‘Jennifer,’ I said, looking at her as directly as I could, ‘I think the question is where willyougo if I don’t go to tech?’ She shook her head as if she didn’t know what I meant. ‘I’ll tell you where; you’ll go to the college you’re supposed to go to because of how hard you’ve worked and because it’s what you deserve. Settling for tech, which is like the second, probably third, best option for you simply because your boyfriend is there just isn’t right.’
‘That’s not why …’
‘It is, Jennifer. Look at me. I know that’s why you’re saying you’ll go there.’
She let out a huge sigh.
‘Tech is not third best,’ she said.
‘It is for you.’
She didn’t say anything because she knew it was true even if her modesty wouldn’t allow her to admit it out loud.
‘Jennifer, when you get your results next week and you see all those A stars …’
She took a breath to object.
‘Wait! Just stick with me one second, when you see how well you’ve done … tech isn’t good enough for you.’
‘I don’t think it matters anyway,’ she said. ‘It’s only killing time until I can audition for drama school.’
‘I know, but what happens if you change your mind in a couple of years?’
‘Brendan, I would say you’re beginning to sound like my parents if I didn’t think that that was the cruellest insult I could possibly throw at you.’
I laughed.
‘I know, but really, you’ll be happier somewhere else,’ I said.
‘Without you?’
‘It won’t be without me, I just won’t be breathing down your neck every day in a place neither of us belong in.’
‘I happen to like you breathing down my neck.’
I jumped forward and blubbered my lips on her neck and she dropped her ice cream but didn’t notice or didn’t care. She pushed me away playfully and then looked at me from under the curtain of her hair.
‘Where will you go, Brendan?’
‘Don’t know. I need to think about it.’
‘And what do your parents think about it?’
‘They’re worried, but so much has happened and … I guess they feel like they’ll go along with whatever I decide.’
‘I like the sound of your parents,’ she said. ‘I want to meet them properly.’
‘How’s your bowling arm?’ I asked.
‘Terrible,’ she said.
‘Great, come with us and you can be on Dad’s team, then.’
We laughed.
‘What about a bowling trip on results night?’ Jennifer said. ‘What time you going to pick your results up at?’
‘Don’t know. Want to go together?’
