Page 29

“Come on!” Kaden had stopped walking and was tapping his foot. A motivational trainer would have nothing on him.

Which made me wonder. “Hey, what are you studying, anyway?” I asked between jagged breaths, once I’d caught up with him.

“Majoring in journalism. Minoring in graphic design.”

“That sounds exciting. What kind of job do you want?”

“No idea.” He sounded thoughtful. “My first choice would be covering the film industry, but I know how hard it is to get a foot in the door. Especially now, when print media is struggling. That’s why I’m taking lots of different courses to keep my options open.”

Wow. He’d never said so much at once.

“What about you?” he asked, looking back at me over his shoulder.

“I want to be a teacher.”

“What grade?” he probed, as he held back a branch that crossed our path so I could pass. He followed.

“High school.”

I felt Kaden’s eyes on me but kept on walking.

“That’s a pretty short answer coming from you, Bubbles,” he said sarcastically.

I shrugged. There wasn’t much to say about it. My parents considered my dream of becoming a teacher absurd. But I’d already made up my mind.

“Were you one of those girls who was bullied in school and now wants to change other people’s lives?” asked Kaden.

I stopped in my tracks. My heart pounded. “No.”

“Then maybe you were the star of your high school and captain of the cheerleader squad, and now you want to give back what you got,” he guessed again.

I felt ill. I really didn’t want to think about my school years, about who I had been. I remained silent.

Kaden interpreted this as encouragement from me, and kept on guessing.

“Or maybe you were one of those girls who did everything possible to get attention? Alcohol from older friends, wild parties, men and so on?”

“Shut up!” I hissed, clenching my fists. I spun around and glared at Kaden, my eyes narrowed into angry slits.

Bull’s-eye. He had guessed correctly. And the surprised look on his face told me he knew it.

“Allie.”

“No.”

He ventured a step toward me as I crossed my trembling arms over my chest. “I’m sorry if I crossed the line.”

I sniffed.

He grew serious and looked me in the eyes. “I really do want to know what makes you want to teach.”

I swallowed hard and looked away. I hadn’t shared the real reason with anyone yet. And I didn’t really want anyone to know. Particularly not Kaden.

“Okay, then I’ll start,” Kaden said abruptly. “If my father had his way, I would be getting a degree in economics and business so I could work in his company eventually, like my older brother Alex.” He shook his head and shoved his cap backward on his head. “He doesn’t care that I want to do the exact opposite. I’ve always had a passion for film and design. My mom pointed me toward journalism.”

This time I held the branches back so Kaden could pass under them.

“What did your dad say about it?” I asked after a pause.