The Learning Curve: Chapter 111

Alice Brandon's House

"So how are they doing?" I asked Alice. We were sitting on her bed, as per our custom, and I was getting caught up on Alice and her parents' progress. It was the first time I'd really sat and talked to her since getting back from Hanover.

"They're getting along well. We're knee-deep in physical therapy all the time. But Aunt Elaine is still here. She's been talking to my mom about the dreams - hers and mine. It's funny, I was so afraid of being sent to live with her, and now I hope she never leaves."

"She is pretty cool," I said.

"So what's new with you? How was Hanover?" Alice asked.

"Hanover is awesome, and so is Dartmouth. I'm really exciting. And, um, something big happened."

Alice waited expectantly.

"Edward...asked me to marry him," I told her.

Her face split with a grin and she lunged for my left hand, inspecting the ring.

"You don't seem so surprised," I said suspiciously. "Did you see this coming?"

"Maybe," Alice said in a tone that clearly meant "yes."

"What do you think?" I asked, biting my lip.

"It's gorgeous," she said, still looking at the ring.

I snorted. "I mean about us getting married."

"Does it matter what I think?" Alice asked pointedly. "What do you think about it?"

I looked into her brown eyes and knew what she was saying. "It's all I want."

"Then it's perfect," Alice said, squeezing my hands. "You're going to let me help pick the dress, right?"

"I don't know if we're going to have that kind of wedding. My dad...isn't thrilled, and I don't want it to be a huge deal. I mean, I know what people will think."

Alice shook her head. "We'll talk about that, but I have some news, too."

"Tell me," I demanded.

"I got into fashion school in New York!"

I gasped. "Really?"

"We'll be able to see each other when you're at Dartmouth," Alice gushed. "And Jasper got into a school in the city, so he's coming, too. We'll all be together."

I couldn't believe I could be so lucky. "Alice...it's going to be so amazing."

"I know!" Alice squealed, tackling me in a hug. "Now. About this wedding."

Too happy to argue, I sat back and let Alice talk to me about gowns and floral arrangements.

A/N: I really hate having to do this.

Let me be clear. I do not think lowly of teachers. Please refrain from putting words in my mouth. Just because Bella said "just a teacher" doesn't mean I don't know that teachers have incredibly difficult, incredibly important, and usually thankless jobs.

Look, I come from a group of people known as English majors (close relatives to history majors, art majors, music majors, etc.) who, upon revealing their major, are nine times out of ten asked the follow-up question of, "So, you're going to be a teacher?" Not a one of us thinks there's anything wrong with being a teacher, but for many of us, it's not something we've aspired to, and we become half-hearted teachers simply because we don't know what else to do with our degrees. If we have any higher aspirations, we're told to be practical and get that teaching license because whatever else we want is a long-shot.

So jump down my throat if you want to, but what Bella said in the last chapter wasn't a slight; it was about dreaming bigger than what you're told you can achieve.