Page 105 of Ink & Ambition

Kai stands, ready to defend himself and his honor but he doesn’t make it two steps before he admits defeat. Running both hands through his thick black hair, he looks up at the ceiling for far too long.

“You don’t have to do this alone. I can help you. Any of the guys in this house would help. Hell, does your own brother even know what the hell is going on?”

“He knows,” Kai says quietly. He walks toward the window and I follow him. We look down at the street, watching a girl walk by with her dog. “For the record, he also thinks I’m a fucking idiot.”

I huff out a laugh. “Well he knows you best. And so do I. Get your head out of your ass and let us help. There’s a world of opportunity out there for you. You gotta use the advantages you’re given.”

It comes to me in an instant. A real way for me to help him get the hell out of this situation. Set him up good and proper for the future. It would take a little convincing but I could probably manage it.

I clap Kai on the back and he jumps, not expecting the contact.

“I have an idea and a couple calls to make but let me sort it out and get back to you.” Turning to leave, I hear Kai call my name and I shift back.

“Thanks, man,” he says, reaching out to shake my hand. I take the hand and pull him in for a hug, too.

“That’s what brothers are for.”

Margot jumps in her seat as I plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Geez, every time,” she mutters, handing me a pen.

I laugh. “You know I’m coming and yet you always jump.” She levels me with a look but can’t retort as Professor Walker calls the class to attention. Since the professor mixed up the names this time, Margot and I are both presenting today. I’d like to say I’m not nervous but for some reason, I really am. Not about talking in front of a group of people, I could do that in my sleep.

For some reason, this speech feels even more personal than the first one and that speech mentioned a topic I’ve only told a handful of people. There’s something about talking about the future I want versus the future I have to look forward to. It’s daunting in both regards.

Two freshmen go before me and Margot squeezes my hand when the professor eventually calls my name. I grab my note cards from my backpack and head down to the stage. With a deep breath, I begin.

“There are two questions that should have similar if not the same answers. Those questions are ‘What are your goals and aspirations’ and ‘What are you going to do after college’. If you had asked me those questions at the beginning of this semester, the answer would have been the same. But ever since an influence entered my life and threw it completely off its axis, those answers are not even in the same category.”

I flip my card over and then stuff it inside my pocket, realizing I’m not even looking at them. No, there’s a pair of deep blue eyes I can’t take mine off of.

“When I leave college, there’s an office waiting for me in the headquarters of Prescott Cars. An office with wall to ceiling windows, a desk with nothing more than a computer and a sad plant. An office that will suffocate me slowly for the next fifty years of my life.”

Margot nods.

“That might be someone’s goals and aspirations but it’s certainly not mine. No, my goal is to be happy. My aspiration to be fulfilled. I’m no psychic but I can see far enough into my future to know that neither of those things will happen if I sit behind that desk at Prescott Cars.

“If I could have it my way, I’d be a personal trainer when I left this place. But, how often do people get to have their way?” With that, I give a final nod and then exit the stage, reclaiming my seat next to my beautiful girlfriend.

“Well done,” she says with a nudge on my elbow.

“Thanks,” I grin before turning my attention back to the other presenters.

Chapter Forty

Margot

“Iwanttobea journalist for theNew York Times.”

Even after these weeks in class and our podcast, I still wasn’t fully comfortable in front of an audience. It was getting easier though, especially with Alex in my corner. Like now, it was only when Alex placed a firm but reassuring hand on my thigh that I was able to calm down.

I try as best as I can to not read from the cards but I found that looking into the crowd was a much scarier feat.

“There’s a contest to win an internship. My goal is to win that contest so that I can fulfill my aspiration of being a full-time reporter. I want to chase the story. I want to break the news. I want a front page headline that reads:History Was Madewritten by Margot Davis.”

I emphasize each word of the by-line with my palms out flat in the air. When I glance over toward Alex, he is beaming from ear to ear. The sight causes me to smile as I continue.

“When I was young, my father instilled in me the principles of hardwork and patience. He said, ‘it’s not the work that’s hard, it’s the time spent waiting for the results’. I take those principleswith me to class each day. I take them to the newsroom. I take them to the recording studio.” Alex winks and I try my hardest to hold in my blush.

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