Articoli correlati a Dropping Out: No. 56
After dropping out of college, Todd finds working full time not as much fun as he thought; Nina's nights out are hurting her grades; and Sam tries to pretend he isn't interested in Elizabeth.
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"To Cathy and her paralegal program," Todd said, lifting a glass full of sparkling champagne. The rest of the employees who were gathered around the table in the back room all followed suit, lifting their glasses to toast. "May she be there for all of us when we get arrested, as we all inevitably will one day."
Everyone laughed and shouted, "To Cathy!" Todd sipped his champagne and grimaced as the sour taste hit the back of his throat. He'd never liked the taste of the stuff, but it was standard celebration material. Everyone else drank and then broke down into general chatter.
"Hey! Listen up, everyone!" Cathy shouted, quieting the small, jovial crowd. "I want to make another toast," she said, thrusting her glass in the air again. "To Todd, who I couldn't have done it without."
Todd turned the color of cooked beets as everyone shouted his name and drank again. How could the kids at school scoff at him for having an atmosphere like this to hang out in? These people would be there for him faster than any of his old frat brothers would. In fact, his old "brothers" probably didn't even remember who he was at this point.
"AU right! All right, enough partying," Rita said, shooing everyone back out into the bar. "Get back out there before Cathy's and Todd's heads swell any larger." Everyone grumbled but followed orders. Todd was following Cathy out the door when he suddenly felt a hand on his arm.
"Todd, can you hang back for a second?" Rita asked.
Cathy shot Todd a quizzical glance that mirrored his own. "I'I1 be right out," he told her, then let the swinging black door close, muffling the din of the late-evening bar crowd.
"What's up?" Todd asked, wiping his hands on the seat of his black jeans. Rita walked to the opposite side of the table and picked up a pen. She started tapping it against the tabletop at a psychotically rapid rate. Todd watched her warily. This was definitely a sign of nervousness--not a good thing.
"Wait a minute...," he said, gripping the back of the chair in front of him. "You're not...firing me, are you?"
Rita laughed, and Todd pulled back his head as if he'd been slapped. "I'm sorry," Rita said. "It's not funny. No, I'm not firing you. Why don't you sit down?"
Todd pulled out the chair and fell onto the seat, still skeptical. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, looking over at Rita and wishing she would just get whatever it was over with.
"Look, Todd," she said, holding the pen with both hands now, as if she was trying to keep herself from tapping it. "I'm really impressed with your initiative and your dedication, which you already know."
Todd smiled and glanced away. He was never very good at taking praise.
"What I have to ask you is kind of huge, so I want you to take some time to think about it," she said. "I need an assistant manager, and I'm offering you the job."
Todd was so surprised, he almost forgot to listen to her next words. Him? Assistant manager? Of course! Yes! He was in!
"It pays ten-fifty an hour," she continued.
Ten-fifty? I'm in! I'm in!
"And you'd have to work full-time."
I'm in! I'm...Wait a minute. Full-time?
"So, let me know by tomorrow if you can," Rita said, looking him directly in the eye. "I know this is a big decision, and like I said, I want you to think about it. But if you don't want it, I have to start interviewing."
"Okay," Todd said, finally finding his voice. "Thanks, Rita."
"Thank you," Rita said with a sincere smile. She grabbed a couple of champagne glasses and patted him on the shoulder as she walked past him and out into the bar.
Todd sat there for a few minutes, staring at a dent in the tabletop that was shaped like a crescent moon. He was so excited, part of him wanted to run after Rita right then and tell her yes. He would do it. There was nothing he wanted more.
But he restrained himself. Todd lightly knocked his clasped hands against his lip, deep in thought. Working full-time would mean quitting school entirely. There was no way he could do both. He was having a hard enough time as it was. So the big question was, what was more important to him? Working at a job he was proud of, supporting himself, and being surrounded by people who cared about him...or getting an education in something he hated while encountering snobs and egomaniacs all day long?
Hmmm. This decision was going to be really hard.
Elizabeth was just slipping into a dream that involved elephants trampling through the medical school when something startled her awake. For a moment she thought she'd just twitched like she often did when she was about to drift off, but then she realized there were noises downstairs. The refrigerator opening and closing. Keys being tossed on the kitchen table. Heavy footsteps trudging through the living room. Sam's footsteps. She could always tell the difference between his and Neil's because Neil walked like a human being.
