Living with Jennifer Lawrence

[94:] Yale

Maddie

A few weeks later, my brother and I had graduated from high school.

It was anything but easy. When my name was called, it made everything worth it. I was almost seven months along, and I was grateful that my gown was nice and baggy.

I could see my parents smiling proudly and tearing up in the audience. I think Josh kept taking pictures of us like a proud dad. They were both beaming with joy. Ryan sat on Jen's lap.

I was given a piece of paper, presumably my diploma (I was told we'd get it later), and walked across the stage. Austin sat with my parents, smiling, cheering. I had gotten a picture with my principal, a man I had never talked to before.

The crowd erupted with applause. Proud parents clapping for their children. After all, we made it.

***

A huge party was thrown that same day. We had a big lunch, and went home to hundreds of balloons and streamers that matched our school's colors.

The celebration was not only for our graduation, but it was also for Jason's acceptance at Yale University. He had applied to a ton of colleges, hoping to find a great medical program. He jumped for joy when the acceptance letter came in the mail. He would be leaving in two and a half weeks. My brother dreamt of becoming a neurosurgeon. I didn't think he was incredibly smart. I always saw him playing video games in his room, and heard him cursing when he got mildly upset at something that happened in the game, at something only he understood. But when he wasn't playing, he was studying. That explains a lot.

We had many family dinners without Jason because he was always in his room. I didn't know what he could've been doing there, and for the longest time, I didn't question it.

"What made you want to become a neurosurgeon?" I asked him recently.

"I've always been fascinated with the brain and how it works." He pushed his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Caleb's little brother has hydrocephalus. He has water in his brain. I remember seeing him when I went to Caleb's house. We were still together at the time. His brother looked normal. You couldn't tell he had a disease."

I listened intently.

"His brother went through a lot as a kid: multiple surgeries, frequent hospital stays, lengthy rehabilitation and countless doctor visits and medical tests." To me, he was beginning to sound like a doctor already. "He's in elementary school now, and his mom told me that he had to get a shunt."

He continued, "Before you ask what a shunt is, I'll just tell you. I've been studying like crazy. A shunt basically channels the flow of fluid away from the brain or spinal cord into another part of the body, where the fluid can be absorbed and transported to the bloodstream. This reduces pressure on the brain, which could, if left untreated, result in permanent brain damage or death."

The amount of knowledge he had on the subject blew me away. It warmed my heart, hearing the excitement in his voice when he talked.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Why did you and Caleb break up in the first place? I thought you two were happy together." Jason never told anyone what had happened. Not the details, anyway.

He sighed. "It wasn't because of anything he said or did. I'm going to Yale, which is in Connecticut, and he's going to UCLA. I didn't want to do long distance because I'm going to be in school for a long time, probably fifteen years or so, and I didn't want him to miss out on any opportunities because of me. I wanted him to date whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He deserved that much. So, I let him go." He teared up. "It was hard, but I knew I made the right decision."