The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth - Alexandra Robbins [114]
“Most of the way. My brother has a bike. Maybe if he catches up with me I’ll ride on the back.”
As they walked together, Joy kept up the conversation. “So . . . what are you going to do with your life?”
“Well, I’m gonna move in with my mom,” Ariana answered. “So I’m gonna leave. When I’m sixteen, I’m gonna quit school and work at Kmart with my mom.”
“You’re going to what?!” Joy was flabbergasted.
“Work at Kmart.”
“I’m not saying that’s a bad job, but seriously, your education is the most important thing right now! You should truly focus on that. You have the potential to be anything you want. You just need to work hard,” Joy said.
Ariana looked surprised. “Wow . . . well I don’t know, I guess.”
“You bet I know! I have so much faith in you! You can become something huge. Just finish school and focus on your life. I’m sure you don’t want to work at Kmart for the rest of your life.”
“Yeah . . .”
“Please, listen to me. I know some of your friends think I’m a know-it-all bitch, but I’m not. I care. At least take some of my words with you. You have the ability to be anything you want. All you need is hard work and perseverance.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.”
“You better think about it,” Joy said. “I want you to make something of yourself and become a somebody. You are somebody.”
BLUE, HAWAII | THE GAMER
About once a week, when Blue woke up early or couldn’t sleep, he caught the bus to the beach. It was nicest around 4 A.M., when the darkened sky was so clear that he could see shooting stars. On shore, strange algae glowed green just before dawn. In this quiet netherworld, Blue would swim laps, gaze at the horizon, and daydream about a fictional person who would listen to him, would know him, would keep him company just to be with him. The relationship didn’t have to be romantic. All he wanted was a connection.
Blue was supposed to play in the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 state championships with Jackson, Ty, and Stewart. But at the most recent tournament, Jackson had defied every order Blue gave as captain and the team lost because of it.
The MW2 finals were the same day as the Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH) state championship, in which Blue’s AP Gov class would compete. Although he hadn’t thought much about SCH before, Blue made the decision to skip the gaming tournament for the hearings. By leaving the MW2 team, Blue would lose his sponsor and eliminate his chances to compete in Sweden over the summer, which he had been looking forward to for months. He explained, “I wasn’t going anywhere with what I was doing. Not that I wasn’t going anywhere with gaming per se, but the people who I surrounded myself with, I mean. I wasn’t happy with my ‘place.’ ”
When he told Jackson, Jackson was furious. After yelling at Blue in the doorway of Blue’s house, he said, “Are you jealous of me?”
Blue was confused. “What would I be jealous about?”
“I have friends, girls who like me. Are you mad at me? Orrr is it that . . . are you gay for me?”
“What?!”
“Yeah. I think you’re gay for me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“No, I think that’s exactly it. You’re mad because I don’t like you the same way. Am I right?” Jackson laughed cruelly. When Blue shot him a look, he continued. “Fine, then tell me why, if I’m wrong. I’m not leaving until you tell me. Hmm?” He tapped his foot.
Blue worked up his courage. “You’re a shitty friend and I deserve better than you,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t be around someone who just brings me down anymore. I actually have goals in life.”
Jackson cackled at him. “You can barely pass high school.” He was still laughing when Blue shut the door.
Because of his lack of Algebra 2, Blue’s only chance to get into the University of Hawaii was the Undergraduate Assistance Program. UAP’s purpose was to assist applicants who were “academically underprepared [or] economically disadvantaged” by admitting them to the university and shepherding them through freshman year and scholarship arrangements.