FOUR STATES, ONE JOURNEY

Summary: Life throws so many things at you that you don't expect. Rejection. Addiction. Doubt. Divorce. But maybe, with the right people in your life, it can still be greater than you ever imagined. Chronicles of the characters' lives post-Uganda (may include some trigger-type themes such as depression in later chapters; warning will be posted).

Pairings: Eventual McPriceley, Arnold/Nabulungi

Disclaimer: I don't own The Book of Mormon or any of its characters. Also, none of this story is real, any people in it associated with actual places (cities, colleges, etc.) are completely fictional.

PART ONE: OGDEN, UTAH

College, Summer Before Freshman Year

Chapter One: College Request Denied

Ever since Kevin Price returned from his mission, things had been awkward, to say the least.

He'd seen it coming, and had been quick to do what he could to make his transition back to the States as seamless as possible. Deactivating his Facebook page so he wouldn't have to face the countless messages asking what had happened and wondering why he wouldn't be going to church anymore, ducking in to Internet cafes while proselytizing in the bigger villages to submit college applications (he'd made it perfectly clear to his parents that his plans had changed and he wouldn't be attending BYU next fall), mailing his grandmother a Mother's Day card so she wouldn't be too terribly disappointed in him. But anticipation and experience are two very different things. No matter how many times in he'd emailed his parents to explain that no, he didn't consider their new mission to be a cult, and yes, he did actually think they were helping a lot of people out, and no, he didn't acquire some weird African disease that messed with his brain, he still found himself repeating these very things the entire duration of the drive from the Salt Lake City airport to his family's home in North Ogden. Then there was his extended family, which was a whole other matter altogether.

Sometimes Kevin wished he could get a little more credit. It was hard, growing up in a rigid family with high expectations. Admitting those expectations no longer matched your goals was even harder. As much as he'd missed his family while he was away, he was counting down the days until he'd be off to college—where he wouldn't have to face the disappointed looks, disapproving sighs, or the clunky attempts to corner him for the same tired conversation. Like the situation he was facing now, for instance. Mr. and Mrs. Price had whisked him away to dinner ("Just the three of us. We have some catching up to do," Mr. Price had said), and now he sat awkwardly in his plastic chair across from his parents, the restaurant's florescent lighting casting a sickly glow over the food on his paper plate.

Mr. Price cleared his throat and clasped his hands enthusiastically. "This is nice, isn't it? Spending time with our boy after two years; having a good meal at a good price."

"Um, sure, it's great." Kevin had always assumed his parents' obsession with Kentucky Fried Chicken came from the fact that one could buy entire buckets of food there on a budget, a necessity for a family with six children. But no, apparently they ate there even when a mere fraction of the family was present.

"So Kevin, dear," Mrs. Price smiled tightly, clearly skirting around something. "You must be happy to be back home, right? Much more comfortable than that hut you were living in."

"I do like A/C and running water," Kevin chuckled. "I miss everyone, though." With Arnold less than an hour away in Salt Lake, the two still met on a regular basis. And thanks to no small amount of research on Kevin's and Elder McKinley's part, Nabulungi was able to acquire a visa to obtain her GED. But still, nothing could replace the camaraderie they experienced in Uganda, those nights when everyone, missionaries and villagers alike, would pitch in to prepare dinner and then crowd around the tiny dining room at missionary headquarters, laughing and exchanging new ideas for the church as they passed dishes back and forth. Kevin felt a twinge of sadness and decided to change the subject.

"Oh, guess what? I signed up for my orientation session at Johns Hopkins University!" he said, immediately brightening with anticipation. "It starts on the eighteenth. That works, right? We'll have to figure out plane tickets—unless you think we should make it a road trip, but I'll be moving in next month so we might as well just fly this time around…" He trailed off when he noticed the expressions on his parent's faces. Mr. and Mrs. Price were silent for a long moment, exchanging glances between each other.

"Sweetie," Mrs. Price finally began. "It's just, well..." she turned to her husband for assistance.

"What?" Kevin cut in, a sinking feeling forming in his gut.

"Your mother and I don't want you going all the way to Maryland this fall," Mr. Price finished. "Not after you failed your mission."

"For the thousandth time, I didn't fail my mission. And I don't understand. I have to go to Maryland, that's where the school is. I'm all set to go; I'm picking out my classes in two weeks!"

"We understand you were excited, but we'd rather have you closer to home, given what's happened," Mrs. Price said. "And of course BYU has some wonderful programs—"

"I am not going to BYU," Kevin snapped. "I know I used to say I would, but it's not happening anymore. I've told you that. Besides, do you honestly think they'd take me now?"

