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Second Chance at Life (ENGL SUBT COMPLETE)
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00:00:00Mi adolescente amigo, Caleb Bennett, me dijo que tenía una sorpresa para mí
00:00:03en el programa de talento de freshmanes y insistió que me quedara en la escena.
00:00:15Y el que se ríe el río es...
00:00:17él.
00:00:20El siguiente día, cuando se encontró que ya he filedado mis papas,
00:00:24cada drop de color se desplazó de su cara.
00:00:27¿Estás desplazando por un prank?
00:00:32Sí.
00:00:37Avery, vení.
00:00:40I promised you a surprise, ¿verdad?
00:00:45The crowd was roaring.
00:00:47The Welcome Week showcase was hitting its peak.
00:00:50I was one of the M&E's that night.
00:00:52I just announced the next act and stepped off stage.
00:00:59Come on, you're going to love this.
00:01:02What surprise?
00:01:03You'll see when you get up there.
00:01:07Come on, we've only got a few minutes between acts.
00:01:12So I walked up, my heart full.
00:01:23So this is the surprise.
00:01:25You promised, Caleb?
00:01:27You said you'd bring me a gift to prove your loyalty.
00:01:32My stomach dropped.
00:01:35I tried to turn around, but Caleb held my hand tightly.
00:01:40Caleb, what are you doing?
00:01:43I hear you've been growing this out for years.
00:01:47Cut it, cut it, cut it, cut it.
00:02:03Below the stage, thunderous laughter and applause.
00:02:06And behind me, I could hear Caleb laughing too, louder and sharper than anyone.
00:02:14That's enough, Caleb.
00:02:16Message received.
00:02:17So?
00:02:18Pretty good surprise, right?
00:02:23Oh, don't be mad.
00:02:25It'll grow back.
00:02:26It's just hair.
00:02:33I didn't cry.
00:02:35I just realized that these 18 years had been one long joke and I was the punch time.
00:02:44When I got back to my dorm, it was empty and ransacked.
00:02:50Bailey was always bringing her girls around to trash my things.
00:02:58In the mirror, my hair was a wreck.
00:03:00Shaved nearly to the scalp in some places, ragged little tufts still hanging on in others.
00:03:06I dragged my suitcase out and began packing.
00:03:20Avery, where are you?
00:03:22It was just a prank.
00:03:25Aren't you being a little sensitive?
00:03:34For 18 years, my whole life had revolved around him.
00:03:39Last night.
00:03:41On that stage.
00:03:45Early the next morning, I rolled my suitcase to the administration building.
00:03:49Mr. Henderson, I'd like to withdraw.
00:03:53Withdraw?
00:03:54Why?
00:03:55About last night, we can make them apologize.
00:03:59Publicly.
00:04:01That won't be necessary.
00:04:04This is my decision.
00:04:12One signature after another went down on the forms, like periods.
00:04:21Ending every sentence of my old life.
00:04:30Avery!
00:04:31Where are you going?
00:04:34Home.
00:04:37You're still mad about last night?
00:04:39I told you it was a prank.
00:04:43I withdraw.
00:04:51You what?
00:04:54You're dropping out over a joke?
00:04:58Word for word, exactly what I knew he'd say.
00:05:02Yes.
00:05:10Avery!
00:05:11You can't just leave.
00:05:1418 years of friendship, and you're blowing it up.
00:05:20Over something this small?
00:05:23Through the car window, I watched his face twist with panic, and I felt nothing at all.
00:05:3018 years of friendship ended the moment he pinted me down, and let another girl cut off
00:05:35my hair in front of everyone.
00:05:40I had never felt so free.
00:05:58I leaned against the car window, and looked at my reflection in the glass.
00:06:04How much had I given up for Caleb over the years?
00:06:07Every game in high school, he'd forget something.
00:06:10His glove, his jersey.
00:06:13My bag in the bleachers always had his spares in it.
00:06:16The whole team knew, whatever Caleb forgot, just go ask Avery.
00:06:23He skipped class, blew off papers.
00:06:26I stayed up nights doing his research and fixing his assignments.
00:06:30I even gave up my spot in the math competition for him.
00:06:35He got into it with guys on the team.
00:06:37I ran in to break it up and got shoved hard to the ground.
00:06:42And he never even reached down to help me up.
00:06:45He got dumped.
00:06:47I sat up drinking with him till sunrise.
00:06:49Everyone always said, Avery, you're so good to Caleb.
00:06:53And Caleb always said that too.
00:06:55I'd be lost without you.
00:06:58I used to think that was proof of how much we meant to each other.
00:07:03Looking back now, I was just the friend who always picked up on the first ring.
00:07:08And when he needed a sacrifice to impress another girl and buy his way into a cooler crowd,
00:07:14I, the most convenient, most useful, least troublesome person in his life,
00:07:20was the offering he didn't even hesitate to make.
00:07:33That's Caleb for you.
00:07:35His whole life, whenever he got himself into trouble, he never once faced it himself.
00:07:39He sent me, or he sent his mom.
00:07:42Mrs. Bennett, can I help you?
00:07:46Oh, thank God.
00:07:48Avery, where are you right now?
00:07:53Caleb said you skipped class today and wouldn't pick up.
00:07:57I've been worried sick.
00:08:00Did you two have a fight?
00:08:01We didn't fight.
00:08:03Then what is going on?
00:08:05Caleb told me everything.
00:08:07It was just a little joke.
00:08:09At the assembly, he snipped a bit of your hair, that's all.
00:08:15Boys will be boys.
00:08:17They don't think these things through.
00:08:19It'll grow back.
00:08:22Small?
00:08:23Don't let something this small derail your studies.
00:08:27Get back to school, sweetheart.
00:08:29I let her finish.
00:08:31Quietly.
00:08:32So that's what it was to all of them.
00:08:35A harmless little joke.
00:08:38Mrs. Bennett, I withdrawn.
00:08:50Avery, don't you joke about that.
00:08:53I'm not joking.
00:08:55The paperwork is done.
00:08:57I'm on the train home right now.
00:08:59Why?
00:09:00Because Caleb cut a little of your hair?
00:09:03Over something that small?
00:09:05Really?
00:09:06Really?
00:09:07Do you have any idea what your parents sacrificed to put you through college?
00:09:11You and Caleb grew up together.
00:09:13Our families have known each other for-
00:09:14Like mother, like son.
00:09:16They even use the same lines.
00:09:18Mrs. Bennett, I'm tired.
00:09:21When I get home, I'll explain everything to my parents myself.
00:09:32There was no place for me there anymore.
00:09:34That's fine.
00:09:36Better to start over than to die slowly in a swamp.
00:09:44The same streets.
00:09:46The same diner.
00:09:47The same church bells.
00:09:50Everything exactly as I'd left it.
00:09:52Only I had changed.
00:09:54Completely.
00:10:04Avery?
00:10:06What are you doing home?
00:10:09Shouldn't you be at school?
00:10:15What happened to your hair?
00:10:18And what's with the suitcase?
00:10:25I withdraw from school.
00:10:27Those words went off like a bomb in the middle of our living room.
00:10:34What?
00:10:36You did what?
00:10:38Why?
00:10:39We worked ourselves to the bone to send you to college so you could throw your future away.
00:10:48Is this about Caleb?
00:10:50Clearly, Mrs. Bennett's call had beaten me home.
00:10:53His mother just called and said,
00:10:55You two had some misunderstanding at school, and you stormed off?
00:11:00Friends fight.
00:11:02It happens.
00:11:03You've known each other your whole lives.
00:11:06Whatever it is, can't you just talk it out?
00:11:08Running home over something this small?
00:11:11Talking about dropping out?
00:11:14What are the neighbors going to think?
00:11:16What are the Bennettsons going to think of you?
00:11:19There it was again.
00:11:20Something this small.
00:11:23Dad, Mom, look at my hair.
00:11:27Really look at it.
00:11:28I didn't cut this.
00:11:30No salon cut this.
00:11:31This happened at the freshman talent show.
00:11:34In front of thousands of students and faculty.
00:11:38Caleb held me down with his own hands.
00:11:42While a girl named Bailey took scissors to my hair.
00:11:46One cut at a time.
00:11:54The whole auditorium was laughing, cheering.
00:11:57And Caleb, the boy you watched grow up,
00:12:00the boy you always thought was such a good kid,
00:12:04stood right behind me, laughing louder than anyone.
00:12:08How could he do that?
00:12:11He was my best friend.
00:12:13And to him, I was a joke.
00:12:15I can't stay at that school.
00:12:18I can't see him every day.
00:12:20And I can't face the people
00:12:23who watched me get humiliated.
00:12:26Nothing and pretend nothing happened.
00:12:28So I withdrawn.
00:12:29This isn't a tantrum.
00:12:31It isn't a joke.
00:12:32It's my decision.
00:12:34And the paperwork is already done.
00:12:36I didn't come home to ask your permission.
00:12:39I came home to tell you.
00:12:52Every voice.
00:12:54Every stare.
00:12:55I shut it all outside that door.
00:12:57I knew it was harsh.
00:12:59From now on, nobody runs my life but me.
00:13:09Tell me the withdrawal isn't real.
00:13:12Avery, pick up.
00:13:13Please.
00:13:13You can't do this to me.
00:13:15To me.
00:13:16Even now, it was still all about him.
00:13:18Maya, a classmate of ours.
00:13:19Mine and Caleb's.
00:13:20Avery, Caleb just tore out of the school gates like a madman.
00:13:23Word is his dad called and ordered him home.
