from ArtCorps—
“Laura!” I jumped to my feet. “From ArtCorps! It’s my assignment for the summer.”
She turned to look up at me. “What did you get? Arizona? New Mexico? Ooooh, SoCal?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t looked yet. I’m almost too scared. I’ve been so excited about this. What if I get, like, the mid-west? Or Alaska? I don’t think I’m cut out to be an Inuit.”
“Open it! Come on, inquiring minds want to know.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath, pressed my hand to my fluttering heart and touched the message. My eyes skimmed down the page as I read the high points aloud. “Congratulations, happy to have you on board this project ... report June first, transportation ... supplies ...” My voice trailed off as I read the final paragraph.
“No way. No. Fucking. Way.”
“What? Tell me. Alaska?”
I fell back onto the couch, dropping the tablet onto the cushion next to me. “Someone hates me. Maybe God. Maybe fate or whatever’s out there. I can’t fucking believe this.”
“Meghan Hawthorne, tell me. Or I’ll come up there and smack it out of you.”
I lifted my head and stared down at her. “You’re not going to believe it even when I tell you. Or maybe you will.” I swallowed hard and let my head drop to the sofa cushion. “ArtCorps has assigned me to Burton. Burton, Georgia.”
Laura didn’t move. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding, right? You’ve got to be kidding. There’s no way ...”
Without another word, I handed her the tablet and watched her read the email. When she finished, she laid the tablet on the coffee table and gazed at me. “No fucking way. Well ...” She sat back on her heels. “At least you know the town has a decent bar, a place to dance and a trustworthy mechanic.”
I flipped her the bird.
“Nice. Can you ask them to change it? Switch you? Maybe they made a mistake.”
I shook my head. “I can ask, but it won’t happen. When I signed up, I agreed that I’d work wherever they assigned me.”
“You have to admit, this is weird. I mean, you’ve never been to Burton the whole time we’ve been in school here. Then we just happen to go to a bar, your car just happens to break down there ... and lo and behold, your assignment for the summer is that same town.”
“What’re you trying to say? The universe is conspiring to screw up my life?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I think the universe is moving you to the place you need to go. Now it’s up to you: are you going to roll with it or fight the tide?”
“No ocean analogies, please.” I closed my eyes, trying to settle my mind and think clearly. “I don’t know what I should do.”
“Look, Megs. You really want to do this program, right? You were so excited about it.”
“That’s when I thought I was going to be a hippie artist in New Mexico.”
“Yeah, I get that. But was it really the setting or what you were going to be doing there?”
I pursed my lips. “Will I sound terribly shallow if I say a little of both?”
“Nope. But remember why you wanted to sign up in the first place. It was to teach kids, to find out if that’s what you want to do long-term. Right?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “You’re right. I just thought I’d go a little further from home to figure it out.” I stared down at my hands. “I need to be away from everything. And from everyone. I’m tired of being Meghan Hawthorne from the Rip Tide when I’m at home. Or Meghan Hawthorne who sleeps with lots of boys but can’t keep a boyfriend when I’m in Savannah.”
“It’s not that you can’t.” Laura rubbed my knee. “You choose not to have a boyfriend. Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Hawthorne, right? Isn’t that what you wanted, never to be tied down to one guy?”
“Sure.” I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “I guess. But Lo, it’s exhausting. I need a break from being me. I thought that was what this summer would be.”
“It still can be that.
“Laura!” I jumped to my feet. “From ArtCorps! It’s my assignment for the summer.”
She turned to look up at me. “What did you get? Arizona? New Mexico? Ooooh, SoCal?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t looked yet. I’m almost too scared. I’ve been so excited about this. What if I get, like, the mid-west? Or Alaska? I don’t think I’m cut out to be an Inuit.”
“Open it! Come on, inquiring minds want to know.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath, pressed my hand to my fluttering heart and touched the message. My eyes skimmed down the page as I read the high points aloud. “Congratulations, happy to have you on board this project ... report June first, transportation ... supplies ...” My voice trailed off as I read the final paragraph.
“No way. No. Fucking. Way.”
“What? Tell me. Alaska?”
I fell back onto the couch, dropping the tablet onto the cushion next to me. “Someone hates me. Maybe God. Maybe fate or whatever’s out there. I can’t fucking believe this.”
“Meghan Hawthorne, tell me. Or I’ll come up there and smack it out of you.”
I lifted my head and stared down at her. “You’re not going to believe it even when I tell you. Or maybe you will.” I swallowed hard and let my head drop to the sofa cushion. “ArtCorps has assigned me to Burton. Burton, Georgia.”
Laura didn’t move. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding, right? You’ve got to be kidding. There’s no way ...”
Without another word, I handed her the tablet and watched her read the email. When she finished, she laid the tablet on the coffee table and gazed at me. “No fucking way. Well ...” She sat back on her heels. “At least you know the town has a decent bar, a place to dance and a trustworthy mechanic.”
I flipped her the bird.
“Nice. Can you ask them to change it? Switch you? Maybe they made a mistake.”
I shook my head. “I can ask, but it won’t happen. When I signed up, I agreed that I’d work wherever they assigned me.”
“You have to admit, this is weird. I mean, you’ve never been to Burton the whole time we’ve been in school here. Then we just happen to go to a bar, your car just happens to break down there ... and lo and behold, your assignment for the summer is that same town.”
“What’re you trying to say? The universe is conspiring to screw up my life?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I think the universe is moving you to the place you need to go. Now it’s up to you: are you going to roll with it or fight the tide?”
“No ocean analogies, please.” I closed my eyes, trying to settle my mind and think clearly. “I don’t know what I should do.”
“Look, Megs. You really want to do this program, right? You were so excited about it.”
“That’s when I thought I was going to be a hippie artist in New Mexico.”
“Yeah, I get that. But was it really the setting or what you were going to be doing there?”
I pursed my lips. “Will I sound terribly shallow if I say a little of both?”
“Nope. But remember why you wanted to sign up in the first place. It was to teach kids, to find out if that’s what you want to do long-term. Right?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “You’re right. I just thought I’d go a little further from home to figure it out.” I stared down at my hands. “I need to be away from everything. And from everyone. I’m tired of being Meghan Hawthorne from the Rip Tide when I’m at home. Or Meghan Hawthorne who sleeps with lots of boys but can’t keep a boyfriend when I’m in Savannah.”
“It’s not that you can’t.” Laura rubbed my knee. “You choose not to have a boyfriend. Love ‘em and Leave ‘em Hawthorne, right? Isn’t that what you wanted, never to be tied down to one guy?”
“Sure.” I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “I guess. But Lo, it’s exhausting. I need a break from being me. I thought that was what this summer would be.”
“It still can be that.
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