Underage

[40] Communication Courses

[40] Communication Courses 

"I just need someone to tell me what to do," I say to Miss Kannle as I sit in the metal chair beside her.

The room is still as cold as the first time I was here. The only light is coming from the humming orange bulbs in the ceiling. The open door does nothing with the dark skies above. It smells of only donuts and coffee which is coming from the white open boxes sitting on the table.

There's only another boy sitting at the deformed oval of metal chairs. He has headphones in his ears and his eyes are closed. His hair is in tight brown curls that fall down to the tops of his ears. He has tanned skin and long legs that stretch out in front of him.

"About what?" Miss Kannle asks.

"Life," I say before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "He's keeping things from me all the time. It seems like every day I'm finding out something new he's been lying about. I know he's chosen a college already and I saw him looking through the semester course catalogs online the other day. He won't tell me, which means he's going somewhere far away from me. Hell, I don't even know what he wants to do with his life.

"And, my parents. I don't even know where to begin. I started painting a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I think that's what I want to do, but I can't tell my parents. I've already got internships lines up for the summer in New York, but they're going to be so upset. I'm going to break their hearts."

"Why do you feel like you can't talk to them? They're your parents, Thea."

I almost laugh. There is no talking to my parents. There's listening to them, but no talking. They don't take opposition well. It's either their way or no way at all.

"You've never met my parents. They've been saving money for law school since I could breathe. Once they've made up their minds about something, it's almost impossible to change their minds."

"Almost is the key word there," She tells me. "Parents just want what's best for their kids. Being a lawyer is hard, but rewarding. I can see where they're coming from. They want you to do better than they did, that's all a parents can ask for."

I get that, I really do. They want to know that I'll have the money to care of myself, to feed and clothe and shelter myself. Especially if I even mention New York.

"What do you think I should do?"

"I can't tell you what to do, Thea."

"But you can tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes."

"I'll tell you what I would do."

I lift my head to look at the boy across the circle. His headphones are no longer in his ears. His eyes are a bright blue, almost familiar. He has a deeper voice than I was expecting.

"Rylan," Miss Kannle stretches out his name in warning.

The boy only rolls his eyes in response. Miss Kannle shakes her head and turns towards me. "He likes to think he gives good advice."

"I'm offended," Rylan says. "I do give good advice."

"I'll take anything," I tell him.

"First of all, don't tell your parents anything yet. Take some art and law classes this first year. If you decide you really like art and you're completely sure that's what you want to do, then tell them. Don't break their hearts before you know for sure. All that will get you is a lifetime of I-know-you-better-than-you-know-yourself, and no one wants that story told every Thanksgiving. Once you've decided that art is the only option for you, then sit them down and tell them. Brag about the internships and give them the plan on how you're going to take care of yourself. With crazy ass parents like yours, you're going to need a back-up plan for the back-up plan's back-up."