00:13:25Apparently, he sounded terrifying.
00:13:27Are you okay?
00:13:28I'm fine.
00:13:30Let him go.
00:13:33Avery, you finally picked up.
00:13:35The withdrawal isn't real, right?
00:13:37You're just trying to scare me, right?
00:13:40It's real.
00:13:41Are you insane?
00:13:42My dad just ordered me home.
00:13:44Do you have any idea what's going to happen to me?
00:13:46That's your problem.
00:13:47Avery, just listen to me.
00:13:52Hello?
00:13:53Yes, it's true.
00:13:55She withdraw.
00:13:59Apologizes.
00:14:00Don't apologize to me.
00:14:02I'm not the one your son held down on that stage.
00:14:05In front of thousands of people, Bennett.
00:14:07Thousands.
00:14:09No.
00:14:11Whether she goes back is her decision.
00:14:14Hers alone.
00:14:15How you deal with your son.
00:14:17Ground him.
00:14:19Whip him.
00:14:20I don't care.
00:14:22That's your business.
00:14:23Nothing changes on our end.
00:14:26Mr. Bennett?
00:14:29Hmm.
00:14:30What did he say?
00:14:31He says he owes you an answer for this.
00:14:34And that after all these years of friendship, our family shouldn't end up this way.
00:14:39Friendship.
00:14:41Funny.
00:14:42Where was the friendship when his son was holding me down?
00:14:48Exactly right.
00:14:50Which is why I hung up on him.
00:14:56Yes?
00:15:00He knows he was wrong.
00:15:02He really does.
00:15:03His father slapped him tonight.
00:15:06Actually slapped him.
00:15:08That man has never laid a finger on that boy in his life.
00:15:17Please just let him apologize to Avery face to face.
00:15:22I'm begging you.
00:15:24That's not my call.
00:15:26That's Avery's.
00:15:27And after what your son did, I wouldn't hold my breath.
00:15:30We're sending him over right now.
00:15:32Please don't shut us out completely.
00:15:34Whether he comes is your business.
00:15:37Whether that door opens is ours.
00:15:42They're sending Caleb over to apologize.
00:15:44If you don't want to see him, I'll lock that door.
00:15:47And it stays locked.
00:15:49I don't care who knocks.
00:15:51Don't lock it.
00:15:53Let him kneel.
00:15:55Let him cry.
00:15:56Whatever he wants.
00:15:58It won't change a thing.
00:16:02Let him come.
00:16:04Good.
00:16:05There are a few things I'd like to ask that little bastard to his face.
00:16:08His father slapped him.
00:16:10In 18 years, I had never once seen Mr. Bennett raise his hand.
00:16:13So even Caleb's own father knew this was never a joke.
00:16:17I knew that car.
00:16:18I'd ridden in it a hundred times.
00:16:20The Bennett car.
00:16:30Who is it?
00:16:31Mrs. Ross.
00:16:33It's me.
00:16:33Caleb.
00:16:34Avery.
00:16:35I came to see Avery.
00:16:37To apologize.
00:16:40You've got some nerve showing up here.
00:16:43Mr. Ross.
00:16:44Mrs. Ross.
00:16:44Please.
00:16:45Let me see Avery.
00:16:49I know I was wrong.
00:16:50I swear I know I was wrong.
00:16:55His voice was choked.
00:16:57Thick with regret.
00:17:00But I knew better.
00:17:03That was just the panic every selfish person feels the moment they realize they're about
00:17:07to lose something.
00:17:09In the end, the door opened anyway.
00:17:12Maybe my parents wanted to ask him to his face.
00:17:14How could he do this to me?
00:17:17Where's Avery?
00:17:18She doesn't want to see you.
00:17:27Avery!
00:17:30Back up.
00:17:32Stay away from my daughter.
00:17:42Avery, come on.
00:17:43Don't be mad, okay?
00:17:45Last night, I was a jerk.
00:17:47I screwed up.
00:17:48It was just a joke.
00:17:50You...
00:17:51I never thought you'd take it so seriously.
00:17:54I...
00:17:56A joke?
00:18:02Caleb.
00:18:04In front of thousands of people.
00:18:06To impress another girl.
00:18:10You held my shoulders down and let her destroy the hair I'd grown for years, like she was tearing
00:18:19apart a toy.
00:18:20You ground my dignity into the floor and let the whole school laugh at me.
00:18:25And now you stand here?
00:18:28And now you stand here?
00:18:28And tell me it was a joke?
00:18:35But every word landed on Caleb like a nail through wood.
00:18:40I...
00:18:40I didn't mean it, Bailey.
00:18:42It's just...
00:18:43Bailey, she...
00:18:45You just wanted into her circle.
00:18:47Right?
00:18:50So you needed to pay the entrance fee.
00:18:52Proof of loyalty.
00:18:56And me.
00:18:59The girl who'd followed you for 18 years.
00:19:03The most obedient.
00:19:05Most useful.
00:19:07Least likely to fight back.
00:19:10I made the perfect sacrifice.
00:19:20The clearer I spelled it out, the worse Caleb looked.
00:19:23His eyes darted everywhere.
00:19:25He was finally, truly panicking.
00:19:27That's not it, Avery.
00:19:3018 years.
00:19:31Doesn't that outweigh one mistake?
00:19:35You dropped out.
00:19:36What about your parents?
00:19:38What about mine?
00:19:40What about our families?
00:19:42Shut your mouth!
00:19:44You dare bring up 18 years?
00:19:47When you were treating Avery like your family's trophy.
00:19:51Like a rung on your social ladder.
00:19:55Did you think about those 18 years then?
00:19:59But now that she won't play along anymore,
00:20:02suddenly you remember 18 years?
00:20:04What you did to my daughter was not a joke.
00:20:07It was humiliation.
00:20:09It was bullying.
00:20:11Get out.
00:20:13You are not welcome here.
00:20:15Avery has made her decision.
00:20:16And no one is going to pressure her out of it.
00:20:20Caleb completely fell apart.
00:20:22With my whole family standing against him,
00:20:25he knew talking wasn't going to save him.
00:20:27Avery, I'm begging you.
00:20:29Come back to school with me!
00:20:34I know I was wrong.
00:20:36Look, I'm on my knees.
00:20:38If you come back, I'll do anything you want.
00:20:43You can't drop out.
00:20:44My dad will kill me!
00:20:46He cried.
00:20:48Ugly, desperate crying.
00:20:50But this wasn't remorse.
00:20:52He was just terrified of his father's punishment.
00:20:54Nothing more.
00:20:56I looked down at him, kneeling on our floor.
00:20:59This person I once believed would matter most in my entire life.
00:21:03And in that moment,
00:21:04the last flicker of warmth in me went out.
00:21:06For good.
00:21:08Caleb dropped the cheap theatrics.
00:21:10Your kneeling is like your apology.
00:21:12It just makes me sick.
00:21:13Dad, Mom, throw him out.
00:21:17I never want to see this person again as long as I live.
00:21:23Outside, my parents' furious voices driving him out.
00:21:27Caleb's desperate wailing and begging.
00:21:29And then, everything ended with one heavy slam of the front door.
00:21:33The world was finally quiet.
00:21:37Avery, come sit.
00:21:39I walked over and sat down across from them.
00:21:43Sweetheart,
00:21:45this is on us.
00:21:47You walked through that door,
00:21:48and before we even asked what happened,
00:21:50we blamed you.
00:21:55We never imagined
00:21:56that Caleb
00:21:57could be that kind of monster.
00:21:59For the first time,
00:22:01they were truly on my side.
00:22:07You went through all of that?
00:22:09Why didn't you tell us sooner?
00:22:12If I had, what then?
00:22:15It blows up.
00:22:16The whole town finds out.
00:22:18And then what?
00:22:18I stay at that school,
00:22:20drowning in everyone's pity and gossip,
00:22:22watching Caleb and Bailey walk past me
00:22:24every single day.
00:22:25But you worked so hard to get into that school.
00:22:27Which is exactly why I couldn't stay there
00:22:29and rot.
00:22:31Withdrawing isn't a tantrum.
00:22:32It's cutting my losses.
00:22:33So what's your plan?
00:22:34I take a gap year and reapply.
00:22:37And this time,
00:22:38I don't pick a school because of Caleb.
00:22:40I go to the city I actually want.
00:22:42I study what I actually love.
00:22:44No Caleb.
00:22:45No familiar faces.
00:22:46A clean start.
00:22:48Where do you want to go?
00:22:50New York.
00:22:53If I can pull it off,
00:22:54Columbia.
00:22:56Dad stared at me for a long time,
00:22:58like he was checking whether this was just impulse talking.
00:23:00You're sure about this?
00:23:02I'm sure.
00:23:03This time,
00:23:04I'm living for myself.
00:23:07Just once.
00:23:09But redoing a whole year,
00:23:10that's a lot of pressure.
00:23:12Are you sure you can handle it?
00:23:13I handled the last 18 years.
00:23:16I can handle one more.
00:23:19Panic slowly faded from Mom's eyes.
00:23:21Dad's face finally softened.
00:23:22Good.
00:23:25That's my girl.
00:23:27You want to reapply?
00:23:28You reapply.
00:23:29The money,
00:23:30the logistics,
00:23:31leave that to your mom and me.
00:23:34I'm with you too, honey.
00:23:36Our Avery is brilliant.
00:23:37One more shot,
00:23:38and you'll land somewhere even better.
00:23:46Hello?
00:23:47Mom listened for about two seconds,
00:23:49and her face went dark.
