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CHAPTER 12 The third year of medical school—known as the Major Clinical Year —is when you stop studying medicine and start living it. We weren’t quite doctors, but we were more than just students, wearing our short white coats and rotating through eight specialties in four-to-twelve-week blocks. My first rotation was Internal Medicine—a twelve-week marathon. … Read more

CHAPTER 11 Two weeks later, I flew back to Wisconsin in a state of denial. I’d accepted the breakup at first, but as the shock wore off, a strange silence set in—a hollow space where Mick used to be. I missed him more than I’d imagined possible, and part of me believed we could still … Read more

CHAPTER 10 That first year, I went home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, soaking up lots of quality time with Mick. He also managed three visits— long weekends filled with love, sex, and coffee in bed. But at the end of each, standing on the curb with his arms around me, the goodbye was brutal. Summer … Read more

CHAPTER 9 That August, my dad rented a twenty-foot U-Haul, backing it into the driveway with the ease of someone who’d been maneuvering box trucks his whole life. My mom and I folded clothes into bags while Mick and my dad packed up the college furniture I’d been storing in the garage. My dad planned … Read more

CHAPTER 8 That first semester, Mick and I fell into a Madison rhythm—Babcock ice cream and pitchers of beer on the Terrace, walks on State Street, and late-night study sessions at Memorial Library. Our Saturdays revolved around the ritual of Badger football. We tailgated in a sea of red, then crammed into Camp Randall with … Read more

CHAPTER 7 Graduation arrived on a warm June night. Floodlights hummed over the football field and folding chairs fanned across the turf beneath a red-and-white stage. Paul was our valedictorian, and I was salutatorian, my GPA just one hundredth of a point shy of his. As I listened to his speech, I felt the sharp … Read more

CHAPTER 6 No matter how hard I tried, Mick’s voice stayed in my head. His words played on a loop until I felt like I was betraying Paul. Every time he reached for my hand, my chest felt hollow, like I was pretending. I knew I had to end things. One Friday after school, we … Read more

CHAPTER 5 Freshman year raced by, and the summer came and went even faster. Before I knew it, we were sophomores, one notch higher in the pecking order. Our weeks were packed with studying and extracurriculars—math team, chemistry club, and peer tutoring. Erin kept winning parts in plays and musicals, and although she never convinced … Read more

CHAPTER 4 One Friday afternoon in mid-December, Mick asked if I was free to get together over the weekend and study for our math exam. “Good idea,” I said. My heart skipped a beat. We’d never seen each other outside of school. “How does Sunday afternoon look?” he asked. “Around three?” “That works,” I said. … Read more

CHAPTER 3 Mick and I grew up just a few cornfields apart, but we didn’t cross paths until our first day of high school, when seven different middle schools converged into one massive freshman class at Arrowhead. Most of the day unspooled exactly as I’d pictured. Many of the faces were unfamiliar, but the dynamic … Read more

CHAPTER 2 It’s five a.m. My favorite hour. New York City is hushed and feels like mine alone. Growing up, I was always the first one downstairs, flipping through workbook pages while Dad showered and Mom coaxed my little brother out of bed. All these years later, I still cram as much into my mornings … Read more

CHAPTER 1 Sometimes I wonder how much of who we are comes from our own choices—and how much is shaped by where we come from. It’s been fifteen years since I left Wisconsin and built something real in New York. But some corners of my life still feel borrowed, like I’m playing dress-up. The Hamptons … Read more