“Who doesn’t?” she said, brushing past him into his apartment. She dropped the food on the coffee table, toed off her sneakers, and huddled into the corner of the couch. “I just got back from my trip this morning. What’s with the hobo look?”
“It’s the Sabbath. A day of rest.”
“You’re an atheist.”
“Agnostic,” he corrected, picking up his controller to resume setting fire to the rest of the village.
She watched him free play as one of Aric’s dragons—a patch that was nothing short of brilliant—until she reached for a sandwich. “Okay, turn it off.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I’m doing important things here, like burning peasants.”
“Chad.”
He sighed and shut it off. He eyed the Reuben that Marley had laid out for him, but he really wasn’t that hungry.
“What’s going on? Anything new with that guy you were seeing?”
Chad fingered the wrapper to his sandwich. He wasn’t sure where to start. He’d spent all day not thinking about Owen and instead thinking about school and how it was a pipe dream. He should stick to what he knew and not try to reach for what was clearly beyond him.
“Okay.” Marley stood up. “I’m going to get a drink from the kitchen. You figure out how to talk again by the time I get back.”
He flipped her the finger as she walked away.
She didn’t even turn around. “I know you are either flipping me off or making a face. Knock it off.”
“Love you,” he said snidely.
He waited as she rummaged in the kitchen, opening up the fridge and cabinets. When she came back, she had a glass of water in one hand and an envelope in another.
She slapped the envelope down in front of him. “What’s that?”
He blinked at it. It was an information packet from William Penn he’d requested. “Um.”
Marley sank down on the couch. “Are you actually considering going back to school?”
He’d talked to her about going to school for graphic design once or twice, but he’d never gone further than just talking about it. Even just requesting information was a big step.
But right now, looking at the envelope, he wanted to hurl. “No.”
Marley’s eyebrows dipped. “But then what’s that?”
“Must have sent it to the wrong person.”
“It has your name and address and there’s a stamp on it that says, ‘Requested Materials.’”
He didn’t know how to answer that.
“Chad?”
He heaved a sigh. “Look, I was thinking about it, okay? I was. But now it just seems so hard and unattainable and just something dumb to try to impress that guy I had no business impressing.”
Marley didn’t speak for a while. Then she set her water down and reached for his hand. “Talk to me.”
He did. In halting, short bursts of words and tangents, he talked about wanting to go back to school and then becoming more passionate about it because he wanted to prove to a man that he had something going for him. He didn’t tell her who the guy was, because he didn’t want to make Owen’s job uncomfortable. But he told her about wanting money, and working at the Peach Pit, and his guy finding him there.
And then the fight.
By the end, Chad was sniffling and feeling like a total dumbass, and he just wanted to crawl back into bed.
Her eyes were wide and a little wet as she stared at him. “Wow, you really like this guy. Are you going to tell me who he is?”
He waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Of course it matters. You both said things you didn’t mean. That can still be fixed.”
“I don’t think so. He was really pushy about me going back to school, probably so he wouldn’t be embarrassed to be with me.”
“Are you sure? Maybe he was just trying to be encouraging.”
Chad pressed his lips together.
Marley’s eyes narrowed. “Now you’re just being stubborn. We all make mistakes in relationships, and it’s how we communicate after that determines if it’s something worth holding on to.”
Looking away, Chad nibbled his lip. His sister was right. As usual. So was Owen worth holding on to?
She reached for the envelope and opened it up, then paged through the forms and brochures. Finally she looked at him. “You know I’m proud of you just the way you are, right?”
He nodded.
She held up the papers and shook them. “But if this makes you more proud of who you are, then do it for yourself. Not for me or him or anyone. Take everyone but yourself out of the equation. And if you still want this, then do it.”