00:23:53Your son did this,
00:23:56and you have the nerve to call it a joke?
00:23:59He crushed my daughter's dignity
00:24:02in front of the entire school,
00:24:04and that's a joke to you?
00:24:07My daughter has already withdrawn and come home.
00:24:11As of today,
00:24:13whatever our family's had,
00:24:14it's over!
00:24:18And from that moment on,
00:24:20I was no longer weathering this storm alone.
00:24:23You hear that?
00:24:25From now on,
00:24:27nobody pressures you into anything.
00:24:30Nobody.
00:24:31Nobody.
00:24:33Okay.
00:24:36And my real comeback?
00:24:37It was only just beginning.
00:24:45Once the gap year was decided,
00:24:47Dad started clearing out the study for me,
00:24:48and Mom started researching new schedules
00:24:50and brain food recipes.
00:24:52As for me,
00:24:53I got to work erasing
00:24:55what that night had left on my body.
00:24:57First order of business,
00:24:58the hair.
00:24:59Oh my God, Avery.
00:25:01What happened to your hair?
00:25:04This isn't a haircut.
00:25:05This is a hair massacre.
00:25:07The hair Bailey and Caleb had destroyed together
00:25:09stuck out in ragged clumps.
00:25:11A badge of shame in broad daylight.
00:25:14How about I clean it up a little?
00:25:15Try to save some length?
00:25:17No.
00:25:19Take it all off.
00:25:22The shorter, the better.
00:25:24You're sure?
00:25:25Once it's gone,
00:25:26there's no going back.
00:25:28Mm, good.
00:25:29I don't want to go back.
00:25:31She gave me one look
00:25:33and didn't argue.
00:25:37The scissors worked around my ears,
00:25:40snip after snip,
00:25:41fine hair drifting to the floor.
00:25:44This time,
00:25:45I wasn't afraid,
00:25:46and I wasn't mourning it either.
00:25:48It felt incredible,
00:25:50like every last trace of that night's shame
00:25:52was being cut away,
00:25:53piece by piece.
00:25:54All done.
00:25:55Take a look.
00:25:58I looked up at the stranger in the mirror,
00:26:00sharp,
00:26:01clear-eyed,
00:26:02and for a second,
00:26:03I barely recognized myself.
00:26:06Clean,
00:26:07strong.
00:26:08It suits you.
00:26:09You look brighter.
00:26:11Even your eyes look different.
00:26:15Thank you.
00:26:17From the salon,
00:26:18I went straight to the bookstore and the library
00:26:20and hauled at home everything I'd need to reapply.
00:26:23SSEAT,
00:26:24AT,
00:26:24AP,
00:26:25SO guides,
00:26:25literature,
00:26:26writing drills,
00:26:27every last one.
00:26:31A text from Maya.
00:26:33The school forum is on fire.
00:26:35Everyone's tearing into Kaleid.
00:26:36They're saying he's lost his mind.
00:26:37Some people are saying you overreacted, though.
00:26:39It's just hair.
00:26:40Blah, blah.
00:26:44I read it all calmly
00:26:46and felt nothing.
00:26:47Their fights,
00:26:49their excuses,
00:26:50their picking sides.
00:26:52It was all happening in a world
00:26:53I no longer lived in.
00:26:56Are you okay?
00:26:58I'm fine.
00:27:00Don't worry about me.
00:27:02I'm prepping to reapply.
00:27:05I'm going to go live my new life.
00:27:09I sent it,
00:27:11then flipped my phone to do not disturb.
00:27:19The afternoon sun landed on my shoulders.
00:27:22The bag was heavy.
00:27:23Really heavy.
00:27:25But for the first time,
00:27:27the weight didn't feel like a burden.
00:27:28It felt like solid ground.
00:27:30My name is Aver.
00:27:32I'm 18.
00:27:34I am nobody's sidekick anymore
00:27:36and nobody's sacrifice.
00:27:38I'm a gap year student
00:27:40and proud of it.
00:27:42My new life starts today.
00:27:46From that day on,
00:27:48my life became beautifully simple.
00:27:50Three things.
00:27:52Study.
00:27:53Apply.
00:27:55Get out of this town.
00:27:56Run.
00:27:57Shower.
00:27:58Breakfast.
00:27:59Library.
00:28:00A quick lunch at home.
00:28:01Drills all afternoon.
00:28:03Then error tiles and application files at night.
00:28:05My days were carved into blocks.
00:28:07Mechanical, repetitive,
00:28:09and steadier than anything I'd ever known.
00:28:11I sat in my usual seat.
00:28:13SAT and ACT prep,
00:28:15literature and writing drills
00:28:16fanned out in front of me.
00:28:17This year I wasn't covering for anyone.
00:28:19I wasn't orbiting anyone.
00:28:21The only person I answered to was me.
00:28:23Avery, your fundamentals are even stronger than I expected.
00:28:27Keep this pace
00:28:28and your application next year will be seriously competitive.
00:28:32I'm not slowing down.
00:28:36Then remember one thing.
00:28:39From this moment on,
00:28:42don't waste
00:28:44a single ounce of attention
00:28:46on people who don't matter.
00:28:50Your one and only job
00:28:52is to get yourself
00:28:53somewhere better.
00:28:55I nodded.
00:28:56Honestly,
00:28:57I didn't need the reminder.
00:28:58I already knew.
00:29:02The forum's still going at it.
00:29:04Kaylee is officially the school joke now.
00:29:07Bailey's getting dragged too.
00:29:09I read it without so much
00:29:10as a change in expression.
00:29:12Let them.
00:29:15That's another world now.
00:29:20Outside,
00:29:21the sky darkened bit by bit.
00:29:23One wave of people left the library.
00:29:25Another came in.
00:29:27I never looked up.
00:29:31I used to feel like my life was tied to Caleb's,
00:29:33like a boat lashed to his dock.
00:29:37Now I finally understood.
00:29:38The only thing that was ever going to pull me out
00:29:41in affection start jujuli promise
00:29:42was wasn't someone's affection
00:29:44or someone's promise.
00:29:49It was me.
00:29:51From here on,
00:29:52my world got smaller and smaller,
00:29:54down to a desk,
00:29:55a lamp,
00:29:57a stack of practice tests,
00:29:59and one goal,
00:30:00sharper every day.
00:30:03I'm winning my life back.
00:30:09While I buried myself in the library,
00:30:12Caleb and Bailey's world
00:30:13was quietly caving in.
00:30:15That's him, right?
00:30:17The guy who held a girl down
00:30:19and cut her hair
00:30:20in front of everyone?
00:30:21Everybody knows about Avery dropping out
00:30:23by now.
00:30:26When Caleb walked into the cafeteria,
00:30:28the noise dipped for a beat.
00:30:30And then the whispers started.
00:30:32Hushed just enough,
00:30:34pitched just loud enough
00:30:35to make sure he heard every word.
00:30:36What are you looking at?
00:30:38Don't you people have anything better to do?
00:30:41Bailey,
00:30:42we need to talk.
00:30:44We have nothing to talk about.
00:30:45Things have completely blown up.
00:30:48Wash your hands.
00:30:49You can't just wash your hands of this.
00:30:51You!
00:30:52You're the one who said I had my past
00:30:53to cut ties with my past.
00:30:55You said I had to prove myself.
00:30:57Bailey finally looked up.
00:30:58The way you'd look at something
00:31:00stuck to your shoe.
00:31:01Caleb,
00:31:02you being an idiot
00:31:04is not my problem.
00:31:05I say jump
00:31:06and you actually jump?
00:31:08That's on you
00:31:08for not having a brain.
00:31:10So now you're pinning
00:31:11all of it on me?
00:31:12Avery dropped out!
00:31:13My dad's about to lose it!
00:31:15Sounds like a you problem.
00:31:17Oh, and
00:31:19stay away from me.
00:31:20The whole school thinks
00:31:21we're a thing now.
00:31:23It's disgusting.
00:31:27Caleb stood there,
00:31:28face cycling from red to white.
00:31:31I guess that was the moment
00:31:32he finally realized
00:31:33the crowd he'd sold his soul
00:31:35to get into
00:31:35had never once considered him
00:31:37one of them.
00:31:38You still want to show your face
00:31:39at school?
00:31:40When you walk out that door,
00:31:43you think they see you?
00:31:45They see the joke
00:31:47the Bennett family raised!
00:31:50I'm dealing
00:31:51with enough already!
00:31:54Can you two just
00:31:55get off my back?
00:31:57Off your back?
00:31:59You
00:31:59did this!
00:32:01You!
00:32:03The Rosses
00:32:04won't even take our calls!
00:32:06We can't hold our heads up
00:32:08anywhere in this town!
00:32:17Avery, you're up another 20 points
00:32:19from last time.
00:32:21At this rate,
00:32:22you'll blow past
00:32:23your own high school best
00:32:24in no time.
00:32:25I'm not stopping.
00:32:28Good.
00:32:32Bailey and Caleb
00:32:33just went full scorched earth
00:32:35in the cafeteria.
00:32:36The whole school's
00:32:37watching them impode.
00:32:38I glanced at it
00:32:39for two seconds,
00:32:40clicked the screen dark,
00:32:41and slid the phone away.
00:32:43Next practice set.
00:32:47I'd assumed that if I just
00:32:49never looked back,
00:32:50Caleb would eventually
00:32:50understand.
00:32:51We were done.
00:32:52I'd underestimated
00:32:53his selfishness.
