Second Chance by Katie Kacvinsky Page A

intimidated .
“Lately, I’m a full-time star doodler, ” she says .
“A what?” he asks.
“I draw stars on everything . It’s this weird habit.” She flips her hand over to show she’s drawn a few stars on her palm .
Travis tries a different question . “Do you live here ?” he asks .
“No ,” I chime in . I know Dylan well enough to predict that her eccentric answers could go on all night and I’m not in the mood . Travis, Dylan , and the entire table turn to look at me . I set m y glass of iced tea on the table with a loud thud .
“She’s just passing through town,” I say . Her eyes meet mine for a second and they narrow.
“Are you in school?” Travis asks.
“It depends what you consider school,” Dylan says . “ I believe in self - directed education . It’s this new, hands - on approach to learning. ”
Travis looks at me with exasperation . “ What the hell is she talking about? ”
I raise one of my shoulders . T heir conversation reminds me of the way I first reacted when I met Dylan , the way you react to something you’ve never come across before . You question and poke and pry to try and understand it . Or you run from it .
“Water down the crazy talk , Dylan,” I say to her . “You’re scaring my friends.”
“ I’m not going to college ,” she says to Travis . “ I think as long as you have goals and you’re striving for them, that’s all that matters . It’s not what you learn in school , it’s what you do in life that teaches you the most. ”
There’s a few seconds of silence as the table tries to grasp what she’s saying .
“ Okay, so what are your goals ? ” Bubba asks.
“ Well, first and foremost I want to travel the world . I also want to learn how to play an instrument, like the harmonica o r maybe the mouth harp . I’d like to job shadow a volc a n o logist, or maybe train to be a hot air balloon pilot.”
I watch the table studying her with expressions ranging between confused and amused .
“ Is she serious? ” Travis asks me and I just shrug my shoulder s .
“Then I have daily goals,” she continues. “ I try and accomplish one new thing a day. ”
“Like ? ” Miles asks .
“ Today I roasted a marshmallow over a candle .”
“That was your goal for to day?” Travis ask s her.
Dylan nod s like it’s a perfectly respectable goal . “It takes a lot of patience and just the right flame proximity to avoid burning the marshmallow . It’s a practiced skill. ”
“This is true,” Lenny said . “I witnessed it.”
I watch Lenny and she’s smiling . I can tell she has fallen for Dylan, which annoys me . Lenny doesn’t like me half the time and I’m one of her best friends . Come to think of it, I’m one of her only friends . This confirms my theory . Give Dylan time and she can win over anybody .
E xcept for me . I know better than to fall under her spell . I know the end result .
Bubba asks Dylan what she plans to do while she’s out here . I sit back in my chair and study her . I’ve been wondering the same thing .
“I can hire you part time at the cafe ,” Lenny offers and I shoot her a warning glare .
“I’m a terrible waitress,” Dylan admits . She taps the side of her head with her finger . “No short term memory.” Todd mentions his girlfriend works at a clothes boutique and he can ask her if they’re hiring . I almost laugh out loud at this . The thought of Dylan selling clothes is as absurd as someone in a wheelchair selling running shoes . She’s fashion handicapped .
“ It must be k ind of slim pickings without a college degree,” Travis comments . H is voice is condescending , but Dylan just grins back . The more I get to know Travis, the more I see he lives for pushing people until they fire back at him . He likes to fight.
“ College isn’t for me,” she says . She gets this pensive look on her face and I bite my lips together to hide a smile . Here comes her deep thought for the day . “I’m impressed with people who