often up late playing the guitar or surfing the Internet, and he frequently slept in and missed his classes, until one day he had missed too many days and found out he was going to fail a grade.
Josh convinced his brothers that it would be best for him to become a homeschooled student. He had researched the process on the Internet and even found an adult mentor who worked in education to help him organize his transcripts, monitor his homework assignments, and apply for college. Caitlin saw Jonathan’s reasoning for going along with his brother’s idea at first; maybe Josh was too smart for school and simply got bored.
Josh signed up and began completing assignments. But he complained that the mentor was harassing and pushing him too hard. He asked too many questions and made him think too much. Josh stuck with him anyway, because he wanted to earn a diploma. He made it clear to everyone: he wanted to go to Harvard University. Not Princeton. Nowhere else. Just Harvard. He’d scored high enough on his SATs that he might have even had a shot at Harvard, but a Princeton recruiter requested an interview instead.
Caitlin could see how thrilled Jonathan was for his brother; the two spent hours practicing interview questions together, even though Josh told him again: he didn’t care about Princeton, only Harvard. Jonathan drove Josh to the interview anyway. It took place in a huge, fancy house,and he eavesdropped from outside a door. The woman was a psychologist, and Jonathan got her card to give to Caitlin. He recounted to her later what he had overheard in the interview.
“What would you do with your degree?” she asked Josh.
“I don’t know,” Josh replied. That was all he said. No elaboration. He answered every question with a short answer, sometimes just one word.
Jonathan told Caitlin that his brother had blown it, and he appeared to be right. Princeton did not take him. But Josh received his diploma from his online studies anyway, and to his brothers’ surprise, he got accepted into Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut—on a scholarship.
Jonathan bragged about it to all of his friends. Caitlin remained supportive. How could she not? How would that look? Her boyfriend’s brother had outsmarted the public school system and made it into one of the best colleges in the nation. She knew Jonathan had never fancied himself an Ivy League scholar, but his brother, as he saw it, must have been a genius. Caitlin didn’t want to ruin that gratification for any of them.
She listened to Jonathan’s stories about Josh at Wesleyan. He seemed to have made a few friends. When his brothers visited, Josh took them to a campus party, and the three played Ping-Pong in the dorm.
But after a few weeks at Wesleyan, Josh reverted to his usual negative self, complaining about everyone around him, telling his brother, “People suck here. They’re so liberal and stupid. . . . They’re all rich. . . . They don’t know anything.” He earned Cs, Ds, and Fs his first semester. Within six months, he dropped out. He’d started reading books about surviving in the woods and decided he wanted to backpack through Europe. He told his brothers he wanted to live in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, and the next thing Caitlin heard, he’d taken off.
A few weeks later, Josh returned and decided he was moving to Washington, D.C. Jonathan told Caitlin he couldn’t figure it out. Josh had no family there. No friends. No contacts at all.
Caitlin’s suspicions intensified. The White House was in D.C. The president of the United States. The Pentagon. Some people with mental illnesses, she knew, became obsessed with the government.
Jonathan went to visit Josh in D.C. one weekend, and he later described the trip to Caitlin. He’d found his brother living in a homeless shelter. Josh had acted as if it were normal. He’d even asked him to spend the night there too.
“I’m not sleeping in a homeless shelter!” Jonathan had
Josh convinced his brothers that it would be best for him to become a homeschooled student. He had researched the process on the Internet and even found an adult mentor who worked in education to help him organize his transcripts, monitor his homework assignments, and apply for college. Caitlin saw Jonathan’s reasoning for going along with his brother’s idea at first; maybe Josh was too smart for school and simply got bored.
Josh signed up and began completing assignments. But he complained that the mentor was harassing and pushing him too hard. He asked too many questions and made him think too much. Josh stuck with him anyway, because he wanted to earn a diploma. He made it clear to everyone: he wanted to go to Harvard University. Not Princeton. Nowhere else. Just Harvard. He’d scored high enough on his SATs that he might have even had a shot at Harvard, but a Princeton recruiter requested an interview instead.
Caitlin could see how thrilled Jonathan was for his brother; the two spent hours practicing interview questions together, even though Josh told him again: he didn’t care about Princeton, only Harvard. Jonathan drove Josh to the interview anyway. It took place in a huge, fancy house,and he eavesdropped from outside a door. The woman was a psychologist, and Jonathan got her card to give to Caitlin. He recounted to her later what he had overheard in the interview.
“What would you do with your degree?” she asked Josh.
“I don’t know,” Josh replied. That was all he said. No elaboration. He answered every question with a short answer, sometimes just one word.
Jonathan told Caitlin that his brother had blown it, and he appeared to be right. Princeton did not take him. But Josh received his diploma from his online studies anyway, and to his brothers’ surprise, he got accepted into Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut—on a scholarship.
Jonathan bragged about it to all of his friends. Caitlin remained supportive. How could she not? How would that look? Her boyfriend’s brother had outsmarted the public school system and made it into one of the best colleges in the nation. She knew Jonathan had never fancied himself an Ivy League scholar, but his brother, as he saw it, must have been a genius. Caitlin didn’t want to ruin that gratification for any of them.
She listened to Jonathan’s stories about Josh at Wesleyan. He seemed to have made a few friends. When his brothers visited, Josh took them to a campus party, and the three played Ping-Pong in the dorm.
But after a few weeks at Wesleyan, Josh reverted to his usual negative self, complaining about everyone around him, telling his brother, “People suck here. They’re so liberal and stupid. . . . They’re all rich. . . . They don’t know anything.” He earned Cs, Ds, and Fs his first semester. Within six months, he dropped out. He’d started reading books about surviving in the woods and decided he wanted to backpack through Europe. He told his brothers he wanted to live in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, and the next thing Caitlin heard, he’d taken off.
A few weeks later, Josh returned and decided he was moving to Washington, D.C. Jonathan told Caitlin he couldn’t figure it out. Josh had no family there. No friends. No contacts at all.
Caitlin’s suspicions intensified. The White House was in D.C. The president of the United States. The Pentagon. Some people with mental illnesses, she knew, became obsessed with the government.
Jonathan went to visit Josh in D.C. one weekend, and he later described the trip to Caitlin. He’d found his brother living in a homeless shelter. Josh had acted as if it were normal. He’d even asked him to spend the night there too.
“I’m not sleeping in a homeless shelter!” Jonathan had
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