Sounds like the love went beyond knitwear。
Tears began to seep out of the corners of Nate?s green eyes as he grasped the gold heart pendant
between his thumb and forefinger and ripped it out of the sweater?s sleeve。 His phone rang before
he could decide what to do next。
Hopefully nothing too rash。
?Hello??
?It?s been a rocky year for you; son;? Coach Michaels barked on the other end of the line。 ?I
thought you were over all that drug nonsense。 Then you have to go and steal my damned Viagra?
What?s wrong with you; boy??
?I?m sorry;? Nate mumbled almost inaudibly。 He was already crying。 Coach couldn?t make him
feel much worse。
?I had a long talk with Dr。 Nesbitt and your dad after the ceremony;? Coach continued; ?and
you?re one lucky kid。?
Lucky?It wasn?t exactly the first word that came to Nate?s mind。
?Withholding your diploma was just a little slap on the wrist to let you know you can?t get away
with stealing my stuff; especially my medication。 Your real punishment es this summer。 I?ve
got a place out in the Hamptons that could use some fixing up。 So if you want to play lacrosse for
Yale next year; you gotta be my boy this summer。 Live over the garage; work for me; and in your
spare time; you?ll be going to the local church for AA meetings。?
Nate swallowed hard。 He?d imagined a lazy summer up in Maine getting tan and helping his dad
with the boats; but he had no choice。 He had to be the coach?s Hamptons bitch for the
summer。 ?Sorry for being such a dick; Coach;? he said earnestly。 ?I promise to make it up to you。?
Coach Michaels chuckled。 ?Then at least you?ll be a dick with a diploma!?
Nate forced himself to chuckle along with the old man。 Things were going to be okay; he told
himself。 He?d have his diploma by the end of the summer。
?Thanks; Coach。? He hung up and opened his damp hand to look at the gold heart pendant。
Well;some things were going to be okay。
He sighed the sort of shuddering; exhausted sigh that es after a long cry and tossed the heart
onto his neatly made bed。 Then he went back to rummaging through his closet。 He was supposed
to meet Serena at Blair?s Yale Club party at seven o?clock。 Maybe she?d e up with a way to
makeeverything okay。
Without any Viagra。
Will j resort to homeschooling?
?I guess I failed to raise you properly。? Rufus sighed heavily as he stared into a troughlike glass
of red wine。 The way he saw it; you had two choices in this city。 Either you spent an arm and a leg
to send your kids to private school; where they learned to shop for insanely expensive clothes and
to be snobbish to their father; but also to converse in Latin; memorize Keats; and do algorithms in
their heads; or; you sent them to public school; where they might not learn to read; might not
graduate; and risked getting shot。 He?d thought he?d done the right thing。 But now it looked like
neither of his kids was going to any school of any kind next year。
?You didn?t fail; Dad;? Dan corrected as he scarfed down a forkful of sesame noodles。 Rufus and
Jenny had waited outside Hunan 92 on Ninety…second and Amsterdam while he went in to buy
some celebratory takeout。 He?d stayed up all night working on his speech; drinking instant coffee
after instant coffee and smoking Camel after Camel。 If he didn?t eat something; he wasn?t going
to make it to any party later。 Now they were home; sitting at the dining room table; staring at one
another; with an unopened bottle of champagne on the table。 It was a Monday and barely four
o?clock?an odd time to all be home together。
?At least he got into college;? Jenny put in glumly。 She?d worn a new stretchy
lavender…and…pale…yellow Pucci print wrap dress to Dan?s graduation; and there were two huge
damp spots under each pendulous boob from where she?d sweated in the heat。 She felt disgusting
and was particularly resentful of her brother and father for being in such equally bad moods that
they weren?t even going to try to cheer her up。 She thought about calling Elise; but she was at her
country house in Cape Cod; and she?d only make Jenny feel worse by moping about the fact that
they were going to be apart next year。 That is; if Jenny was actually going anywhere next year。 As
things stood; she might have to be homeschooled。
She glanced at her father。 In an effort to fit in with the other fathers; he?d worn a suit to Dan?s
graduation; but it was black wool?too warm for June; and all wrong with the weirdly trendy;
tight…fitting pumpkin orange shirt he?d borrowed from Dan to wear underneath it。 He?d yanked
out the orange ribbon in his fury; and his wiry salt…and…pepper hair was now fashioned into a sort
of messy chignon; held together with the electric blue magnetic bulldog clip they used to keep
their takeout menus on the door of the refrigerator。 To make things worse; there were stray pieces
of pink towel lint in his beard。
Maybe homeschooling wasn?t such a great idea。
?Isn?t there someplace you kids need to be?? Rufus asked; downing the remains of his wine。
Obviously; one glass wouldn?t be nearly enough。
?e on; Dad;? Dan plained。 ?It?s not like I?m never going to college。 I just deferred for a
year; that?s all。?
Rufus reached for the uncorked bottle of Sangiovese in the middle of the table and poured
himself some more。 ?I just spent eighty thousand dollars on your high school education; all
borrowed; so it?ll probably be double with interest。 Excuse me for not being ecstatic。? His gray
eyebrows knitted together in a furry single line。 ?Does Vanessa even know about this?? he
demanded suspiciously。
Dan ripped open a clear plastic packet of fluorescent orange duck sauce with his teeth and
squirted it onto an egg roll。 ?Not really。?
Jenny and Rufus both stared at him in shocked surprise。
Dan looked up。 ?What??
?Idiot;? Jenny breathed across the table at him。 She?d worked with Vanessa Abrams onRancor ;
the Constance student…run arts magazine; and had hung out with her enough times to know that
she was fiercely independent and not at all into this sort of lovesick…puppy…dog shit Dan was
pulling。 Besides; wasn?t she supposed to be going out with Blair Waldorf?s stepbrother
now? ?Idiot;? she muttered again。
Rufus didn?t say anything。 He just picked up his glass of wine; carried it out of the dining room;
down the hall; and into his office; slamming the door shut behind him。
Dan shrugged his shoulders and opened up another packet of duck sauce。 ?I really don?t know
what everyone?s problem is。?
Jenny was about to tell him what an ignorant; presumptuous asshole he was when her baby blue
Nokia began to jingle with the first few notes of ?Happy Birthday to You;? the Raves recording
she?d sung backup for。 She bit her lip; still glaring at Dan with her big brown eyes。
?It?s your phone。 You better answer it;? Dan told her with his mouth full。
?Fine。? Jenny reached into her imitation?Louis Vuitton Calla Lily purse and pressed the yes
button on her phone。 It was probably Elise; calling her from Cape Cod to plain about how
bored she was of eating lobster with her parents。 ?Just to warn you; I?m in a really bad mood;?
Jenny said in greeting。
There was silence on the other end。
?Hello?? Jenny demanded impatiently。
?Yes? Is this Jennifer Humphrey?? a polite male voice replied。
Oops。
She sat up straight in her chair。 ?Speaking。?
Jenny reminded Dan of someone just then; but he couldn?t quite place who。 Their mother; maybe?
Except the only real memory he had of his mother was of her trying to teach him how to tie a tie
when he was only five。 He?d kept messing up because her perfume was so pungent; it had made
him dizzy。
?This is Thaddeus Moore; director of admissions at Waverly Prep;? the man introduced
himself。 ?Do you have a moment??
Did she ever!
?Yes;? she answered cautiously; her heart beating so hard; she could practically feel her ribs
cracking。 Dan?s pack of Camel filters was sitting on the table。 She reached for them and pulled
one out; tapping it on the tabletop like a veteran smoker。 If only her dad had left the win
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