Better. Still not great, but better, and dare I say…fun? I’m having fun. It’s liberating to pretend to be someone else for a little while, and the more enthusiasm I put into my lines, the more I enjoy speaking them. Catherine Earnshaw is entertaining to read because she has a tough choice to make: she can be with Heathcliff, the poor orphaned boy who would bring down her rank in society, or she can marry Edgar Linton, who is higher status and kind of a snob. In her high society lifestyle, her choice should be obvious. Who wouldn't want to advance their social status? The only problem is that she loves Heathcliff.
The next time I glance at my clock, it’s four-thirty. I peek out my bedroom door. “Beau?” He should have been dropped off by the bus two hours ago. I check my phone and see a message from him.
Beau
At an ASL club meeting.
Relief floods my chest. Relief, and then envy because Beau is now learning his fourth language. I can’t help but wish I had something that lights me up inside the way learning new languages lights up Beau.
And instead of figuring out what might excite you, Dot, you decided to blurt that you want to go Ivy to impress your parents.
My stomach knots itself as I text Beau back.
Me
Would have been nice to know.
Somehow, my little brother has found his place here faster than me. I can’t remember ever struggling so hard to fit in when we lived in Stockbridge, but then again, when you live in a small town with no homeschooling co-ops nearby, there’s not much to fit into.
Another text comes through, this time from Mabel.
Mabel
You okay???
Me
Yes. Just needed some space.
I pause, then add,
Me
On my way to Zayne’s house…
Her response is practically instant.
Mabel
Zayne Silverman?!?!
Me
Yeah
Mabel
Why?
Me
To run lines. Duh.
Mabel
OMG. Does Carlton know you changed your mind? I thought you said you weren’t going!
I stare at my phone, biting my lip. I did say that, didn’t I? I wonder if I should bother saying anything to him. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend, even if I want him to be. I could just send him a quick text. Or I could ignore Mabel’s question.
