Page 60 of Cocky Cruiser

I’d also found a sea turtle rescue program that needed volunteers, so I was planning to start that next week. Even though everything was coming together for me. and I was proud I was pursuing my dreams, I still felt like something was missing in my life.

I told myself it wasn’t Cohen even though deep down I knew that it was. I felt pathetic for still wanting him after he basically tossed me away like trash, but I couldn’t help how I felt. And since I couldn’t do anything about him, and I definitely wasn’t ready to date, I focused on my career and future instead of dwelling on things I couldn’t control.

I applied for enrollment in the fall semester at the Long Beach campus of California State University. The campus was located just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, which made it easily accessible for students in the program to get extensive experience in field work, as well as in the study of marine organisms and marine biological processes.

I’d done a significant amount of research once I’d returned home in order to pick the college I felt was best for me. The faculty in the marine biology program at California State University were active researchers in the field, and paired with the interactive, hands-on curriculum, they were my first choice. They had a program to spend an entire fall semester living at a field station on Santa Catalina Island, internship opportunities at local public aquaria and resource management agencies, as well as a very active marine biology student organization on campus.

The next few months were going to be a whirlwind. I was starting a whole new chapter in my life, and I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

“Hey,” Chance greeted as he knocked on my door.

I shut my laptop and smiled. “Hey.”

He came in and handed me a letter. “Something came in the mail for you from the university.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I stared down at the piece of mail, worried it was a rejection letter.

Chance sat down next to me on my bed. “Well, aren’t you gonna open it?”

Biting down on my lower lip, I glanced up at my older brother. “What if I didn’t get accepted?”

He gave me a sympathetic grin. “Then you can apply to another university. Or apply again in the spring.”

I looked back down at the envelope in my hands. “Okay,” I said before blowing out a breath. “Here goes nothing.”

I slid my finger under the lip of the envelope to break the seal. My heart was pounding as I pulled out the letter and unfolded it.

Briefly closing my eyes, I exhaled another breath before reading the letter aloud. “Miss Adele Bateman, on behalf of our distinguished faculty and administration, I am pleased to congratulate you on your admission to California State University Long Beach for the Fall 2021 semester.”

I blinked a few times in disbelief as Chance cheered, “You did it, Dellie! You got in!”

I glanced up at my brother, and the pride in his eyes brought me to tears. I’d felt like such a failure to him since he always had to take care of me and clean up my messes. Throwing my arms around him, I sobbed with joy.

Chance squeezed me tight and kissed the top of my head. “I’m so proud of you, Adele. Mum and Dad would be, too.”

Tears streamed down my face as I laughed and cried all at once. I was overcome with emotion as Aubrey rushed in my room. “What’s wrong? Why are you yelling?” Our eyes locked, and her brows furrowed. “Are you okay, Adele? What’s happened?”

Chance pulled back and looked at his wife. “Adele got accepted into the university.”

Aubrey’s eyes went wide, and she jumped up and down. “Oh my God, that’s wonderful, Dellie! I’m so happy for you. I knew you could do it.”

She leaned down to give me a hug. I hadn’t felt that happy since being with Cohen, and my heart hurt a little at the thought of him. I wanted to tell him the good news and for him to be proud of me, too.

I shook the thoughts from my mind and focused on my family. Chance and Aubrey were dancing around my room, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t know what I’d do without them.

Chance pulled me up with them and twirled me around. “We’re going out tonight to celebrate. There’s a brand new restaurant in town, and the reviews are amazing.”

I smiled. A night out was just what I needed. “Okay.”

Aubrey and I had spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for our night out. Apparently, the restaurant we were going to was pretty fancy and expensive, so Chance wanted us all to look our best.

“Is this the old seafood shack?” I asked as we walked in, taking in my surroundings.

“Yeah,” Chance answered. “Looks completely different, doesn’t it?”

Nodding, I raised my eyebrows. “That’s an understatement. They must have completely gutted the place and replaced everything. It looks a thousand times better.”

“Let’s hope the food is, too,” my brother commented.

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