A Different Kind of Education

Chapter Thirty - Two : The Ends of the Earth

Sunny skies, sparkling water, and lovely fake tanned bodies is what I'm surrounded as I recline on a beach chair, a fancy fruit drink in my hand. It's been an hour since the party has begun and unlike most parties, most of us are still sober. It is probably due to the fact that most of us want to remember tonight since we are leaving for the college towns or cities in the next week or so, and will be busy packing. For us rich kids it is typical for our parents to send us off to the university communities to stay. Granted some of us stay to enjoy New York a bit longer or because we plan to attend a college home.

"This is the life." I murmur to myself peacefully.

"It is isn't it?" Jay's unwelcomed deep voice says from beside me where he stands. Startled I nearly drop my drink on myself.

"Hey Jay." I greet him, attempting to regain my composure.

"How's it going Candy?"

"Pretty good. Just enjoying my last day of freedom?"

"I'm getting a summer job at one of my mother's companies."

"Last time I saw the two of you interact, it wasn't very friendly." His skeptical tone and expression make me laugh.

"I made a deal with my mother."

"Now why in the hell would you do that?"

"Because it was the only way she'd let me keep my inheritance when I told her I wasn't going to college."

"I thought you wanted to go to California to just get away from your parents?" Now I've got his full attention and he sits in the chair next to me, his body angled toward mine. It's the first time since we were together that he's stared at me this way and soak it up.

"Frankly, I don't know what I want anymore, but right now I'm not ready for college."

"Well college isn't all it's cracked up to be for some people. I'm only going because I'll be disowned if I don't have a degree in something before I hit 23."

"Oh the rich kid life." I ponder humorously, earning a dry laugh from Jay, "Do you have an idea of what you want to do?"

"Not really. I mean our whole lives, we've been privileged and never really had to think about our futures since we always knew that aspects of our life weren't in jeopardy."

"I couldn't have said it better. All we had to really worry about was which party was going to be better than the other. In a way I envy the scholarship kids."

"Me too. At least they have determination and a specific goal unlike us."

"Well some of us do."

"Yeah like 1 out of 100." Jay mutters, gesturing to our whole view full of our peers who chatter joyfully and naively.

None of us had a single care in the world. All of us assured by the substantial amount of money in our trust funds. Scholarship kids on the other hand had to have a purpose and have a desire to truly do things in their life. They needed a plan because their budget was limited and they couldn't afford to make a mistake in a school of their choice.

"What I do know." Jay began, turning and lying back on the beach chair next to me, "is that I most definitely don't want to be a teacher."

My whole body tenses at those words and I feel my stomach drop. I cast a look full of meaning at Jay, one which he just ignores and keeps talking.

"I also know I want to get as far away from here as possible."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that by here he meant his brother - and me. Sleeping with Matt while I was with Jay is the biggest mistake I have ever made. My actions have helped ruin a bond between two brothers who were practically thick as thieves before they met me. You could say I'm somewhat of a femme fatale and that's something I hope this year off will help me get over it and change for the better.