Trials (Rock Bottom) Read Free Page A

the door, the last student to leave. I walk slowly down the stairs once I’ve collected all of my things. I stop in front of my professor who’s leaning against his desk. He gives me a warm smile. “You’ve been an exceptional student, Dylan. I hope you know that.”
    “Thank you, Professor Benfield,” I say, barely choking the words out . I feel the panic rising in my.
    “I was honored to be able to recommend you for this internship. I r eally pushed for you.” He smiles comfortingly and his eyes twinkle at me.
    “Yes, sir,” I almost whisper. It kind of sounds like this might not be headed in a good direction.
    “Well, I think you’re going to be a great addition to the Suffolk County office. Congratulations. You start Monday.”
    I gasp, putting a hand up to my mouth. I find a smile spreading across my face, perhaps the first genuine smile I’ve had in a long time. “Are you serio us? Oh wow, that’s so wonderful!”
    He nods, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered you a job after graduation. Just keep performing like you’ve done here. They’d have to be a damn fool not to snatch you up.”
    I feel a weight lifting off of my chest, a lot of my anxiety leaving my body. It makes me feel a bit light-headed. “Thank you again, Professor,” I say, walking slowly out the door of the classroom. I walk down the hall in a haze. I can’t believe I got the internship. I can’t believe I might end up where I’ve always wanted to be in life.
    At this moment, it almost mak es all of the terrible sacrifices I’ve made worth it.
    Almost.
    I feel the pressure slowly building in my chest as I think of Jeremy. No matter what happens in my life, it always comes back to him . I feel guilty because the first person I want to share my important news with is him. Not my Dad or even Scott. I think about what his reaction would be. If he would be proud.What he would say or do . I think, no I know , he’d be proud of me. At least the old Jeremy would.  I don’t know what he would be like now that he’s back to partying, drugs, and alcohol. Since he’s quit performing and hasn’t been seen in public, I can only assume it’s much worse than it used to be.
    I start humming America the Beautiful to distract myself from my train of thought.
    When I finally walk out of the door and into the sunlight, I make my way down the sidewalk towards the parking lot. I try to focus on the fact that I actually got my dream internship. It feels amazing to accomplish something I’ve been dreaming about. I’m lucky, not many people are able to do that.
    I see Scott through the windshield of his car, in the same spot we parked this morning. My heart warms when I see the worried expression on his face. He looks like he’s going to be sick, or like he’s trying to process what he’s going to do or say if it’s bad news. Having someone so involved in wanting to see me achieve my dreams makes me an even luckier woman.
    As I get closer to the car, I see him look up at me. I give him a huge smile, trying to convey the good news before I’m able to climb into the car. I see a slow smile grow on his face. I open the car door, sliding into the passenger seat. He looks over at me, still smiling.
    “You got it,” he states.
    “I did!” I squeal. His broad arms wrap around me.
    “That’s so great, baby. I’m not surprised in the l east bit.” I roll my eyes. The expression he wore just a few seconds ago proved that he was, indeed, worried sick. I didn’t take offense to it. It’s a hard internship to get.
    He releases me, holding me at arm’s length. He’s still smiling, but the happiness doesn’t touch his eyes. He still looks worried or something, as if he’s…unsure.
    My smile fades and my brows furrow in concern. “Scott, what’s the matter?”
    He shakes his head and lets go of me, turning the key. The car purrs to life and Scott begins to pull out of the parking space.