Free Dreamer (The Seeker Series Book 2) by Amy Reece

of those conversations?”
    “Yep. I’m afraid so.” I put down my skewer and reached across to take his hand, looking him directly in the eye. “I saw my counselor this week. The short version is I signed up for the same eCademy online courses you did and I’m taking a community college English class my counselor signed off on to count for my senior English credit. I’m graduating this May with you, Jack.”
    “What? Ally, you’re not doing this because of me, are you?” he said.
    “No, not entirely. I will admit I got the idea from you, but I’m doing it for myself. Jack, I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I hate high school. And lately, with all this Seer/Oracle crap, I think it’s a good idea not to be tied up there any longer than necessary.”
    “What about cheerleading?” he countered.
    I looked him in the eye. “Fun, but not nearly enough to keep me tethered to all the teenage drama that comes with it.”
    He smiled wryly. “Yeah, I understand. Listen, I won’t lie—the idea that we can be in college together next year is awesome. As long as it’s something you want for yourself. How are your mom and grandmother with this?”
    “They took it surprisingly well, actually. Mom showed us an article, which proposes the idea that high school in general should only be three years.”
    “How did Tara take it?”
    “She freaked out, of course. She hurled some truly impressive nasty names at me and then high-tailed it to the counselor’s office to do the exact same thing,” I admitted.
    “So, will Tara be joining us at UNM next year, or is she going out of state, by some miracle?” he asked in a serious tone.
    “Be nice.” I laughed. “No, I’m afraid she is going to UNM with us. She’s trying to talk me into rooming with her in the dorms.”
    “Sounds fun. Do you want to?”
    “I’d rather room with you,” I said with what I hoped was a seductive glance.
    “Thanks for the mental image. I’m not going to be able to think of anything else now.” He put his head in his hands and groaned.
    “Good. I think it’s a fabulous idea.”
    “Yeah, and I’m sure your mother would love it too. And I can imagine how hard Manny would kick my ass. Listen, sweetheart.” He leaned forward and clasped both my hands on the table. “You will still be seventeen when we start college next fall. How about we shelve any discussion about moving in together until you’re at least eighteen, okay? For my sanity, please?”
    “God, you’re noble. Are you sure you’re actually human? Do I not tempt you in the least?”
    “Ally,” he said, sounding a bit dangerous. “If we were not in a public restaurant right now, I would show you exactly how much you tempt me. Now behave yourself. Besides, Mat is nagging me to move into an apartment with him as soon as I graduate.”
    “I know! Tara can move in with Mat and I’ll move in with you. It’s the perfect solution!”
    “You’re hilarious. It’s not happening.” He released my hands and sat back. “You know, Ally, sweetheart, I smell a rat. I think you totally distracted me from the main discussion by bringing up living arrangements. Confess, you little manipulator!”
    I tried my best to look innocently down at the table, but couldn’t keep from laughing and was relieved when he joined in. “I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to be manipulative. Sorry for my pathetic seduction attempts.”
    “Your seduction attempts are anything but pathetic. But seriously, is graduating early really your decision?”
    “Yes. Please stop worrying about it. I am absolutely sure about this. I am beyond ready to be done with high school. If you were to dump me tomorrow, I would still stick with my plan,” I assured him.
    He smiled. “Fine. I’ll stop worrying. I’m really glad we are going to be graduating at the same time. And I have no plans to dump you tomorrow or any other day.”
     
    ***
     
    Sunday morning, as we divided up the chores for the weekly