Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [4]
“Let’s go, girlfriend!” Carrie Anne said.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Sophie made a face. “What’s the rush anyway?”
“The rush is, let’s get there already.”
Carrie Anne was driving her dad’s red Jeep Wrangler today. She had the top down and her straw cowboy hat handy. “Ready to rock and roll?”
“How’d you get so lucky?” Sophie asked as she got in and buckled up.
“Oh, you know. I just batted my big brown eyes and told Dad that he was the best dad in the whole wide world.”
“You are such a daddy’s girl.”
Carrie Anne grinned and put the Jeep in reverse. “And so far, it’s working for me.”
And you sure know how to work it, Sophie wanted to add, but she knew that sounded rude and a little bit jealous too.
The truth was, Sophie did envy Carrie Anne sometimes, but she’d never admit it to anyone. Except to God, and lately she wasn’t even too sure about that. Still, it wasn’t always easy being best friends with the pastor’s daughter. Not because Pastor Vincent watched every step they took or acted like Big Brother or anything weird or controlling like that. The hardest part was that Carrie Anne’s family was so normal, so happy, so nicely connected. They actually had family devotions before dinner every evening. Well, any night when they were all gathered around the table together. And even if it was only half the time, it was twice as often as Sophie’s family. Meaning that Sophie’s family ate dinner together only on holidays, on birthdays, or by accident.
“Why are you being so quiet?” Carrie Anne turned onto the road that led to the lake.
“Just thinking.”
“Can you believe school starts tomorrow?” Carrie Anne groaned loudly. “And don’t tell me you’re happy about it or I’ll puke.”
It was a well-established fact that Carrie Anne tolerated school whereas Sophie actually loved it. “It is our senior year,” Sophie reminded her. “Something we’ve been looking forward to for like forever. I’d think you’d be glad too.”
“Well, I’m sort of okay about that part, except that now all my parents are talking about is college. Make that arguing.”
“Arguing?” Sophie couldn’t imagine Carrie Anne’s parents arguing about anything.
“Yeah, that’s probably an overstatement. Mom wants me to live at home and go to the community college.” She laughed. “Actually, she thinks I’ll be lucky to get in there. But Dad wants me to go to his alma mater.”
“Bible college?”
“Yeah.” Carrie Anne frowned.
“What do you want?”
“Freedom!” She threw her head back and let out a whoop. “Meaning you don’t want to go to college at all?”
“Meaning I don’t want to think about it right now. But Mom’s probably right. I should probably go to community college. My grade-point average isn’t exactly stellar.”
Sophie knew that was an understatement.
“But Dad keeps acting like he’s going to pull some strings for Bible college.” Carrie Anne glanced nervously at Sophie. “In fact, he’s been mentioning you. He’s pretty sure you can get a scholarship there.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. You make me so jealous sometimes. You’ve always been such a little brainiac.”
“You could work harder to get your grades up, Carrie Anne.”
“That’s what Dad keeps telling me. He was trying to motivate me with the idea that we could be roommates in college, like it’s going to be so fun and great. I think he plans to have a little talk with you soon.”
Sophie blinked. “A talk? With me?”
“You know, to encourage you to help me get my grades up, to take my education seriously. You’re the good influence, remember?”
Sophie turned away from Carrie Anne, biting her lip as she watched the pine trees zip past, blending into a blur of green.
“So, anyway, don’t act too shocked if Dad asks you to take me by the hand and lead me to the college promised land.” Suddenly Carrie Anne was singing that last line, belting it out like she thought she was the next Miley Cyrus or something.
Sophie couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe you should skip college and head straight to Nashville.”
“I am rather musical, don’tcha think?”
“That depends on how you define musical.”
“I define musical as Dylan Morris.” Carrie Anne pretended