bo lo t y. But I il d an be I
le . Eve h he se m e co c .
Pre y he n ni me us e l
bad a ho m I .
But as I an m ar s e k or I
de iv re n t i w .
My chest twinges. I hate that she felt as though she had to swallow her disappointments just to make things easier for everyone else.
“I never thought you were dumb,” I announce, lifting my head to face her across the office. “And I knew your mom’s signature from watching West practice it so he could forge it on similar notices.”
All Rosie offers to that is a conspiratorial wink before focusing back on her computer screen.
“Did you ever tell them about the test?” I press.
Now she smiles but doesn’t meet my gaze. “Nah. That one’s our secret, Junior. I took it again the next semester and passed. Never did get that spare I was dreaming of though.”
It strikes me that she’s always been so committed to not letting anyone down that she may never have really learned to put herself first.
So that’s exactly what I tell myself I’m doing when I tag along to school pickup. Keeping her company, putting her first, and keeping the “perv dads” from getting the wrong idea.
Because Rosie might think she knows what our secret is, but mine is that I loved sitting on that dock with her even back then.