00:32:54Wrinkled hoodie,
00:32:55way too thin,
00:32:57hair a mess,
00:32:58face gray.
00:32:59In just a few weeks,
00:33:00he'd gone from golden boy
00:33:01to someone I barely
00:33:02recognized.
00:33:03And looking at him,
00:33:04I felt nothing,
00:33:05except tired.
00:33:06Avery,
00:33:07stop right there!
00:33:08I've given you a week.
00:33:10I've been looking for you
00:33:10for weeks, right?
00:33:11What gives you the right
00:33:13to hide from me?
00:33:15I'm not hiding from you.
00:33:17I just have zero interest
00:33:19in seeing you.
00:33:21How long are you
00:33:22going to keep this up?
00:33:24The whole school
00:33:25is laughing at me.
00:33:26My parents are losing
00:33:27their minds
00:33:27because of you!
00:33:30I stopped,
00:33:31turned around,
00:33:32and almost laughed.
00:33:34Because of me?
00:33:36Caleb,
00:33:37did I hold the scissors
00:33:38to your head
00:33:39and force you
00:33:39to humiliate me?
00:33:40You.
00:33:41Did I grab your hands
00:33:42and make you serve me up
00:33:44as a sacrifice?
00:33:45That shut him up.
00:33:46His face got even uglier.
00:33:48I said I was wrong,
00:33:50okay?
00:33:51Why won't you
00:33:52just let this go?
00:33:54I have let it go.
00:33:56I've just stopped
00:33:57cleaning up
00:33:58your messes.
00:33:59You can't do this to me!
00:34:02Eighteen years,
00:34:03you're just going to
00:34:03throw that away?
00:34:05A security guard nearby
00:34:06heard and came right over.
00:34:09Is there a problem here?
00:34:11I don't know this man.
00:34:12He's harassing me.
00:34:14Caleb went rigid,
00:34:15like the words
00:34:16had physically slapped him.
00:34:18What did you just say?
00:34:20Avery,
00:34:21you don't know me?
00:34:22That's right.
00:34:24The moment you held me down
00:34:26and let another girl
00:34:27cut off my hair,
00:34:28I stopped knowing you.
00:34:30The guard stepped between us,
00:34:32his voice gone cold.
00:34:34Sir,
00:34:35you need to leave.
00:34:36Now.
00:34:38One more step
00:34:39and I'm reporting this
00:34:40as harassment.
00:34:42I just want to talk to her.
00:34:44She doesn't want to hear it.
00:34:46Back up.
00:34:47Now.
00:34:48I didn't give him
00:34:49another glance.
00:34:50I gathered my books
00:34:51and walked away.
00:34:52He was still shouting
00:34:53behind me.
00:34:54I never turned around.
00:34:56Avery!
00:34:56You'll regret this!
00:34:58I kept walking.
00:35:00The one with regrets
00:35:02was never going to be me.
00:35:06When I got home,
00:35:07Dad was on the phone
00:35:08with Mr. Bennett
00:35:10again.
00:35:11Bob,
00:35:12I'm begging you.
00:35:13Just have Avery
00:35:14call the school.
00:35:15If she says the withdrawal
00:35:16was a misunderstanding,
00:35:17if she comes back,
00:35:18maybe they'll still lift
00:35:19Caleb's disciplinary record.
00:35:20Mr. Bennett's voice
00:35:21was low and ragged.
00:35:23Every trace of his old dignity
00:35:24gone.
00:35:25My daughter's life
00:35:26is her decision.
00:35:28Nobody makes her do
00:35:29anything she doesn't
00:35:30want to do.
00:35:33Nobody.
00:35:33But Caleb showed up
00:35:35at the school today
00:35:36in scene
00:35:37and caused a scene.
00:35:39He already violated
00:35:40the no contact order.
00:35:41The school says
00:35:42if this keeps up,
00:35:43he'll lose his enrollment
00:35:44entirely.
00:35:46Bob,
00:35:46I'm not asking for myself.
00:35:48I'm a father
00:35:49begging for his son.
00:35:50I sat curled
00:35:51in the corner of the couch,
00:35:52listening quietly,
00:35:53going colder by the second.
00:35:54Even now,
00:35:55they weren't thinking
00:35:56about how badly
00:35:57I'd been hurt.
00:35:58They were thinking
00:35:59about how to bail
00:35:59Caleb out.
00:36:01Your son's future
00:36:03is the Bennett family's
00:36:04problem.
00:36:06My daughter's dignity
00:36:07is the Ross family's life.
00:36:09But our families,
00:36:10all these years,
00:36:11as of today,
00:36:13our families
00:36:15are done.
00:36:17In that instant,
00:36:18I could almost see
00:36:20Mr. Bennett
00:36:20gripping the receiver,
00:36:22his face going gray.
00:36:24Bob,
00:36:25you'd really burn it all down?
00:36:27Just like that?
00:36:29We're not the ones
00:36:30who burned it down.
00:36:32Your son did that.
00:36:33All by himself.
00:36:36Avery has withdrawn
00:36:37and come home.
00:36:38She's going to reapply.
00:36:41She's going to have
00:36:41a new life.
00:36:43Leave her alone.
00:36:44All of you.
00:36:45And with that,
00:36:46Mom hung up.
00:36:47Dad sank back
00:36:48into the couch
00:36:49and let out a long breath.
00:36:51Mom's eyes were rimmed red,
00:36:52but this time,
00:36:53no tears fell.
00:36:55From today on,
00:36:56nobody mentions
00:36:57the Bennetts in this house.
00:36:58Their problems
00:36:59are not our problems.
00:37:01Not anymore.
00:37:03Okay.
00:37:04I knew that decision
00:37:05cost him
00:37:06decades of being neighbors,
00:37:08half a lifetime
00:37:09of friendship,
00:37:10severed in one night,
00:37:11like carving a piece
00:37:12of flesh out of the past.
00:37:14But I also knew
00:37:15it had to be done,
00:37:16because otherwise
00:37:17there would always be
00:37:18someone who believed
00:37:19my giving in was expected,
00:37:21that my patience
00:37:21came free.
00:37:24The second I walked in,
00:37:26I knew something was wrong.
00:37:28On the coffee table
00:37:29sat a pack of cigarettes.
00:37:31Dad had quit
00:37:32almost ten years ago.
00:37:33What happened?
00:37:34Dad looked up at me,
00:37:36his eyes heavy.
00:37:37It's all over town.
00:37:40Mr. Bennett,
00:37:41he's in the hospital.
00:37:44That night,
00:37:45after he called us,
00:37:46he went home
00:37:48and got into
00:37:49a screaming match
00:37:50with Caleb.
00:37:51He had a stroke
00:37:53right there
00:37:54in the living room.
00:37:54They saved him,
00:37:56but
00:37:57half his body's paralyzed.
00:38:00Mrs. Bennett's been running
00:38:01between the hospital
00:38:02and the house
00:38:03for days.
00:38:05She's barely
00:38:05holding together.
00:38:07I stood in the living room
00:38:08and listened.
00:38:09Calmly,
00:38:10very little moved in me.
00:38:12Some was their sympathy,
00:38:14some,
00:38:15but nowhere near enough
00:38:17to make me turn back.
00:38:18Avery,
00:38:19I know this has nothing
00:38:19to do with us,
00:38:23but we were neighbors
00:38:24for decades.
00:38:25Your mom and I
00:38:26were thinking,
00:38:27should we at least
00:38:28stop by the hospital?
00:38:30We can't.
00:38:33Why not?
00:38:34Because the moment
00:38:35we show up,
00:38:36we're telling them
00:38:37we've gone soft.
00:38:40they won't feel grateful.
00:38:42They'll feel relieved
00:38:43because it means
00:38:45we're still
00:38:46willing
00:38:47to clean up
00:38:48their messes.
00:38:50But the man's
00:38:51in the hospital.
00:38:52I know,
00:38:53but Mr. Bennett's
00:38:54stroke
00:38:54us
00:38:55isn't on us.
00:38:58It's the bill
00:38:59for what Caleb did,
00:39:00and Caleb has
00:39:01to pay it.
00:39:03If we go over
00:39:04there now,
00:39:05they will take
00:39:06Caleb's future,
00:39:07the wreckage
00:39:08of the Bennett family,
00:39:10and every last
00:39:11consequences
00:39:12of that humiliation,
00:39:13and pile it all
00:39:15right
00:39:15back
00:39:17onto me.
00:39:18Dad went silent.
00:39:19So did Mom.
00:39:21I am done
00:39:23paying his bills.
00:39:24Never again.
00:39:26Not once.
00:39:32Avery,
00:39:33you've grown up.
00:39:34I'm the one
00:39:35who wasn't
00:39:35thinking straight.
00:39:37A minute ago,
00:39:38I was actually
00:39:40wondering if we could
00:39:41all slowly patch
00:39:42things up.
00:39:43There's no patching
00:39:45this.
00:39:46Some things,
00:39:47once they're crushed,
00:39:49never fit back
00:39:50together.
00:39:54In my study group,
00:39:56everyone was grinding,
00:39:58reapplying,
00:39:59transferring,
00:40:00clawing their way
00:40:01to a comeback.
00:40:03And in the seat
00:40:04next to mine
00:40:05sat a boy,
00:40:06always quiet,
00:40:07never once slacking.
00:40:15His name was
00:40:17Lucas.
00:40:22The quiet boy
00:40:23in the next seat
00:40:24started showing up
00:40:25in my line of sight
00:40:26more and more often.
00:40:27His name was Lucas.
