and how it would run. Profits would support the Waters Scholarship her grandparents had established decades ago. Every year the scholarship paid for two students, one boy and one girl, to attend Bender Academy. She hoped to raise enough money to send another student to school each year.

  She wrote everything she could about her wish. She wanted the lounge to be located on the second floor of the Arts and Performance building. There was a huge storage room and dressing room that took up the entire floor, but there were only four or five productions a year. That space was really underutilized. In addition, and more importantly, it had an amazing view of the Hudson River.

  She wanted to call it Books and Cooks. The lounge would be run by students as part of an elective class on entrepreneurship, hospitality, and finance. Everything from ordering supplies, cleaning, budgeting, advertising, cooking, and serving would be handled by the students with support from their teachers. It would be a multi-disciplinary class that involved economics, home-economics, computer science, and the school’s fundraising foundation.

  Ashlyn could visualize the gray-blue color of the walls, the Carrara marble counters, white cabinets, large round wooden tables for groups, small rectangular tables for individuals, Serena & Lily bistro chairs, Poltrana Frau navy blue velvet couches, Baker lounge chairs in camel colored leather, textured floor pillows in blues and grays and lots of outlets for charging phones, laptops, and tablets. There would be a juice bar with greens and veggies from the 79th Street Greenmarket, a wide selection of organic fair-trade teas and coffees, every variety of milk including pumpkin seed as well as a variety of baked goods provided by the Home-Ec class including vegan and gluten-free options. There would be a lending library too. She could see the name Books and Cooks on the glass entrance doors and on the wall behind the counter.

  After she wrote it all out, even borrowing sheets from the girl sitting next to her, she rolled each sheet, glued the edge carefully, cut them into small pieces and inserted a ribbon through the middle making a bracelet. She wore that bracelet every day for over a year. It reminded her to take a small action every day even if it was just a thought about the next step she needed to take.

  Her dad helped her design the space and make the construction plans. In eighteen-months, she had raised enough money and gained the support of the faculty and students to make it happen. She chaired a committee to hammer out the curriculum and student responsibilities. The summer before her senior year she helped decorate the space with the committee and parent volunteers. On the first day of school, the grand-opening of Books and Cooks took place with resounding success. She was featured in the school newsletter and the New Yorker as well as Architectural Digest.

  It was a lot of work. Way more than she thought. But it was never overwhelming or dreaded. She thrived on it. When someone said “no,” she figured out how to make it into a “yes.” There was a huge learning curve, but she never tried to do it alone. She found the right people to help her—lots of students willing to put in the effort, a student’s mom that owned a successful restaurant, her aunt who was a commercial building designer, another student’s dad who was a venture capitalist, and the school IT director.

  All of these people helped make her wish come true. It was absolutely the most amazing experience of her life. And it would be shared with hundreds of students for hopefully many years to come. The hard work contin
ued throughout the year. It was so successful that the scholarship would be able to fund a third student the next school year. If it continued at this rate, it could fund at least two more students a year.

  Ashlyn told her wish-come-true story with passion. She loved seeing young girls inspired and passionate to create their own wishes. For the next two hours, Ashlyn’s only thoughts were of being with these young girls—listening to their stories, being thankful for all things she had, and creating a new wish for the next adventure in her life.

  Her wish this day was to get through GYP as easily as possible, stay connected with her friends, and then start her life.

  Ashlyn got home feeling more relaxed yet eager for the girls and hoping their wishes would come true. She didn’t dwell on that too long before finding her mom to see if she had been able to get Campbell out of her unit.

  After searching her mom’s room, the kitchen, and her mom’s office, she finally found her in the den watching reruns of Outlander.

  “Mom, did you talk to Dad about Campbell?” Ashlyn asked, hoping that the answer would be yes so she could put this behind her.

  “I called him, but he was in a meeting. I haven’t heard back from him. Why don’t we call him now?” Dana replied, as she reached for her cell phone and dialed the number on speaker.

  “Michael, hi. Look, you need to talk to Bill Williams again. But not about Ashlyn. It’s about Campbell. He’s volunteered for GYP and has been placed in Ashlyn’s unit. Well, apparently, he’s not the kid we all thought,” Dana said, emphatically.