Golden
Page 21
It was easy for her to think of letting go when it meant I was going to Stanford to chase after the goals she’d decided on for me. But letting me go so I can pack up and go spend some time with my dad is harder for her. He called the day after I walked out on the scholarship and said she’d told him everything. And that he was proud of me for all of it. And in the hours that we spent talking after that, laughing back and forth over memories, and musing about the future and writing and the genius of Robert Frost, we made a plan.
A breeze rolls soft over my cheeks and flutters the pages of the journal in my lap. My journal. Today I’ll seal it up and bring it to Mr. Kinney, and tomorrow, after graduation, I’ll get on a plane, and cross endless miles of land and sky, to begin the next chapter of my one wild and precious life. I don’t know where I’ll be ten years from now when my story comes back to me, but I hope that when I read it I can see that the road I chose really did make all the difference.
Mr. Kinney is taping up a cardboard box labeled SENIOR JOURNALS when I step into his classroom. “Is it too late for one more?” I ask.
He looks up and smiles. “Parker, hi. Of course not. Bring it here.” I cross the rows of empty desks, and he pulls back the strip of tape he just put on. “I’m glad to see you decided to do one after all.”
“Me too,” I say, not sure what to add. I look down at the manila envelope in my hands one last time before I hand it over. “Thank you.”
“It’s no problem.” He slips it in with the others and re-closes the flaps of the box before he grabs the tape. “So. I hear you deferred your acceptance.”
I nod. “They call it a ‘gap year.’ A little extra time to gain some experience and save some money before going straight in to school. I’m going to be spending it with my dad in New York at the writing school where he teaches. Maybe take some classes there.”
“That’s great. Great news. You’ll love it there.” He rests his hands on the box and looks at me. “And I think it fits. You were a great writer even back in ninth grade, when I had you in my class.”
I look at the ground, self-conscious about the smile this puts on my face. I’d worked hard at it. Especially because he was a fan of my dad’s work. “Wow, thank you.”
Kinney smiles. “I mean it, Parker. You’re bright, and talented, and you’re going to shine at whatever you decide to do in life.”
The way he says it is like a simple fact, and though I’m a little nervous about what lies ahead, I also believe him. “Thank you,” I say again.
He stretches a piece of tape out over the top of the box and seals it up in one final motion. “All right. Into the vault with it. Or in my case, the closet.” He hefts up the box and I open the closet door, and when I close it, it’s with a finality that feels fitting.
Mr. Kinney sits down behind his desk. “Well, Parker Frost, can’t wait to see where that journal finds you ten years from now.”
“Me neither.” I smile and turn to go, and that’s when I see Mr. Kinney’s quote for the day, a parting thought scrawled out in his messy writing over the whiteboard.
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.”
—Robert Frost
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am beyond grateful to so many people who were there for me during the writing of this book. First off, my family, for their endless support and belief in me, especially during those times I doubted myself. Second, I would like to thank my agent, Leigh Feldman, and her amazing assistant, Jean Garnett, for knowing when I needed support and when I needed to be pushed, and doing both of those things with grace and humor. Next, my editor, Alexandra Cooper, who has the vision to see the story that’s in my mind, and the wisdom to somehow tease it out onto the page. There truly isn’t a page in this book that hasn’t benefitted from her insight and heart. I would also like to thank the entire Simon & Schuster family for their astounding talent and support—Justin Chanda, whose love for what he does is evident in everything he does; Lizzy Bromley, for her artistic talent and a cover more beautiful than I could have dreamed of; Amy Rosenbaum, for her hard work, contagious enthusiasm, and ability to sound like she’s smiling in every e-mail she writes; Lydia Finn and Paul Crichton, for always being open to new ideas and for offering their constant support. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to Michelle Fadlalla and the superstar Simon & Schuster Education and Library team—Venessa Carson, Anthony Parisi, and Dawn Ryan, who are out there at every conference, putting the books into readers’ hands, and spreading their excitement about them with heart, enthusiasm, and style. I could not be more honored to work with each and every one of these people. And I could not be more honored to count myself a member of the YA community, made up of so many readers, librarians, bloggers, and booksellers whose passion and support amazes and humbles me. Finally, I owe a special thank you to the writer friends I’ve made along the way, people I’ve come to depend on for the things that get me through—a shoulder to cry on, a kick in the pants, a streak of inspiration, a companion “in the weeds”, or a shared laugh over a glass of wine. Carrie Harris, Elana Johnson, Gretchen McNeil, Stasia Kehoe, Lisa Schroeder, Sarah Ockler, Morgan Matson, Heidi Kling, and Corey Whaley, you are those people, and I hope that in time, I can return all that you’ve given me.
JESSI KIRBY is the author of Moonglass, which was chosen as an ABA New Voices selection in 2011, and In Honor. She lives in Crystal Cove, California, with her husband and two children. Visit her at jessikirby.com.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2013 by Jessi Kirby
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Jacket illustrations copyright © 2013 by Emily Caisip
Author photo © Vicki Kramer
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kirby, Jessi.
Golden / Jessi Kirby. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: “Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.”—Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4424-5216-9 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-4424-5225-1 (eBook)
[1. Choice—Fiction. 2. Conduct of life—Fiction. 3. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 4. Diaries—Fiction. 5. Love—Fiction. 6. Family problems—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.K633522Gol 2013
[Fic]—dc23
2012042216