“I don’t think coming to dance practice will be very exciting for you.”
“I do,” he fired back.
“Well, um—”
“Please?”
“Um... okay, but no critiquing me.”
“You’re my best friend, I would never insult you,” he said with a serious look.
“Ha! Funny.”
“It’s true. At the moment, you’re my best friend in the world.”
“You’re an interesting guy, Gavin.”
“Interesting in a handsome and charming kind of way?”
“Yes.” The truth serum was still in effect. Maybe it always would be with him.Why was I thinking ofalways?“How old are you?” I asked.
“Twenty-three. Don’t say it! I’ll do it for you. Yes, I’m on the five-year plan. This is my last year but I did change my major three times, so you know... that kind of extended my glorious time here.”
“What came before engineering?”
“Ahh, you were listening. English, then music.”
“Wow, you’re all over the place.”
“Thank you, Penny. You’re not the first to say so.” He shook his head in mock irritation.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“I’m kidding. I don’t get offended by it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes me. I’m an only child, and the first of all my cousins to go to college, so I get points for that.”
“Actually, I’m all over the place, too. I’m conflicted about dance and how I’ll turn it into a career.”
Gavin took a sip of his coffee and started to choke. “There are a lot of ways to make a career out of dance.”
“I’ve done ballet and contemporary dance my whole life, but my parents... well, my mom actually wanted me to have a degree in something more solid. And maybe... probably I’m not good enough to be a professional dancer.”
“Why do you have such a low opinion of yourself?”
“I don’t. I mean, I don’t know.”
He shook his head and then looked at the clock. “Shit, it’s almost four. We gotta go,” he said. I liked how he saidwe. I liked his concern for me.
He grabbed my hand. “Let’s walk and talk. So where do you live, Penny?”
“Five minutes away... with my parents.”
That didn’t seem to faze him. “Yeah, my dad lives in town, too. I used to live with him but couldn’t stand it, so now I share an apartment off-campus with my friend, Mike.”
“How do you pay for rent?”
“I work at Pete’s, that gas station garage in town. I work on cars and do oil changes and pump gas and stuff, mostly at night. It pays the bills.”
“I wish I could work, but practice is too demanding.”
