"Well...this is it, " said Mrs. Matthews.

The mother and daughter stood next to the vehicle that had brought Tawny to Ivoree Gates.

They finished dropping off her belongings and had taken a brief tour around the campus, admiring the well-manicured grounds and the austere buildings.

Now they were just looking at one another, as though they were both struck dumb with the inability to speak.

Finally, Tawny broke the silence. "I promise to call you every day," she said.

Her mother waved her off dismissively. "Oh please—I'm sure you'll be too busy mingling with your new friends here to make that commitment."

Tawny felt her stomach lurch. It wasn't from her mother's comments; it was her fear that things would be the exact opposite.

She didn't let on, but at that moment she felt terrified for the future. For HER future. "Fine, once a week then," she replied. "That's a promise."

Mrs. Matthews gave a faint smile, but Tawny could see her mother was holding back both her words and her tears. She opened her arms, "Come here," she said; Tawny stepped into her arms and the two embraced in an extended hug.

After several seconds, the two women finally broke free, and Tawny could see tears streaming down her mother's cheek.

"Hey....come on, I'll be fine," she said, wiping her mother's tears away gently with her hand. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Sorry...I know, I know. I'm just....really going to miss you. My little girl's finally leaving the nest. "My little Taw-Taw...."

She kissed her daughter's forehead, put both hands on Tawny's shoulders and looked her in the eyes earnestly. "Okay. I'm going now. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," said Tawny, feeling herself get emotional.

Mrs. Matthews got into the minivan and slowly pulled away, but not before honking three times and waving vigorously at her daughter; Tawny waved back. She didn't move from her spot until her final lifeline to her old life turned the corner and was out of sight.

Tawny turned around and regarded the massive old building behind her. Her eyes widened as she took it all in, reality finally setting in with her.

"This is it, I'm actually doing it..." she thought proudly.

She took a step off the sidewalk and into the street so she could get a better view.

She wanted to send a photo of the building to her BFF to let her know that she finally arrived. 

Tawny pulled out her phone and was trying to get the perfect shot when she heard the low rumble of an engine.

She turned her head and saw a red Porsche zooming down the street. She was directly in its path!

The car showed no signs of stopping, so Tawny practically dove back onto the sidewalk to avoid getting flattened by oncoming traffic.

The Porsche kept on along the road without breaking stride or even acknowledging the near-accident, which annoyed Tawny.

"What a jerk," she said, picking herself up and dusting off herself.

It was then that she realized she was no longer holding her phone, it had somehow fallen on the road in her attempt to get out of the way.

It looked as though the Porsche drove over it.

Tawny picked up the phone and turned it over in her hands, inspecting it.

Miraculously, everything appeared okay, and neither the screen or the casing were cracked.

But when she lifted the phone to take the photo, she realized the camera lens was cracked.

Tawny sighed. "Great start."