“How’s it going? You made any plans for the summer?”
“Iris is going to LA to try her luck. There are a lot of opportunities there, DJ’ing and music and all that.” He looked over at Emma, a defiant look in his eyes. “I might go with her.”
“Have you talked about it with Ryan or your parents?” she asked cautiously, knowing Ryan would hate this idea. His parents would, too.
“I mentioned it to Ryan. He’s not a fan,” Trent said with a shrug.
“Well, you’re old enough to make your own decisions, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to some advice, too.”
“Guess not.”
“I’ve had a lot of people giving me their advice about my move to Georgia,” she said. They had reached the ropes course. Since Trent didn’t seem to be working at the moment, they sat side by side in a couple of the tires that were part of the obstacle course. She kicked her feet, swinging gently back and forth. “You want to know the truth?”
“Sure.” He kicked off next to her and swung.
“I don’t really want to go.”
“No?” He turned to look at her.
She shook her head. “I dreamed about it for so long, but now that I’m doing it, I don’t know…it doesn’t feel right.”
“So you’re dropping out like I did?” He was grinning now.
“Actually, no. I talked it over with Ryan and decided I have to go, at least for a semester. You’re never too old for advice, you know.” She nudged at him playfully as he swung past.
“The truth is, I don’t really know what I want out of life,” Trent said. “I’m just, I don’t know…restless.”
“I hear you. You’re a free agent right now. You can go anywhere and do anything you want. But if you always go chasing after the next shiny thing to catch your eye, someday you might end up regretting the people and opportunities you left behind.”
“You don’t think I should go to LA.”
She laughed. “I didn’t say that. But whydoyou want to go? Just because of Iris? Do you really think there are DJ opportunities there for someone your age that aren’t here in Haven?”
“It sounds exciting,” he said. “And yeah, I do think there are a lot of opportunities. I mean, with Hollywood and everything. How could I pass that up?”
“There are also a lot of people vying for those opportunities. And it’s crazy expensive to live out there. How are you going to support yourselves while you look for work?”
Trent didn’t say anything, just swung back and forth, staring at the ground.
“We’re opposites right now, you and me,” she said thoughtfully. “You want to leave your family behind and head off in search of adventure, which is exactly what I thought I wanted to do. And right now I’d give anything to stay home with you guys.”
“Because of my brother?”
She smiled over at Trent again. “You’re awfully wise for eighteen. Yes, your brother is a big part of it.”
“You love him?” Trent asked.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I do.”
“Does he know?”
It was her turn to shrug. Had Ryan overhead what she said when she jumped yesterday? If he had, he hadn’t let on. “Do you love Iris?”
“Yeah,” he said fervently.
Ah, young love.“Well, Trent, I think you have to follow your heart. Don’t let Ryan or anyone else guilt you into doing what they think is best for you.”
“Then I should go to LA.”
