by Naomi Niles
He lived in West Halls. “There are a few buildings further west than we are, but just the meteorology building and the IST building, which spans the road. It’s pretty cool to stand there and see the traffic go under you.”
“Wherever you think I should see.”
“The Berkey Creamery. We’ll get some ice cream, and we’ll get you a sweatshirt. Can’t go home without some blue and white,” Chuck said.
I was lucky. Chuck was a computer science major. He could give me the rundown on what it was like.
“Where are most of your classes?”
“They are actually in the labs. There’s a cluster of science buildings in the middle of campus. That’s mainly where my courses are.”
I nodded as we walked among trees. It was a pretty place to be. Cold and gray, but it was the middle of March. I guess I had hoped it would be warmer. That didn’t deter me from liking the school, though.
“I got us tickets to the girls’ volleyball game later today.”
“Okay.”
“It’s good to see the school spirit we have here.”
“What about the classes? Are they big or small?” I said.
Mr. Dean had given me a list of questions to ask. This was one of them.
“The ones you take the first two years are larger. General Education credits. Everyone needs to fulfill those. English and such. Once you get into computer science, the classes are smaller.”
“Okay.”
The tour of the campus took more than an hour, but we finished up with ice cream. I couldn’t turn that down. It was the best ice cream I’d ever had. If I were to choose a college based on food, this would be it.
I liked it here and could see being here for four years. I didn’t know if my SAT scores were good enough, but I’d have to see. I thought I could take them one more time.
“You have anything you’d like to see?”
“Other than college girls?” I said.
Chuck laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m not the one to show you them. I’m a computer geek, but let me show you what we’re working on.”
When he showed me I gasped. “A satellite?”
“For NASA.”
“Pretty cool.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d like that,” he said.
The volleyball game was exciting. The energy in the place was amazing. I really could see myself f here. Hopefully, I could get some aid.
Mr. Dean picked me up on Sunday. “How was it?”
“Pretty awesome, Mr. Dean.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited about anything.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about anything before. I really had a good time. I want to go away to college.”
“Good. Now, we have to look at some of the others. Won’t be the same experience as spending a weekend there, but you’ll get the idea.”
“Yep.”
I couldn’t wait to tell Taylor. I hoped she could be excited for me – especially, since she was going to go away, too.
“Did Chuck take you to all of the sights?”
“Yes. I even have a Penn State sweatshirt now.”
“That makes all the difference, then,” Mr. Dean said. “You pretty set on computer science as your major?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay. Good field. You’ll get a job doing that.”
“For the first time ever, I feel like I have a future beyond high school.”
He smiled. “Good.”
“I have to thank you, Mr. Dean. You’ve really changed my life.”
“I guess you picked the right car to steal,” he said with a laugh.
I was still a little embarrassed by how we met. “Have you ever told Mrs. Dean how you met me?”
“Nope. It’s our little secret. I never told Taylor, either.”
“That’s good. They both might think less of me.”
“You can’t worry about that, but I figure it’s our secret. No need to talk about it now. I really feel you’ve turned yourself around since , Dylan. I’m very proud of you.”
Whenever he said that, I felt guilty about Taylor. The man would be so disappointed in me. It wasn’t as if I just had sex – I really care about Taylor. I thought she cares about me, too.
Mr. Dean’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hi, honey. Just wanted to check in and see when you’ll be home,” Mrs. Dean said on the other end.
“We’ll be there in forty five minutes, according to the navigation system.”
“Okay. Dylan? Will you need food? Or is that a stupid question?” she said.
“I’ll need food,” I said.
“Okay. I’ll have some dinner ready.” She hung up.
“She seemed chipper,” I observed.
Mr. Dean just laughed. Guess they’d had a good weekend, too. Not that I really wanted to think about my adoptive parents having sex. I tried not to shudder.
Chapter Thirty
Taylor
I was not looking forward to Dylan coming home. Well, I was, but he was going to be so excited about his college visit. All it meant to me was that I was going to have to give him up at some point. I knew I was being selfish, but I was also upset that my parents had not given me their decision about college. I had expected them to be on my side a little more.
I had expected them to at least be excited and that I was now looking forward to college. I’d been dragging my feet about applying. They’d put pressure on me, and this was how I responded.
The fact that Dylan was probably going to a different school far away didn’t affect my school decision, but it affected how I felt now. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want us to be apart. As much as I understood what my path was, I understood that his path was different.
Didn’t mean I had to like it. The only problem was trying to be supportive. Before now, I hadn’t cared about that. Guess I was maturing.
Helena called. “I got into Rutgers.”
That was her number one pick. She was done. This part of her life was set.
“That’s great, Helena.”
I was truly happy for her. As much as I’d miss her, I knew we’d stay in touch. We’d been friends for so long, I couldn’t imagine not being friends with her. I just wouldn’t see her every day.
“Thanks, Taylor. I know this has been a sore subject for you, but you’ll figure it out.”