00:40:29His target was MIT'd.
00:40:31He barely talked,
00:40:33but he tore through
00:40:34problem packs
00:40:35at a terrifying speed.
00:40:37One day,
00:40:38I got stuck
00:40:38on a calculus problem.
00:40:41When I came back
00:40:42from the water fountain,
00:40:43there were a few
00:40:44clean, elegant lines
00:40:45sketched next
00:40:45to my scratch work.
00:40:47Did you write this?
00:40:49Hmm.
00:40:51Your approach
00:40:52was right.
00:40:53You just took
00:40:54the scenic route
00:40:55on the last step.
00:40:57I looked down.
00:40:58It took me
00:40:59ten seconds
00:40:59to see it.
00:41:00When I looked up,
00:41:01he was already
00:41:02back in his own work
00:41:03like nothing had happened.
00:41:05Thanks.
00:41:07Just don't lose
00:41:08to me next time.
00:41:09I blinked.
00:41:10Then I laughed.
00:41:12That was our
00:41:12first real conversation.
00:41:14The next day,
00:41:15he got stuck
00:41:16on a chemical
00:41:17synthesis problem.
00:41:18I wrote the
00:41:19solution path
00:41:20on a sticky note
00:41:21and slid it over
00:41:21to his side.
00:41:23Quietly.
00:41:27Is this a
00:41:27declaration of war?
00:41:29Something like that.
00:41:31Fine.
00:41:32Next mock exam.
00:41:34Winner takes
00:41:35bragging rights.
00:41:36After that,
00:41:37we almost never
00:41:38made small talk.
00:41:39We spoke in
00:41:40problem sets.
00:41:41We argued
00:41:41in test scores.
00:41:42One week,
00:41:43he'd beat me
00:41:44by ten points.
00:41:46The next,
00:41:47I'd claw back
00:41:48five.
00:41:49And then one week,
00:41:50I blew right
00:41:51past his total score.
00:41:53Avery,
00:41:54you're incredible.
00:41:55You got first.
00:41:57I looked up
00:41:58and the whole
00:41:59study room
00:42:00was looking back
00:42:00at me.
00:42:01Lucas looked over
00:42:02too,
00:42:02waving his score sheet,
00:42:03face perfectly neutral,
00:42:05but he was not
00:42:06taking it well.
00:42:07Don't get comfortable.
00:42:08I'm taking it
00:42:09back next time.
00:42:11Go ahead
00:42:12and try.
00:42:14Professor Brown
00:42:15called me over
00:42:15soon after.
00:42:17Avery,
00:42:191580.
00:42:20That's 150 points
00:42:22over your high school best.
00:42:24Keep this trajectory
00:42:25and your application
00:42:27next year
00:42:27is going to be beautiful.
00:42:29Holding that score report,
00:42:31I felt a kind of happiness
00:42:32with actual weight to it
00:42:34for the first time.
00:42:36Not the featherlight buzz
00:42:38of someone's compliment,
00:42:40but the certainty
00:42:41that piece by piece,
00:42:42I really was
00:42:43winning my life back.
00:42:49What did you get?
00:42:511580.
00:42:53Oh, my God.
00:42:56That's my girl!
00:42:57The best there is!
00:42:59To hell with Caleb.
00:43:01To hell with state.
00:43:03Next year,
00:43:04we're aiming
00:43:04for the top.
00:43:06I looked down
00:43:07at the score report
00:43:08in my hands
00:43:09and suddenly
00:43:10it felt like
00:43:11those days
00:43:11of being stepped on
00:43:12were truly drifting away
00:43:14behind me.
00:43:19I assumed that once
00:43:20I'd poured everything
00:43:21back into my own life,
00:43:23the aftershocks
00:43:24of that night
00:43:24would finally fade.
00:43:26Then Maya texted again.
00:43:29Have you heard?
00:43:31Bailey's completely losing it.
00:43:33Her disciplinary record
00:43:35killed her scholarship
00:43:36and now nobody at school
00:43:37wants anything to do with her.
00:43:39I read it in silence.
00:43:41And the cafeteria today.
00:43:43Oh, my God.
00:43:46Caleb went to ask her for money.
00:43:48Wanted her to put in
00:43:49a good word for him.
00:43:51Bailey called him
00:43:52a loser to his face.
00:43:54Said if it weren't for him,
00:43:55her reputation
00:43:56wouldn't be trashed.
00:43:57My finger hovered
00:43:58over the screen.
00:43:59My breathing stayed even.
00:44:02And then Caleb snapped.
00:44:04He shouted it
00:44:05in the middle
00:44:06of the cafeteria.
00:44:08He said the whole thing,
00:44:10the humiliation,
00:44:11the haircut,
00:44:13was Bailey's idea
00:44:15from the start.
00:44:17She told him
00:44:18he had to cut ties
00:44:19with his past completely
00:44:22and that using you
00:44:23as the knife
00:44:24would be his proof of loyalty.
00:44:28So that night,
00:44:29I wasn't the only one
00:44:30laid out on that altar.
00:44:32There was also Caleb's
00:44:34sad, cheap little pride.
00:44:38He handed Bailey the knife,
00:44:40willingly,
00:44:41just to get into her circle.
00:44:43And Bailey happily took it,
00:44:45then turned around
00:44:46and buried it in his back.
00:44:48Are you okay?
00:44:50I'm fine.
00:44:53I thought you'd be furious.
00:44:56There's some anger,
00:44:58but mostly it's just
00:45:01pathetic.
00:45:06You're not going
00:45:06to do anything?
00:45:10I don't need to.
00:45:14They're already
00:45:15destroying each other.
00:45:20I set the phone down
00:45:21and looked out the window.
00:45:23The leaves outside the library
00:45:25were turning gold,
00:45:26shaking loose
00:45:27with every gust of wind.
00:45:30And something suddenly
00:45:32became clear.
00:45:33The old me would have asked
00:45:35over and over,
00:45:36why me?
00:45:39How could they do this to me?
00:45:43But now,
00:45:45with the truth
00:45:45sitting right in front of me,
00:45:48it didn't even hurt
00:45:49the way I thought it would.
00:45:51Because they simply
00:45:53didn't matter to me anymore.
00:46:01You're off today.
00:46:03Just some news
00:46:05from my old life.
00:46:08Need a break?
00:46:10No.
00:46:12I was just thinking
00:46:13about how I once
00:46:15let people like that
00:46:16wreck my entire life.
00:46:21And now?
00:46:24Now?
00:46:25Never again.
00:46:30I twisted open the coffee
00:46:31and turned back
00:46:32to my practice test.
00:46:35With a hundred days
00:46:36to the application deadline,
00:46:38my life had compressed
00:46:38into one straight line.
00:46:40Wake up,
00:46:41library,
00:46:41drills,
00:46:42essays,
00:46:43sleep.
00:46:43Then wake up
00:46:44and do it all again.
00:46:46Lucas and I traded
00:46:47the top two spots
00:46:48on the leaderboard
00:46:49week after week.
00:46:51That quiet,
00:46:52ruthless competition
00:46:53kept my head clearer
00:46:54than anything else could.
00:46:56Are you cashing in
00:46:58your sleep practice
00:46:58tests now?
00:46:59I'm fine.
00:47:01Sleeping in is pointless
00:47:03right now anyway.
00:47:04You're going to burn
00:47:05yourself out.
00:47:08Then I'll burn out
00:47:09after the applications
00:47:11are in.
00:47:15He looked at me
00:47:16for a moment,
00:47:17didn't push it,
00:47:18and slid over
00:47:18the extra energy bar
00:47:19he'd brought.
00:47:21At least eat this.
00:47:23Thanks.
00:47:24Tearing open
00:47:25the wrapper,
00:47:26it hit me.
00:47:27This kind of quiet,
00:47:29no-fuss care
00:47:30did more for me
00:47:31than any pep talk
00:47:32ever could.
00:47:36Mrs. Bennett.
00:47:38She was clutching
00:47:39cheap shopping bags
00:47:40worn nearly to shreds.
00:47:41Her hair had gone
00:47:42grey and wild.
00:47:43She looked
00:47:43twenty years older.
00:47:45Avery,
00:47:47it's really you.
00:47:49She took two steps
00:47:50towards me
00:47:50and her eyes
00:47:51instantly welled up.
00:47:52How have you been?
00:47:55You've lost
00:47:55so much weight.
00:47:57Is there something
00:47:58you need,
00:47:58Mrs. Bennett?
00:48:01Avery,
00:48:02I know our family
00:48:03failed you.
00:48:04Caleb,
00:48:05that stupid,
00:48:06stupid boy,
00:48:07he ruined everything.
00:48:10I'm apologizing
00:48:11for him,
00:48:11please.
00:48:13As she spoke,
00:48:14she actually reached out
00:48:15to grab the hen
00:48:16of my jacket.
00:48:18Don't.
00:48:19If there's nothing else,
00:48:20I'm going inside.
00:48:21Wait!
00:48:23Avery,
00:48:23please,
00:48:24I'm begging you!
00:48:25Her voice cracked
00:48:26into something shrill,
00:48:27like whatever had been
00:48:28holding her together
00:48:29finally gave way.
00:48:30My husband never
00:48:31recovered from the stroke.
00:48:33The medical bills
00:48:34have wiped us out.
00:48:35Caleb caused that scene
00:48:36at your school.
00:48:37The discipline
00:48:38never got lifted.
00:48:39He got into a fight
00:48:40at a frat party.
00:48:41He's been expelled.
00:48:44Officially.
