As it turned out, buying a car was easy. Especially when one had plenty of cash on hand.

  Kaitlyn cruised down the street in a brand new black sedan, the sunlight sparkling off its hood. The steady hum of the engine was a barely audible undercurrent beneath the crystal-clear sounds of Zeke Byron's acoustic guitar pumping through the speaker system. It felt less like driving a car and more like gliding along on a cloud.

  Seriously. Have they always made cars this nice? Is this what I've been missing out on?

  She'd never been much of a car person. In her previous life, her parents had allowed her to borrow theirs when she needed it, which wasn't very often. She briefly shook her head at the reminder of her socially-deficient high school self. Regardless of her regrets, though, the fact remained that she'd never had a particular need to own even a cheap clunker. It had left her with little experience to draw from when trying to buy her first real car.

  Fortunately, that lack of experience was quickly remedied. A fresh tray of white-chocolate raspberry truffles got her a one-way ticket to the nearest collection of car dealerships. And after a day spent browsing, test driving, and being hounded by salesmen, she'd finally ended up with something she was truly happy with.

  To be completely honest, it didn't really look particularly fancy to her. It looked like a car. One that she liked, sure, and maybe it seemed a little nicer than most, but it wasn't some sports car that would draw attention wherever it went. But the way it felt?

  I really did mean to get something more reasonable. I didn't set out looking for luxury cars. But…

  It had taken a matter of minutes for the vehicle to win her over. The quality, the smoothness, the absolute comfort she felt while driving it… It was a completely different experience to any other car she'd driven that day. And that wasn't even mentioning the eye-popping array of extras it came with. An incredible speaker system, a moonroof, heated massage seats, and a laundry list of other things she didn't know that a car could have. There was even a refrigerated compartment in the center console. Who even thought of something like that?

  Of course, all of those features came with a price tag to match. But what else was she going to do with the money? Besides, she'd get her first paycheck soon enough if she really needed more funds.

  As she triumphantly approached Hartland University, Kaitlyn noted a surprising number of people—guys especially—doing double takes as they watched her cruise by. Heads would turn to stare at the sedan as it passed, and a few even elbowed their friends to point it out.

  Huh. Maybe I was wrong about this not drawing attention…

  She pulled into the west dorm parking area, picking a spot toward the back corner of the lot just to be safe. It would mean she had to walk a bit further, but it had also been literal years since she'd last driven. Her confidence in her parking skills wasn't exactly at its peak. There was a built-in auto-park feature, of course, but she definitely wanted to get in some practice herself.

  After an embarrassing amount of jockeying, Kaitlyn finally shifted her car into park. She leaned back against the leather seat and took a moment to bask in her newfound independence. The distinct scent of a new car wasn't something she'd ever particularly enjoyed, but at this moment, it might as well have been the finest perfume ever made.

  This was an incredible idea. Like, this might be the biggest change to my lifestyle since… geez, since I don't even know if anything else comes close. It's that big of a deal.

  The sedan solved one of the biggest and most consistent problems that had plagued her since coming to Hartland—transportation. Attending off-campus events, getting to work, or even doing something as simple as buying groceries all required her to either walk quite a distance or call in favors. But now? Now, she could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, all on her own.

  I could just leave. Just take off, start driving, and go explore. I can just… DO that now.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  It took a moment to rein the crazy impulse in. As exciting as this development was, there were still other things she wanted to get done this loop. Taking a multi-month road trip could wait until another time. Though it did get added to her mental to-do list.

  Once the current song finished, she shut the car off and opened the door. It adjusted its height upward slightly, making it a little easier to step out of—one more completely over-the-top extra that boggled her mind. Locking it behind her, Kaitlyn took one last proud look at her newest purchase and headed toward the dorms. As she climbed the stairs and stepped into her room, she found a particularly bubbly Heather already inside and studying at her desk.

  "Omigosh, Kate, you're back!" The girl straightened from her work and beamed.

  "I am," she nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Were you waiting for me or something?"

  "Uh, duh! Val told me that you were like, going to a car dealership." Heather crossed her arms and waggled her eyebrows. "And since you didn't ask for a ride back… did you, like actually buy a car, girl?"

  Ah. That makes sense. With the girl's connections, she should have expected her to know about such a tantalizing bit of gossip. The popular girl spy network was never to be underestimated.

  Kaitlyn grinned. "Yeah. I did."

  The blonde gasped in excitement as she shot out of her seat. "Oh. My. GAWD! Show me, show me!!! Right now!"

  She could barely contain her laughter as Heather dragged her bodily toward the elevator. "Woah, hold up Heather! Give me one second! I just got back!"

  "Nuh-uh! No way!" She didn't slow down one bit. "This is, like a huge deal, Kate! Omigosh, I'm dying to see it!"

  It took only moments for them to reach the bottom and hurry across the parking lot. Luckily, the car hadn't moved in the five minutes since Kaitlyn had left it behind. As she pointed the vehicle out for her roommate, Heather stopped dead in her tracks, jaw hanging open in shock. She stayed like that for a long moment, long enough that Kaitlyn started to get worried.

  "Er… Heather?" She waved her hand in front of the girl's face. "Earth to Heather? You ok?"

  The blonde slowly turned to face her. "You. Got. A. Bowley?"

  Kaitlyn couldn't help but blush a little. Evidently, the brand was a little more recognizable than she realized. Worse, now that she had to defend her decision, the sheer weight of the admittedly extravagant expense really started to set in. "Er… yeah. I mean, it was really nice, and…"

  "Girl, 'nice' is the understatement of the century. How… how did you even afford this?"

  "Well, my work's paying me really well, and… honestly, I wasn't sure what else to do…."

  Heather continued to stare as her words trailed off into silence. She got the distinct impression that the girl was in too much shock to really process what she was saying. Still, the disbelief and longing in her eyes were impossible to mistake.

  "Do you… want to go for a ride?"

  That got her attention. Instantly, crystal blue eyes snapped to Kaitlyn's own, widening in disbelief. "Omigosh, yes. Can we?"

  Kaitlyn waved toward the sleek black sedan with a grin. "Sure. Hop in."

  Heather practically dove into the passenger seat, squealing with excitement the whole while. Her excited wiggling combined with an obvious hesitation to touch anything, leaving her hands waggling in the air like a caffeinated octopus. After a bit of reassurance, she enthusiastically began to test out each feature of the car as Kaitlyn introduced them.

  Soon enough, that initial wave of embarrassment started to fade and be replaced by satisfaction. Satisfaction and a hint of pride.

  I mean, all I did was buy the car. But… I do feel like I earned it. All of that time learning how to program really paid off, didn't it?

  She interrupted Heather's gushing to ask a question. "So. Where do you want to go?"

  "Oh gosh, I dunno! We could go, like, anywhere! To a cafe, or a park, or just, like, drive around! We could even go to the beach!"

  Kaitlyn glanced down at the clock. "We could… but don't you have class soon?"

  Heather pursed her lips, then smiled mischievously. "I do, but… one day off won't kill me, right?"

  Kaitlyn's grin widened. Don't have to tell me twice.

  Putting the car in gear, they glided out of the parking lot and onto the main roads. As the familiar campus scenery gave way to less familiar sights, Kaitlyn couldn't help but share in her roommate's infectious enthusiasm.

  This was the best idea ever.