Mr. Price bit into a drumstick. "Well you're already a student at Weber State."

"Only because I took dual credit there in high school." No, no way. Not Weber State University. Anything but the school with a 100% acceptance rate he'd grown up practically down the street from; the one so many average students in Ogden attended without a second thought. "Mom, Dad, please. I have to go to Johns Hopkins. I want to be a doctor, you know that. I want to help people. They have the best internal medicine program in the country, and it's really competitive, but if I'm already there for undergrad my application will be that much stronger—"

"Oh honey, don't worry about not getting in," said Mrs. Price. "You're so talented and smart, you can go anywhere you want for medical school."

"After you do four years of undergrad at Weber State," Mr. Price clarified.

"Wait, I..." The reality of the situation still hadn't fully registered. Kevin had been expecting any number of difficult experiences this evening. Another lecture about his newfound coffee habit, continued pleas to come back to church, more not-so-subtle hints that Bishop Morrison's daughter Clarissa was such a good girl and definitely interested and wouldn't she and Kevin make such cute couple? But not this. "Are you serious?! You took me to KFC to tell me I can't go to college? Really? At KFC?"

"No, no, sweetie, you can go to college," Mrs. Price quickly replied. "Just not away to college."

"And not to the college of your choice," Mr. Price clarified.

Kevin was on the verge of panic now. "I can't believe this is happening. You waited until now to tell me this?!"

"Calm down, son. We don't want you throwing a fit; that's why we took you out in public."

"And we would've liked to talk to you sooner, dear, but you didn't give us much choice. You've been so stubborn since you got back—you won't go to church, you skipped the family reunion, and then there's the coffee—"

"There's nothing wrong with coffee, Mom."

"It's a gateway drug, Kevin!" she snapped. "One day you're drinking coffee, and the next you're living in a Motel 6 doing dirty things to other men for crack cocaine!"

"And we don't want that to happen to you, son."

Kevin gave them an incredulous look for one long moment. "Okay," he said slowly. "What if I promise to not become a prostitute or crack addict? Then can I go to college in Maryland?"

"No," they replied in unison.

"You can't make me go to Weber State!" Kevin crossed his arms and faced the two of them with his best glare. "I'm an adult, I can study where I want."

Mrs. Price wilted slightly under his gaze, fidgeting slightly. However, Mr. Price leaned forward and matched Kevin's determined expression with one of his own. "Not if you're hoping for financial assistance from us."

"I have a scholarship."

"Which only covers a portion of your costs. You're a smart kid; you know how much tuition and housing cost on the east coast. And if you're going to med school, you'll have enough debt as it is."

Kevin's first instinct was to tell them fine, he didn't need their help, he'd take out loans to cover the difference and just be in debt forever if it meant living his own life, thank you very much. But the logical part of his brain was already calculating the cost. Forty-something in tuition plus—what was it, eleven thousand?—in room and board minus his scholarship times four years was...way more than he felt comfortable paying on top of medical school bills. This realization, along with the finality in his dad's voice, drained away pretty much any fight within him.

"So that's it, then," he said flatly, slumping back in his chair with his arms still crossed. "You're actually gonna take away my college fund if I don't do what you say."

"Oh Kevin, don't be sad," Mrs. Price cooed. "Weber State is a great school! This is a good thing. It'll give you some time to get your focus back, and bring yourself closer to Heavenly Father again."

"We're not gonna make you stay with us," Mr. Price added. "You can live on campus, so long as you visit every week for church and family home evening. And you will start attending church again; I don't want to hear any more excuses from you, young man."

"And you can live with your little friend Arnold! Didn't you say he was going to college here? You two can get a dorm room together. Won't that be fun? Just don't go starting any more cults!" Mrs. Price smiled and patted Kevin's hand before turning back to his father. "Gerald, dear, we should get a bucket to take home to the others or they'll be upset. Do you need a box, Kevin, hon? You've hardly touched your dinner."

Kevin didn't respond, staring straight through his now cold chicken and mashed potatoes. Forty-seven days. Up until this evening that block of time was the only thing holding him back from escaping the household and town that now felt so foreign to him, from getting a fresh start somewhere completely new. A place where he could continue to grow the way he had in Uganda and start to become the Kevin Price he wanted to be—someone who helps people and has his life together and accomplishes every goal he sets for himself. He opened his mouth to say something, anything that could show just how crushed he felt right now. Yet even with all the thoughts now running through his head, he couldn't find the words.

He finally settled with one simple, deflated sentence. "I'm not hungry."

A/N: Thanks for reading; please let me know what you think!