“Well, he is an evil villain, isn’t he?” she asked with a hint of a grin.
I just shrugged.
“He was pissed, as you might have guessed. I heard Damion calmed him down and told him you had nothing to do with it. I’m not sure he believed that, but his brother confirmed you never even came into the apartment, and that Jim was the one who had planned it all.
“Jim left Luke a bottle of rubbing alcohol to give Mike once they’d had their fun with him. I saw him in the cafeteria at lunch, and he’d gotten the permanent marker off his skin. He looks a little goofy bald, though,” Tami said.
“I hope Mike isn’t down wit’ O.P.P. anymore,” I said as I gave Tami my gang signs.
‘O.P.P.’ was a reference to the song the football team had played for him. She must not have thought much of my gangsta rep because she laughed at me.
We talked about a few other topics, and then she needed to get to bed. I would have to think more about how our dynamic had seemed to change. Maybe there was hope for us being best friends again. Certainly, I felt better about it.
◊◊◊
I don’t know why I did it, but something told me I should: I called Jeremy Pike. He was the psychic whom I’d met doing the press tour for
“I was just thinking about you,” Jeremy said when he answered. “You’ve had something suddenly come up.
I smiled. Was he just bullshitting me? He laughed at my silence.
“I get it. That sounded pretty cheesy, even for me.”
“Yeah, it made me think you were putting me on,” I admitted.
“It’s good to be skeptical. How do you prove the unprovable? I could just be a guy who’s luckier than most at guessing. In a lot of ways, it’s like believing in God. Not that I compare myself to God, but I see his hand in what I do,” Jeremy said.
“I may have made a mistake calling. You know I don’t really believe in this stuff,” I said.
“Yes, I understand that, but something made you call. Why don’t you tell me what’s up and I’ll see if I can shed some of my unique light on it?”
“In other words, what do I have to lose?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
I spent thirty minutes explaining what was going on and what my options were as I saw them.
“Remember when I told you that the obvious path might not be the best?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I never saw this as a real possibility. Sometimes in life, an opportunity will come up that’s unexpected. I feel like this is one of those. I see that this could be a life-changing decision. What you must be cautious about is that if you take this path, it will close off other options down the road. Things that you may have done, you won’t be given a chance to do if you do this movie.
“Like I said, I don’t think this is a bad choice, but you need to figure out what you’re giving up if you take it. I do see this as a much easier path for you. The other paths will have more struggles, and you will experience heartbreak. Then again, you’re young, so I think heartbreak is a given,” Jeremy said.
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
“This is going to sound weird. Whatever you decide, you must begin to focus on the people you want to have around you. You need to find out what their desires are and help them achieve those goals. It is only through them that you will truly achieve your destiny,” Jeremy said.
“Should I do the movie, or should I pass?” I asked.
“Look at it this way,” he suggested. “Are you ready to step into adult life, or do you want to wait? You’re capable, and this opportunity will lead to more, much more. Waiting will be more of a struggle, but it will have its own set of rewards.”
“What about my love life?” I asked.
“That’s a whole different discussion. You’ve already met someone who could make you very happy. But there are several someones now and in your future. When the time comes, you’ll know. I’ll just say it’s no time soon, even though you might disagree at some point. You wouldn’t be a teenager if you didn’t think you knew what’s best,” Jeremy said.
“Now you sound like my uncle,” I quipped.
“If that’s the case, you should probably listen to him.”
“Whatev,” I said, playfully dismissing that idea.
“One last thing, and I want you to listen to this if nothing else: have your mom go in for checkups regularly. If, and I stress this,
That sobered me up. Mom would be in for a checkup tomorrow if I had anything to say about it. I knew she saw her doctor periodically to make sure the cancer was gone, but I wasn’t aware of how often. Now I had something else to worry about.
◊◊◊
Chapter 25 – Personal Responsibility and Commitment Monday March 21
How do you tell your mom that a psychic told you she needed to get her cancer checked out? “I called 1-900-Clair[voyant], and she said …” Nope, not happening. I’d get Dad to do it. Armed with my plan, I walked into the kitchen with my bouncy hound.
Mom and Dad both looked tired as they drank their first cups of coffee.
