Two more weeks. That was all the time that remained before Melanie would finally get to leave her small hometown to start her new college life in the big city.
Melanie had just turned eighteen years old, but it felt like she had been waiting an entire lifetime for this day to come.
Her parents were both ranchers and had homeschooled Melanie for her whole life. They had always hoped she would follow in their footsteps and begin working on the ranch full time when she finished high school.
But, Melanie had no interest in continuing to live the small-town ranching life for a second longer than she had to.
For as long as she could remember, Melanie dreamed of going to school as far away from her parents, and her sheltered small-town life, as possible. She dreamed of making new friends an
