pardon!â he said. âIâd be happy to talk to Heather.â
âThank you,â she said to him. âIâd be happy to talk to you, too.â
âYou have to take this test so George can help you raise your scores.â I turned to him. âIâve got it all planned out: Heather and I are both going to get in early to Elton College. Weâll be done with all the college stuff before the holidays, and then weâll betogether for the next four years.â
âWe hope weâll get in,â Heather said. âI mean, Iâm sure you will, but Iâm not so sure about me. Elton College is hard to get into and I havenât been the best student.â
âThatâs why weâre going to apply early. They like people who apply early, especially people who are quirky and interesting, and whoâs more quirky and interesting than us?â
The dimple on Heatherâs right cheek appeared. âNo one.â
âPlus George is going to make sure we do well on the SATs. Now get into the dining room and take that test.â I took her by the shoulders and steered her across the kitchen and through the archway that separated it from the dining room.
âWhy do I have to be in here?â she asked over her shoulder.
âBecause I need to be in the kitchen. My teaâs in there.â I came back in and sat down, folded my hands, and looked up at George like an obedient pupil. âWeâre ready to take your test, Mr. Nussbaum, sir.â
He handed me the packet and told me to get to work.
On Friday, I was coming down the stairs in the morning and spotted George heading out the front door
âWhat are you doing?â I called out.
He turned around and greeted me in his usual measured wayâhe never seemed particularly excited to see me, but he was always pleasant enough. âYour mom asked me to get her laptop fixed.â He showed me the computer sleeve in his hand. âIâm running to the Genius Bar. Hey, can I talk to you for a second?â
âWhat about?â
âHeatherâs not here, right?â
I looked to my left and to my right, then patted the pockets of my jean shorts. âDoesnât seem to be. Why?â
âI just wanted to say that maybe you shouldnât be pushing her to apply early to Elton.â
I leaned against the banister. âWhy not?â
âAfter scoring that test you guys took, Iâm worried she doesnât have much of a shot there.â
I shrugged. âNeither of us was taking it very seriously.â
âYou still managed to do incredibly well.â He shifted the computer from one hand to the other. âElton would be a big reach for her, I think.â
âYouâre not a college counselor,â I said. âYou donât really know.â
âRight,â he said. âAnd youâre not one either. So tell her to talk to hers. And be aware that sheâll do whatever you say, even if youâre totally wrong.â
I scowled at him. âFirst of all, Iâve researched Eltona lot, and they like people who are creative, which Heather totally is.â She wrote a lot of fan fiction, mostly about characters from her favorite TV shows. That was creative, right? âTheyâre going to want her. And secondly, youâre wrongâshe doesnât do whatever I say. Thatâs ridiculous.â
âIâve seen you order her around. She worships you.â He raised his eyebrows. âWhich seems to be what you like best about the relationship.â
âThatâs so not true! Not to mention rude.â
âUh-huh.â He was really starting to annoy me, standing there with his stupid pants and long-sleeved shirt on the hottest day of the year, large almost colorless eyes blinking at me as he accused me of being a bad friend.
I gestured toward the door. âArenât you going to be late for your
Mercedes Lackey; Ellen Guon