Caleb’s POV
The letter sat on the table in front of me, the envelope torn open, the contents laid bare like some kind of twisted joke.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been staring at it, but my cigarette had burned down to the filter, and the coffee I had poured earlier had gone cold.
Congratulations on your admission to Clae University’s Pre-Med Program.
Clae University.
Medical school.
The words made no sense together in my head.
I hadn’t applied. I hadn’t even thought about college in over a year. And yet, here it was—an actual, tangible chance at something real. Something beyond the mess I had made of my life.
I picked up the letter, running my fingers over the embossed school crest. It felt expensive, official, like something that should belong to someone else. Someone who hadn’t screwed up everything.
A part of me wanted to tear it in half, pretend I had never seen it.
But another part—the one that was still stubbornly clinging to survival—wasn’t so sure.
The sound of the front door opening snapped me out of my thoughts.
Jiji strolled in, dropping a bag of groceries on the counter with a loud thud. Her dark eyes flicked to the letter in my hands, then to my face, reading me the way she always did.
“You look like you just saw a ghost,” she remarked, kicking off her boots.
I snorted. “Might as well have.”
She tilted her head, waiting. Jiji never pushed, but she was damn good at making you want to talk.
I sighed, tossing the letter onto the counter. “My father pulled some strings,” I muttered. “Got me into Clae’s pre-med program.”
Jiji’s eyebrows lifted. “Damn.”
“Yeah.”
A beat of silence passed. Then she smirked. “So, when’s the welcome party?”
I shot her a glare. “You think this is funny?”
“Kinda.” She plopped down on the couch, stretching her legs. “You, a doctor. The same guy who spent the last year throwing punches for cash and waking up in strange apartments?” She grinned. “Yeah, it’s a little funny.”
I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “I never even wanted this.”
Jiji leaned back, her smirk fading just slightly. “Then what do you want, Caleb?”
I opened my mouth to answer but stopped.
Because I didn’t know.
I used to think I did. Used to have a plan, a future. It had all been ripped away so fast that I had stopped even bothering to dream.
But now, here was this chance.
One I hadn’t asked for.
One I probably didn’t deserve.
Jiji must have seen something shift in my face because her expression softened.
“You’re smart,” she said, more serious now. “You always were. You just spent so much time being angry that you forgot what you’re capable of.”
I swallowed hard. “What if I screw it up?”
“Then you screw it up,” she said easily. “But at least you’ll be trying. And trying is a hell of a lot better than wasting away in this shitty apartment.”
I laughed dryly, shaking my head. “You’re relentless.”
She winked. “It’s part of my charm.”
Silence settled between us again, but this time, it wasn’t heavy.
I stared at the letter, my mind racing.
Could I really do this?
Could I go back to school? Could I rebuild something that was already so broken?
I thought about my father. About the way he had looked at me the last time we spoke, equal parts disappointment and something else—something like hope.
I thought about Emma.
How she had picked herself up. How she had chosen a path and gone for it, no matter how much it hurt.
Maybe it was time I did the same.
I exhaled slowly, tapping my fingers against the edge of the letter.
Jiji watched me, waiting.
Finally, I made a decision.
“I guess I should buy some books,” I muttered.
Her grin was instant. “That’s the spirit.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small smirk tugging at my lips.
For the first time in a long time, I felt something close to hope.