"Food's ready!" Seth's mom announces, holding aloft a tray of meat and buns. "Build your own burgers."
A long folding table has been set up in the middle of the room with all the food and utensils laid out, buffet style.
"Turkey patties," Seth whispers, his breath ticking my ear.
A warm glow spreads through me. He remembered what I about no red meat. I'd been nervous about coming, but now I'm glad I did. His mom isn't so bad.
I smile to myself as I watch Winnie and Tai bump shoulders while assembling their burgers. The big linebacker seems to have made quite the impression on Winnie.
"Seth's father is a grilling wizard." Mrs. Jensen sidles up next to me as I finish arranging tomato slices on my plate.
On the other side of the spread, Seth is building his own burger, nervously glancing between his mother and me.
"They smell delicious." I hand her a fresh plate and pick up a napkin.
"Thank you. Seth tells me you create music?" She drops a bun and patty onto her plate.
I smile at the thought of Seth talking about me to his mother. This is a good sign. "Yes. My dad taught me to drum when I was little. It's a lot of fun."
"I've read that learning a musical instrument improves brain development." Mrs. Jensen squirts ketchup onto her burger before peeking pointedly at Seth across the table. "Unfortunately, I could never get Seth to learn."
He pauses, pickle jar in hand. "Violin isn't exactly interesting."
"Well." His mother lifts her chin, almost imperiously. "Joshua Bell begs to differ."
I notice the tightening of his jaw and decide to speak up. "Who's that?"
"One of the most talented violinists you'll ever see. Even people who don't care for violin like Joshua Bell." She sets the ketchup bottle down and glances at Seth again. "Except maybe my son."
Seth sighs and picks up the mustard. "Yes, Mom, I'm a savage for not wanting to listen to Joshua Bell."
She gives him a sharp look and he drops his eyes.
I busy myself with pickles, unsure about the strained dynamic between these two. I should probably stay out of it.
I find an empty spot next to Winnie on the couch and sit.
"No way," Winnie says, staring at Tai seated on her other side. "Scrabble competitions?"
Tai shrugs, eyes twinkling as he chews. "I may look like a potato, but I've got some tricky words up my sleeve."
"You do not look like a potato." Winnie straightens the bun on her burger. "Maybe more like a pumpkin."
Tai gives her a lopsided grin and nudges her with a shoulder.
She bumps him back. "Okay, tell me one of these tricky Scrabble words."
"Syzygy."
"Uhh, I'm pretty sure that's a freeway exit on the way to Las Vegas, not an actual word."
"It's an alignment of three celestial bodies. Like the three of us on this couch." Tai bites of an enormous chunk from his burger and leans back with a satisfied smile.
Winnie raises her eyebrows and whispers to me, "This guy is good. Apparently we're celestial bodies now."
I giggle before whispering back. "You like him?"
"I think I do, but it's weird, you know? He's a football player."
"Why is it weird? I dated a football player."
"I'm sorry, but Dustin was a self-absorbed lunk-head."
"I'm pretty sure Tai isn't like that."
Winnie pauses, eyes darting to the guy in question. "I don't think so either."
Seth's mom settles herself on the couch arm next to me. "What are you girls whispering about? Boys?" The sparkle in her eye reminds me that this woman was once a schoolgirl, too.
"Maybe," I answer coyly.
"Are you both in classes with Seth? He doesn't talk about school much." Mrs. Jensen's eyes fall to the untouched burger on her plate. "He doesn't talk to me about much of anything, really."
Her words hold hints of sadness, and it tugs at my heart. "He's a great guy. I've never had classes with him, though."
Winnie nods in agreement.
From the corner of my eye, I see Seth talking to Tai on the other end of the couch. Maybe I can have a little heart-to-heart with his mom. "Mrs. Jensen, sometimes people need to figure things out on their own. And sometimes it doesn't include parents. You just have to let them."
Her eyes wander to her son and back. "Maybe. What about you? What have you figured out? Have you started looking at colleges yet?"
I cough violently and take a sip of water.
Thankfully, Winnie answers instead. "I've been looking into state universities with good microbiology programs."
Mrs. Jensen's brows shoot up, obviously impressed. "Microbiology! You must be very smart."
"I hope so. Though my mother has confirmed that I'm actually a smartass."
The woman laughs and turns to me. "What about you?"
In a panic, I stuff the burger into my mouth and make noises of apology.
Mrs. Jensen smiles, her eyes soft with sympathy. "It's all right if your goals aren't as lofty as your friend's. Everyone has a different path."
She seems so nice, so understanding. I miss not having a mother to talk to. When I swallow my bite, I say, "I haven't been looking at colleges."
"Well, that's all right, it's never too late to start."
"I'm actually not going."
Mrs. Jensen stills as she processes this. "At all?"
I gulp, wondering if I've just made a huge mistake admitting this. "It's much too expensive."
"If you want to go, there are ways." She leans forward. "Scholarships, student loans, grants."
"I—I know. But it's not for me."
"Not for you?" She stares at me, brow wrinkled like I just declared breathing air is overrated. "What do you mean?"
It's not until this moment that I realize something about Seth's mother: College is as logical as eating vegetables. Skipping it is not an option.
"It's just..." I glance desperately at Winnie, who is talking to Tai again, and my heart begins to pound. No one is going to rescue me. I'm about to blow it with Seth's mom.
"Do you think you won't be able to get in? Is that it?" she asks carefully.
For some reason, her gentle tone makes the backs of my eyes prickle. I open my mouth, trying to force out some kind of answer that makes sense. But it lodges in my throat, where it forms an uncomfortable lump.
The woman seems oblivious to my distress. "Community college is an excellent steppingstone to a university. A lot of students go that route."
Finally—finally—Seth appears before us, his eyes dark pools of concern on me. "Mom, not everyone wants to go to college."
"Well that's just ridiculous." Her tone is no longer gentle, taking on a dismissive edge as she glares at him. "I can understand if circumstances don't allow for someone to go, but why wouldn't someone want to go?"
"Plenty of reasons," he said.
She sets her plate down on the coffee table and folds her arms. "Name one."
My eyes widen and I suddenly understand Seth's hesitation for me to meet his mother.
"Well"—his grip on the paper plate tightens—"learning disabilities."
I stiffen, insides coiling into one of those glazed donut twists Dad used to like. Where is he going with this?
She scoffs. "They have programs for that. There are people who can't even talk going to college."
"Right, but what if"—he glances briefly at me—"what if that person doesn't know they have a learning disability?"
The donut twist in my stomach hardens into a thick, taut rope and my fingers begin tapping against my thigh. Why is he doing this?
Mrs. Jensen tilts her head. "Not know? They catch these things in school."
"No, they don't." Seth's voice becomes urgent. "They catch the obvious cases, but there are people who fall through all the time. The ones smart enough to fake it."
I can't tell if he's looking at me, because I refused to meet his gaze now. My drumming fingers ball into fists.
"Jordi, dyslexia can be diagnosed. You just need to take the test." Seth's voice is so impassioned that it causes all conversations in the room to cease.
I freeze, heat rising in thrumming waves to my face. I can feel all eyes on me. Judging. Pitying.
Jaw clenched and breathing arrested, I slowly, slowly, lift my stunned eyes to Seth. How dare he humiliate me like this in front of everyone who matters? It's— He's— Ugh! I can't even form coherentthoughts I'm so furious.
His eyes widen and his mouth forms an O as he seems to realize what he's done.
After a long, agonizing moment, I turn to Winnie and whisper, "We have to go."
Eep. We kind of knew he was probably going to blow it somehow, but this is pretty bad. I'm gonna go hide behind some votes now.