Before she could even think about how eager she was going to look, Elizabeth hopped out of bed and rushed over to her mirror. She smoothed down her hair, ran her fingers under her eyes to deal with any smudged mascara, and checked her teeth. Then she laughed at herself. It wasn't like she was going to grab Sam and kiss him. He'd probably laugh in her face even if she did have the guts. She was just going to talk to him.
And give him his present. She dropped to her knees and pulled his gift out from under her bed. Then she straightened her T-shirt and boxers and tucked the box under her arm.
Elizabeth opened her door just as she heard the door to Sam's room swing and click closed. She took a deep breath. When Sam's door was shut, it was very intimidating for some reason. Wandering in there was one thing, but she always felt like she was intruding when she knocked on his door.
Whatever, she told herself. Sam was her housemate. Her friend, even. He wouldn't mind her interrupting. Besides, he'd just gotten there. It wasn't like he could possibly be in the middle of something yet.
Elizabeth tiptoed down the stairs. She took one more moment to make sure all her clothes were in the right place and not bunched up or hanging down. Then she walked purposefully up to Sam's door, tossed back her hair, and lifted her hand to knock.
That was when she heard him laugh.
"I know, yeah," she heard him say clearly. "I had a really good time too."
A really good time? Elizabeth took a step back from the door, her bare feet curling into the thick carpeting. A really good time with who? Who was he talking to?
Oh God, she thought, her stomach turning as her fingers pressed into the wrapping paper on his present. Did he have a girl in there?
Elizabeth looked down at the gift in her hands and suddenly felt like a little child. Sure, she'd told herself she was just buying this for him to thank him, but she wasn't self-denying enough not to realize she was also harboring a little crush on the guy. He'd been sympathetic and chivalrous, and he'd even left her a Bugs Bunny pencil. What more could a girl want in a guy?
Unfortunately she'd somehow forgotten that Sam had less than zero interest in her. And his defending her and trying to cheer her up after she'd been dumped all over didn't change that. He was probably just taking pity on her.
"I know. We should definitely do it again sometime," Sam said.
Before she heard anything else her vivid imagination could read into, Elizabeth darted away, running as quietly as she possibly could back to her room. Once she was safely inside with the door closed, she dropped the box on the floor and kicked it back under her bed, feeling totally and completely stupid.
Her eyes fell on her new journal, which was sitting on her window seat. She stalked over to it, opened it to the next blank page, and started to write.
Maybe everything's not going to be okay, she wrote in a big, angry scrawl. At least not until I grow up and start facing reality.
She paused, her heart freezing as she looked over what she'd just written. Slowly Elizabeth sank down onto the window seat.
Maybe Finn was right all along. Maybe she was just a naive child.
Nina slipped her big, black sunglasses over her eyes and reached across Xavier's back for her bottled water. It was a perfect southern California morning, and she and Xavier were taking advantage of the sun by lying out in the quad. He'd brought a big, colorful, comfy blanket, and she'd brought chilled water and snacks, and now they were sprawled comfortably on the ground, letting the world pass them by.
Nina had also brought her book bag, which lay untouched near her feet.
Sighing contentedly, Nina shifted her position and rested her head on Xavier's back like a pillow. She took a sip of water and gazed across the lawn at a guy who was juggling apples in an attempt to impress his girlfriend. There were, in fact, couples all over the place, studying together, dozing together. This was a very couple-y thing to do.
"Comfortable?" Xavier asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"Yes," she said, smiling up at him.
"That's what I like to hear," Xavier said, laying his head back down.
Nina sighed again. Okay. She'd spent the last forty-eight or so hours with Xavier, nonstop. They'd eaten together several times, they'd slept together.... Hell, they'd made her bed together. But even so, there was one question burning in the forefront of Nina's mind. Were they or were they not a couple?
"Xavier? Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," Xavier ...
Dalla seconda/terza di copertina:
Everyone laughed and shouted, "To Cathy!" Todd sipped his champagne and grimaced as the sour taste hit the back of his throat. He'd never liked the taste of the stuff, but it was standard celebration material. Everyone else drank and then broke down into general chatter.
