Dare You to Date the Point Guard (Rock Valley High 2)

“Mason, you are an amazing person, an incredible friend, and right from the beginning I knew there was something special about you. I meant it when I said you had potential.” I continued, taking a small step in his direction. Everything else in the room melted away. It was just him and me, and the words pouring out of my mouth. “And then you said you liked me as more than a friend. And it freaked me out. I panicked. I hurt you and pushed you away. It wasn’t until it was too late that I realized I had potential, too. I didn’t realize I could fall for anyone until it was you. Only you. And the only thing I can say now is that I regret not realizing it sooner — I regret it with all of my heart.”

Tears sprang to the corners of my eyes as he stared back at me, his face impassive. My body buzzed with mixed emotions. The weight of the confession coming off my shoulders was amazing, but the realization that I’d now have to face the consequences wasn’t easy. But that was what being an adult meant. I couldn’t hide behind my parents or my naivety anymore.

Goodbye, perfect grades.

Goodbye, art camp.

Goodbye, Mason.

“So, you see,” I turned back to face my judges, “I don’t deserve your praise. I don’t deserve a passing grade. I violated one of the most important rules of research. But I guess, in the end, I’m not sorry. And I’m done apologizing. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know that I want to be a doctor anymore. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life. But that’s okay. For once, I’m okay with not having a plan. I’m giving up on plans. And I accept whatever grade you feel is best.”

My hands were shaking so hard, I had to wrap my arms around my torso to keep them still. With a teary-eyed thank you, I swiftly headed toward the exit. Mason sat glued to his chair and watched me go. The moment I got into the hallway, I kicked off my heels, snatched them up, and began to run, not stopping until my half-finished sculpture stood in front of me.

It was there that I sank to the floor, wrapped my arms around my knees, and finally allowed all of the emotions of the past few days to sink in.

I might have just ruined everything, but at least it was on my terms.

Now, I could finally start asking myself what I really wanted.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“She’s been working on our senior class project for weeks. I figured she’d be here.”

It was fifteen minutes after my big blowup when I heard Audrey’s voice behind me in the shop class, followed by the mumbled thanks of my parents. My tears had dried up and now all that remained was a fiery desire to finish what I’d started in that presentation. To figure out what I wanted for a change. And the first thing I could think of was this sculpture.

“Bug, can we talk?” Dad’s soft voice made me turn around.

He and Mom edged toward me, their faces guarded. I grimaced at them, not quite ready to look them in the eyes. It must’ve been incredibly disappointing to find out their oldest daughter wasn’t who they thought she was. I was preparing myself for the lecture of a lifetime.

“Sure, let’s talk.” I picked myself off the ground and took a seat on a metal stool at one of the wooden workbenches.

My parents sat across from me, their gazes sweeping over the massive room. As the silence grew between us, I wondered when the hammer was going to drop. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it. I’d never really been in trouble my whole life. I’d spent so many years going after what they told me to, I hadn’t had time to rebel. Would they ground me for life? Lock me up and throw away the key? How did normal kids get punished these days?

“Is that your class project?” Mom gestured toward the half-welded monstrosity standing behind me. “It’s impressive.”

I blinked at her in surprise. That wasn’t how I’d pictured this conversation starting. “Yeah, the senior class voted for my sculpture idea for the senior gift. They want to unveil it in a few weeks, but I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Dad scratched his chin. “Why didn’t you tell us about it?”

“I tried to, but then it didn’t really seem to fit in with the plan.”

“The plan?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and frowned. “You know, the plan? For me to start Pre-Med in the fall, get into med school, and become a doctor? You guys have been repeating it since I was in middle school. It’s the plan.”

They looked at each other, understanding passing between them. They’d always had that sort of ability to secretly communicate. Beth and I used to joke that they were psychic. Mom reached out and grabbed my hand, her thumb caressing along the top of my knuckles.

“Sweetheart, we only wanted that because we thought it was what you wanted. We wanted to support your dreams as much as we could.”

“And we apologize if that means we railroaded over you.” Dad nodded, his brow furrowing. “I guess we both got so excited about you following in our footsteps that we kind of took it and ran with it. You are allowed to change your mind. You don’t have to go to med school, if there’s something you want more.”

My mouth fell open and my lungs tried to inflate, but it was like someone had sucked the oxygen out of the air. Were these my real parents sitting in front of me? Or had I hit my head on the way out of the library?

“Is it...is it really okay to not know what I want?” I asked quietly. “I mean, I love art, but I’m not sure if that’s my future, either. Do I still have time to figure it all out?”

“Of course.” Mom squeezed my hand. “You’ve got plenty of time. Even some adults are still trying to figure out what they want.”

&n