Page 18 of Anyone But Her

"Where do you work?"

"At the shipyard with my dad after school, and on weekends I work at a golf course doing maintenance and sometimes caddying."

"Shit, you really work that much? How do you have time to golf?"

"I fit it in when I can. The owner of the course has been good to me. He lets me get there early in the morning and practice for free. Or I can go at night once everyone's gone."

"Do you ever sleep?" Cal kids.

"Not much. But I need to golf more than I need to sleep. If I don't practice, I won't make the pros."

"I know, but shit, you need to sleep. You can't focus if you're tired. What about school? How do you get your homework done?"

"I kind of suck at school. I try, but I'm not really into it. I know I should be but when I'm there all I can think about is how I want to be on the course. Golf is what I want to do. Nothing else interests me."

"But if it doesn't work out, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I'm hoping it won't come to that. If I work hard enough I don't think it will. I'm determined to make a living playing golf."

"What about college?"

"I'm not going to college. I don't have the grades or the money."

"You could get a golf scholarship. It could pay for all four years."

"Maybe, but I still don't have the grades. No college would want me."

"So get your grades up. You don't need straight A's to get into college. And if you're good enough at golf they'll let you in just for that."

"Why are you pushing this college thing? You just met me." I say it jokingly but I am a little annoyed he keeps talking about this.

"Sorry. I guess my dad's lectures are starting to sink in. He's always telling Taylor and me to go to college, even if we're good enough to go pro. He says golf can be temporary. We could get an injury and never play again. That's why he wants us to get a degree, as backup in case something happens."

"I'm not worried about that. I can always find a job. It may not be a great job but I can always find something that'll pay the rent."

"Yeah, I suppose." He tosses his empty duffle bag under the bed. "You want to hit some balls before orientation? We have about a half hour."

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

We grab our clubs and go to the driving range. I can't stop smiling. It's a beautiful summer day. I'm out here practicing my swing. And I just met a guy who I think could turn out to be a good friend. Unfortunately, that guy happens to be the brother of the girl I haven't been able to get out of my head for the past five years. That's a problem. Or maybe it's a sign. Maybe I'm meant to meet Taylor. Maybe not now, but maybe someday.

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