Page 140 of The Rookie

Cassie takes a long sip of her mojito, changing the subject. "Anyway, Avery, what’s the plan tomorrow? You’re flying out early, right?"

I freeze, my hand tightening around my glass.

Avery nods, her voice even. "Yeah. Flying straight to DC in the morning."

Cassie’s eyes widen. "Wait—why DC?"

Avery hesitates for half a second. "For the Fulbright interview."

Cassie’s jaw drops. "What? No way! The Spain one?"

Avery nods, smiling softly. "Yeah. Got to the first round of interviews.”

Cassie claps her hands, practically bouncing in her seat. "Oh my God, that’s amazing! I knew you’d do it!"

Avery shrugs, looking almost shy. "Thanks. I’m excited."

Excited.

She says it like she’s not about to leave.

Like she’s not about to go live her dream while I…

Well.

I take another long sip of my drink, swallowing hard.

Cassie leans forward, resting her chin in her hand. "Okay, but you have to tell me—what made you decide to finally apply?You’ve been talking about this for years, and I didn’t think you were going to."

Avery glances at me.

It’s brief. Barely anything.

But it’s enough.

She clears her throat, looking back at Cassie.

"I just decided to follow my dreams," she says simply. "If you have a dream, it’s there for a reason. So…why not go after it?"

The words hit me like a fucking freight train.

Because she’s right.

And it’s going to take her far away from me.

Cassie sighs, shaking her head. "Damn. You’re inspiring me right now, Aves."

Avery just smiles, her fingers playing with the edge of her glass.

I watch her.

Quiet.

Trying not to let it show how much those words messed me up

I drain the last of my mojito, setting the glass down with a little more force than necessary.

"Be right back," I say, standing abruptly.

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