mind?”
Dre shook his head. “I mean, I haven’t actually brought it up with them, but college is expensive, and I don’t see the point in going and wasting the money if I don’t even know what I want to study.”
“Wait,” I said. “What about makeup and Dreadful Dressup? I’ve seen your stuff, and you’re exceptional.”
I might have misinterpreted it, but I could have sworn he blushed. “Thanks, but it’s tough, you know? Most of the special effects stuff is done on computers now, and I’m not into that. I just want to make sure whatever I decide to do with the rest of my life is something I actually wanna do.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” I said.
“I’m not, it’s just—”
I pointed at the corner and turned, taking him with me. “You thought that I was a clone of my mother and that I was destined to do everything she did? Join the military, go to college, start a career in politics?”
Dre at least had the decency to look sheepish. “Kind of.”
“I’m not cut out for the military,” I said. “I doubt I’d find it any easier shooting people than animals.”
“Plus, you can’t eat people.”
“There is that.” I grinned at him. “I love politics and philosophy. My favorite areas are ethics and epistemology.”
Dre scrunched his face. “Epistewho?”
“Epistemology. It’s the study of knowledge. Like, what do we know? And how do we know what we know? Can we trust what we know? Can we really ever know anything at all?”
“That last part’s how I feel pretty much all the time.”
I felt like I was lecturing Dre, and I didn’t want to bore him. “Anyway, it’s all fascinating stuff and will make a solid foundation for me to go to law school and for my future political career, but I’m not certain that’s the life I want.”
“What else would you do?”
“You’re going to laugh.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“I’ve always been interested in teaching.”
“Like kindergarten?”
“High school.”
Dre wasn’t exactly laughing, but I could tell he wanted to. “Okay, but why?”
“Forget it.”
Dre grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “I’m sorry. Tell me more.”
I didn’t know if he actually wanted to hear about it, but Tamal was the only other person who knew it was a career path I was even remotely considering. It wasn’t that I thought there was anything shameful or ignoble about being a teacher; it was simply that most people assumed I would use my talents for politics and didn’t consider I might want to do something else.
“Do you know what I love about debate?”
Dre shrugged. “The thrill of destroying your opponent?”
“Okay,” I said. “Maybe a little. But mostly I love taking a complex topic, breaking it down, and explaining it to someone who isn’t familiar with it. Winning isn’t just about being right, it’s about making the judges understand the nuances of my point of view, even if they disagree. I love the moment during a debate when I can see the pieces click into place for the judge. That’s when I know I’ve done my job properly.”
“Most of my friends are anxious to get the hell out of high school,” Dre said. “You’re the only one I know looking to go back.”
“Often, adults assume people our age aren’t smart enough or engaged enough to make a difference, but I think that’s a cop-out. I think they underestimate us, and I think I could be the kind of teacher who wouldn’t do that.”
I’d expected Dre to look bored, but he seemed to be listening. “So why don’t you go to school to be a teacher? Study education and get a couple of graduate degrees? Doctor Arnault’s got a nice ring.”
I sighed, coming across more melancholy than I meant to. “You know how it is. There are just certain expectations that come along with being the son of Janice Arnault.”
Before Dre could ask me more, I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him across the street so we didn’t miss the light. “Come on, we’re there.”
Dre
THE ONLY THING more colorful than the fall foliage around the Public Garden was me. Usually. I was a little more subdued because we were incognito. Fine. Even toned down, I was a splash of color on the dull canvas of life. The trees weren’t bad either. They were a million shades of orange and yellow and red, the colors bright and bold as if waving a dramatic final farewell to beauty before retreating until winter had reached its end. Ducks swam in