"Hey! Listen up, everyone!" Cathy shouted, quieting the small, jovial crowd. "I want to make another toast," she said, thrusting her glass in the air again. "To Todd, who I couldn't have done it without."
Todd turned the color of cooked beets as everyone shouted his name and drank again. How could the kids at school scoff at him for having an atmosphere like this to hang out in? These people would be there for him faster than any of his old frat brothers would. In fact, his old "brothers" probably didn't even remember who he was at this point.
"AU right! All right, enough partying," Rita said, shooing everyone back out into the bar. "Get back out there before Cathy's and Todd's heads swell any larger." Everyone grumbled but followed orders. Todd was following Cathy out the door when he suddenly felt a hand on his arm.
"Todd, can you hang back for a second?" Rita asked.
Cathy shot Todd a quizzical glance that mirrored his own. "I'I1 be right out," he told her, then let the swinging black door close, muffling the din of the late-evening bar crowd.
"What's up?" Todd asked, wiping his hands on the seat of his black jeans. Rita walked to the opposite side of the table and picked up a pen. She started tapping it against the tabletop at a psychotically rapid rate. Todd watched her warily. This was definitely a sign of nervousness--not a good thing.
"Wait a minute...," he said, gripping the back of the chair in front of him. "You're not...firing me, are you?"
Rita laughed, and Todd pulled back his head as if he'd been slapped. "I'm sorry," Rita said. "It's not funny. No, I'm not firing you. Why don't you sit down?"
Todd pulled out the chair and fell onto the seat, still skeptical. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, looking over at Rita and wishing she would just get whatever it was over with.
"Look, Todd," she said, holding the pen with both hands now, as if she was trying to keep herself from tapping it. "I'm really impressed with your initiative and your dedication, which you already know."
Todd smiled and glanced away. He was never very good at taking praise.
"What I have to ask you is kind of huge, so I want you to take some time to think about it," she said. "I need an assistant manager, and I'm offering you the job."
Todd was so surprised, he almost forgot to listen to her next words. Him? Assistant manager? Of course! Yes! He was in!
"It pays ten-fifty an hour," she continued.
Ten-fifty? I'm in! I'm in!
"And you'd have to work full-time."
I'm in! I'm...Wait a minute. Full-time?
"So, let me know by tomorrow if you can," Rita said, looking him directly in the eye. "I know this is a big decision, and like I said, I want you to think about it. But if you don't want it, I have to start interviewing."
"Okay," Todd said, finally finding his voice. "Thanks, Rita."
"Thank you," Rita said with a sincere smile. She grabbed a couple of champagne glasses and patted him on the shoulder as she walked past him and out into the bar.
Todd sat there for a few minutes, staring at a dent in the tabletop that was shaped like a crescent moon. He was so excited, part of him wanted to run after Rita right then and tell her yes. He would do it. There was nothing he wanted more.
But he restrained himself. Todd lightly knocked his clasped hands against his lip, deep in thought. Working full-time would mean quitting school entirely. There was no way he could do both. He was having a hard enough time as it was. So the big question was, what was more important to him? Working at a job he was proud of, supporting himself, and being surrounded by people who cared about him...or getting an education in something he hated while encountering snobs and egomaniacs all day long?
Hmmm. This decision was going to be really hard.
Elizabeth was just slipping into a dream that involved elephants trampling through the medical school when something startled her awake. For a moment she thought she'd just twitched like she often did when she was about to drift off, but then she realized there were noises downstairs. The refrigerator opening and closing. Keys being tossed on the kitchen table. Heavy footsteps trudging through the living room. Sam's footsteps. She could always tell the difference between his and Neil's because Neil walked like a human being.
Before she could even think about how eager she was going to look, Elizabeth hopped out of bed and rushed over to her mirror. She smoothed down her hair, ran her fingers under her eyes to deal with any smudged mascara, and checked her teeth. Then she laughed at herself. It wasn't like she was going to grab Sam and kiss him. He'd probably laugh in her face even if she did have the guts. She was just going to talk to him.
And give him his present. She dropped to her knees and pulled his gift out from under her bed. Then she straightened her T-shirt and boxers and tucked the box under her arm.
