Chapter 1

My son Jon McTeer charged over, shoved me aside, and slammed his laptop shut.

My back hit the corner of the desk, and a sharp pain shot through me.

But I had no time to care about that. My voice shook as I asked, "Did you really put vocational school as your first choice?"

He lifted his chin defiantly. "So what if I did? Who says I have to go to Hoovard?"

"Where you go after high school is one of the biggest turning points in your life," I said anxiously. "Even if you don't want Hoovard, you could have your pick of plenty of other top universities. How could you choose a vocational school?"

Jon scoffed. "Mom, times are different now! A degree isn't the only path in life anymore. Where I go to school is my choice!"

I glanced at the time. The university application portal would close in half an hour. Hope flared in my eyes again.

"A degree isn't the only path, but plenty of paths need one to get your foot in the door. There's still time. Change your choice back, now."

My son dug in his heels. "No. Naomi and I agreed we'd go to vocational school together, and I'm not breaking our promise."

I froze. "Naomi Carvel? The person you were messaging is Naomi Carvel? When did you two get back in touch?"

From elementary school through high school, Jon had always been a top student. But in his senior year, his grades suddenly took a steep dive for a while.

I was so worried I couldn't sleep at night. I searched everywhere for the cause and finally discovered that he was dating Naomi Carvel, a delinquent girl from the high school next door.

Every evening, he snuck out of study hall to go on dates with her.

I put a firm stop to the budding romance at once. I confiscated his phone and drove him to and from school every single day.

I also paid a fortune for the best tutor I could find. Only then did his grades recover, and he went on to placing in the top ten in the state.

I never expected that he'd gotten back in touch with Naomi, let alone that he'd go to a vocational school for her!

A smug smile spread across Jon's face. "Naomi and I never broke up. She's been waiting for me the whole time. She was waiting for me to finish my finals and for you to let your guard down."

He pulled his ID card out of his bag and slapped it down in front of me.

"Mom, I'm eighteen now. I'm an adult. You don't have the right to interfere in my life anymore."

I was frantic. "Jon, you only just turned eighteen. You have no idea how cruel the world can be. If you give up Hoovard for her, you'll regret it someday!

"Listen to me. I'd never steer you wrong. Change your choice back, now."

But it was as if Jon was under a spell. He refused no matter what.

As the seconds ticked away, I ran out of patience for reasoning with him.

I grabbed the laptop from behind him and opened it, determined to change his application myself.