DREAM COME TRUE

Meredith

Laughter travelled from the shoreline, wild, and maddeningly out of reach. Girls in bikinis dashed into the waves, boys chased them, splashing, shouting. Freedom. It was right there, and yet, I was stuck under this damn umbrella, my fingers hovering over the laptop keyboard.

"Meredith, sit up straight," my mother said, adjusting her sunhat as if that was the most pressing issue in the world.

I gritted my teeth, shifting my posture. My third attempt at getting into Sonydale, my third chance at breaking free, and I couldn't mess it up. I read through my application one last time, heart pounding, then clicked Send.

The moment it was gone, dread crept in. What if they rejected me again? What if I was stuck in this perfect, polished cage forever?

"Baby, your dad and I are going to grab some drinks," Mom announced. "Stay put, okay?"

Stay put. Like I had a choice.

I nodded, watching as my parents walked off, hand in hand, the perfect couple. They had each other. I had no one.

A ding.

My gaze snapped to my screen. My stomach flipped. No way. I had just sent in my application. It couldn’t be…

With shaky fingers, I opened the email. My breath hitched as I read the subject line.

'Congratulations! You’ve been accepted into Sonydale University.'

My heart slammed against my ribs. I did it.

I was getting out.

I reread the email, half expecting the words to change, for it to be some kind of mistake. But the bold "Congratulations" didn’t disappear. My throat tightened.

I was going to Sonydale.

I clutched my laptop, my mind already racing. What would it be like? Would I finally get to live the life I’d only seen from a distance? No more curfews. No more suffocating rules. No more being the sheltered girl who didn’t belong.

A gust of wind blew my hair across my face as I looked toward the ocean. The same girls I’d been watching earlier were now laughing with boys, probably making plans for the night. Plans I’d never been a part of. But that would change.

I wasn’t going to be the odd one out anymore.

I was still lost in my thoughts when my parents returned. Mom plopped down onto the lounge chair beside me, sipping from a coconut drink like we were on some luxury vacation instead of trapped in a routine I had no say in.

Dad stretched beside her, his skin glowing under the sun. "What’s that look on your face, Meredith?"

My hands curled into fists. Here we go. "I got into Sonydale," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, eyes fixed on the golden sand.

For a second, there was silence. Then, instead of the excitement I had hoped for, Mom’s face fell. Dad’s brows furrowed. Wrong reaction.

"You applied again?" Mom’s tone was sharp, cutting through the illusion of family bliss.

I swallowed hard. "Yes. And I got in."

Dad set his drink down. "Meredith, we’ve talked about this."

"No, you’ve talked," I shot back. My heart pounded. "I’m twenty-three. I’m an adult. I should get to decide where I go to school."

"Being an adult doesn’t mean making reckless decisions," he said, his voice calm but firm—the same tone that had controlled every part of my life. "Sonydale isn’t the right place for you."

"Why? Because it’s not under your watch?" My voice wavered, but I held my ground. "Because I might actually have a life?"

Mom sighed dramatically, as if this was exhausting for her. "Meredith, sweetheart. We are doing what is best for you."

Best for me? Locking me away? Deciding everything for me? I wanted to scream. Instead, I took a deep breath. "I’m going. I’ve already been accepted. You can’t stop me."

Dad exhaled through his nose, the way he always did when he was trying not to lose his temper. "We’ll talk about this at home."

Translation: You don’t actually have a choice.

I turned away from them, staring back at the waves. They thought they could keep me caged forever.

They were wrong.

The car ride home was silent, but the tension sat heavy in the air, thick like an approaching storm. Mom scrolled through her phone, pretending she wasn’t furious. Dad drove with his jaw clenched, gripping the wheel a little too tightly.

And me? I stared out the window, my mind already plotting.

They thought they could stop me. They thought I’d let them.

Not this time.

The second we pulled into the driveway, I bolted from the car, ignoring my mother’s exasperated “Meredith, we’re not done talking!” and ran up to my room. I shut the door and locked it, pressing my back against the cool wood.

Okay. Think.

Sonydale’s semester starts in two weeks. That meant two weeks of my parents hovering, two weeks for them to figure out how to keep me from going. I wouldn’t let that happen.

