Uncharted Territory

Reagan

“Hey Reagan, you have a phone call.”

“I glanced up from my homework at Kennedy and gave him a quizzical look. “Who is it?”

“I’m not sure,” Kennedy shrugged as he handed me the phone.

“Hello?” I answered unsure of who was going to be on the other side of the phone.

“Reagan Trotter? This is Dr. Samuels, the president of Harvard,” a deep voice answered.

My eyes instantly got wide. “Oh, hello Dr. Samuels. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you. Miss Trotter I have something I’d like to discuss with you but it needs to be done in person. Would you be able to come out here sometime? The school would pay for your flight and hotel.”

“Yes, I can come out there. I have my last final at ASU next Tuesday.”

“Great. Would next Wednesday at 2 pm work for our meeting?”

“That sounds good.”

“Ok, see you then.”

“Thank you. See you then, sir.”

I hung up the phone and then looked up at Kennedy who was still standing in the doorway of my bedroom.

“That was the president of Harvard. He wants to meet with me.”

“What? Why?” Kennedy questioned.

“I’m not sure. He didn’t say. I’m meeting with him next Wednesday.”

“Wow.”

“Kennedy, I’m nervous. Will you go with me?” I softly asked.

“Of course, Rae. If you don’t want to face this alone I won’t let you.” Kennedy said as he wrapped his arms around me.



The buildings on Harvard’s campus came into view and I took a deep breath to try and calm myself. I had been able to push the meeting out of my mind thanks to finals and the end of the school year but now I was just minutes away from meeting with the president of Harvard and I could no longer avoid thinking about it.

“Are you okay?” Kennedy asked as he drove the rental car towards the main building.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s just weird being back on campus. When I was back for my trial I avoided it. I’m really nervous about this meeting too.”

“That’s understandable, Rae, but whatever it’s about you’ll be able to handle it. You’ve already been through so much already and fought through that so I have complete faith in you.”

“Thanks Ken.”

The last two-minutes of the car ride and then the walk into the building were spent in silence. I checked in with the president’s secretary before sitting down by Kennedy. I felt as if I could throw up at any moment but took some deep, calming breaths in hope they would help.

“Miss Trotter? Dr. Samuels is ready. You may go on back,” the secretary smiled at me.

I forced a smile and made my way back into Dr. Samuels’ office. His office was bright and cozy which should have put me at ease but did little to calm my nerves.

“Please, have a seat Miss Trotter.” Dr. Samuels said as he motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

I sat down and patiently waited for him to speak.

“First of all Miss Trotter, I would like to apologize on behalf of the university for what happened to you and what you’ve had to endure this past year. Please accept our deepest apology.”

“Thank you sir,” I murmured.

“I’ve been looking through your transcript both from here and ASU. It’s obvious that you’re a very bright girl and very brave too. Miss Trotter, I would love if you would consider coming back to Harvard. To make up for what you’ve been through we’ll give you free tuition. I realize it cannot undo the damages but hopefully it will help a little.”

“Wow, thank you so much for the offer, sir. I definitely have a lot to think about. Do you mind if I have a couple days to think it over?”

“Of course. Just call me when you’ve decided what you would like to do. Thank you for coming to meet with me,” Dr. Samuels said as he stood up to shake my hand.

“Once again, thank you,” I smiled.

I made my way back out into the main part of the office with my thoughts racing around in my head. Receiving free tuition at Harvard and going back to my dream school would be great but at the same time Arizona was my home now. I knew this wouldn’t be an easy decision.

“Hey, that didn’t take long,” Kennedy said as I walked towards him.

“Yeah, I’ll fill you in once we get to the car.”

We made our way to the rental car and Kennedy patiently waited for me to talk even though I knew he was dying to know what happened.

“So,” I said taking a deep breath as Kennedy started the car and reversed it out of the parking spot. “Dr. Samuels offered me a full tuition scholarship if I came back to Harvard next year.”

“That’s great, Reagan!” Kennedy exclaimed. “So should we go look at apartments? You’ll need a place to live next year.”

“I…I haven’t decided for sure what I want to do. I love Harvard but I love Arizona and ASU too.”

“That’s fine. How about you take tonight to think about it and then tomorrow we can look at apartments. Even if you decide to stay at ASU it’s nice to at least be prepared and know every option.”