How had I failed to tell her my decision? “Actually, I’ve decided on a major. I have a few schools I want to look at.”
“That’s great, Taylor. Your parents must be pretty happy.”
“Well, they aren’t sold on my major,” I said. I shifted on my bed to get more comfortable.
“What’s the major?”
“Nursing.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I guess it isn’t an acceptable profession for my mother.”
“That sucks.”
“I’m hoping my father can convince her that I’ve thought about this. That I’m going into this knowing what I’m in for. I don’t think she thinks I’m capable of something like this.”
“Not to be a killjoy, but what have you done like it? She hasn’t seen you be anything but selfish.”
I laughed. Leave it to Helena to tell me the truth. “Okay, I know this. I’ve been spoiled and selfish. I get it. Meeting Dylan and seeing another side of life has changed me.”
“I know that, but maybe your mother hasn’t seen that side of you. Maybe you need to prove to her that you’ve changed.”
I sighed. “Yeah, probably. Not sure how to go about doing that, though.”
“I don’t know. Be more helpful around the house. Think of ways to make her life easier. Cook dinner once in awhile.”
Helena had great ideas. “I’ll have to think on that.”
“You lost your car only a few weeks ago, so she’s thinking that you haven’t grown up.”
“I know. You’re right. Can I call you when we’re away
at college?”
“Of course. We’re best friends.”
“I feel like I rely on you more than you rely on me,” I said.
“That’s probably true, but I’m okay with that. If I wasn’t, we wouldn’t be friends.”
I have been selfish my whole life. “So did you do whatever you have to do to go to Rutgers?”
“Yes. I have the dates for orientation and stuff like that. I’ve put in for housing,” Helena said.
“That’s so exciting. I can’t wait to be doing that.”
“You will. Maybe you need to nudge your parents so they make a decision and then you can apply. There are deadlines.”
“I know. I think at this point, I might have to wait until January to enroll.”
“You might.”
Darn. I’d wasted a lot of time. “My next question is how do I be happy for Dylan? I want to be. He has such great opportunities ahead of him. I want him to succeed, but I’m not ready to think about him gone. Or even me gone.”
“Just smile. Always smile.”
“Okay, I think I can do that.”
“Don’t say anything negative, either.”
“That will be harder,” I said.
“You don’t want to ruin anything for him.”
“I know.” Helena was right, as usual. “I better go and practice my smile. Dylan will be home soon. Or maybe I’ll just go set the table without my mother asking.”
“Good idea.”
My mother was in front of the stove. She really didn’t like cooking, so me doing it once in awhile would make her happy, especially on nights she had class.
“Dylan and your father will be home soon.”
I dug into the silverware drawer to set four places at the counter. My mother looked over her shoulder at me.
“I guess he had a good time?” I said.
“Sounded like it, and they are hungry.”
“They usually are.”
“You and I could go days without eating and they need food more than three times a day,” my mother said.
I laughed. Let’s try out the new Taylor. “Mom, would it make things easier if I cooked dinner sometimes?”
My mother stilled her stirring arm and glanced my way. “Are you serious?”
“I am. I know you have school some nights and you leave us something, but why not just let me figure out dinner.”
“You have no practice.”
I shrugged. “I can pull something together.”
She stared at me as if I had two heads. “Okay. I have class every Tuesday and Wednesday.”
“Then, I’ll cook every Tuesday and Wednesday,” I said.
“That sounds great, Taylor. Get the men to clean up if you can.”
“Oh, I will.”
She laughed this time. “Good luck with that.”
“No worries, Mom. I can charm Daddy into doing it.”
“Yes, I bet you probably can.” She stilled. “They must be home. I heard the garage door.”
I put my smile on my face, ready to face Dylan.
Chapter Thirty One
Dylan
Taylor hadn’t been alright since I came back from the college visit. She seemed a little distant. On the other hand, we had better meals when Mrs. Dean was out with Taylor cooking.
The good and the bad I supposed, but I wanted to cheer her up. I went out and bought flowers. I snuck them into the house and put them in her room while she was out. I couldn’t wait for her to see them.
I knew the exact moment. I heard a quiet squeal come from her room. I knew she’d want to be quiet so her parents wouldn’t know about it. They never came in our rooms. We had a lot of privacy.
But we hadn’t had sex again. I was a little nervous about doing anything when her parents were in the house. That was be really disrespectful, and I couldn’t do that. Taylor had been hinting and thankfully, she hadn’t crawled into bed with me again. I was a good guy, but a naked woman in my bed would be too much for me to resist.
Especially if that naked woman was Taylor. She was so beautiful, and she’d been even sweeter than usual. We spent a lot of time together out of school and neither of the Deans had questioned us.
Did they not know what teenagers could get up to? I guess we’d given them no reason to suspect anything. Hopefully, the flowers wouldn’t ever be seen.
