A Poignant Fallacy

Scene 37- Cool With It

Juliette enters the kitchen where the rest of her family is waiting for Laura to slice the cake. Jackson follows closely behind her on his phone. He is deeply concentrated on an email, confused.

Laura looks over, "Ah! There they are!"

Beau says sarcastically ,"Only took you three hours."

Juliette tries to sit in a barstool next to Beau but he puts his hand over it motioning that she can't sit there. She rolls her eyes and sits at the seat next to that one and Jackson sits in between them still lost in his phone.

Laura begins slicing cake and notices her son, "What's wrong honey?"

Jackson looks up startled, "Oh sorry! Um... I just got this random email from...BizTech. They offered me a paid internship this summer."

Laura is shocked and smiles, "I didn't know you applied for that!"

Jackson laughs, "No I didn't. They said they scouted me from one of those College FBLA  competitions from last semester."

Laura forgets about her husband, "Honey, that is an amazing opportunity."

Jackson is still enthusiastic, "And it's only a summer internship too! So I can still go to grad school in the fall which is really cool."

John abruptly interrupts with an off putting tone, "Jackson we need to talk about payment if you still think you're going to do after grad."

Jackson turns to look at him at the table, "I already applied and got accepted into Yale Business School. I thought you guys were cool with it?"

Laura saves the day, "We are honey, we just need to have a conversation about what that's going to look like."

John gives her a deafening glare and she quickly stops talking after everything she had been through that night.

John begins talking to Jackson again, but it almost seemed like he was talking to Laura as well. Like he was reminding her of what she knew already.

John says, "I'm not sure what 'being cool' with business school entails, but I'm certainly not paying for all of it. I think there's better opportunities out there for you."

Jackson rolls his eyes as he takes a plate from his mom, "Like what?"

John shrugs and leans back in his chair, "Just don't set your heart on something. Set your mind on it."

Jackson turns around and mumbles, "Whatever the hell that means."

He was expecting to say that to one of his brothers, but instead was shocked to see it was his little sister. He looks at her slightly frightened wondering if she'd tattle like she's so prone to doing.

Juliette giggles and smiles at him and he silently sighs from relief.

Laura cuts another piece of the  golden brown shortcake layered with bright red strawberries and airy whipped cream. She puts it on Juliette's grand millennial plate that was a white ceramic with hand painted light blue borders. Laura called them her summer plates and she did get them out every summer starting memorial day.

Jackson's phone ringer goes off and he begins to look at the text.

Gavin jokes as he shoves cake in his mouth,

"You're popular tonight."

Jackson scythes back, "I'm more popular tonight than you'll ever be."

He redirects his attention to his parents, sitting on opposite sides of the room,

"Scarlett just texted me and said she's landing at 1pm tomorrow."

As Laura tossed the cake cutting knife in the sink she asks,

"Do you want me to go with you to pick her up?"

He thought about it for a moment and said,

"Nah I'm okay. I just wanted to let you guys know."

Laura nods and John doesn't look up from his phone. Jackson scoffs at his Dad's lack of attention and puts his plate with half eaten cake in the sink. He walks out promptly.

Beau looks around and says,

"What's up his ass?"

JD and Gavin both laugh with cake stuffed mouths.