00:48:47Now he just sits
00:48:48at home all day,
00:48:49drinking,
00:48:50breaking things,
00:48:51screaming that you
00:48:51destroyed his life.
00:48:56Avery,
00:48:56you used to care
00:48:57about him
00:48:58more than anyone.
00:49:00Help him,
00:49:01please.
00:49:02All you'd have to do
00:49:03is write the school
00:49:03a letter.
00:49:04Say you're withdrawing
00:49:05the complaint
00:49:06or that you left
00:49:07voluntarily.
00:49:08They might still
00:49:08take him back.
00:49:11I listened to all of it
00:49:12and all I felt
00:49:13was a cold,
00:49:15absurd clarity.
00:49:18Even now,
00:49:19even here,
00:49:20it never occurred
00:49:21to her to make
00:49:22her son answer
00:49:23for his own choices.
00:49:25She was still
00:49:26trying to pave
00:49:26his road
00:49:27with my life.
00:49:30Mrs. Bennett,
00:49:31you've got this
00:49:31all wrong.
00:49:33Caleb didn't end up
00:49:34here because of me.
00:49:36He ended up here
00:49:37because of every
00:49:37choice he made.
00:49:41And my life
00:49:42will never again
00:49:43be a stepping stone
00:49:45for anyone.
00:49:48Least of all him.
00:49:53Take care of yourself.
00:49:59I shut her
00:50:00sobbing outside
00:50:00the door,
00:50:01went up to my room
00:50:02and my eyes
00:50:03landed on the calendar
00:50:04on my desk.
00:50:06Application deadline
00:50:07circled in red.
00:50:10It's SAT day.
00:50:12Finally.
00:50:13Admission ticket,
00:50:14ID,
00:50:15pencils,
00:50:15calculator.
00:50:16I checked everything
00:50:17three times last night.
00:50:19Look it over once more
00:50:20yourself.
00:50:22Don't be nervous.
00:50:24Just do what you
00:50:25always do.
00:50:27Your mom and I
00:50:29will be right there
00:50:30in the parking lot
00:50:31when you come out.
00:50:32Looking down
00:50:33at the test supplies
00:50:34on the table,
00:50:35I had a strange
00:50:36moment of vertigo.
00:50:37A year ago,
00:50:38my entire life
00:50:40still revolved
00:50:40around Caleb.
00:50:42Now,
00:50:43everything I had
00:50:44was riding
00:50:44on this one test.
00:50:47I've got this.
00:50:53Move it!
00:50:55You space out
00:50:56one more time today?
00:50:58Don't bother
00:50:59coming back.
00:51:01Heard you used
00:51:02to be in college.
00:51:04How'd you end up here?
00:51:07None of your business.
00:51:16Where do you think
00:51:17you're going?
00:51:18Get back here!
00:51:21Familiar question types.
00:51:23Steady rhythm.
00:51:24Every early morning
00:51:25and late night
00:51:26in that library
00:51:27turned into pure confidence.
00:51:28Right here.
00:51:29Right now.
00:51:30Reading.
00:51:31Writing.
00:51:32Math.
00:51:32Page after page.
00:51:34I had never been
00:51:35this clear-headed
00:51:35in my life.
00:51:36Pencils down.
00:51:39I slowly set my pencil
00:51:40down and let out
00:51:41a long breath.
00:51:44It was over.
00:51:45The battle
00:51:46nearly crushed me.
00:51:48Finished.
00:51:52Outside the gate,
00:51:53I spotted mom
00:51:54and dad right away.
00:51:55And not far behind them,
00:51:56someone else.
00:51:58Caleb.
00:52:03Our eyes met in midair.
00:52:05His lit up for a second.
00:52:07Then there was nothing
00:52:08left in them
00:52:08but shame
00:52:09and a bitterness
00:52:10he couldn't swallow.
00:52:12Avery.
00:52:13He took half a step
00:52:14toward me,
00:52:15then stopped,
00:52:16like he'd suddenly
00:52:17remembered something.
00:52:18Maybe he finally understood.
00:52:20The person he was now
00:52:22had no right
00:52:22to stand in front of me.
00:52:26You finished the test?
00:52:28Hmm.
00:52:29You probably aced it.
00:52:31You always do.
00:52:33For the first time in ages,
00:52:35he wasn't defending himself,
00:52:36wasn't begging me
00:52:37to come back.
00:52:38But that little scrap
00:52:39of late-arriving peace
00:52:40meant nothing anymore.
00:52:44Auvran, I...
00:52:49How'd it go?
00:52:52Pretty well.
00:52:54That's all we need.
00:52:57Come on.
00:52:58Let's go home.
00:53:00I glanced back,
00:53:01just once.
00:53:05Caleb was still standing there
00:53:06in that grimy uniform,
00:53:08like something the whole world
00:53:09had left behind.
00:53:13The day scores came out,
00:53:15the house was more tense
00:53:16than test day itself.
00:53:21Why isn't it up yet?
00:53:24They said noon today,
00:53:25didn't they?
00:53:26Stop rushing her.
00:53:27The more you push,
00:53:29the more nervous she gets.
00:53:32Honestly,
00:53:33the nervous ones weren't me.
00:53:34They were them.
00:53:39I'd pushed myself
00:53:40to the absolute limit
00:53:41this year.
00:53:43And they'd been right there,
00:53:45grinding through
00:53:46every day
00:53:47of it with me.
00:53:55I logged in
00:53:56and opened
00:53:56my score report.
00:53:57Reading and writing,
00:53:58790.
00:53:59Math, 800.
00:54:00Total,
00:54:021590.
00:54:03Am I seeing that right?
00:54:05You're seeing it right.
00:54:071590!
00:54:07My daughter's a genius!
00:54:10My daughter's a genius!
00:54:15I knew it.
00:54:17I knew you could do it.
00:54:20And in that moment,
00:54:22I finally let go.
00:54:24Every ounce of hurt,
00:54:25rage,
00:54:26sleeplessness,
00:54:27and stubborn refusal
00:54:28to quit from this past year,
00:54:30it all finally had its answer.
00:54:34Teachers congratulating me,
00:54:37schools courting me,
00:54:38scholarship programs
00:54:39reaching out first.
00:54:40A handful of top schools
00:54:42on the East Coast
00:54:43even sent early likely letters.
00:54:45You see this?
00:54:47Giving up those chances
00:54:49for Caleb back then,
00:54:50it was never
00:54:52that you weren't good enough.
00:54:54It's that he never deserved you.
00:54:57This time,
00:54:58we're not looking
00:54:59at anyone else.
00:55:01Avery,
00:55:02you pick
00:55:03the one place
00:55:04you want most.
00:55:11I looked at that inbox
00:55:12full of offers,
00:55:13and I had never been
00:55:14more certain of anything.
00:55:17Columbia.
00:55:22I'm going to Columbia.
00:55:24English literature.
00:55:28Yes!
00:55:29This time,
00:55:30you're going
00:55:30exactly where you belong.
00:55:34And just as the air
00:55:35in the house
00:55:36finally started to lighten,
00:55:37a neighbor dropped by
00:55:39and brought up the Bennetts.
00:55:40You haven't heard?
00:55:42The Bennetts
00:55:43are about to go under.
00:55:45What happened?
00:55:46He never recovered
00:55:47from the stroke.
00:55:49The medical bills
00:55:50just keep piling up.
00:55:52She's working a register
00:55:53at the supermarket now.
00:55:55They're barely scraping by.
00:55:58Dad said nothing.
00:55:59His face just went flat.
00:56:01But Caleb's got it
00:56:03worst of all.
00:56:05After the expulsion,
00:56:06no decent place
00:56:07would hire him.
00:56:08He's boasting tables
00:56:10at that waffle joint
00:56:11out past the edge of town.
00:56:13Saw him a couple days ago.
00:56:15Skin and bones.
00:56:17Looked half homeless.
00:56:20I listened quietly.
00:56:22Not a single ripple.
00:56:24However he lives now,
00:56:26that's his life.
00:56:31Caleb!
00:56:32What are you staring at?
00:56:33Table four's still a mess.
00:56:35Move!
00:56:39He'd always assumed
00:56:41I would stay
00:56:41right where he left me.
00:56:43Always there.
00:56:45Always cleaning up
00:56:46after him.
00:56:48Now all he could do
00:56:49was stand in the grease
00:56:50and the scraps
00:56:51and watch himself rot.
00:56:57This summer,
00:56:58I'm leaving the town
00:56:59I've lived in
00:57:00for 18 years.
00:57:01New York.
00:57:03Columbia.
00:57:04The life that was
00:57:05always supposed to be mine.
00:57:07And Caleb will stay behind,
00:57:09locked forever in the past
00:57:11he destroyed
00:57:11with his own two hands.
00:57:15The day I left town,
00:57:17mom and dad
00:57:18were busier than I was.
00:57:20New York weather
00:57:21is all over the place.
00:57:22Did you pack enough jackets?
00:57:24And the medicine?
00:57:25Stomach meds,
00:57:26cold meds,
00:57:27band-aids,
00:57:28all in there?
00:57:30She's going to college,
00:57:31not surviving
00:57:32in the wilderness.
00:57:33Keep stuffing
00:57:34and that suitcase
00:57:35is going to detonate.
00:57:37So what?
00:57:38My daughter is going
00:57:39that far away,
00:57:40alone.
00:57:42Let me over-prepare
00:57:44in peace.
00:57:47Watching the two of them,
00:57:49my nose suddenly sting.
