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Killing time I don’t think he countsI try not to let it show "So where would you like to be? New York? DC?"

"No And definitely no I’ to Vermont next year"

I frown "Vermont? What’s in Vermont?"

"The Center for Cartoon Studies" Josh perks up at my confusion He scoots closer in his chair "It’s the only one of its kind – it completely focuses on sequential art And it has this insane faculty, all of the best cartoonists visit to teach there"

"Cartoonists? Like, what? The guy who draws Calvin and Hobbes?"

He shakes his head "No, anyone who draws sequential art is a cartoonist Superhero stuff, graphic novels, graphic non-fiction It doesn’t just apply to the people who draw co is the school?"

"It’s not big It’s about half the size of SOAP" He picks up a pencil and rocks it between two fingers "So what’s next for you?"

The nerve is struck Just like that "I…I don’t know"

His pencil stops

I should have seen the question cohting back tears "I’ to both la Sorbonne and Coluo I don’t knohere I belong"

Josh ain "Hey It’s okay You still have plenty of time to decide"

"No I don’t And you wanna know the worst part? I kind of hope one of them will reject me so that I won’t have to make the decisionti in his head "I’ve seen the charts in the head’s office" He’s choosing his words carefully "You’re the best student in our class Both schools are going to accept you"

So he does know I scratch at my peachy-pink nail polish Chip it away, bit by bit

"What do you want to study?"

The pit in ?"

"I mean…I don’t know I don’t knohat I want to do, or who I want to be, or where I want to live It’s like everyone else has their entire future mapped out except for me"

Josh’s expression falls "You know that’s not true"

"Maybe at other schools, but at ours? People have plans You have plans"