The morning sun streamed through the small window of her bedroom, the brightness stinging her eyes and turning up her headache. Why had she let herself drink the night before? She rarely drank, and she blamed that on how she felt the morning after she did. Nothing was worse than being debilitated for a whole day simply because you sated yourself with an evening of fun.

The smell of bacon wafted into her room, her stomach turning at the idea of food. They rarely cooked around the apartment, but the weekend was to be filled with friends, family, and good food. Bethany rolled over and groaned, the memory of offending Jake the night before assaulting her.

Why hadn’t she just offered herself to one of the assholes from Kappa Alpha? There had been more than enough of them at the party. Sleeping with Jake had seemed like a good idea before she walked into the kitchen and pushed him a little too far. She covered her eyes with the palms of her hands pressing against the pain a little and groaning.

"Fucking hormones. I swear."

A knock at her door had her reaching for her covers, pulling them up to her chin before whispering, "Come in."

The door opened, and Krista stuck her head in. "You decent?"

"Yeah. Come in."

Her friend walked in, closing the door behind her and sitting down on the edge of her bed. The look on her face let Bethany know that something was up. She figured Jake had probably had a breakdown over the situation Bethany had put him in, and now Krista was here to clean up the mess.

"So … last night was fun?" Krista started, and Bethany rolled her eyes.

"Stop beating around the bush. I feel like shit. Just tell me if he's okay."

"He's okay, but I need to tell you something."

"All right, tell me." Bethany sat up slowly, her head hurting so bad that dizziness swam around her. "Ugh. I hate this feeling."

"Jake and I are in love."

"What?" Bethany turned to her friend, horror washing over her. "You and Jake have something going on? Why didn't you tell me? I hit on him last night, for God’s sake."

"It's okay. You didn't know, silly." Krista reached out as Bethany slipped her hands over her face and let out a long sigh. Of course Jake was now dating Krista. That made everything perfectly shitty. It completed the shitastic circle and plopped the cherry on the shit-sundae.

Bethany let the news sink in, her heart hurting more over her actions than the loss of something she hadn't really wanted. She felt stupid and rather whorish, but other than that…. She slid her fingers down her face, her fingertips covered in black mascara.

"I'm glad for you."

"You're not upset, are you? We figured you tried to sleep with Jake last night just because you were drunk, not because you had actual feelings for him. He's been trying to get you to go out with him for the last year, and you've rejected him so many times."

"I what?" She stiffened in the bed. "I've never once rejected him."

"Oh. Does that mean you're interested?"

"No, I'm just saying." Bethany moved past her friend, reaching to grab a T-shirt and pulling it over her head. She pulled on a pair of pink sleeping pants and checked herself in the mirror. "I'm happy for you guys. I don't know what else to say."

"Did you want to sleep with him last night?"

"What? No. Jake's not my type at all. It was the liquor." Bethany turned to Krista, innocence layered in a perfect facade on her face. Jake wasn't her type, but the idea of sex had seemed more than appropriate for her graduation party.

"Oh good." Krista's shoulders visibly slouched as a smile touched her face. "I kept telling him that it was just the liquor. No way you'd just randomly sleep with someone. We all know how much of a prude you are."

"Prude? I'm not a prude." Bethany put her hands on her hips, the conversation going from bad to worse.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you're so beautiful and still aren't with anyone. It's not because guys aren’t trying …" She laughed, and Bethany realized that the conversation was better left alone.

"Who's cooking breakfast?"

"Oh hell! I am." Krista jumped up and ran out of the room toward the kitchen.

Bethany walked into the hall and grabbed a towel, her heart hurting and stomach jacked sideways.

No wonder Jake had refused her. He was in love with her roommate.

Her mother and Kent had arrived just before she lined up for the graduation march, her mother kissing her cheek. Bethany looked over at Kent, who moved closer and pulled her into an awkward side hug as he smiled down at her.

"Sure am proud of you, kiddo. Your grades and ranking today are something to be incredibly proud of." He squeezed her shoulder before moving back toward her mom.

"Yep. Nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it, I guess." Bethany smiled and waved, moving toward the line of people wearing the same heavy black robes that draped across her body.

She watched her mom and Kent, the older man extremely handsome and fitter than Bethany remembered from the last time they'd met. The kindness in his eyes as he looked down at her mother was also something new.

Her real father was nothing more than a bastard—a user. He only looked at you or spoke to you if he wanted something from you. She hated him more than words could express and was grateful when he left their lives around her twelfth birthday.

A tug on her sleeve had her turning to her left, Jake standing quietly with his eyes averted.

