Prologue
Elizabeth scanned through the various television stations
mechanically searching for something, anything to watch as she tried to
relax in her quaint little apartment. “This sucks - 120 channels and still
can’t find something good,” she muttered to herself, yawning while stretching
her hands above her head in frustration.
The distinctive smell of burgers, smoke and soda seemed to
linger upon her even after she’d left the small fast food restaurant where she
worked. If she could only find the strength needed to make it to the shower she’d
feel much better. Just thinking about the warm water gently cascading down her
body should have been enough motivation, but it wasn’t. Her muscles were sore
and her feet were nearly swollen from the long day at work.
“Are you sitting on your couch all day thinking about going
back to school...Why think about it? Just do it. Stop making excuses! Your time
is now, get back in school and start a rewarding career. Do it now, don’t
wait... Call the Bregor Allen College Today! That’s 1-800-Get-There. Advisors are waiting to talk to you right now. Financial aid available
to qualified students. So stop procrastinating. Call now...”
The young Hispanic woman in the television commercial spoke
with such vigor and passion that she immediately caught Elizabeth’s attention.
Her words seemed to stir up something in Elizabeth like fuel on a fire, moving
her into action.
Leaping to her feet Elizabeth almost forgot about how tired
she was, as she rushed to her bag in search of a pen and paper. For a while she’d
wanted to go back to college; however, for some reason or another she would
always put it off. This all stopped today. As she rushed back to the couch, she
leaned in closer ensuring that she wrote the accurate phone number on the tiny
slip of paper.
Nothing would stop her now, she guaranteed herself, as she
dialed the number to the school anxiously waiting for someone to answer her
call. “Hi my name is Elizabeth Carter, I’m 31, a single mom and I want to learn
more about your college.” She informed the gentleman on the other end of the
phone line.
“I’d be happy to help you get back into college Miss Carter.
Tell me what major you’re interested in pursuing.”
“I think I would enjoy something related to legal studies”
she replied.
A smile touched her face as she spoke candidly to the
college representative, who was more than happy to advise her on her options and
how she could begin the enrollment process.
Chapter One
Escape
E lizabeth
or Lizzy as she liked to be called, had spent the earlier part of her day at
the local store purchasing the books for her classes. When she was presented
with the bill for the three books, she almost suffered a mild heart attack. “ $575 ,
you’ve got to be kidding me... Do I get a discount ?” she remembered
blurting in shock to the cashier. That was almost half her entire month’s
salary. She was thankful she qualified for federal financial assistance with
her college expenses. The thought of her having to choose between books and
rent was a scary one.
***
“I swear I’m so nervous Cathy, I can feel my stomach
churning,” Elizabeth sighed taking a deep breath in as she tried to calm
herself.
Her co-worker Cathy seemed somewhat uninterested in what
Elizabeth had to say. Without a word she proceeded to the front, attending to the
long line of impatient customers. Had she not known Cathy any better, Elizabeth
would have thought that she was a little jealous. Most people in their line of
work dreamed of going back to school, but only a few of them actually did.
Physically speaking, Elizabeth could not have been more
different from Cathy. Her long dark hair was usually pulled back neatly into a
ponytail, while Cathy’s blonde hair was cut low in a boy cut and looked as harsh
as dried grass. There was another notable difference between the two; Elizabeth
was a stunningly gorgeous woman, the epitome of
Elizabeth scanned through the various television stations
mechanically searching for something, anything to watch as she tried to
relax in her quaint little apartment. “This sucks - 120 channels and still
can’t find something good,” she muttered to herself, yawning while stretching
her hands above her head in frustration.
The distinctive smell of burgers, smoke and soda seemed to
linger upon her even after she’d left the small fast food restaurant where she
worked. If she could only find the strength needed to make it to the shower she’d
feel much better. Just thinking about the warm water gently cascading down her
body should have been enough motivation, but it wasn’t. Her muscles were sore
and her feet were nearly swollen from the long day at work.
“Are you sitting on your couch all day thinking about going
back to school...Why think about it? Just do it. Stop making excuses! Your time
is now, get back in school and start a rewarding career. Do it now, don’t
wait... Call the Bregor Allen College Today! That’s 1-800-Get-There. Advisors are waiting to talk to you right now. Financial aid available
to qualified students. So stop procrastinating. Call now...”
The young Hispanic woman in the television commercial spoke
with such vigor and passion that she immediately caught Elizabeth’s attention.
Her words seemed to stir up something in Elizabeth like fuel on a fire, moving
her into action.
Leaping to her feet Elizabeth almost forgot about how tired
she was, as she rushed to her bag in search of a pen and paper. For a while she’d
wanted to go back to college; however, for some reason or another she would
always put it off. This all stopped today. As she rushed back to the couch, she
leaned in closer ensuring that she wrote the accurate phone number on the tiny
slip of paper.
Nothing would stop her now, she guaranteed herself, as she
dialed the number to the school anxiously waiting for someone to answer her
call. “Hi my name is Elizabeth Carter, I’m 31, a single mom and I want to learn
more about your college.” She informed the gentleman on the other end of the
phone line.
“I’d be happy to help you get back into college Miss Carter.
Tell me what major you’re interested in pursuing.”
“I think I would enjoy something related to legal studies”
she replied.
A smile touched her face as she spoke candidly to the
college representative, who was more than happy to advise her on her options and
how she could begin the enrollment process.
Chapter One
Escape
E lizabeth
or Lizzy as she liked to be called, had spent the earlier part of her day at
the local store purchasing the books for her classes. When she was presented
with the bill for the three books, she almost suffered a mild heart attack. “ $575 ,
you’ve got to be kidding me... Do I get a discount ?” she remembered
blurting in shock to the cashier. That was almost half her entire month’s
salary. She was thankful she qualified for federal financial assistance with
her college expenses. The thought of her having to choose between books and
rent was a scary one.
***
“I swear I’m so nervous Cathy, I can feel my stomach
churning,” Elizabeth sighed taking a deep breath in as she tried to calm
herself.
Her co-worker Cathy seemed somewhat uninterested in what
Elizabeth had to say. Without a word she proceeded to the front, attending to the
long line of impatient customers. Had she not known Cathy any better, Elizabeth
would have thought that she was a little jealous. Most people in their line of
work dreamed of going back to school, but only a few of them actually did.
Physically speaking, Elizabeth could not have been more
different from Cathy. Her long dark hair was usually pulled back neatly into a
ponytail, while Cathy’s blonde hair was cut low in a boy cut and looked as harsh
as dried grass. There was another notable difference between the two; Elizabeth
was a stunningly gorgeous woman, the epitome of
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