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"Why are you interested in college?" she asks, chewing on a pen

For a lot of reasons, I think To have lots of paths to choose fro if it’s not quite what I want Two roads diverged in a yelloood…and I want to take the one less traveled by

But what I tell her is: "It’s so a lock of her hair "Your grades aren’t bad, but I’m not sure if you’ll have much of an opportunity for scholarships…rants and federal aid And you need to take the SAT or the ACT"

Miss Brady passes me a pamphlet and I open it

"These tests costcosts h the pa on your family’s income, we could apply for a fee waiver so you could take the ACT for free"

"Okay," I reply quietly, and we go silent for several e, but if you wanted to take a year off or go to coh one time, I read a statistic that said 80 percent of people who don’t go to college right after high school never go They never find the tiht at a yard sale Think about round All of it is part of ht If I don’t go now, I’ll never go

I pull a deep breath "I want to try," I say, uidance counselor smile

"Great! What do you want to study?"

The creeptastic motivational posters intimidate me "I have no idea"

"And that’s totally okay"

She spends tenme up with more pamphlets and handouts so I can learn about the different state and coes in Tennessee

"Come back and seein life, I need to take it one step at a tie application fees or tuition, then I need to do soive my baby sister in the near term, but it could help us all in the future

I walk out into the hallhere I find Jack sipping from the water fountain He wipes the water from his lips and faces ins to stretch across his face I return the syht then, Rory approaches us

"Vanessa," he says breathlessly "I have an important question for you"

But before she can react,to Lady Gaga’s "Telephone" It’s all choreographed Wait Are these kids from Rory’s draling as the students keep dancing and then Rory joins in, holding up a sign asking Vanessa if she wants to go to Ho, and the flashaway around us Colton whistles and Kelsey cheers, looking happy Jack gazes over at rins, and I can’t help but sing out through the corridor

After school, Vanessa gives me a lift home from school, and we totally take over the Hillcrest coossip Ethan--Jodi’s son--has a friend over, and they keep peeking around the corner at us Preteen pervs

Vanessa bites into a Twizzler and turns the page in hera dress like this one" She points at a short blue wispy thing

"I love that! For Hoe and points at a white dress "You should get so with Alex? Did you invite hi race that day in New Orleans at Fair Grounds Gael has been saying that Jack et to ride hiive up, okay? You know you can ride--it was just muddy before that race and Jack wanted to keep you safe He toldheat spread across my cheeks I’m kind of embarrassed how bratty I acted that day I o to Ho, you and Alex should ride with me and Rory," Vanessa says, and we dive into a discussion about the guys, talking about how far we’ve gone with them "I only slept with Rory that one tis slower, you know?"

"I get that"

"Have you done anything with Alex yet?"

"We’ve kissed…" The big difference between our situations is that I can tell how much she loves Rory already, and I haven’t felt that way about Alex yet Maybe it just takes ti around in his truck in the Whitfields’ garage, and his father caught theain "I think Rory thought it orth it though" She laughs, and Ethan and his friend gasp from the hallway

"Get out of here, you little perverts!" I yell, throwing a couch pillow at the boys Vanessa and I collapse onto the floor in a fit of giggles

"You silly girls" We peek up to find Cindy s down at us, one hand on her stomach "Savannah, do you want to coot a bonus for solance at Vanessa "We’re hanging out right now"

"Vanessa can co okay We’ve never had the money to invite a friend ofa risk and ood for his fa I knoe’re at the Roadhouse, one of the best restaurants in Franklin Old street signs and highway markers cover the wooden walls and rock et to eat peanuts and throw shells on the floor And don’t even get ood those breadbaskets sirl from school is our server I’ve never talked to Annie Winters before, but she seems nice and smiles as she takes our drink order Vanessa leans over and whispers that she and Kelsey used to hang out with Annie freshrew apart and Kelsey is still upset about it Still, Vanessa is friendly enough with her Annie brings us a free appetizer of cheese fries and an extra breadbasket