"Hey, you," she whispered, unsure of what to say.

"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Krista sooner. I didn't know if you'd be okay with it." He shrugged, his dark gown swallowing him whole.

"I'm fine. I just wish someone would have told me. She said I tried to sleep with you last night. I feel like a total ass." She forced a laugh, the memory of the night before pushing its way across her aching skull. She would never let him know that she remembered every moment of it, but the loneliness at his denial and the hour of crying herself to sleep was still very real as she stared at him.

"It's no big deal. A month ago I would have fallen over myself to get you in bed." He laughed, and the goofy sound caused her to smile.

He wasn't at all someone that she'd normally sleep with or try to start a real relationship with. The need to share her celebration with him had pushed her to want something more, but it would have ended as the sun came up. It was for the best.

"Enough of this. Congratulations." She reached up and straightened the lapel of his robe before turning and sliding into line as they were instructed to do.

She waited her turn, her mind wandering to the conversation her mother had hopefully had with Kent and how it might have gone. Would he be thrilled that she'd finally said yes to marriage? How soon would they tie the knot? Would he offer to help her with her master’s? She'd be more than thankful for a loan if nothing else. A grant from him would be blissful, but anything to keep pushing her forward would be a break in her rather painful cycle of poverty.

She glanced at her mother and hopefully soon-to-be-stepfather and waved, smiling as she slipped onto the stage as the announcers called out her name. The moment was almost surreal, the hope it planted in her blossoming as she took her diploma and shook the dean's hand.

"Great job, Bethany. Look forward to seeing you in the MBA program." He smiled, and she simply nodded, turning her head for the flashing light of the cameras. Her head protested at the attention, the dull ache still remaining from her night of almost fun.

She walked down to join her classmates in the hard-backed chairs, the energy palpable in the air. Their speaker had asked to go on after the names were read, which was odd, but she was degreed and couldn't care less about what came next. Sinking into her seat, her mind numbed at the monotone voice of their valedictorian, the message surely on success and their ability to do anything they wanted to do.

She scoffed internally, wanting nothing more than a cheeseburger, sex, and a nap. In that order.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart. Let's grab some lunch. Kent made us a reservation at a restaurant here in town."

Her mother pulled her into a hug as she stood before Bethany, who was smiling with a sense of relief sitting lightly on her. It was done. The graduation was over, and she held her diploma in her hand.

"Quite the accomplishment, Bethany. Your mom tells me that you used grants and a work-study to make your way through your bachelor’s?"

She nodded and moved back, wrapping an arm around her mom's shoulders as they walked to the car. Various friends called out to her, and she responded in between talking with Kent and her mother.

"Yes. I was very lucky not to have to apply for loans during the last four years. A lot of my friends are leaving today with forty to eighty thousand dollars hanging over their heads. I can't imagine."

"Debt is the devil for sure." He smiled and held the car door open for her as she got in the back. He opened the door for her mother as Bethany relaxed against the new-smelling leather of his Lexus. She didn't know much about Kent, but what she had seen she liked quite a bit.

He was classy and old school, always holding the door open and shaking hands with people. His smile was warm and kind, his eyes dark and full of mystery. He would take some getting used to, as the only man in Bethany's mother’s life had been her weasel of a father. Her mom had just about written off men for good until her older sister, Bethany's aunt, Patty, introduced her to Kent.

"Hungry, girls?" Kent turned and looked over at Bethany, his right arm extending to hold hands with her mom.

A smile touched Bethany’s mouth as she nodded. How nice would it be to find someone like him to take care of her mom?

How nice would it be to find someone like him to take care of her? She scoffed internally and engaged in the surface-level conversation as they drove to the restaurant.

Bethany sat up as the car pulled to the front of the large building, a valet rushing to open her and her mother's doors. She got out, and her mom looked over at her as Kent spoke with another valet.

"Kent's paying, so get whatever you want, baby. This is your day." She smiled and held out her left hand, a large engagement ring on her finger.

"Oh my God, Mom. He had the ring already?”

“He sure did, and I said yes. We'll get married on the beach in Jamaica in three weeks. We just want you and his two boys to come with us. You can each bring someone if you want, and if not, just come, and we'll have some family fun."

Bethany stood there, her mouth half hanging open as Kent walked around the car and put an arm around her mother.

"I see your mom told you the good news."

"She sure did. Congratulations! How exciting."

He smiled and moved them toward the restaurant. "It's given me a whole new outlook on life. But today is about you. We'll talk about the wedding next week. We want you to come spend the week with us, meet the boys and such."

"Of course. I'd love to."