"Can I ask you a hypothetical question?" Jackson asks Reed as she lies down next to him on his bed.
"Yeah."
"If I were to do an exchange program, what would you think?"
"I would say that you are crazy." Reed simply states. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Think about it, Reed. It's an exchange program! You'd get to live abroad! Wouldn't you like it?"
"Nah. I can be extremely lazy when I'm ready." Reed says. "You know this. Would you do it?"
"Honestly…yes. I would do it."
"What?!"
"I would love to go to many places. Maybe I'd go to England, Spain, France, Israel….maybe China, Mexico, Australia, Africa, India, Greece or Russia."
"Not Russia." Reed says. "You'd probably consume way too much vodka over there!"
"I don't drink, but you're a fun sucker." Jackson jokes.
"Not really. Those are all vacation destinations."
"But I'm not talking about a vacation, Reed. I am actually thinking about do it." Jackson says. "It sucks not being able to live an independent life as a blind teenager with your parents hovering over me at all times, and it doesn't help that school sucks sometimes. The truth of the matter is anywhere is better than here sometimes."
"I'd ask you why now you know, but I have a feeling that this has been on your mind for quite sometime now."
"Couldn't you imagine just going somewhere where no one knows you at all?" Jackson countered. "See the world, learn the culture, go to many places where you'd meet and makes lots of friends with different races and faces?"
"Creating a new personality?"
"Be a stranger to people?"
"I could see that." Reed says. "But do you like your personality?"
"Of course I do, but I want something more." Jackson says.
The door opens.
"Jackie, honey, dinner will be ready in about five minutes." Catherine announces as she steps into the room.
"Thanks, mom."
"Would you care to join us, Reed?"
"Sure. Thanks, Catherine."
"Great. See you two in a few minutes." Catherine says leaving the room and closing the door.
"What about your parents?"
"What about them?"
"They don't know about this, so you'd actually go without telling your parents?"
"My dad wouldn't be too surprised. As for my mom, she'd be against it in a heartbeat." Jackson says disdainfully.
"You, my friend, are very crazy." Reed tells him.
"Whatever." Jackson says nonchalantly. "Let's go wash our hands so that we can eat."
"Food, glorious food!" Reed exclaims in a sing-song type of voice.
"I think you've been watching too much Ice Age." Jackson says as Reed guides him to out of the room.
"And don't you forget it." She says proudly.