working at the grocery store. That is until the banks lock the doors and we’re left selling ourselves just to get by. People like me, we’re not taught to dream for a future because it’s hard enough just getting through each day. Dreaming is for those who like disappointment. We’re taught to survive.”
Miss Davies studies me, keeping her eyes trained on mine as she puts to use that degree that’s framed up on her wall. “You know what I see?”
“Here we go. Another qualified person here to tell me what’s best for me when they don’t know anything about my life or growing up like I did.”
“Oh really? You’re so quick to judge but what would you say if you found out that I grew up in Blaxlands Grove and only just escaped gang life after my brother got jumped in? I worked my ass off, graduated high school, and by some miracle was accepted into college? What would you say then?”
My eyes bug out of my head, I would say her brother is most likely a Wolf. “You grew up in Blaxlands Grove?” I question, not sure if I should be wary of the girl who comes from the rival town of Breakers Flats, home of the West Side Wolves.
“I did,” she says. “I made a life for myself. I broke ties with the people from back home who were holding me back and I built a future for myself. I went to college, graduated, and got myself a job. I had to start small but I worked my way up, and now I own my own home and don’t need a man to help provide it for me. You can do that too, Ocean. You just have to believe in yourself.”
“You say it like it’s easy.”
“It’s not,” she says bluntly. “Making it to my high school graduation was a feat on its own, and then to get myself through college while not succumbing to my family who wanted me home was the hardest thing I ever did.”
“Then you’re the one in a million. It’s not going to happen for me so you shouldn't bother wasting your time.”
“I think you’re wrong,” she tells me. “I’ve been going over your grades and reports, and while the reports are a little rough, the grades aren’t so bad. You’ve already taken the first step by distancing yourself from Breakers Flats. All you need to do is focus on your grades and I don’t see any reason why you won’t be able to attend college.”
“Okay,” I say with a laugh. “Have you considered the fact that college costs money? Say some kind of miracle occurs and I do get in, what then? How am I supposed to pay for that? I’m sure as hell not going to take any more money out of my mother’s pocket, and I’ll be damned if I was to ask one of these rich pricks for a loan.”
“It’s called a job,” she says bluntly. “I worked at Hooters for four years, six nights a week while I studied through the day and look at me now. I have a great paying job, respect from my colleagues, and was able to purchase a home. It is possible, Ocean. It’s hard work but you don’t need to be another statistic. Make something of yourself. Be the one that got out.”
I lean back in my chair, looking at the woman who wants to tear down my complete belief system. “You really think I can do it?”
“I bet you grew up thinking it was impossible to get out of Breakers Flats and look at you now. You’ve already taken the first step, but now you need to make it count.”
Well, shit. Who the hell taught her all this motivational crap? It’s dangerous. It’s making me want things that a girl like me should never be brave enough to dream about.
“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “My plan was to just try to keep afloat out here and find a job after graduation. I could find somewhere cheap to rent and live, trying every day to not make the kinds of decisions that would see me back in Breakers Flats with the Black Widows.”
Her brow raises. “You have connections to the Black Widows?”
A strange tension settles in the air and something tells me to keep my mouth shut about my boys. I shake my head. “No, I just … I figured that’s where I’d end up.”