Bi the Curb

Chapter 6: The

Madison shuffled into Mr. Rogo's office, the familiar scent of lemon cleaner and old books filled her nostrils. She slumped into the chair opposite his desk, a whole week had passed and she still wasn't ready for this conversation.

"So, Madison, what have you come up with?" Mr. Rogo leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk. His round spectacles slipped slightly down his nose as he gave her his full attention.

"Well," she sighed, tracing the grain of the wood with her finger. "I mean, I don't really know what I want to do after high school."

"Ok, maybe I can help you find a direction you want to explore farther," he suggested, tapping a pen against a stack of career pamphlets. "You helped with the school fashion show last year, maybe something along that line?"

Madison looked up at the office ceiling as she mulled the idea over. "I mean in all honesty I just wanted the free outfit at the end. I like drawing and everything but designing clothes isn't very exciting."

Mr. Rogo nodded along as he listened to her. "Fair enough. So let me ask you, what does interest you? Is there anything you've done that made you think, 'Hey, this is fun'?"

She paused, her mind drifting back to the talent show, planning every detail of Rodney's performance was fun, even if he didn't go with her song choice in the end. She thought about how she gathered information on current trends to make sure it would resonate with their peers, "Well, with Rodney, I helped him with his performance for the talent show, and I liked... you know, gathering info. Figuring out which songs were popular, what styles were in and how to make his performance have the most impact."

"Data gathering and analysis," Mr. Rogo said, nodding approvingly. "Those are valuable skills, Madison."

"Really?" She tilted her head, intrigued.

"Absolutely." He stood up, beginning to pace. "In marketing, for example, these skills are crucial. Companies need to understand trends, to know their audience. It's all about connecting people with products—or with other people, just like you've been doing."

Madison's eyes widened, she had never really thought about it that way. "So are there degrees in that?"

"Let's see what we can find." Mr. Rogo turned to his computer, fingers flying over the keys. The printer whirred to life, and moments later, he handed her a list of university programs.

"All of these are programs I can take?" Madison asked, a smile creeping onto her face as she read down the long list.

"Of course!" He smiled. "What I would like you to do now is explore each one to see what they have to offer and create a short, the top three to five schools you are interested in,"

She glanced over the paper again. "Thanks, Mr. Rogo. I'll see you next week then."

Rodney's footsteps echoed through the emptying halls as he read over the text Ally had sent him. He had been successfully avoiding her since she came back to SDCI but when he woke up that morning she had texted him. He rounded the corner, nearly colliding with Madison, who was standing stationary as she looked over her list.

"Sorry... Madison?" Rodney said, finally noticing who he almost knocked over. "You okay?"

She blinked up at him, her lips curving into an unexpected smile. "Yeah, I am totally fine. I should be the one apologizing, after all, I'm the one standing in the middle of the hall."

"No way. I should have been paying more attention," Rodney explained, tucking his cell phone away so she couldn't see the screen.

"It's fine." She glanced at him, noticing the bags under his eyes and his pale features. "Are you feeling ok? You don't look so good, Rodney. Are you on your way to see the nurse or something?"