Reaching Rose (Hunter Hill University Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

unlocked today." But I feel like I'm bragging, so I ask about him. "So, you go to college?" I ask, not thinking if it was appropriate to ask or not. I mean, he is a quadriplegic; can he go to school?
    But without missing a beat, Johnny says, "That's the plan. I'm a senior in high school right now. My accident happened this past spring, during my junior year. I get a lot of tutoring, so I completed my junior year. Hopefully I won't have to redo this year, since I'll be out the entire year most likely. So, in answer to your question, I don't go to college, but the plan is to go for engineering."
    I raise an eyebrow. "So you're smart, I assume?"
    He laughs. "Genius." Johnny takes a deep breath, as he does frequently between sentences. "Good thing my brain wasn't affected in the accident, huh?"
    Nodding, I smile, not too sure what to say, so I ask, "What happened?" Hopefully it's okay to ask.
    "Fell off a ladder, cleaning my mom's gutters." He shakes his head. "See what happens when you don't have a dad around. The loser left my mom and me, so I take care of everything for her." For the first time since talking to him, I see a frown on his face. But it's quickly hidden when he says, "That's why I'm going to recover. She needs me. And she needs those gutters cleaned...I fell before I even made a dent in them."
    Again, I nod, but this time he leaves me speechless. Literally, I don't know what to say, and he sees me fumbling.
    "Dude. It's okay. I'm gonna be fine."
    He's gonna be fine. It hits me the differences between his outlook and Rose's. What is it that causes such extremes in the mind? Why do some people face trauma with such optimism and some with such pessimism? How would I react in a similar situation? Fortunately for me, it's a hypothetical situation, but for Johnny and Rose, it's their reality.
    "So, what about you?" Johnny interrupts my thoughts. "You go to college, right? I asked Lou. She said you're a big-time ball player?"
    I laugh. "I play ball, yeah. Hunter Hill. Ever heard of it?"
    He nods. "I have. Good school. Great engineering department."
    "I've heard. I'm going for sports psychology. Love the mind. There's never a concrete answer to how it functions," I say, reminding myself that I may never know the answer to why Johnny and Rose react so differently to their respective circumstances.
    "So you're pretty smart, too, I suppose."
    Again, I laugh. "Not even close. But I do try hard."
    He laughs with me, and then one of the aides comes in with a tray of food for each of us. "Anything you guys need besides lunch?"
    "No, but thank you," I tell him.
    "Yeah, thanks," Johnny says.
    "No problem. It's why I'm here. Marti'll be in to help you in a second," the aide tells Johnny.
    When he walks away, I ask Johnny, "Is everyone here super nice?"
    "Everyone I've come across in the past month."
    "You've been here for one month?"
    "A month and a half." His frown reappears when he looks down at his food.
    I feel bad for the guy. He can't even feed himself. What will happen if the future he sees is not the one intended for him? Will he succumb to depression like Rose? Or will he thrive? As optimistic as he is, something tells me anything but what he expects...will kill him.
    His lunch aide, Marti, comes in to feed him, and Johnny keeps smiling through lunch, but all the while he's chatting away, I come to the conclusion that maybe his optimism is a façade that hides his true emotions. Maybe his outlook is not so different from Rose's. And maybe I'm going to have my work cut out for me when I finally become a psychologist.
    After the Major Leagues.
     

7
     
    ROSE
     
    I'm not ready to get back out there, but at least the tears have stopped. Not sure what came over me, but I had a complete meltdown in front of Nina and didn't stop crying for thirty-six hours straight - give or take a few minutes. Dr. Rappaport keeps telling me that it was some kind of breakthrough, but I don't feel better, I feel worse. But it doesn’t matter,