Page 84 of Tempting the Goalie
“I am,” I confirm and wave them inside. “I’m just losing my mind over grad programs. I need you guys to help me.”
“Of course,” Priya says.
We take a seat on the couch in the family room and the doorbell rings.
“Expecting company?” Yuna asks.
“I ordered us Chinese food,” I say to my friends, which buys me cheers.
“I love you,” Priya says.
“Aw thanks, sweets,” I say as I walk to the door.
A cold breeze blows in, and I pick up the bag of food that was left at the door.
I head inside and open the containers on the coffee table. We all dig in.
“Have you guys finished your applications?” I ask them.
Yuna is forking some lo mein noodles and chicken into her mouth when she nods. “I applied here and to Penn for a joint master’s/PhD program.”
“I’m also applying here but just for the master’s, my second choice is NYU,” Priya says.
“I was thinking that a combined program makes sense for me, but I also don’t see myself staying in the U.S. for another five years. Being home this summer made me realize how much I missed being around my family. But do I make a decision based off my academic needs or my emotional ones?”
“It needs to be both,” Priya says and Yuna nods.
“What does Luc think?” Yuna asks.
“He wants me to do what’s good for me, but I don’t know what that is. I want to be close to him and my family. Maybe I want too many things,” I sigh, feeling exasperated with myself.
“Nonsense, you have a right to be happy. You came out here to Riverside to be close to him,” Priya reminds.
“I just couldn’t imagine us not seeing each other for years,” I say.
“Where is Luc going to be next year?” Priya asks.
“He has offers from Montreal and Philadelphia, but more may come in,” I explain.
“Does he have a preference?” Yuna asks.
“He’s waiting on me. He doesn’t want me to decide based on his career. He says, if he’s lucky, he’ll be playing hockey for the next decade, but he wants me in his life always,” I say and I feel a tug in my chest. He’s only gone for the weekend, but I miss him.
“Aw, that is so sweet,” Yuna coos. “What a romantic.”
“Seriously,” Priya adds.
“It sounds like you want Montreal. Are there good programs out there?” Yuna asks.
“Yes, there is a very good program, and Montreal isn’t that far from Val-Du-Lys. I just don’t want Luc giving up on a better team because of me.”
“It’s nice that you’re both so considerate of each other, but you need to get applications in. I know they can be costly, but why don’t you apply to a few Canadian schools and a few American ones? The programs are super competitive, so you don’t know where you’ll get in,” Priya suggests.
“That’s another problem, it would be better for Luc to sign a contract earlier rather than later, but I’ll only find out about grad school somewhere between February and April,” I add, feeling even more confused.
“I wish I had better advice for you,” Priya says.
“Make a list of pros and cons for each school,” Yuna suggests.
