He took another sip of his coffee. “Maybe you could have made yourself busy with some summer classes.”
“There wasn’t anything else I could take until I declared a major.” Almost as soon as I’d said it, I wished I could have taken the words back. I’d forgotten who I was speaking to: the guy who probably had his major picked out when he was fourteen. But to my surprise, Chris didn’t look shocked at all. In fact, he just shrugged.
“Oh well, that’s common for students who plan to transfer. You don’t want to have to waste requirements that wouldn’t be transferable,” he said simply, as if he’d been giving advice to his little sister. Then his head popped up. “But hey, you can always look up what’s accepted in the school you’re looking into. Where’s that?”
Transfer? That hadn’t been an option I’d considered before. I searched for reasons why that wouldn’t work for me but couldn’t think of one.
“Well, when I figure out what I want to do and where I plan to stay or go, I’ll let you know,” I said confidently, hoping that would conclude the topic.
Chris looked at me, puzzled. “You don’t have a plan?”
“Do I need one?”
His expression turned from puzzled to pure shock. “Of course you do. Everyone needs a plan. Otherwise you’re just following a maze with no end. Unless you know where you’re going, you’ll just keep making the wrong turns.
“Those things never come with a map, silly. Besides, maybe I’ll accidently make the right one,” I said, only half joking.
“There’s nothing funny about walking aimlessly through a pile of hay, Amy. Even if we are metaphorically speaking.”
Nothing funny was right. And while I was being honest with myself, this conversation was not worth finishing coffee for.
“I suppose you’re right, Chris.” I set down my cup and didn’t bother forcing a polite smile. “Thank you for the coffee.” I stood and he immediately frowned. “I really needed one this morning.”
“Of course.” He stood quickly. “Can I walk you to your—”
“No, I just need to get back to Rachel. I left before she got up, and she’ll be worried.” I lied. Rachel was either still asleep or working up a sweat to her aerobics video. I bolted before he offered to drive me back. I flung my raincoat around my shoulders and slipped my arms through the sleeves as I strode through the boardwalk.
Everything about my conversation with Chris made me feel like the biggest loser—from not having a boyfriend, to not having a declared major, and finally, to having no plans for my future.
The refreshing, cool mist that remained after the overnight storm was exactly what I needed. The steel-gray clouds were slowly starting to resemble my mood, and the windy walk home helped dry up any tears I had building inside me.
CHAPTER 11
Monday morning, I walked down the boardwalk and onto the beach. It was going to be a much drier day. The sand had already recovered from the wet weekend. I took my flip-flops off and headed down to the shore. It was still a little dark, but the sun was beginning to peek its way through.
I settled down in a clean spot and shoved some seaweed and shells away. Sitting with my legs crossed in front of me, I scratched the soft, cream-colored sand, running my fingers through it. Then I closed my eyes, enjoying the uninterrupted sounds of the ocean. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but even through my closed eyes, I could see the orange glow through my lids.
After a short few moments, the glow turned dark, as if an eclipse had just occurred. Knowing that was unlikely, my eyes flew open at the sudden realization that someone was standing in front of me. After a short second of adjustment, I looked up to find Rick looking down at me.
“I thought that was you,” he said.
“Morning. You’re blocking my view,” I said flatly.
“What view? You had your eyes closed.”
I scooted over on the sand. “That view.” I pointed with my head in the direction of the horizon.
Rick looked at me for a moment before glancing at the ocean over his shoulder. He squinted his eyes at the hint of bright orange that was peeking from behind it.
“Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all,” I said, surprising both myself and Rick.
He sat a few inches away from me without another word and watched for a moment. A variety of warm colors started filling the beach at that moment, but I couldn’t find a way to concentrate on them.
Rick leaned in close to me, but kept his eyes on the horizon. “What are we looking at?” he whispered in a mock-serious tone.
“UFOs.” I leaned in and whispered back.