00:57:52A year ago,
00:57:53I dragged a suitcase
00:57:54through that door
00:57:55in disgrace,
00:57:56running for home.
00:57:59Now,
00:58:00I was walking out of it,
00:58:02carrying their pride
00:58:03and their blessing
00:58:04head high.
00:58:08Avery!
00:58:09Don't forget us
00:58:10in New York!
00:58:11Columbia!
00:58:12You've made this
00:58:13whole town proud!
00:58:15I smiled and waved back,
00:58:17calm all the way through.
00:58:19This time,
00:58:20I wasn't running.
00:58:22I was going to take back
00:58:24the life that was mine
00:58:25all along.
00:58:29A for-sale sign
00:58:31hung by the door.
00:58:32The house I'd run
00:58:33in and out of
00:58:34a thousand times
00:58:35as a kid
00:58:35now sat silent
00:58:37like an empty shell.
00:58:41Word was they'd sold it
00:58:42to cover the debts
00:58:43and were moving back
00:58:44to family
00:58:45in the Midwest.
00:58:46First,
00:58:47hire,
00:58:48search in trial.
00:58:50Text us the second
00:58:51you land.
00:58:52Be good to your roommates.
00:58:54Don't pinch pennies.
00:58:55If you need something,
00:58:56buy it.
00:58:59If anyone gives you trouble,
00:59:02you tell us.
00:59:04But I don't think
00:59:05I need to worry.
00:59:07Nobody's ever
00:59:07pushing you around again.
00:59:12I know.
00:59:13The security line
00:59:14inched forward.
00:59:15Just as I reached
00:59:16for my passport and ID,
00:59:18someone called my name
00:59:19behind me.
00:59:20Avery?
00:59:23Lucas!
00:59:24Lucas!
00:59:25You're flying out
00:59:26today too?
00:59:27Yeah.
00:59:28Boston.
00:59:29MIT orientation
00:59:30starts tomorrow.
00:59:31We stood there
00:59:32in the middle
00:59:32of the security line
00:59:33crowd,
00:59:34grinning at each other.
00:59:35See you on the East Coast.
00:59:38See you on the East Coast.
00:59:41Past security,
00:59:43I walked to my gate alone.
00:59:44And in the farthest
00:59:46corner of the waiting area,
00:59:47I saw the last person
00:59:48I ever expected
00:59:49to see there.
00:59:52Caleb.
00:59:54He looked up,
00:59:55saw me,
00:59:56froze.
00:59:57And then there was
00:59:58nothing in his eyes
00:59:59but wreckage
01:00:00and a shame
01:00:01he couldn't hide.
01:00:03And in that instant,
01:00:04I understood
01:00:05life had truly
01:00:06left him behind.
01:00:08Avery.
01:00:11A year ago,
01:00:12I might have softened,
01:00:13might have hurt for him,
01:00:15might have asked
01:00:16how it ever came to this.
01:00:20Now,
01:00:20he just felt far away,
01:00:24like someone
01:00:24from another world,
01:00:26entirely.
01:00:28Now boarding,
01:00:29service to New York,
01:00:30JFK.
01:00:32A fourth,
01:00:33testers.
01:00:34It's a
01:00:34time to do it.
01:00:40The moment the plane
01:00:41touched down in New York,
01:00:42I knew.
01:00:43My new life
01:00:44had officially begun.
01:00:45This city was fast
01:00:47and bright
01:00:47and loud,
01:00:48a completely different
01:00:49frequency from every world
01:00:51I'd ever known.
01:00:53And the strange thing was,
01:00:55I wasn't scared,
01:00:56not even a little.
01:01:00I was thrilled.
01:01:04Rolling my suitcase
01:01:05through those gates,
01:01:06my feet actually
01:01:07stopped for a second.
01:01:10This was the place
01:01:11I once gave up
01:01:13for Caleb
01:01:15with my own hands.
01:01:19And now,
01:01:20I was finally
01:01:21standing in it.
01:01:26Hi!
01:01:27Are you my new roommate?
01:01:29I'm Madison,
01:01:30L.A.
01:01:31Emily,
01:01:32Connecticut.
01:01:33Welcome to New York.
01:01:35Hi,
01:01:36I'm Avery.
01:01:40Their warmth
01:01:41undid something
01:01:42in my chest.
01:01:44No one here knew
01:01:45what had happened to me.
01:01:47No one cared
01:01:48how broken
01:01:48I'd once looked.
01:01:51Here,
01:01:52I could just be Avery.
01:01:55Wait.
01:01:56Wait, wait, wait, wait.
01:01:58Are you the one
01:01:59who wrote that poem
01:02:00on the freshman page?
01:02:03That was you, right?
01:02:05Oh, I saw that too.
01:02:06It blew up.
01:02:10That was me.
01:02:11I knew it!
01:02:13That's so cool.
01:02:17Looking at the two of them,
01:02:19I almost laughed.
01:02:21So in a new place,
01:02:22the first thing
01:02:23people see about you
01:02:24doesn't have to be
01:02:25your scars.
01:02:27It can be
01:02:28your talent.
01:02:32So,
01:02:33New York.
01:02:34Like,
01:02:3510,000 times
01:02:36crazier than
01:02:37your hometown,
01:02:37right?
01:02:38Way more than
01:02:3910,000.
01:02:41You'll settle in.
01:02:42It's a lot at first.
01:02:44And then you fall
01:02:45in love with it.
01:02:46I sipped my soup,
01:02:48watching the crowd
01:02:48flow through the dining hall
01:02:50and felt it for real
01:02:51for the first time.
01:02:52My life had changed
01:02:54entirely.
01:02:58Did you make it?
01:03:00How's the dorm?
01:03:01Are the roommates nice?
01:03:03Everything's great.
01:03:04Campus is beautiful.
01:03:06Stop worrying.
01:03:07Good.
01:03:09Take care of yourself.
01:03:11If you need anything,
01:03:12buy it.
01:03:15After hanging up,
01:03:16I looked out at the campus
01:03:17in the dark
01:03:18and thought about myself
01:03:19one year ago.
01:03:22Back then,
01:03:23I was standing backstage
01:03:24in another school's
01:03:26arbitorium,
01:03:27heart full,
01:03:28waiting for a surprise.
01:03:32Now I was sitting
01:03:34in the middle of Columbia,
01:03:35new friends,
01:03:36beside me,
01:03:37a new future
01:03:38in front of me.
01:03:41Landed?
01:03:42Just got settled.
01:03:45Good.
01:03:47The East Coast
01:03:48welcomes you.
01:03:51I looked down
01:03:52at that message
01:03:53and couldn't help
01:03:54smiling.
01:03:57My first year
01:03:58at Columbia
01:03:58was busier than I imagined
01:04:00and happier
01:04:01than I imagined.
01:04:04I threw myself
01:04:05into the core,
01:04:06trading words
01:04:06across the centuries
01:04:07with Homer,
01:04:08Dante,
01:04:09Shakespeare,
01:04:10Wolf.
01:04:11Avery,
01:04:12this is an excellent paper.
01:04:15That final section
01:04:16especially,
01:04:17remarkably mature judgment.
01:04:20Thank you, professor.
01:04:22Outside class,
01:04:23I joined the campus
01:04:24literary magazine.
01:04:25Layouts,
01:04:26submissions,
01:04:27writing poems,
01:04:28editing drafts.
01:04:29I was run off my feet
01:04:31and I felt like
01:04:32I was finally living
01:04:33inside the world
01:04:34I'd always loved.
01:04:37Avery,
01:04:38are you coming back tomorrow?
01:04:41I'm coming back.
01:04:44You finish today's story
01:04:45and I'll bring you
01:04:47a new one.
01:04:48and Lucas fit into this
01:04:51new life of mine
01:04:52more and more naturally.
01:04:53New York and Boston
01:04:54aren't far apart.
01:04:56Sometimes I took
01:04:56the train up
01:04:57to see him.
01:04:58Sometimes he came
01:04:59down to me.
01:05:02I thought you came
01:05:03to see me.
01:05:05How'd you end up
01:05:05inside a book first?
01:05:08I did come to see you.
01:05:11The book ambushed me.
01:05:12Rank?
01:05:13So where do I rank?
01:05:15Today?
01:05:17First.
01:05:18I blinked
01:05:19and then laughed.
01:05:20That was Lucas.
01:05:21A man of few words,
01:05:23every one of them
01:05:23landing exactly
01:05:24where you had no defense.
01:05:26You seem completely
01:05:27different now,
01:05:28you know?
01:05:29Different how?
01:05:30You used to live
01:05:31like your life
01:05:32belonged to someone else.
01:05:35Not anymore.
01:05:36I squeezed my soda cup
01:05:38and went quiet
01:05:39for a couple of seconds.
01:05:41What about you?
01:05:43You used to see nothing
01:05:44but problem sets
01:05:45and lab benches.
01:05:48Now look at you,
01:05:49running down to New York
01:05:50on weekends.
01:05:52Hmm.
01:05:52There's a reason
01:05:53worth coming for now.
01:05:55The night,
01:05:56the river wind,
01:05:57the far-off city lights
01:05:58and that steady quiet
01:05:59in his eyes.
01:06:01And suddenly this city,
01:06:02once so terrifyingly foreign,
01:06:04had something in it
01:06:05worth staying for.
01:06:11How do you do it?
01:06:13Grades, clubs, volunteering,
01:06:15you don't drop
01:06:16a single ball.
01:06:17Maybe because I wasted
01:06:19so much time before.