I grabbed my phone and texted the only person I trusted.

Meredith: I got in. They’re trying to stop me.

Chloe: Are you serious?! Girl, you need to RUN.

Meredith: Working on it.

Chloe had been my only real friend in high school. The only one who never treated me like I was fragile, who didn’t flinch when I said something awkward or missed a joke. She was also the only one who actually had a life—clubbing, dating, breaking rules—and I envied her for it.

Chloe: Pack a bag. I’ll come get you.

Meredith: Too obvious. They’ll freak out.

Chloe: So what’s the plan?

Good question.

I chewed on my lip, my mind racing. I couldn’t just walk out the front door—they’d never let me leave. And I didn’t have a car.

But I had money.

Not much, just the savings I’d managed to hide over the years. Enough for a bus ticket. Enough to get me out.

My heart pounded. Could I really do this? Sneak away in the middle of the night like some runaway?

Yes. Because if I don’t, they’ll never let me go.

I shoved my laptop into my backpack, grabbed a hoodie, and stuffed as many clothes as I could into a duffel bag. Essentials only. No looking back.

The plan was simple:

Wait until they go to bed. Sneak out through the back door. Take the last bus to the city.

I took a deep breath, adrenaline buzzing through me.

I was doing this.

For the first time in my life, I was making my own choice.

I paced my room, my heart hammering in my chest as the hours crawled by. The house had gone quiet, save for the occasional murmur of the TV downstairs. They were still awake.

I clenched my fists. Come on. Go to bed already.

Minutes stretched into an hour. Then two. Then finally—finally—I heard Mom’s voice float up from the living room.

"Turn off the lights, honey. Let’s go to bed."

My body tensed as Dad mumbled something in response, followed by the soft click of the TV turning off. I crept to my bedroom door, cracking it open just enough to hear their footsteps retreat down the hall.

Then silence.

I waited another thirty minutes, just to be sure. Then, moving as quietly as I could, I slung my duffel bag over my shoulder and slipped out of my room. The wooden floor felt like a landmine under my bare feet, every step calculated, every breath shallow.

I reached the stairs. Slowly, carefully, I descended—one step, then another, until I was nearly at the bottom. Almost there.

Then—

"Where do you think you’re going?"

I froze. My stomach dropped.

Dad stood in the hallway, his arms crossed. The hallway light cast a shadow over his face, making him look taller and stronger. Mom stood behind him, arms wrapped around herself, eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite place.

Fear? Disappointment?

"Meredith," Mom whispered. "You were going to leave?"

My mouth went dry. My pulse pounded in my ears. "I—"

Dad stepped closer. "With what plan, exactly?" His voice was calm, too calm. "Were you going to run away? Sneak off in the middle of the night like some rebellious teenager?"

I swallowed hard. "I had to. You weren’t going to let me go."

"You think this is the way to prove you're an adult?" he snapped. "By acting like a child?"

"I’m acting like someone who wants a life!" I burst out, my voice shaking. "I’m not a kid anymore. I’m twenty-three, Dad. I should be able to make my own choices."

Mom stepped forward then, softer, pleading. "Baby, we just—" She hesitated. "We just want to protect you."

There it was.

The same excuse they had used my entire life.

"I don’t need protection," I said, my voice steadier now. "I need freedom. I need to live. Even if that means messing up sometimes, even if that means getting hurt, it’s my life to live."

Dad’s jaw tightened. I could see the war in his eyes, the need to control, to keep me safe, battling against the realization that maybe… just maybe… I wasn’t his little girl anymore.

The silence stretched.

Then he exhaled. "And you really want this?"

I nodded. "More than anything."

Another pause. Then, to my complete shock, he turned to Mom. "We can’t keep her locked up forever."

Mom's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

"So… I can go?" My voice was small, hesitant, like I couldn’t quite believe it.

Dad sighed, rubbing his temple. "You can go. But we’ll drive you there ourselves. No sneaking out in the middle of the night like a criminal."

My breath hitched. I won.

I clutched my duffel bag tighter, my heart soaring.

I was going to Sonydale.