that way. What do you look for in a role model and why? The essay questions were fairly predictable— our English teacher had told us what to expect— and I’ d already worked on a couple of variations in class as homework.
English was probably my best subject. I’ d never received anything lower than an A since I first started school, and I was glad the emphasis for the application process was on writing. If it had been on math, I might have been in trouble, especially if it included those algebra questions that talked about the two trains leaving an hour apart, traveling in opposite directions at forty miles an hour, etc. It wasn’ t that I was bad in math— I usually pulled at least a C— but it didn’ t come naturally to me, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, I was writing one of my essays when the phone rang. The only phone we had was located in the kitchen, and I had to run downstairs to grab the receiver. I was breathing so loudly that I couldn’ t make out the voice too well, though it sounded like Angela. I immediately smiled to myself. Even though she’ d been sick all over the place and I’ d had to clean it up, she was actually pretty fun to be around most of the time. And her dress really had been something, at least for the first hour. I figured she was probably calling to thank me or even to get together for a barbecue sandwich and hushpuppies or something.
“ Landon?”“ Oh, hey,” I said, playing it cool,“ what’ s going on?” There was a short pause on the other end.“ How are you?”
It was then that I suddenly realized I wasn’ t speaking to Angela. Instead it was Jamie, and I almost dropped the phone. I can’ t say that I was happy about hearing from her, and for a second I wondered who had given her my phone number before I realized it was probably in the church records.
“ Landon?”“ I’ m fine,” I finally blurted out, still in shock.“ Are you busy?” she asked.“ Sort of.”“ Oh … I see …,” she said, trailing off. She paused again.“ Why are you calling me?” I asked. It took her a few seconds to get the words out.
“ Well … I just wanted to know if you wouldn’ t mind coming by a little later this afternoon.”
“ Coming by?”“ Yes. To my house.”“ Your house?” I didn’ t even try to disguise the growing surprise in my voice. Jamie