Taylor launched herself into my room. I sat on the bed, looking at something on my phone. She stood in the doorway, her smile wider than I’d seen it in a few weeks.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You seemed like you needed to be cheered up. What’s been wrong?”
She sat on my desk chair because we’d promised to keep a physical distance between us when we were home. That way, her parents wouldn’t suspect anything. It had seemed to work so far.
“I guess I’m just a little worried about college and the fact that we’ll be apart.”
“We have to go to college.”
“No argument here, and I’m happy that you are going and I’m going and all that, but I don’t want to think about it.”
“Just live in the now, Taylor. We have no choice.”
“I know. It’s hard. Especially since we have to hide it all. Hide what we are doing.”
I wanted to hold her. I wanted to tell her it was all okay. That would be against our rules, though.
“I’ve got some stuff to do, but,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’m visiting you tonight. I don’t want to stay away.”
I hoped she was serious. I didn’t want her to stay away, either. “Okay.”
She smiled then stood. That’s when we heard her mother’s voice.
“What the hell?”
We looked at each other. What had happened? Taylor was to the door first. Her mother stood in the hallway. She held the flowers in her hand. “Explain these?”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Taylor said.
I knew it wasn’t. I shouldn’t have put a card in with the flowers, but I wanted Taylor to know they were from me. That had been the wrong thing to do.
I stood behind Taylor, who was frantically trying to appease her mother.
“It says from Dylan. Why is Dylan buying you flowers?” Her gaze rested on me. “Why are you buying my daughter flowers? Is something going on?”
Busted. Well and truly busted. I could usually think on my feet, but at the moment, I couldn’t come up with a plausible lie. I wanted to keep my lips together, but the words jumped out.
“Taylor and I are seeing each other.”
Taylor gasped. Her mother gasped. I was a little relieved that the lie was out. It had been killing me to keep it from the Deans. I was so grateful for what they’d done for me.
The look on Mrs. Dean’s face told me that I’d made the wrong choice. Her eyes grew wild, and then her face became calm. Calm is never good in a situation like this. “Taylor, go to your room.”
“No, I’m in this situation. I’m going to stay here.”
The next time Mrs. Dean said it, there was more steel in her voice. “Taylor.”
I couldn’t blame Taylor when she obeyed her mother. In some ways, I would be escaping. Taylor would have to live with her mother every day. And, they’d been getting along so well.
Once again, I screwed up. Still, I met her gaze. “I truly care about your daughter.”
“That isn’t going to help. I want you out of this house within the hour. You are to have no contact with my daughter. You don’t even get to say goodbye.”
“You’re kicking him out?” Taylor said from her bedroom door. “I’m calling Daddy.”
“I think he’ll agree with me on this one, Taylor.” She turned to her daughter. “Close your door and don’t come out until I tell you that you can.”
Taylor shut the door, and she might as well have shut it on my heart because it hurt so much. Mrs. Dean looked back at me. “One hour and I don’t care how you get out of here.”
She spun on her heel and lef
t me. My eyes fell shut. I had done this. I had been doing so well. I had a future, and I’d thrown it away.
I sighed. Dumb fuck. I packed my clothing. When I came here, they fit into a backpack. Now, I had that backpack filled with school items and two suitcases full of clothing. Did I keep my phone?
I didn’t know, so I left it on the bed after I called Cole for a ride. I had to leave the laptop, too. It wasn’t mine. Back to the computer lab for me and my homework.
I sighed as I passed Taylor’s door.
***
The trailer was pretty much how I’d left it. It needed to be cleaned. Cole stood in the doorway as if he were afraid to catch something.
“Dude, this sucks and doesn’t suck. No parents. No nagging.”
“No food. No money. Know anyone who is hiring?”
No future probably, either. My mail would go to the Deans. Would they let me pick it up? Not that the college acceptances would mean anything. I couldn’t go to college now. I didn’t need the emancipation now that my mother was dead, but I also probably couldn’t afford college, either.
Where would I stay during breaks?
Life sucked, and I made it this way. All because of some tail.
No, not some tail. A girl I really cared about.
Cole looked around. “We could have a wicked party here.”
“No. I’m not doing that. Besides, I have to figure out how I’m going to feed myself, let alone buy alcohol.”
Cole frowned. “Right. True.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me some cash. “Look. Take this.”
“I can’t take your money, Cole.”
“I’m not going to let you starve,” he protested.
I took the cash. I didn’t count it, just shoved it into my pocket.
“Look, I have to go, but if you need something, please call me.”
“I would if I could, Cole, but I have no phone.”
“That sucks. She took everything?”
I shrugged. “I left the stuff there. I didn’t want her accusing me of stealing it.”
“I still think you should have a party here. I could supply the alcohol. I have a few friends who are of age.”
I shook my head. The last thing I needed was to get caught with underage drinkers. I wouldn’t drink because that was a cop out. I wasn’t going down that road. “Absolutely not.”