01:06:20Now I just want
01:06:21to earn it all back.
01:06:23Seriously though,
01:06:24you're glowing lately.
01:06:26I smiled and let it go,
01:06:28but she was right
01:06:29and I knew it.
01:06:31In a blink,
01:06:33freshman year
01:06:33was almost over.
01:06:34Straight A's,
01:06:35Dean's List,
01:06:37and then,
01:06:38something I never saw coming.
01:06:40The college chose me
01:06:42as the outstanding
01:06:42first-year speaker
01:06:43for the year-end
01:06:45honors reception.
01:06:47Avery!
01:06:49You're just
01:06:50standing here?
01:06:53Do you have any idea
01:06:54how huge this is?
01:06:59Before I could answer,
01:07:01my phone buzzed first.
01:07:02Saw the list.
01:07:05I knew it'd be you.
01:07:08How did you know
01:07:09before I did?
01:07:12Because I've been
01:07:13paying attention.
01:07:15Always.
01:07:20The day of the
01:07:21honors reception,
01:07:22I stood in front
01:07:23of the mirror
01:07:24and really looked
01:07:25at myself
01:07:25for the first time
01:07:26in a long time.
01:07:31A year ago,
01:07:32I couldn't even
01:07:33meet my own eyes
01:07:34in a mirror.
01:07:39Tonight,
01:07:40I was going to stand
01:07:41at a podium
01:07:42at Columbia
01:07:42and speak for my
01:07:43entire class.
01:07:47Nervous?
01:07:49A little.
01:07:53Then think about
01:07:54how you got here.
01:07:56Luck didn't put you
01:07:58on that stage.
01:08:01I read the message
01:08:02and slowly exhaled.
01:08:04He was right.
01:08:10Please welcome
01:08:11this year's
01:08:12outstanding
01:08:13first-year speaker,
01:08:14Avery Ross.
01:08:21A year ago,
01:08:23if you told me
01:08:23I would be standing
01:08:24here, I wouldn't
01:08:25have believed you.
01:08:27Because back then,
01:08:28I still believed
01:08:29that once life
01:08:30knocks you down,
01:08:31getting back up
01:08:32is nearly impossible.
01:08:34It took me a long time
01:08:35to learn the truth.
01:08:37We are never defined
01:08:38by the fall itself,
01:08:41only by how we choose
01:08:42to rise.
01:08:44The hall was silent.
01:08:47Every eye in the room
01:08:48was on me.
01:08:51But this time,
01:08:52I wasn't the girl
01:08:53shoved under a spotlight
01:08:55to be laughed at.
01:08:57Literature didn't just
01:08:58teach me to understand
01:08:59other people.
01:09:00It taught me to
01:09:01understand myself again.
01:09:03It taught me that wounds
01:09:05don't simply disappear,
01:09:07but we get to decide
01:09:09whether they become
01:09:09our chains
01:09:11or
01:09:13strength.
01:09:24I heard it.
01:09:26You're even better
01:09:27than I thought.
01:09:30Where are you?
01:09:33Outside the gates.
01:09:36Figured you might not
01:09:37want to walk home
01:09:38alone tonight.
01:09:42The night wind
01:09:43rolled up the steps.
01:09:45Lucas stood under
01:09:46the streetlight,
01:09:47a hot coffee
01:09:48in his hand.
01:09:50Congratulations,
01:09:52outstanding first-year
01:09:53speaker.
01:09:55What are you doing
01:09:56here?
01:09:58I didn't want to just
01:09:59see the text
01:09:59and the photos.
01:10:01I wanted to watch
01:10:02you walk up there
01:10:05with my own eyes.
01:10:08I looked at him
01:10:09and for a moment
01:10:11I had no words.
01:10:12All year,
01:10:13I'd been piecing
01:10:14my life back together,
01:10:15bit by bit.
01:10:17And Lucas was never
01:10:18the loudest
01:10:19or the flashest
01:10:20person in it,
01:10:21but he was always there,
01:10:23always at exactly
01:10:24the right moment.
01:10:28Avery,
01:10:29is the reception
01:10:30over?
01:10:31Listen,
01:10:32I have news.
01:10:34The Bennetts,
01:10:35it's all over
01:10:36for them.
01:10:37My hand tightened
01:10:38on the phone.
01:10:39My feet stopped.
01:10:41Caleb ran up
01:10:42huge debt
01:10:42somewhere.
01:10:44Collectors came
01:10:44all the way to town
01:10:45looking for him.
01:10:47His father
01:10:48was never strong
01:10:49again
01:10:49after the first
01:10:50stroke.
01:10:51The stress
01:10:53brought on
01:10:54a second one.
01:10:57He didn't make it.
01:10:59And his mother
01:11:00finally broke.
01:11:02They say
01:11:03it's her mind.
01:11:04She's been placed
01:11:05in a care facility.
01:11:07As for Caleb,
01:11:08he's gone.
01:11:10Vanished.
01:11:12Some say
01:11:13he skipped the state
01:11:13to dodge the debts.
01:11:15Some say
01:11:16he's on the streets.
01:11:18I looked up
01:11:19at Columbia's
01:11:20lit windows
01:11:21against the night sky.
01:11:23And then
01:11:25at Lucas
01:11:26standing beside me.
01:11:31After I hung up
01:11:32with mom,
01:11:33I stood there
01:11:33for a moment
01:11:34saying nothing.
01:11:36You okay?
01:11:37I'm okay.
01:11:39I just suddenly
01:11:41realized
01:11:42some stories
01:11:43really do end
01:11:43right here.
01:11:45Caleb?
01:11:46Mm.
01:11:48I used to think
01:11:49he'd be part
01:11:50of my life forever.
01:11:52and now I hear
01:11:53how his story ends
01:11:54and all I feel
01:11:54is calm.
01:11:56Because you walked
01:11:57out of that story
01:11:58a long time ago.
01:11:59Maybe.
01:12:01It's just
01:12:03when I think about it,
01:12:04it still feels absurd.
01:12:05I wasted 18 years
01:12:06on him.
01:12:07You didn't waste
01:12:0718 years.
01:12:08It just took you
01:12:0918 years
01:12:10to finally learn
01:12:12to put yourself first.
01:12:16How do you always
01:12:17know exactly
01:12:18what to say?
01:12:19Because I've been
01:12:20watching you
01:12:21this whole time.
01:12:23The wind swept up
01:12:24the steps
01:12:25and tugged loose
01:12:25the hair at my ear.
01:12:27And Lucas,
01:12:28without a hint
01:12:28of hesitation,
01:12:30reached up
01:12:30and gently
01:12:31tucked it back.
01:12:33Avery.
01:12:34Hmm.
01:12:36Sometimes I'm
01:12:37actually jealous
01:12:37of Caleb.
01:12:38Jealous of what?
01:12:40That he got
01:12:4118 years of you.
01:12:43That he took up
01:12:44that much
01:12:44of your life.
01:12:46Even though
01:12:46he never deserved
01:12:47a single day of it.
01:12:51Lucas.
01:12:54I know this
01:12:55might not be
01:12:55the most romantic
01:12:56timing.
01:12:58And I know
01:12:59you only just
01:12:59put the past down.
01:13:01I shouldn't
01:13:01rush you forward.
01:13:03But I have
01:13:04to say it anyway.
01:13:05He looked at me,
01:13:06quiet as ever,
01:13:07and more serious
01:13:08than I had ever
01:13:09seen him.
01:13:10Avery,
01:13:10I like you.
01:13:12Not because
01:13:12you're impressive,
01:13:13not because
01:13:14you're brilliant.
01:13:15I like you
01:13:16because you're Avery.
01:13:19I like the person
01:13:20standing in front
01:13:20of me right now.
01:13:22Is that a confession?
01:13:24It is.
01:13:26The dead serious kind.
01:13:29And if I said
01:13:30I might not be
01:13:31completely ready yet?
01:13:32Then I wait.
01:13:35It's not like
01:13:35I haven't waited before.
01:13:37And if I said
01:13:39it's not exactly
01:13:40nothing on my end either?
01:13:45So can I take that
01:13:46to mean I still
01:13:46have a chance?
01:13:49Not still have a chance?
01:13:51You always did.
01:13:53He didn't answer
01:13:54right a town.
01:13:55He just took
01:13:56one step closer.
01:13:58Avery,
01:13:58I don't want to just
01:13:58see the Stites
01:13:59in Charleston with you.
01:14:01And I don't want
01:14:01to keep catching you
01:14:02in stolen weekends
01:14:03between New York
01:14:04and Boston.
01:14:05I want to stand
01:14:05beside you
01:14:06out loud
01:14:07in the open.
01:14:08So,
01:14:09one more time.
01:14:11Officially.
01:14:12Avery,
01:14:14I like you.
01:14:15I want to be the one
01:14:16walking forward with you
01:14:17from here on out.
01:14:21Okay.
01:14:23Okay?
01:14:24Meaning what?
01:14:26Meaning,
01:14:26Lucas,
01:14:27I like you too.
01:14:30Say it again.
01:14:33I said,
01:14:35I like you too.
01:14:37And in that moment,
01:14:39I finally knew for certain
01:14:40the humiliation
01:14:41that once pressed me
01:14:42into the dirt
01:14:43was far,
01:14:44far behind me.
01:14:46From now on,
01:14:47my life is no longer
01:14:48just a story of goodbyes.
01:14:50It has new love in it.
01:14:51A new heartbeat.
01:14:54And a future
01:14:55that belongs to me.
01:14:56A new heartbeat.