me on a
day trip to the lake,” she'd laughed, watching me pack a bag
with sunscreen and snacks.
“ Because,”
I chuckled, setting a large sun hat on her head, “I'm just very
charming. Also, your parents trust me.”
“ You
think that,” she smiled, tugging the hat off and tossing it
aside. “If you push them too hard, they'll push back.”
“ Come
on,” I laughed, zipping the bag shut deftly. “We're
essentially adults, aren't we?”
“ Not
exactly yet, no.”
“ Almost,”
I grinned. “Four months for me, that's just around the corner.”
Bethany
rolled her eyes, sitting on my bed. Her feet, decorated in cute white
sandals, kicked idly. “And three months for me. It won't
matter, I'll be eighteen and my parents will treat me like I'm ten
still.”
Leaning
down, I moved to kiss her cheek, ignoring how she giggled and tried
to dodge me. “And what will they do when you go to college?
They can't control you if you're not living with them.”
She
froze, eyes sliding suspiciously to the side. I noticed she wasn't
looking at me, so I knelt down, taking her hands gently. “Hey,”
I murmured, “what is it? What's that look for?”
“ Deacon,”
she sighed, closing her eyes before staring at me uneasily. “I'm
not... sure I'm going to go to college.”
“ What?”
I asked, standing straight in pure shock. “Why not?”
“ Well,
it's just... the college I want to go to is sort of too expensive.”
“ I
don't understand,” I said slowly, puzzling over her logic. “I
thought you were planning to get scholarships?”
Bethany
tightened up, a bear trap that looked ready to close on me. Her glare
was one I had seen a number of times by then, but it still didn't get
any easier. “Planning is one thing, being realistic...”
Inhaling deeply, she curled her knees to her chest on the bed. “The
place I want to go, I don't know if I'm good enough to even get in.”
“ Where?”
I asked her, looking down at her bent head. Her face was hidden by
the waves of blonde. “Where do you really want to go?”
At
first she said nothing. Her fingers squeezed her calves, holding
tight, leaving small dents. Speaking the truth didn't calm her down
at all. “Juilliard,” she breathed.
“ Juilliard,”
I repeated, amazed. It was, indeed, a far reaching desire. That
school was known for the best, to get a scholarship of any kind there
would take work.
So
much work.
Gingerly,
I sat beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She didn't
fight me, but she didn't raise her head, either. “Then, you'll
have to go to Juilliard, I guess.”
“ Impossible,”
she spat.
“ Not
at all. Bethany, you're the hardest working person I know. If you
want to go to Juilliard, I believe you can. And,” I added,
forcing her to look up at me as I held her cheeks. “I'll do my
best to keep up.”
Her
wide eyes spoke volumes. “What? You're going to try and go with
me?”
“ Of
course,” I said softly, smiling sideways at her surprise. “I
want to go to college with you, so if you're getting into Juilliard,
well...”
“ But
what about your dad? Doesn't he want you to go to medical school?”
Rolling
my eyes, I gave a sardonic laugh. “I'm pretty sure he realized
that wasn't going to happen. He's been grooming Nicholas, if the
high-mark papers stuck to the fridge are any indication. That kid,
now that he's about to enter his freshman year Dad has just been—”
Bethany
threw herself against me, pushing me down and tightening her arms. I
was blown away, she'd never shown me that much brazen affection
before. Her lips found my cheek; then, too my further shock, they
discovered my mouth.
She
tasted sweet, like strawberries.
“ Deacon,”
she breathed, blue orbs wet as she leaned over my gaping face. Her
hair was hanging down, tickling my neck. “I—I don't know
what to say, but... Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
Hugging
her roughly, burying my nose in her shoulder, I inhaled and sighed.
“I'll always
day trip to the lake,” she'd laughed, watching me pack a bag
with sunscreen and snacks.
“ Because,”
I chuckled, setting a large sun hat on her head, “I'm just very
charming. Also, your parents trust me.”
“ You
think that,” she smiled, tugging the hat off and tossing it
aside. “If you push them too hard, they'll push back.”
“ Come
on,” I laughed, zipping the bag shut deftly. “We're
essentially adults, aren't we?”
“ Not
exactly yet, no.”
“ Almost,”
I grinned. “Four months for me, that's just around the corner.”
Bethany
rolled her eyes, sitting on my bed. Her feet, decorated in cute white
sandals, kicked idly. “And three months for me. It won't
matter, I'll be eighteen and my parents will treat me like I'm ten
still.”
Leaning
down, I moved to kiss her cheek, ignoring how she giggled and tried
to dodge me. “And what will they do when you go to college?
They can't control you if you're not living with them.”
She
froze, eyes sliding suspiciously to the side. I noticed she wasn't
looking at me, so I knelt down, taking her hands gently. “Hey,”
I murmured, “what is it? What's that look for?”
“ Deacon,”
she sighed, closing her eyes before staring at me uneasily. “I'm
not... sure I'm going to go to college.”
“ What?”
I asked, standing straight in pure shock. “Why not?”
“ Well,
it's just... the college I want to go to is sort of too expensive.”
“ I
don't understand,” I said slowly, puzzling over her logic. “I
thought you were planning to get scholarships?”
Bethany
tightened up, a bear trap that looked ready to close on me. Her glare
was one I had seen a number of times by then, but it still didn't get
any easier. “Planning is one thing, being realistic...”
Inhaling deeply, she curled her knees to her chest on the bed. “The
place I want to go, I don't know if I'm good enough to even get in.”
“ Where?”
I asked her, looking down at her bent head. Her face was hidden by
the waves of blonde. “Where do you really want to go?”
At
first she said nothing. Her fingers squeezed her calves, holding
tight, leaving small dents. Speaking the truth didn't calm her down
at all. “Juilliard,” she breathed.
“ Juilliard,”
I repeated, amazed. It was, indeed, a far reaching desire. That
school was known for the best, to get a scholarship of any kind there
would take work.
So
much work.
Gingerly,
I sat beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She didn't
fight me, but she didn't raise her head, either. “Then, you'll
have to go to Juilliard, I guess.”
“ Impossible,”
she spat.
“ Not
at all. Bethany, you're the hardest working person I know. If you
want to go to Juilliard, I believe you can. And,” I added,
forcing her to look up at me as I held her cheeks. “I'll do my
best to keep up.”
Her
wide eyes spoke volumes. “What? You're going to try and go with
me?”
“ Of
course,” I said softly, smiling sideways at her surprise. “I
want to go to college with you, so if you're getting into Juilliard,
well...”
“ But
what about your dad? Doesn't he want you to go to medical school?”
Rolling
my eyes, I gave a sardonic laugh. “I'm pretty sure he realized
that wasn't going to happen. He's been grooming Nicholas, if the
high-mark papers stuck to the fridge are any indication. That kid,
now that he's about to enter his freshman year Dad has just been—”
Bethany
threw herself against me, pushing me down and tightening her arms. I
was blown away, she'd never shown me that much brazen affection
before. Her lips found my cheek; then, too my further shock, they
discovered my mouth.
She
tasted sweet, like strawberries.
“ Deacon,”
she breathed, blue orbs wet as she leaned over my gaping face. Her
hair was hanging down, tickling my neck. “I—I don't know
what to say, but... Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
Hugging
her roughly, burying my nose in her shoulder, I inhaled and sighed.
“I'll always
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