parts, as I let my imagination run wild.
A bunch of us arrive at Mick’s at the same time. Together, Jenny, Jonathan, Ruby, Ronnie, Owen and I squish in around the big table with the round booth. We order two pitchers of beer.
“Only a few more months to go,” says Ronnie in disbelief. “I’ll never get my sculptures finished.”
“Don’t say that,”I admonish him. “You’ve got a real chance at that award. Don’t give up now.”
“You can do it,” says Owen, giving Ronnie a smile and a knee squeeze.
Jonathan leans back against the booth. “At least you’ll all be finished. I still have years of schooling left.”
“Have you applied to other colleges?” says Jenny, who’s sitting on one side of him.
Jonathan gives Ruby, who’s sitting on his other side, a glance before answering. I think he’s still waiting for her to give some indication where she’ll be moving after graduation. Poor lovestruck fool.
“Yeah, a bunch of places,” he says, sipping his beer to put an end to that part of the conversation.
“I hope you’ll come out to at least one of the theatre departments productions,” says Jenny. “I’m in three different plays. I’m having a hell of a time keeping all my lines straight.
“What are you doing after graduation, Ruby?” says Owen.
She sighs. “Attempting to write the great American novel, I guess.”
Jonathan leans forward. “Yeah, but where ?”
She shrugs. “It hardly matters. Maybe at a lonely lighthouse in Maine, or some run down cabin in the Kentucky hill country, or maybe New York .” She winks at me as she tips her beer bottle. “At any rate, somewhere colorful to inspire my imagination.”
“Excuse me,” says Jonathan, shoving past Jenny and ending up on her lap.
“Ooh, big boy, what’s your hurry?” She squeezes him playfully. Ruby frowns at them.
“Nature calls,” he says, as he manages to get beyond Jenny’s groping fingers. On his way across the bar, I see him stop and talk to Laura over by the kitchen. He actually makes her smile.
I wish Ruby would give him another chance. She’s totally over Dale, and I know she’s been missing Jonathan, but she still can’t seem to give him the time of day. On the way back to the dorms after drinks, I try to talk to her about it.
“I just don’t know,” she says. “It’s like now that I realize how much I like him —maybe love him — I’m frozen in some way and just keep acting like a bitch toward him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m scared? It won’t be long before we’re all out of here and trying to fend for ourselves in the real world. I am scared, Ava.”
“We all are. Because it’s a big change. It’s unknown. We’re leaving behind what’s comfortable and we don’t know how we’ll do out there in the big, bad world.”
“I’m not sure if it’s been ‘comfortable’ exactly, but it has become familiar. I suppose it wasn’t when we first got here.” She laughs. “Remember how lost we all felt?”
“I felt so lost all I did was sketch and mope.”
“Until I found you.” She smiles and slides her arm through mine.
“And then you found Jonathan.”
Ruby sighs and smiles. “Yeah, we all found each other, and we discovered new parts of ourselves. It’s not been an entire waste of time.”
I laugh. “Could you tell my father that?”
“Oh, Ava, he’ll come around eventually. Once he attends your first New York art opening, sees how popular your paintings are, and how much you love living the artist’s life, he’ll just be happy you’re happy. Especially when he sees that beautiful grandchild you and Logan are going to produce.”
“Ruby!” I playfully try to shove her away but she hangs on tight to my arm.
“Oh, no,” she says with mock alarm. “You didn’t tell your parents about him yet?”
“Of course not! No one’s allowed to know. Zip up your lips and throw away the key!”
She grins gleefully. “After graduation, it
A bunch of us arrive at Mick’s at the same time. Together, Jenny, Jonathan, Ruby, Ronnie, Owen and I squish in around the big table with the round booth. We order two pitchers of beer.
“Only a few more months to go,” says Ronnie in disbelief. “I’ll never get my sculptures finished.”
“Don’t say that,”I admonish him. “You’ve got a real chance at that award. Don’t give up now.”
“You can do it,” says Owen, giving Ronnie a smile and a knee squeeze.
Jonathan leans back against the booth. “At least you’ll all be finished. I still have years of schooling left.”
“Have you applied to other colleges?” says Jenny, who’s sitting on one side of him.
Jonathan gives Ruby, who’s sitting on his other side, a glance before answering. I think he’s still waiting for her to give some indication where she’ll be moving after graduation. Poor lovestruck fool.
“Yeah, a bunch of places,” he says, sipping his beer to put an end to that part of the conversation.
“I hope you’ll come out to at least one of the theatre departments productions,” says Jenny. “I’m in three different plays. I’m having a hell of a time keeping all my lines straight.
“What are you doing after graduation, Ruby?” says Owen.
She sighs. “Attempting to write the great American novel, I guess.”
Jonathan leans forward. “Yeah, but where ?”
She shrugs. “It hardly matters. Maybe at a lonely lighthouse in Maine, or some run down cabin in the Kentucky hill country, or maybe New York .” She winks at me as she tips her beer bottle. “At any rate, somewhere colorful to inspire my imagination.”
“Excuse me,” says Jonathan, shoving past Jenny and ending up on her lap.
“Ooh, big boy, what’s your hurry?” She squeezes him playfully. Ruby frowns at them.
“Nature calls,” he says, as he manages to get beyond Jenny’s groping fingers. On his way across the bar, I see him stop and talk to Laura over by the kitchen. He actually makes her smile.
I wish Ruby would give him another chance. She’s totally over Dale, and I know she’s been missing Jonathan, but she still can’t seem to give him the time of day. On the way back to the dorms after drinks, I try to talk to her about it.
“I just don’t know,” she says. “It’s like now that I realize how much I like him —maybe love him — I’m frozen in some way and just keep acting like a bitch toward him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m scared? It won’t be long before we’re all out of here and trying to fend for ourselves in the real world. I am scared, Ava.”
“We all are. Because it’s a big change. It’s unknown. We’re leaving behind what’s comfortable and we don’t know how we’ll do out there in the big, bad world.”
“I’m not sure if it’s been ‘comfortable’ exactly, but it has become familiar. I suppose it wasn’t when we first got here.” She laughs. “Remember how lost we all felt?”
“I felt so lost all I did was sketch and mope.”
“Until I found you.” She smiles and slides her arm through mine.
“And then you found Jonathan.”
Ruby sighs and smiles. “Yeah, we all found each other, and we discovered new parts of ourselves. It’s not been an entire waste of time.”
I laugh. “Could you tell my father that?”
“Oh, Ava, he’ll come around eventually. Once he attends your first New York art opening, sees how popular your paintings are, and how much you love living the artist’s life, he’ll just be happy you’re happy. Especially when he sees that beautiful grandchild you and Logan are going to produce.”
“Ruby!” I playfully try to shove her away but she hangs on tight to my arm.
“Oh, no,” she says with mock alarm. “You didn’t tell your parents about him yet?”
“Of course not! No one’s allowed to know. Zip up your lips and throw away the key!”
She grins gleefully. “After graduation, it
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