15. A Little Guidance

“Okay, so Chris Buckwheat.”

“Buckley,” I tell Mr. Taggart quickly.

It reminds me of something my skinheaded friend Brick from summer school might say, but that’s just to joke around. Mr. Taggart doesn’t joke. He’s the butt of jokes.

He nods and looks through the files on his desk. This office is more like a closet where people just toss in random folders and garbage. When I first heard I was supposed to meet with him today, I thought there was a mistake.

“I had Ms. Tooney last year.”

“Yeah, well, things change. Here it is.”

I haven’t seen Mr. Taggart since summer school, where I met Lily and the rest of the gang. I miss those carefree days, when this guy across from me would stroll in with his shirt half untucked and his hair (what little he has) half combed and make a halfhearted effort at teaching.

Staring at his unshaven face and glassy eyes, I see nothing much has changed.

“So have you taken your ACT or SAT tests?”

I shake my head.

“Applied to any schools?”

Once again, I shake my head.

Mr. Taggart looks at the few things in my folder. It’s probably as pitiful as this blank vanilla office.

“So are you planning on going to college?” he asks me.

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Kinda late to be guessing. You better get on it. And I’ll tell you this—just ’cause they got me being a guidance counselor this year doesn’t mean I’ll be riding your butt. I don’t care. Really. Kids these days are graduating with honors from amazing universities, and they still end up going back home to live with Mommy and Daddy. It’s a different world out there. Nobody is looking out for you.”

“That’s truly inspiring,” I say with a totally straight face.

Mr. Taggart looks at me for a second, a scowl on his face. Then he realizes I’m joking and starts to chuckle.

“That’s a good one.”

“I try,” I say.

“You were in summer school, right? The session with the hottie?”

“I think her name was Lily, not hottie.”

He already looks bored and ready to go back to doing the nothing he was doing when I came in.

“Look, Buckley—you better get on this college thing.”

“I always figured I’d go somewhere in Illinois.”

“You gotta apply to those too.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“What’s your grand plan for life?”

I want to live past graduation day and Memorial Day and then get far away from here.

“I don’t know. Maybe be in a band.”

“Play any instruments? Sing?”

I shake my head.

“Maybe you want to start there,” he tells me in a deadpan way.

I kinda got other things going on.

“Get on one of those tests, and pick out some schools. Hey—junior colleges aren’t bad. I went to one.”

I feign a smile and nod.

I leave his office feeling inspired to take on the world.