And then what?

swere strewn about the whole room, a half-empty suite case laid open on the floor revealing carelessly folded female clothing.     Laura Halliday zipped up the suitcase and groaned, it was really difficult to pack, you know.    Taking her long fingers through her roughly matted hair, she sighed feeling the grease on her scalp, It wasn't easy being conscious about your looks when you spent a whole summer depressed and alone in a town like Cornell but thank God she was leaving today. One more day and she was sure she was going to have a nervous breakdown.     Looking at her mirror, her lips slightly turned down at the sight of her hair, it looked like it was really in desperate need of a haircut. The roots were already dull and also greasy from infrequent washing, making her look sick and dirty. Her self-sympathy was cut short when the shrill buzz from her phone rang, the caller ID said Mom.   "Hey Mom," Laura said dryly as she slumped o into her bed.   "Sweetie, how've you been?" her mom asked feebly. "Waiting for you? "Laura asked. No use beating around. "Laura honey... Things are worse than we thought and we think it's better if you stay at Cornell, away from everything. I hope you understand it wasn't easy to come to this decision?" A moment of awkward silence hung in the air... " Honey?" Her mom's voice repeated in a croaky voice. " Bye Mom," Laura said in a whisper and hung up.     She couldn't explain what felt worse; the way her hopes were dashed at the nick of time or the realization that she was going to spend the whole school year in Cornell with no one to blame but herself ...and maybe Greg.    She'd come to Cornell for a quick getaway trip from Clovis following a  scandal . . .a scandal she still hurt all over from. More than half of summer was spent mooning and sulking, listening to Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodriguez, hating and blaming herself. She'd started seeing life in white and black and felt like half of her was gone. Gone with the knowledge that she wasn't the same and that she'll always remember Greg. . .the name alone sent her eyes damp and misty with tears. Wasn't love supposed to be nice? Why didn't someone tell her it hurt this bad? Everyone was always preaching about how love is this and that. . .   No one warned you about its dangers, how you'll become stupid, how you'll get hurt, how you'll keep on hoping.   Her parents, Eleanor and John Halliday, God bless their souls had been angels. Though she could sense their disappointments, they didn't rub it in her face but they'd suggested trips and summer camp but Laura didn't want to be around people, she wanted to be alone and that was when the idea of staying with her maternal grandmother in Cornell came.    Laura was already missing Clovis, funny how she missed working at " Zed's Diner ", she missed cheerleading, sneaking out of the house for parties, her parents, her younger brother, Rick, and also Janelle . . the thought of Janelle brought a sad smile to her lips. Janelle was her best friend yet they hadn't been in contact since  Laura arrived at Cornell. She wasn't ready to speak with Janelle too who would baby her so much that she was probably going to cry.    At times she wished she had a time machine, those were moments she spent staring blankly at the ceiling while beads of tears rolled down her cheeks...regret looming over like a dark cloud.