That Scandalous Year

5. The Perfect Plan

CLEAD

Since Clead was ten-years-old, his dad had made it clear what he wanted his son to be when he grew up. A lawyer just like him. The same path that he wanted for Clead's older brother, Max, who was right on track. Max just started his first year at one of the oldest law schools in the country.

Time and time again, Clead asked that he decides what he wanted to be when that day comes. And approaching the third month of Senior Year, he was almost there.

He was with his friends in their house that Saturday afternoon, at the dining table, with stacks of forms and brochures in front of them.

"What does a Geodetic Engineer do?" Edward asked.

"Try asking Google," Vladimir said, a bit annoyed.

Edward sighed and opened the browser of his phone.

Clead saw him grimace at what he was reading. Then Edward put his phone down and focused again on the papers in front of him.

Next to Clead, on his right, Richelle was silently humming a song while she accomplished her forms. Her friend Mitch was also there, seated at the far end of the table.

They were filling up applications for universities and colleges. And it looked like they raided the Guidance Office with all that was spread out on the long table.

National State University was, by default, one of their top choices. Even if their chances of getting in were very slim. Nat. State was notorious for its admission. Though Clead and his small crowd belonged to the upper twenty percent of their batch, they knew NSU was a long shot.

They needed practical and sure options. So, they also got forms from other reputable state and private schools, in the Metro and some within or near their province. Clead's and Richelle's chosen schools were identical. Their interests, for that matter, were closely related. Of course, they planned on getting accepted into the same places. If not, then at least near to each other.

Clead didn't care that much if his two friends were planning on going somewhere else. He never really saw them as sticking around forever. They would be the kind of friends who only see each other when they wanted to catch up from time to time. Except for Richelle, he wanted to meet new people in college. But Vladimir and Edward would always be there.

Mitch wasn't as serious as they were that afternoon, and Clead didn't see anything wrong with that.

He wrote down the same programs he wanted to take up. Journalism, with Philosophy as his fallback option. Richelle was solid in Film.

He sighed when he read that one of those top universities required an essay. He set it aside and quickly decided to write about him being the new Managing Editor of the high school paper. How was he supposed to make that interesting? He had a whole week to think that through.

"What do you want to study, Vlad?" Mitch asked.

Vlad looked up, leaned back, and told them with a shrug that he was going to take up Architecture.

"What's your second choice?" Clead asked.

"I have no other option."

"Funny," Clead said with a snort. "There has to be a second choice."

Edward sneaked a peek at Vlad's form. "Management," he said.

Richelle excused herself to use the bathroom, while Mitch teased Vlad about his college choices.

Edward was still unsure of what he was doing with the application forms. He was stumped. He didn't know what was it that he wanted to do for the next four or so years and, eventually, the rest of his life. Not that he couldn't do one thing, but he wanted to do a lot of things at once. And he happened to be good at a lot of those things too.

Unlike him, Clead knew exactly what he wanted and what he'd do to get it. He had a plan. He'd finish high school, leave that place to study in the Metro, and be a journalist for a while.

He wasn't totally against his dad's desire that he become a lawyer too. Clead made it clear to them in one dinner not that long ago. "I'm not closing my doors to it," he said. "Maybe after a few years of writing, I'd consider it." He just wanted to experience doing something that he knew he loved to do, the rest can follow.

It didn't disappoint his dad. It didn't impress him either. Besides, Clead thought, there were more than enough lawyers in their extended family. Two uncles, one aunt, two older cousins (Stewart and Steve), Max, and a younger cousin who also announced that she'd be one too, in the faraway future.

In Clead's plan, when he had enough money to afford life, he'd marry Richelle. Maybe—just maybe—they can live together right after college while they both figure out how to be adults. And then, they'd get married, raise a family, and live happily ever after.

Cliché as it may have sounded, Clead decided then, that it was the perfect plan.

"Is something wrong?" he asked his girlfriend, who just got back to her seat at their dining table, looking pale and moving sluggishly.

She shook her head slowly. "Just a simple headache," she said.

"There's a new post from Little Miss Nobody!" Mitch almost shrieked out of her excitement.

"What's new this time?" Vlad quickly asked her.

Mitch didn't answer him as she read through the post on her phone. She had the notifications on for that site. She was never behind or unaware of the latest gossip that the blog dug from the students and teachers of their school.

Mitch, Clead liked to think so, was the opposite of Richelle. In appearance and personality. Richelle always had her hair up. Mitch wore her hair down. Richelle's height was almost as tall as Clead's. Mitch stood shorter than most of the girls in their batch. Richelle always had a smile on her face. Mitch always looked smug. But Richelle was a little reserved, and Mitch was a little loud. Richelle didn't give that much time wasted on such an online site where people gossip about other people. Mitch liked to be a part of the in-the-know club.

Richelle looked over Mitch's shoulder and skimmed what her friend found amusing to read, according to Little Miss Nobody.

"Why are they ganging up on Marie, anyway?" Richelle quietly said, but with a hardness in her voice.

"Yo. Anybody ever wants to find out who that person is?" Vlad asked no one in particular. "Who wrote those posts? I like to think he or she is one of those bookish and snobby kids in our honor roll."

"Do you think that blogger is in our batch?" Edward asked.

"The probability doesn't lie."

Clead's mom entered the house all of a sudden. She was still in her working clothes. It was a weekend, so they were less formal than usual.

"Do you need any help here?" she asked after she saw what they were doing.

Clead's mom had always been friendly, and a little cool. He was never embarrassed to bring friends over to their house, even with his mom around. And that made him a bit proud.

"I think Edward does," Clead said.

Edward frowned at him, sighed, and looked up at Clead's mom.

"Do you have any advice on this kind of thing?" Richelle voiced out what Edward didn't say.

"Well, dear, the only thing I can say is to go where your gut tells you. You may be having problems weighing in on what career path you can follow later with what you study in college, and that's very much okay. Introspectively, what is it that you want to do? It may be it for now. It may change in the years ahead, and that's okay too. You can always shift gears, as they say. But if what you wish to do and what you think you should do aren't the same, I'd say go for what's more practical. The one that will lead you to survival. If you like doing something, you can always find ways and time for it."

Clead was sure she took a subtle and nice jab at him when she gave that advice. But then again, it wasn't like he'd go straight to law school. He'd still need an undergraduate degree. And he was sure his choice qualified. So, maybe she didn't.

"Did you always want to be a dentist?" Richelle asked Clead's mom, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh, dear, no. I wanted to be a ballerina." Clead's mom winked before she patted her son's shoulder, turned around, and headed for the stairs.