jace

May: A Week of Interventions

One more chapter of this story left and then it's done, yaaay. I'm still posting Hall and Oates if anyone is interested in checking that out (I would really appreciate it). Thank you for reading. x

monday

The preceding week had been full of interventions—Eli and Courtney told me not to call them that, but that's exactly what they were.

It began with Dr. Searly. Instead of greeting me with the normal "Hi jace" or something similar, he said, "jace, college is your decision. Not someone else's." And instead of having a lunch full of great conversations and fruit trading, he was telling me about how important college was. And even though he finished late, he didn't regret a minute of it and that it was the duty of someone with my intellect to go to school and to help shape the future.

I tried to tell him that Nebraska State University could help me shape the future and it was right around the corner, which would save money on travelling.

He took a deep breath, "jace, I'm sorry. But that's hog shit. Complete hog shit."

And I was surprised because I'd never heard Dr. Searly curse before, "Excuse me?"

"Hog shit."

I later found out from Jacob that hog shit was "the lowest of the shits."

Then Dr.Searly said that Nebraska State University was a bottom feeder school compared to Harvard. "Nebraska State University will not give you a $300 stipend each month, Nebraska State University does not deserve you." His face was bright red and his eyes were bulging and I'd never seen Dr. Searly so upset, not even when he was Mr. Searly.

And then there was Courtney and Eli.

Their intervention began when the three of us sat around the dining room table. Then Courtney said something like, "I'm not gonna tell you what to do jace...but I'm gonna tell you what to do. You're going to Harvard." Eli silently nodded, tapping his fingers on the table.

I nodded, "I will, if Elizabeth says it's okay."

Courtney let out a loud sigh of frustration, "No, not because of Elizabeth. Because it's the best and most rational option."

Dr. Cassandra Wilson used the same defense, saying that I was being irrational—which is something that I always claimed not to be.

"There's an expression, 'Love makes you do crazy things.' Have you heard it?"

Dr. Cassandra Wilson smirked and nodded, "I'm vaguely familiar."

"Maybe I'm in love."

"With Elizabeth?"

I nodded, "Maybe."

"What's your reasoning?"

I shrugged, "It doesn't seem irrational to me, letting her decide. I mean...I know it is, but there's something in me that's okay with that. I don't mind being irrational as long as I'm doing it for her."

The last intervention was conducted by Eli—without Courtney.

He sat me down and thought long and hard before he spoke, "I'm not gonna yell or tell you what to do, that's not really my style. I'll just advise and then you do what you think is right."

I nodded.

"I think you should go to Harvard. You're eighteen, you're brilliant. If Elizabeth agrees, then great. If she doesn't you really have to ask yourself if she has your best interest in mind." Then he stood up and asked me what I wanted for dinner.

We had lasagna.

wednesday

Dr. Searly had Veronica escort me to Elizabeth's room around noon. It was messy and cluttered and I knew why Dr. Searly wanted to stay far away from it.

I assumed that anti-depressed Elizabeth was messy, because she had been prescribed a new brand of anti-depressants and she wasn't just bubbly, she was bouncing off of the walls. She was screaming the lyrics to a song I didn't know and dancing around her room as if she didn't see me at all.

I turned to Veronica, "Why am I here?"

She shrugged, "Dr. Searly said she was ready to give you an answer."

But Elizabeth wasn't ready, not until the next two songs on her playlist came and went. Then she was able to calm herself down enough to hold eye contact for a few seconds at a time. She smiled at me, "Hi jace."

I smiled back, I really couldn't help myself. "Hi Elizabeth."

"I did what you told me jace, I thought about it really hard and I think that you should go."

"...You do?"

She nodded, "You should go to school and show everyone how smart you are. I always thought that you were a genius, and everyone there will think it too."

I frowned, "But...are you sure?"

She nodded again, smiling again, dancing again.

I was going to Harvard.