I shake my head slightly. “I really don’t know what I
want to do. I never have. I’m not one of those people that had
this goal I could aim for. I just picked something I was good at
and went for it and hoped it would work out.”
Steph grins like that wasn’t just the stupidest thing
she’s ever heard. “There isn’t anything wrong with that. Most
people just give up on their passion. I think it’s admirable to
keep searching for it.”
I’ve never seen myself as admirable before. I know my
parents worry about me. I know Mandy worries about me. I
doubt even Tildy looks up to me in any way. Hearing that from
Steph makes me feel…I don’t know. It’s just so strange to hear
that about me that I can hardly fathom it.
I’m still struggling with it when our food arrives. Tildy
snaps out of her little trance and immediately grabs her fork to
dig into the stack of pancakes. I think it might be taller than
her. Steph’s plate is huge too.
She giggles when she notices my astonishment. “The
portions here are crazy. It’s enough food for a week. Thanks
for meeting with me yet again. You showed me that awesome
coffee shop. I wanted to return the favor. And this is my treat.
Don’t even argue.”
“Okay.” I’m suddenly incredibly short on words, which
is a rarity for me. Words are one thing I’m usually pretty good
with. Both written and spoken.
All I can do is grab my fork and nod.
I can add one more thing to the massive list of things
that I admire about Steph. She seems to believe in me. None of
my friends have ever looked at me the way she did before our
food came. My parents have, maybe once. My sister, never.