I Shouldn’t Love Him (Book 2) – Chapter 55

LAke

My father rarely took days off, unless it was for something he considered more important than work. Not many things have fallen into this category, but USC always has.

Which is why, at four o’clock on the Monday after I left for the fair, my father and I finished our annual campus tour. My dad proudly called me student prospect to the other parents on the tour, and I wore an old Trojans t-shirt that had belonged to him before he shrunk it in the wash.

m our last five visits. I was truly a potential student now, only two years after starting here. As college loomed on the horizon, the students around me no longer seemed ancient. They were only a few years older than me. I even went to school with kids who were attending no

s a punishable offense at my school.

missed us for the afternoon,

credits away.”

.

whole life, and even though they were difficult, I always got A’s.

ry door, disappearing into corners or passing by us.

hen you came here?”

re I started, but eventually transferred to USC on a scholarship. I graduated at the top of my class and went on to complete my MBA. Imagine what you can do if you start even earlier.

interests and how he had promised to get me books from the library.

don’t have to. You can be anything you want. Doctor, lawye

an. Then you can spend all day doing something valuable.” Saving lives.

t doctors’ offices, but my dentist was in a perpetua

care of sick children? What if I can’t make them better?” »

ving birth to a baby.

?”

y, Lake. Your mother and I are willing to pay for everything so that you can emerge debt-free in the end. College loans are a burden and USC is at the

ounting.

lored brick building with the majestic arches. “I spent many hours there becoming the man I am today. Let’s take a look inside.

n rows. They were dressed casually in shorts and tank tops. Two of them were sitting picking blades of grass. We were reading a book. None of them spoke to each othe

onference we can attend.”

e class?” ” I

“I enjoyed learning about strategy and operations.

et me wrong, but it was damn difficult.

w almost hit the fl

ed a class?” »

and said, “Oh, Lake. You think that, don’t you?

anything that he wasn’t lacking about it.

He l

, but I just want to give you opportunities. Do you think I work as hard as I do for any reason other than to take car

never really thought abo

I didn’t realize. . Thank you.”

nd kissed my forehead.

.

ar him say it every once in a while.

n’t see that changing anytime soon.

mise.”

e locked doors opened and a blonde woman who

p you?”

und.

business school?

’t. I straightened my shoulders. “Yes.”

lder.

re, I’ll have my doctorate and you’ll be in my class. “How about that, Lake?”

lready know a teacher.”

. “Well, not ye

er, sit in your class,” he said.

a guest lecture. I might as well have left the room. My dad had a weird look on his face, he wouldn’t go around Mom, something I thought was borderline flirtatious. Whatever he was doing, I didn’t think I wanted to witness it. “I’m going to g

t too far,” Dad said as he re

you do?”

was an invitation to ask for more. “A little of this, a little of that.”

, making the orange sky. The students I had seen earlier were lying on their backs on the lawn while a bearded man weaved through the ma

than I thought, but they seemed so at peace. “Want to

join?”

blinked at t

have roo

ok like that. They had cre

need one?”

at. I could just sit in the grass. “No, but I’m waiting for my . .” I stopped my

the end of a row.

my brain, sending my problems into the air like balloons. With no sign of my father, I lay down on the ground.

make it my career? I couldn’t imagine anyone did it. Making people feel better appealed to me, but not things like blood, surgery, and medical records. I loved reading and cooking for others. I had been a camp counselor last year and student council treasurer for my sophomore class. However, none of this really fit into a profession that I could think of. Maybe Manning would know once he saw the list.

did well in math, but did I want to make it my career? I couldn’t imagine anyone did it. Making people feel better appealed to me, but not things like blood, surgery, and medical records. I loved reading and cooking for others. I had been a camp counselor last year and student council treasurer for my sophomore class. However, none of this really fit any profession that I could think of. Maybe Manning would know once he saw the list.

down now,” the ma

s quiet. I stood up slowly, blinking my eyes to adjust to the sunlight. I scratched my elbow, itching from the grass. Everyone was smi

er session of Drama 101.” He looked at me. “I’m Professor Br

professor.

few weeks,” someone pointed out.

an exercise. Turn to face the person next to you.

ce that I wasn’t there. Since I was at the end of the row, I could only go one way. I sat cross-legged facing a dark-haired girl. “Hi,” she said softly. “I am Les.”

s…”

“Now,

oved. She stifled a laugh.

“How?”

intend to give,” the professor replied.

Les and I exchanged a sheepish look bef

on my cheek. Les chuckled. “Pardon.”

h about it. I placed my palm on Les’s face, and it warmed his cheek. I h

ne into their emotions.

from somewhere behind me.

” Les said.

”

jumped. “

ed

im. The blonde was nowhere to be found. “What were you doing?” he asked, removing a twig of my hair.

d no idea what else to wear, it was worth a try. “Maybe I’ll sign up for first year.” “

s?”

t here. It’s silly, but I guess not everyone can be good enough to do the things that really matter.

application.

be.”

at school or as an extracurricular.

round out your schedule a bit.

ey wanted. Maybe he was finally starting to see me as an adult.