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had always seemed preordained now that Holly thought
about it, there hadn t been much choice in the matter. But if
she could have, would she have selected differently?
 For instance, Kenya was saying as she and Holly started
down the nearest path.  I have to say there s something
really nice about being kind of far from home & knowing
that my parents are only a plane
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ride away, but that they re not keeping tabs on me even*
minute.
 Okay, you basically just described my fantasy, Holly joked,
imagining a life beyond her parents reach. Holly felt a swell
of excitement, and pictured herself alone, independent,
wandering across campus with her books in her arms and
the sun lightening her hair& .
 Wait, she said suddenly, grabbing Kenya s arm.  Is that a
bear?
 Right on, Kenya said as she and Holly arrived at the
statue of a bronze, roaring grizzly. Kenya grinned and
proudly patted the bear s side.  He s the mascot for our
sports teams the Bruins, of course. California s big on
bears, Kenya added wisely.  Just check out the state flag.
 The Bruins, Holly echoed as she and Kenya started
walking again. Holly cast a smile back at the bear, which
now seemed a little friendlier to her. She remembered
when UCLA s track team coach had called her back in
January to recruit her, and had told Holly about the Bruins
impressive records.  So what s the track program like
here? Holly asked Kenya, swallowing the last of her ice-
cream sandwich. Earlier, Kenya had taken Holly past the
gorgeous, crimson-colored Drake track  which had
practically invited
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Holly to go for a run. It was funny how easily she was able to
picture herself on this campus.
 Well&  Kenya said, as if she were stalling. She took
another bite of her ice-cream sandwich and straightened
her red Timbuk2 messenger bag across her chest. The
girls were heading down Bruin Walk, a tree-lined path
along which students shouted about political petitions, free
movie tickets, and upcoming concerts, all while waving
bright yellow flyers and blue-and-gold Bruins pennants.
Holly felt another rush of appreciation for the energetic,
college-y feel.
 Okay, Jacobson, Kenya said after a long moment. She
wadded up her waxed paper and tossed it into a nearby
garbage bin.  There s something I need to tell you  I didn t
have a chance to bring it up last night because of all the
dancing and stuff& . Holly held her breath, curious and a
little nervous.  I stopped running track last semester, Kenya
finally said, holding Holly s gaze.
 You what? Holly asked, studying her friend in shock. Holly
couldn t for the life of her imagine Kenya Matthews existing
without running.
 I know, I know  random, huh? A smile tugged at Kenya s
lips.  But, Holly, UCLA has all these incredible sports
programs, and I guess I wanted to try something&
different. She shrugged as a cute,
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long-haired guy on a skateboard careened past them.
 Earlier this semester I joined the intramural tennis team,
Kenya went on, her voice full of genuine enthusiasm.  And
next year I want to look into water polo. There s so much
else out there to love besides track. But don t tell Coach
Graham I said that, Kenya added with a grin, and then
glanced worriedly at Holly.  You think I m nuts, right?
Holly didn t answer right away; she processed Kenya s
news as the girls climbed a hill toward the quad.  Not at all,
Holly finally replied softly. In a way, Kenya s radical change
made perfect sense: She had reinvented herself out here,
out west. Why shouldn t she sample all that this new world
had to offer? Holly felt a prickle of envy; even when she
started at Rutgers, she d still be in New Jersey. Tyler would
still play lacrosse, she d still run track, and the bunch of
other Oakridge kids making the pilgrimage to Rutgers with
them would still see her as shy, sporty Holly Jacobson. No
wonder the gray Rutgers campus had never filled with her a
sense of anticipation. Over there, everything would be the
same.
 Jacobson? Kenya s voice broke into Holly s moment of
introspection, and Holly glanced over to see her friend
smiling at her.  Thinking about college, huh? Kenya
nodded understandingly, her necklace of round purple
beads knocking against her pale
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yellow tee.  No worries  before you know it, you and Tyler
will be all set up in your love nest in Rutgers.
 Uh & right, Holly said, feeling a pang of anxiety at
Kenya s words. But what if that isn t what! want? she
wondered, before pushing the thought aside. Kenya gave
Holly a quick hug, announcing that she was going to be late
to her anthropology class, and the girls promised to be in
touch before Holly left LA.
With Kenya gone and some time to kill before meeting
Seamus, Holly roamed through the quad, feeling the
warmth of contentment. Holly knew it was unfair to compare
the two, but the Rutgers campus would never measure up
to this school. There was something exciting about knowing
that the dazzle of the Kodak Theatre and the Malibu
beaches waited beyond the college gates, as opposed to,
well, the Oakridge Galleria. And when Holly came upon a
serene sculpture garden, she felt suffused  as she had
last night  with a sense of belonging. Smoothing out her
drawstring linen capris, Holly sat on the warm surface of a
black marble fountain, and took a deep breath, forgetting
Oakridge, forgetting Alexa, forgetting everything that bound
her to the past.
Then Holly noticed a girl sitting across from her on the
grass, right below an abstract metal sculpture. Her light-
brown hair was in a high ponytail, she wore a plaid, empire-
waist sundress, and she was peeling
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an orange, a textbook open in her lap. She looked
absolutely at peace, and Holly thought: That could be me.
Holly had gotten into UCLA, after all  the track coach had
actively recruited her and her destiny could have gone in a
very different direction had she sent back the acceptance
form with the yes box checked off. For one dizzying second,
Holly caught her breath and wondered if there was still time
if she could take action look up the track coach here 
reverse the course of her life& .
No.
Ridiculous.
Be realistic, Holly told herself, channeling Alexa. There was
no need to blow a simple visit to UCLA out of proportion.
So what if she d seen the campus and found it, in a word,
awesome?
Tyler. Holly retrieved her cell phone from her bag, her
Claddagh ring glinting in the sun. Of course it had been
difficult to talk to her boyfriend last night, she reasoned. It
had been late, the Cabana Club had been noisy, and she d
been eager to get back to Kenya and Belle inside. Now,
when she was feeling all chill and blissed-out, and Tyler
was probably whiling away the afternoon shooting hoops
outside his parents garage, seemed the perfect time to
call back.
 You sound so & California,  Tyler declared as soon as
Holly greeted him. Holly could picture him
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standing outside his house, the front of his T-shirt stained [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]