32: The Changing Season

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEW YORK CITY * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * [ K A R A ] The New York air was cold and unforgiving, a clear reminder that the summer had ended. I never realized how much I didn't like living in New York City. There were no stars at night, just window lights from the skyscrapers. There were no secluded beaches I could run to, just the bodegas at every corner. And most of all, there was no Ryder Jake Williams. Period. But still, the end of summer meant the beginning of autumn, and the fall term in Columbia had officially started. I had waited all my life for Columbia, it was my dream ever since I was little. I was finally here, and yet I felt nothing. "This is what you're wearing?" Cole, my best friend throughout high school, eyed me from head to toe. "Yeah?" I said to him. "It's 65 degrees outside. This is not Hawaii. You are not going to class with a summer dress on," he motioned me to go back to my room. "Fine, I'll grab a jacket," I gr