I slept better than most nights.

I don't think he really knew just how much that one text really meant to me. It was like he unintentionally helped build the foundations of my confidence with that one message. And with that one kiss, he gave me hope. He made me believe that I could meet someone someday who would love me for me. And though he absolutely took my breath away, I never replied, because who was I kidding? He was just being sweet. There was no chance for us and he was too out of my league. It was easy for me to accept it and so I slept with a smile on my face as I held onto that text.

The next morning, I didn't see manage to see him before the girls and I checked out. 

But he kept to his word. He never replied.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Two Years Later

Two years later my heart told me to move to North Carolina to attend Duke University after spending more than a year working and getting my things together. But in that while I did manage to go to a community college, just to get my basic classes out of the way, and in that time I regained my love and passion for dancing.

In that dark period of my life when I lost all my confidence, I managed to lose sight of the things I truly loved and placed my passion behind me. And even though Suzy and Amber always told me that I had to go back to dance, I always made up an excuse not to. I lost my drive and motivation. The will to continue was stripped from me and I was stupid to have let it go without a fight.

I know it may sound stupid, but to say I regained that fighting spirit from a single kiss wouldn't be a far fetched reason. That very next day, I stood up to Jessica. I confronted her and told her a thing or two about how I honestly didn't care anymore, and how I felt sorry that she would have to constantly waste her time with someone as pitiful as me. Basically, it was an ambiguous, and polite way of telling her that she was pathetic for caring so much about someone "beneath her" when what she really needed to do was worry about her own damn life and stay out of mine. I got my message across and we never spoke again.

Suzy and Amber both stayed in Miami and decided to head for the university there, University of Miami. It was a private school and pretty expensive, but they both had the grades for it. We still talk, and they always tell me how amazing it is, but that it would be even more amazing had I gone with them. I would've liked it, to be honest, but Duke seemed to call out to me as I was filling in my application forms. I took it as a sign and since then, I don't have any regrets.

I also didn't stop living my life out of fear anymore and though it's a little embarrassing to mention, I ended up signing myself up for therapy soon after. Attending those sessions made me realize that I actually had a form of depression. I was so shocked to hear it said out loud and explained to me by my therapist. I never thought in a million years, that I what I was feeling was that, though it made sense now. But it has such a negative stigma, that the thought never occurred to me. I thought I was just being your average angsty teenager and nothing more, but on the contrary, I developed adolescent depression. 

Time passed and slowly but surely, I regained my confidence as well as my security and the love I had lost for myself. I now believed that I was deserved being happy and being successful. I didn't need reassurance anymore. I didn't need to be dependent on anyone. I know what I'm worth now.

I thought about all of these things on the cab ride over to campus. Rather than living in the dorms I decided to rent at the single housing apartments, which was similar to the dorms, but instead of having a roommate it would just be me. I enjoyed my independence, but I vouched for this because I didn't want to become a recluse either. It would be the perfect balance for me.

Hauling up my stuff toward the building after thanking and paying the cab-driver, I found myself just staring at the beautiful red-brick building set up before me. This would be the start of my new life, and I was more than ready to begin. 

"Um, excuse me, I'm a new tenant here," I began as I walked over to the lobby desk and spoke to the copper haired girl sitting behind it.

She gave me a smile and quickly typed something into the computer. "Name?"

"Minyoung Lee."

She typed my name in and with a nod of approval, reach down into a drawer beside her and pulled out a brass key. "Here you go. You're on the seventh floor," She pointed up, before extending her hand. "I'm Ailee, by the way."

"You can call me Min, for short," I assured as I reached out and shook her hand in mine.

We pulled back and she smiled brightly. "Well Min, I hope we can be friends."

I returned her smile with my own. "I hope so too."