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On the plane there are no phones, no emails I haven’t bothered to pay for internet and so there’s nothing to distract es and words echoed back to --slowfro to irate Her voice as she asked hoas enjoying her bed, her fiancé The sound of footsteps, of Ansel, of our shouted words and the sensation of rushing blood fillingevery sound

Aside fro, this is the soundtrack throughout ht and if possible, I feel even worse e finally touch down

I e claile enor carousel It no longer looks as new, marred in a few places as if it’s been thrown around and dropped, caught against theconveyer belt; it looks pretty close to how I feel

At a coffee shop nearby, I open lected all summer, labeled only "Boston"

Inside is all the information I need for school, the emails about schedules and orientation that have arrived in the last feeeks, ignored but tucked safely ahere I promised myself I’d deal with they provided by a pot of coffee and the growing buzz over finallyin to the Boston University MBA student portal

I decline rao

And then I call rovel

I STARE AT the FOR RENT section in the local newspaper Part of the deal in raduate school was that my dad would pay for my apartment But after what I’ve just done, I don’t think he’ll support me, even if from where I stand it feels like the best co with his bare hands than givein Paris has pretty lance at the paper, there are a few places I can affordespecially if I can find a job relatively soon

I’m still not ready to turn on my phone and face what I’m sure is a mountain ofat all--and so I use a payphone in front of a 7-Eleven just down the street from the coffee shop

My first call is to Harlow

"Hello?" she says, clearly distrustful of the unknown nu at the corners of le word thick and coated in homesickness

"Oh my God, Mia! Where the fk are you?" There’s a ine she pulls the phone froain "Holy shit are you here?"

I s back a sob "I landed a couple of hours ago"

"You’re hoo, yeah"