The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(23)
It worked. There was a slight squeaking noise as he released the gas pedal a bit. I could feel his gaze on me, but I didn’t look up. I just concentrated on slowing my heartbeat. “Is your stepdad a jackass, too?”
My index finger tapped against the peeling plastic tint on the glass, and I stared at the small dog park across the street. Dogs playing tag and rolling green mounds dotted with yellow flowers flew by. “No, he’s great. The title of jackass would belong to my real dad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
We fell silent again. With nothing else to do, I started to arrange the CD cases stacked in the compartment on the side of the door. Rotating and stacking them neatly so all the names were facing the same direction. Finally, I looked up, and there was a confused frown on Evan’s handsome face. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he figured out a subtle way to ask about my dad without seeming too nosy.
“What’s wrong with your real dad?”
Forget being subtle. “It’s complicated.” I leaned forward and ran my finger along the dashboard, wiping at the thin layer of dust that clung to the plastic. Why couldn’t I have brought up something else to talk about? School, books, even the dirty magazines in his room would have been better. I hated talking about Dad. Or even thinking about him. And that other woman.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
The fact that he was giving me a choice made me want to tell him. At least the short version. That and the fact that he had slowed down enough that I was no longer worried we’d die in a car crash. “Besides cheating on my mom every other month and forgetting he even had two daughters, he was perfect. A real smooth talker who always got his way.” I let out a short laugh. “Then again, he wasn’t a university English professor for nothing.”
Evan let out a low whistle. “Yeah, he sounds like he’d win the Best Dad of the Year trophy. So where is he now?”
“I don’t know, and to be honest, I don’t care.” My lower lip was starting to get sore from my chewing on it. I forced myself to stop. “The best day of our lives was when he finally did us a favor and walked out. Well, second best. The best day was when Mom married my stepdad.”
“The hotshot lawyer?” Evan smiled at my surprised expression. “You mentioned him and your aspirations the morning we—well, you know.”
“Right.” I let out a deep breath and folded my arms together. “Any more questions?”
“Yeah, just one.” He gave me a sideways glance and wrinkled his nose. “Why are you still taking the bus when you’re seventeen? Can’t you drive?”
I leaned back against the cushion, grateful that the interrogation about my dad was over. Just the mention of him brought back memories of my parents fighting every single night. And Mom’s tears. “Technically, that’s two questions, but I’ll answer them both. Yes, I can drive, but I take the bus because I don’t have a car. And I don’t have a car because I decided to take the money my parents were going to spend on one and put it in my savings instead. To help with my living expenses when I go to Columbia.”
“So you’re trying to be a lawyer, too?”
“No. I will be one.”
Evan let out a low whistle. “Wow, will be. Good thing I like confidence in my women.”
It wasn’t just confidence. There were just no ifs about it. I had to be a lawyer. I had wanted to be one ever since my stepdad married my mom. I didn’t even know what I would do if I didn’t get in. There was no plan B. There couldn’t be.
Suddenly feeling fidgety again, I leaned forward to fiddle with the radio’s plastic buttons, unable to find a good station. Or any station at all, actually. The only thing I heard was static. “So are you seriously not going to college at all? I mean, what are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
“Are you trying to test my criteria as a suitor?” He said the last word in a phony British accent. “I’m not going to be a lowly stable boy, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I laughed at the hopeful expression on his face and sat back, angling my body to the left so I would face him. “Believe me, you’ve got a long way to go if you want to fulfill my requirements.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not applying, then.” He made a sad face and wiggled his brows until I laughed again.
I didn’t know what to say. Everybody I knew was prepared for the future. Brian was still debating between being a doctor like his parents wanted or being a journalist, but he had already applied to a bunch of schools and was accepted to all of them. And even though Carly was going to take a break after graduation—something she was still hiding from her parents—she had already contacted several theaters for work in the meantime.
The thought of not knowing what to do in life, especially now, felt crazy to me.
He shifted back and forth in his seat, but I could have sworn he was avoiding my gaze. Finally, I had to smack his shoulder to make him look at me. “Maybe I could help you figure something out. Something for you to major in.”
Evan laughed. “I forgot, because that’s part of the deal, right? I pretend to be your boyfriend, and you straighten up my life and keep the horny girls away?”
“I just said I’ll help you with college applications. I’m not making any promises after that.” I smiled when his laughing got even louder. “Seriously, is there anything you’re interested in?”