“Who are you and what have you done to my brother? The Kennedy I know never makes plans and takes things as they come.” I joked.

Kennedy laughed and shook his head. “Being laid-back with my life is fine but this is your life we’re talking about. I just want what’s best for you Rae.”

“Thanks Ken.”

We got back to the hotel and Kennedy left me alone knowing I needed time to myself. My thoughts were driving me crazy though and I knew I needed to get out of the hotel room to clear my head so I offered to pick up food for the two of us. I was gone for about thirty minutes and wasn’t any closer to making a decision. I opened the door to our hotel room and was about to yell at Kennedy that the food was here when I heard him talking to someone in what sounded like an angry conversation.

“But she’s your only daughter. Do you have any clue what she’s been through? …. Just because she isn’t living her life according to your plan doesn’t mean she’s living it wrong…. Reagan and I are happy with the lives we chosen. I’m sorry it’s not what you want…. You’re an ass and no one can live up to your expectations. Eventually Brock will let you down too and I’m sure you’ll disown him. Then mom will leave you and you’ll die a lonely, bitter man.”

Kennedy hung up the phone and I tried to hide from his view before he turned around but I wasn’t quick enough.

“Hey, how much of that did you hear?” Kennedy sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Enough.” I softly said.

“I thought maybe they’d want to see us, or at least you, since we’re close to where they live. Dad refused though and he wouldn’t even let mom talk to me.”

“Is that the first time you’ve talked to dad since you’ve left?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for trying.”

“I just can’t believe he’s still acting like this. I tried to explain the situation to him thinking that would make him change his mind but he doesn’t care.”

“He knows.”

“What?” Kennedy asked.

“He knows about me being raped and the trial.”

“I thought you said you didn’t tell them anything about this.”

“I didn’t. Last year when I first filed the report and said I wanted a trial the school called them. I was still listed as a dependent so the school said it was their duty to tell mom and dad. Dad ended up getting mad at me though. He said I was probably asking for it and I should have just kept quiet because I had now made the family look bad and had put a bad name on his reputation. Having a daughter that was raped wasn’t in his plan so he was mad. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and that was when I went out to Arizona to find you.”

“Reagan, that’s terrible. I know dad is an awful person but still that’s bad, even for him.”

I shrugged. “What dad did didn’t really hurt me. I mean it did but it wasn’t surprising. What hurt the most was the fact that mom was too scared of dad to stand up for me or try to get me to stay.”

“I promise to always be here for you and never turn my back on you.” Kennedy said as he hugged me.

“I know,” I sniffed as I hugged him back. It still hurt to think and talk about our parents. I was more than grateful though that I had Kennedy and his support.

The rest of the night was spent eating take-out, watching movies, and just joking around with Kennedy. He knew I needed a fun night to take my mind off of things. He always knew what to do to make me feel better and I was once again reminded of how lucky I was to have him back in my life.

The next morning we ventured out into the Massachusetts’s streets to try and find me an apartment. At first it was frustrating. All the places we looked at were either too run-down or too expensive. The sixth place we looked though was perfect. It was a two bedroom so I could get a roommate to help pay for rent, it was in a good neighborhood, it was a good price, and it was only a five minute walk from Harvard.

“I don’t want to sway your decision, Rae, but I think this place is perfect,” Kennedy said.

“It is perfect…if I decide to come back that is. I still don’t know if I’m going to come back or stay in Arizona next year.”

“What’s holding you back?”

“Everyone in Arizona is practically my family now and I’ll miss them so much. I’ll miss you, Pat, Garrett, Jared, Grace, my other ASU friends, Joel, and John.”

Kennedy was quiet for a few moments and it looked as if he was in contemplation before he finally asked, “Reagan, are you in love with John?”

Instead of answering him I looked around the apartment as thoughts came rushing in, thoughts of leaving my home for Arizona to find Kennedy after seven years, my parents basically disowning me, making new friends, ASU, and finally the wedding between John and Grace that would take place in just a few short months.

“You’re right, this place is perfect. I’ll take it.” I said, finally making my decision.

Instead of calling me out on not answering his question or asking about my sudden decision, Kennedy gave me a smile and nodded; and I knew he understood.