really want to do it, if this is your dream, then find a way to pay for it.” I can’t believe I’m telling her this, let alone in a voice I usually reserve for Buster when he attempts to steal my food. “Maybe put off the training for a semester and get a part-time job to cover the cost. Try cutting back on your other expenses, like buying gourmet coffee every morning or going for manicures with your roommate. If you want it badly enough, make it happen. It’s all about priorities.”
She’s quiet. I can’t tell if she’s mad at me or if my words are sinking in, but I forge ahead and say what I’ve always wanted to tell her. “Look, Mom and Dad go crazy on you because you’ve done stupid stuff to make your boyfriends happy before, whether or not it’s made you happy. You’ve always said education is your top priority, but—”
“I need to act like it?”
“Yes!”
It’s more emphatic than I intended; there’s a sniffle on the other end of the phone. I rub my free hand across my forehead and eyes, very much the way Mom does whenever she’s talking to Tessa. Maybe I should have left well enough alone and kept my mouth shut, which is my usual M.O.
“You’re the best, Pey.” Tessa’s voice is quiet, but filled with emotion.
“Um…really?” Given how sweet she’s always been to me—sending tea is only the most recent instance—I suspect I’ve been too harsh.
“You’re wiser than you think, Peyton. What you said…well, I knew it all in my heart already. But I needed to hear it. Thank you. I’ll let you go. I just hope that you can take your own advice someday.”
I should be grateful she’s finally hanging up, but I can’t ignore that last part. “What do you mean?”
“I bet anything, somewhere down the line when you’re hot and heavy with some guy who really does it for you, you’ll be tempted to make a few of the same stupid decisions I’ve made in the past. It’s human nature. Just remember what you told me today, okay? Make your own long-term goals your priority. Then have fun with the guy. If he breaks your heart—which will probably happen at some point, unless you’re, like, the luckiest person ever—then it won’t mess up the other parts of your life.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” My thinking is that this is never going to be a problem. Then again, my sister lives on Planet Tessa. She assumes I do all the same things she did in high school simply because it’s what happened in her world. And despite our call, I still fall into Mom and Dad’s camp: I’ll believe she’s changed when I see it.
I wish her good luck, thank her again for sending Kendall’s gift, then say goodbye at the exact moment I hear the grind of the garage door.
Of course. Now Josh comes home.
I listen for him to stomp through the mudroom in his cleats so I can yell at him to get his tail to his dentist appointment. But a full minute later, when there’s silence, I go to my window and peek through the slats. He’s still sitting in his car, and he’s not alone. My throat tightens as I squat down for a better look at the passenger side.
Connor.
I straighten, blinking. I wasn’t expecting Connor. Given that he’s here all the time, I suppose I should have, but Josh said they were staying as far apart as possible during the tournament. Maybe they were eliminated?
I drop the slats so they don’t see me watching them. Ridiculous, because it’s not like I haven’t checked on my brother and Connor when they’re in the driveway before. Hundreds of times.
Maybe it’s that this time, I’m checking on Connor. Not Josh.
I sneak another look at the driveway from my second floor window, feeling like the neediest dork of all time. How crazy is it that I have the urge to go check out my hair and teeth in the mirror? Or worse, to run outside, shove Josh out of the car, jump in Connor’s lap and pick up where we left off
She’s quiet. I can’t tell if she’s mad at me or if my words are sinking in, but I forge ahead and say what I’ve always wanted to tell her. “Look, Mom and Dad go crazy on you because you’ve done stupid stuff to make your boyfriends happy before, whether or not it’s made you happy. You’ve always said education is your top priority, but—”
“I need to act like it?”
“Yes!”
It’s more emphatic than I intended; there’s a sniffle on the other end of the phone. I rub my free hand across my forehead and eyes, very much the way Mom does whenever she’s talking to Tessa. Maybe I should have left well enough alone and kept my mouth shut, which is my usual M.O.
“You’re the best, Pey.” Tessa’s voice is quiet, but filled with emotion.
“Um…really?” Given how sweet she’s always been to me—sending tea is only the most recent instance—I suspect I’ve been too harsh.
“You’re wiser than you think, Peyton. What you said…well, I knew it all in my heart already. But I needed to hear it. Thank you. I’ll let you go. I just hope that you can take your own advice someday.”
I should be grateful she’s finally hanging up, but I can’t ignore that last part. “What do you mean?”
“I bet anything, somewhere down the line when you’re hot and heavy with some guy who really does it for you, you’ll be tempted to make a few of the same stupid decisions I’ve made in the past. It’s human nature. Just remember what you told me today, okay? Make your own long-term goals your priority. Then have fun with the guy. If he breaks your heart—which will probably happen at some point, unless you’re, like, the luckiest person ever—then it won’t mess up the other parts of your life.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” My thinking is that this is never going to be a problem. Then again, my sister lives on Planet Tessa. She assumes I do all the same things she did in high school simply because it’s what happened in her world. And despite our call, I still fall into Mom and Dad’s camp: I’ll believe she’s changed when I see it.
I wish her good luck, thank her again for sending Kendall’s gift, then say goodbye at the exact moment I hear the grind of the garage door.
Of course. Now Josh comes home.
I listen for him to stomp through the mudroom in his cleats so I can yell at him to get his tail to his dentist appointment. But a full minute later, when there’s silence, I go to my window and peek through the slats. He’s still sitting in his car, and he’s not alone. My throat tightens as I squat down for a better look at the passenger side.
Connor.
I straighten, blinking. I wasn’t expecting Connor. Given that he’s here all the time, I suppose I should have, but Josh said they were staying as far apart as possible during the tournament. Maybe they were eliminated?
I drop the slats so they don’t see me watching them. Ridiculous, because it’s not like I haven’t checked on my brother and Connor when they’re in the driveway before. Hundreds of times.
Maybe it’s that this time, I’m checking on Connor. Not Josh.
I sneak another look at the driveway from my second floor window, feeling like the neediest dork of all time. How crazy is it that I have the urge to go check out my hair and teeth in the mirror? Or worse, to run outside, shove Josh out of the car, jump in Connor’s lap and pick up where we left off
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