3. Josie

3

Josie

I t's mid-morning and Drip is filled with students and faculty getting their caffeine fix. I haven't even gotten in line; my mind is still spinning after my meeting with Dr. Ambrose, my academic adviser.

"I'm dropping out," I say, sighing dramatically.

"That's a solid option," Mel jokes as she sets down a steaming mug of tea and a plate of cookies.

"How did you—I didn't even order yet," I tell her, gesturing at my phone. "I can't find the energy. All my hopes and dreams are down the drain."

Mel takes a seat in the chair across from me. "Josie, you're predictable as hell. If I'm working in the back and I get a ticket for an order of orange spice tea and an oatmeal raisin cookie, I know it's for you. Even the gals at the senior center order lattes. I swear the only reason Theo keeps these cookies in stock is because you love them."

"Theo is a prince among men," I tell her before picking one up and taking a bite.

"Eh, he's a pain in my ass, but who isn't?"

"Um…me?"

"True. You never get on my nerves. You're a rare breed, Josie Reynolds. I'll miss you when you drop out. And on that topic…why the hell are you calling it quits part way through your senior freaking year? And do you think they'd give me your scholarship? They're practically paying you money to be a student here."

I take a sip of tea, letting the warmth of it soothe me. I've been back on campus for two hours and it's already been a shitty day. "Yeah…you've got a point with the scholarship thing…"

"Considering they only give two full rides every year and you've got one of them? It's safe to say they probably want you to make it to graduation. Besides, you love school more than anyone I know. So, what's up? Did you get a 98% on a test? Is that why you're throwing in the towel?"

I take a deep breath. As much as I don't want to face reality, I can't escape the fact that my careful path to graduation has hit a roadblock. "I just met with Dr. Ambrose, my adviser. It's looking pretty unlikely that I'll graduate this spring."

"The hell it is," Mel announces. I love it when her Mama Bear comes out. "Josie, what are you talking about? You have a bazillion credits. All you do is ace classes. How are you not graduating on time?"

I can feel my cheeks heating and my neck getting splotchy. I hate tension. I hate discord. I hate when plans don't work out. That's probably why I love books so much. The ones I read guarantee happy endings, and life definitely doesn't. "Basically, it comes down to shitty scheduling. I dropped a class a couple years ago when the twins got sick."

"I remember. You couldn't catch a break that semester."

"It's on my schedule for this spring, but they're cutting sections in the library science classes because?—"

"Because you're the only one taking them?" Mel asks.

"I'm not the only one. But there aren't many of us left. By next year, most of the program will be online, which is probably how I'll have to take cataloging because it no longer fits in with my schedule. And that means I won't be able to apply for the library position at the kids' school. And I know I could get a job elsewhere, but…where? School library jobs are hard to come by. And moving is not an option. They've been through enough and I am not uprooting them. I'll just…do something…"

"I've got it!" Mel says, smiling triumphantly. "Tell what's-her-face to retire next year."

I laugh until I realize my best friend is serious. "Mel, I could never. Besides, she's already booked one of those year-long cruises. But even if she hadn't, I'm not upending her plans just because mine…have a wrinkle."

Mel shrugs. "Okay, so how can we iron out this wrinkle? I don't remember much from my brief stint as an education major, but couldn't they give you an emergency certification or something?"

Dr. Ambrose had suggested the same, but that makes me nervous. "It's possible, but it's also possible that a candidate with the actual degree could get the job over me. And you know me, Mel, I'm not a risk taker. And I can't gamble on this. It's too important."

"There has to be a solution," Mel says with her signature confidence. "And we're not stopping until we find one."

"Thanks," I say, smiling, "for the encouragement and the snacks. Dr. Ambrose wasn't entirely unsympathetic. Because the issue is partly due to the university's decision to cut back on course offerings, she's got a call into the dean to see if there's any way to make this work."

"Excellent. So, no panicking until you hear back from your adviser. Things will work out, I'm sure of it."

I take another sip of tea before changing the subject. I've had enough talk about classes and credits for today. "So, how's life? And how's Will?"

I'm waiting for Mel to laugh off my question or roll her eyes. She was set up on a date with one of the newest members of the hockey team and it was basically a disaster. But there's got to be something about the guy because he convinced my tough-as-nails bestie to be his dating coach. I'm fairly sure I'm the only person who knows about their setup. Everyone else on campus thinks they're madly in love.

When I don't get an answer, I start to get suspicious. "Mel?"

She's blushing, and Mel never blushes. "I don't know, Josie. It's either going great or it's an absolute train wreck. I'm not exactly sure which…"

"That makes no sense."

Mel drops her head in her hands. I guess now it's her turn to be dramatic. "I think I actually like him, Josie. Like, this whole thing is supposed to be pretend, but I'm not so sure I'm pretending." Mel peeks at me through a gap in her fingers. "That's bad, right?"

Actually, I think it's wonderful, but I temper my excitement. If I squeal with delight, Mel might stop bringing me cookies. "It could definitely be worse," I tell her.

And then, just to punctuate my point, the bell over the door jingles and half the hockey team walks in. I grab my bag, but Mel reaches out to stop me. "He's not here, Josie. He and a couple other seniors stayed back to talk to their coach. Will's meeting up with them later, but he and some of the other guys decided to stop here first, probably because our coffee is amazing."

"Yeah, Will's definitely here for the coffee," I joke. "I have to leave anyway. I have some studying to do before my next class and then I'm working at the library until close. We'll talk later, ok?"

"Ok," she says. "I should get back to work anyway. I'm pretty sure that was my second half hour break of the day."

Mel puts her apron back on and hurries behind the counter while I walk out the door and into the autumn sunshine, telling myself not to worry. She's right; these things have a way of working themselves out.

Now if only I could believe that.