Page 60 of The Choices I've Made
“Well, that’s why I’m here!” she announced proudly.
“Oh, no,” I said, holding my hands up in a desperate plea.
I knew what my sister’s idea of fun was, and after last night’s hangover, I wasn’t sure I could handle any more.
“Oh, come on, Mols. This is why I’m here—to pull you out of this obvious funk you’ve drunk yourself into and to remind you how fun it is to be single!”
“I don’t want to go out into town today. Everyone will look at me with sad eyes.Poor Molly. She got dumped again.”
“Please,” she said. “With me in tow, no one would dare do such a thing. Besides, would you rather skulk around here all day?”
I looked around at my house, the place where I spent nearly every waking moment.
Cleaning, cooking, and bookkeeping.
I was exhausted.
“Sure,” I finally answered. “Why the hell not?”
“That’s the sprit!” Millie hollered. “Now, let’s go get you decent.”
Pulling on my hand, she dragged me toward my room, hell-bent on a makeover of epic proportions.
Dear Lord…I could use just a bit more help.
“So, this is day drinking?” I said, holding up my beer bottle. It was nearly half-empty, and I could see the blue horizon of the bay through its crystal-clear glass.
“Please tell me this isn’t your first time grabbing drinks during the daylight hours.”
I shrugged. “Does sneaking shots of vodka from the liquor cabinet after school count?”
She shook her head, a light chuckle under her breath. “God, you missed out on a lot.”
“That’s what happens when you don’t go to college.”
“You could have,” she pointed out. “You were accepted all over the state.”
“I know, but after…” I paused, remembering the lengthy fight I’d had with my parents.
“What do you mean, you’re not going?” my mom said, a look of horror flashing across her face.
“I mean, I’m not going,” I repeated. “Not everyone goes to college.”
“You think I don’t know that?” she shouted as my dad looked on in pure shock. “But you, of all people, owe it to yourself to try.”
“Why?” I asked. “Why me, of all people?”
“Because you’ve worked so hard for it. All those late nights of studying to make the grades. And the tears when you opened those acceptance letters. How can you walk away now?”
I shrugged. “Because I just don’t want to go.”
“Is this because of Jake? Because he left?”
I held up a hand, hating the sound of his name on her lips. “This has nothing to do with him,” I insisted. “I just think I’m better suited here.”
The hope died from her eyes in that moment. Every wish for a better life for me vanished as she realized my inevitable fate.
I was never getting off this island.