Elizabeth opened her door just as she heard the door to Sam's room swing and click closed. She took a deep breath. When Sam's door was shut, it was very intimidating for some reason. Wandering in there was one thing, but she always felt like she was intruding when she knocked on his door.
Whatever, she told herself. Sam was her housemate. Her friend, even. He wouldn't mind her interrupting. Besides, he'd just gotten there. It wasn't like he could possibly be in the middle of something yet.
Elizabeth tiptoed down the stairs. She took one more moment to make sure all her clothes were in the right place and not bunched up or hanging down. Then she walked purposefully up to Sam's door, tossed back her hair, and lifted her hand to knock.
That was when she heard him laugh.
"I know, yeah," she heard him say clearly. "I had a really good time too."
A really good time? Elizabeth took a step back from the door, her bare feet curling into the thick carpeting. A really good time with who? Who was he talking to?
Oh God, she thought, her stomach turning as her fingers pressed into the wrapping paper on his present. Did he have a girl in there?
Elizabeth looked down at the gift in her hands and suddenly felt like a little child. Sure, she'd told herself she was just buying this for him to thank him, but she wasn't self-denying enough not to realize she was also harboring a little crush on the guy. He'd been sympathetic and chivalrous, and he'd even left her a Bugs Bunny pencil. What more could a girl want in a guy?
Unfortunately she'd somehow forgotten that Sam had less than zero interest in her. And his defending her and trying to cheer her up after she'd been dumped all over didn't change that. He was probably just taking pity on her.
"I know. We should definitely do it again sometime," Sam said.
Before she heard anything else her vivid imagination could read into, Elizabeth darted away, running as quietly as she possibly could back to her room. Once she was safely inside with the door closed, she dropped the box on the floor and kicked it back under her bed, feeling totally and completely stupid.
Her eyes fell on her new journal, which was sitting on her window seat. She stalked over to it, opened it to the next blank page, and started to write.
Maybe everything's not going to be okay, she wrote in a big, angry scrawl. At least not until I grow up and start facing reality.
She paused, her heart freezing as she looked over what she'd just written. Slowly Elizabeth sank down onto the window seat.
Maybe Finn was right all along. Maybe she was just a naive child.
Nina slipped her big, black sunglasses over her eyes and reached across Xavier's back for her bottled water. It was a perfect southern California morning, and she and Xavier were taking advantage of the sun by lying out in the quad. He'd brought a big, colorful, comfy blanket, and she'd brought chilled water and snacks, and now they were sprawled comfortably on the ground, letting the world pass them by.
Nina had also brought her book bag, which lay untouched near her feet.
Sighing contentedly, Nina shifted her position and rested her head on Xavier's back like a pillow. She took a sip of water and gazed across the lawn at a guy who was juggling apples in an attempt to impress his girlfriend. There were, in fact, couples all over the place, studying together, dozing together. This was a very couple-y thing to do.
"Comfortable?" Xavier asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"Yes," she said, smiling up at him.
"That's what I like to hear," Xavier said, laying his head back down.
Nina sighed again. Okay. She'd spent the last forty-eight or so hours with Xavier, nonstop. They'd eaten together several times, they'd slept together.... Hell, they'd made her bed together. But even so, there was one question burning in the forefront of Nina's mind. Were they or were they not a couple?
"Xavier? Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," Xavier ...
change...
Todd thought dropping out of school meant full-time fun at work...so why are his coworkers giving him the cold shoulder?
Sam can't let Elizabeth know that their kiss meant anything...but pretending it didn't isn't easy.
Nina used to be a straight-A student...but partying has its price.
Neil and Jessica are best friends...until she turns on him.
Todd thought dropping out of school meant full-time fun at work...so why are his coworkers giving him the cold shoulder?
Sam can't let Elizabeth know that their kiss meant anything...but pretending it didn't isn't easy.
Nina used to be a straight-A student...but partying has its price.
Neil and Jessica are best friends...until she turns on him.
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- EditoreSkylark
- Data di pubblicazione2000
- ISBN 10 0553493086
- ISBN 13 9780553493085
- RilegaturaCopertina flessibile
- Numero di pagine231
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