“She has a lot to do,” Karen informed him. “She has school coming up, and she needs to be focused for that. It’s her senior year, and I know you can’t really understand that because you’ve never dealt with college before. But she needs to do well…to impress people. She needs to get into a good medical school Justin. I won’t have anything, or anyone keep her from that. It’s her future. Please…if you care about her, then that’s fine…but you just better be sure that you stay with her even if things start to go downhill.”

He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t an issue. But then, he started to think about what she said. What if she was right? What if something went wrong, and he just couldn’t’ be with her anymore? What would it do to Sheridan? He knew she had fallen for him, probably as hard as anybody could fall for somebody. And she knew she was sensitive, despite the tough, sophisticated image she tried to put on for everybody. Something like that…a breakup…it would destroy her. Especially if it happened after she went away to school. Maybe…

Maybe it just wasn’t worth it.

“God Karen,” he finally said. “I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do.”

“Do what you think is right,” she said. “Even if it means…well, I know you know.”

He sighed. “I just---I need to talk to her.”

She rose from the chair. “And tomorrow is another day. Come on, let’s get you in bed. You have a long day tomorrow. I got you a few meetings with some new doctors.”

He nodded. “My mom told me. She’s coming around eleven.”

“I don’t want you to dwell on tonight,” Karen said, getting behind him and pushing him forward. “I want you to think about what I said, and do what’s right. It’s not…an issue, and I’m not mad. I just want what’s best for my daughter, and what’s best for you too.”

Karen was giving him good advice. He was thankful, but at the same time he was frightened. He didn’t want to be apart from Sheridan. He wanted to keep the relationship they had, and work on making it better. He wanted to fall madly in love with her, and get on with his life. But things with Sheridan weren’t that easy. In fact, he knew the easiest thing he could do was date a girl that was among his group of friends. But he didn’t’ want to. Sheridan. That was who he cared about. That was who understood him, and stood by him

But everybody else seemed to think it was impossible for it to work.