The Dangerous Doors of Shannon Anderson

Chapter Twenty Seven

With my mind made up, I turned my attention to developing a plan for NYU Admittance Round Two. Step one was figuring out how to get my diploma because I was pretty sure NYU wasn't interested in accepting high school dropouts. I wasn't sure if it would be better or easier to just get my GED, or if I would have to repeat a whole semester or year of high school or what, but I knew I had some time since I'd have wait until the next admission cycle to apply anyway. Tisch didn't accept new or transfer students for the spring term. So I decided that step one was really going to be talking to Dad so that he could help me weigh my options.

The following morning, I marched into the kitchen where Dad was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper while Aidan scarfed down scrambled eggs.

"Good morning," he said, looking at me cautiously over his paper, like he was trying to assess the current state of my emotional stability from the safety of the arts and leisure section. "I didn't expect you to be up this early. Do you want some eggs?"

"No, I want a plan. I need you to help me make a new plan so that I can go to NYU next year."

He nodded, just like that, without the condescending "do-you-really-think-you-have-a-chance-in-hell-of-getting-in-twice" look I knew I would've gotten from Mom. "Okay," he said. "Let's drop Aidan off and then go to Brown's. I find I develop my most ingenious plans over French toast."

***

Brown's was the oldest diner in town, seemingly unchanged since it opened in 1954, from the red Naugahyde booths and stools, to the glittery Formica tabletops, to the jukebox that still played actual vinyl 45s. Me and Jessa and Tucker had spent a lot of time there drinking coffee or milkshakes as suited our moods after school on any given day. And today was a milkshakes for breakfast kind of day.

"So, let's start from the top," I said to Dad as we sat facing each other in a booth. "Where do you think I was when I missed all my exams?" I scooped a spoonful of peanut butter milkshake out of the big stainless steel cup it came in because it was too thick to drink through a straw. "Be honest."

Dad shook his head as he cut his French toast into neat little bite-sized squares. "I honestly don't know. I don't think I could even fathom a guess because it was so out of character for you to do something like that. Which at first made me think you'd been forced to go somewhere, but when the thing you seemed most upset about was missing school, and when you wouldn't tell the police anything, let alone me, I started to doubt that theory, too."

"I told you where I was, Dad."

He laughed a little. "It almost makes me sorry I played along with your make-believe games when you were little. I thought I was encouraging your creativity when I let you transform the family room into Neverland."

I smiled. "I wouldn't answer to anything but 'Tiger Lily' for three weeks."

Dad tried to smile, but he couldn't hold it. "I never thought it would go this far. I know you creative types can really lose yourselves in your daydreams, but to be gone for three whole days, Shannon..."

"Look, I won't lie, it hurts my feelings that you don't believe what I've told you about where I was. I mean, I was pretty convinced that you had some supernatural way to tell when I was lying. But I understand that it's not an easy thing to believe, and that you may never believe me, and really, that's fine, but we're going to need to move past it if I'm going to have any chance in hell of getting into NYU for a second time."

Dad took a bite of French toast, then a sip of coffee. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, and gave me a nod that told me he was committed to the cause.

"Okay," he said. "Here's what I think we need to do."

A/N:  What do you think Mr. Anderson has planned?  Let me know with a comment!