Bonham (Pushing Daisies Book 3) by Heather Young-Nichols (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📗

“There is?” That, I hadn’t been expecting.

She nodded. “There is. It’ll be tough, though. A lot of work.”

“I can do a lot of work.” For the first time in a long time, excitement ran through me. Outside of Bonham, I hadn’t been truly excited about anything since I couldn’t remember when. I’d do whatever it took to make it work.

“So the way I’ve worked it…” She tilted her screen so that I could see the schedule. “You’d have to take eighteen credits each semester next year and I’ll have to push through some overrides to get you into classes that have pre-requisites. Not too big of a deal because you’ve finished all of your general education requirements, but a couple of classes you’ll be taking concurrently when really you’re supposed to take consecutively.”

“I can do that?”

She nodded. “You can. It’s not ideal, but in a major like broadcast journalism, it’s a little easier to do. You can build the skills at the same time and still be OK.”

“That’s awesome.” My leg began to bounce with nervous energy. If this was going to work, I was going to have to tell my parents.

“And you can drop your next summer class because you don’t need the credit and you no longer need that class.”

“Oh. Right. What about the one I’m in?” I asked her. It no longer held any interest to me, but it was half over.

“Well, since you’re halfway finished, there are a couple of options. You can stay in it and receive the credit or you could withdraw with a passing grade. It won’t affect your GPA if you do that. But you also won’t get a refund.”

How mad would my parents be if I dropped it and just lost the money? Probably pretty angry. I could suffer a few more weeks if I had to.

“I’m going to talk to my parents about this when I get home,” I told her. “Can I decide after that what to do with the current class?”

“Absolutely. Just email what you decide to do so I can take care of it right away. We can figure out what needs to be done about your summer class.”

“I can do that.”

“So is this what you really want to do? Switch your major?”

I nodded emphatically. “Absolutely. That’s not going to change, no matter what they say.”

“OK. I will get everything through and register you for the classes you need. You’ll still get a bill in July and we’re all set.”

“Thank you so much.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

I hurried out of her office feeling rejuvenated. Maybe this was the worst decision of my life. I couldn’t predict the future, but it just felt right and I’d spent too long worrying about what my parents thought or my parents’ rules. At this point, I almost didn’t care if they kicked me out. I’d figure it out, though if they hadn’t kicked Delaney out, I was probably good.

The minute I stepped out into the Michigan sun, I pulled my phone from my purse and selected Bonham’s name. It rang and rang before going to voicemail.

I hadn’t expected him to answer. Their schedule was weird. I didn’t know what they did on the road, but I didn’t need to. Delaney had all kinds of theories about what kept them busy, from soundcheck to press to whatever.

“Hi, Bonham,” I started after considering not leaving a message. Wanting him to know won out, but the idea that I was a clingy girlfriend didn’t sit right with me. “It’s Jurnie.” Duh. He’d know that by caller ID. “I just walked out of my advisor’s office and have made a big, exciting change. Just wanted to tell you about it and this isn’t an ideal way, but I’m no longer an accounting major. Yup. You heard me. I’m taking a big leap and it feels fantastic.” I took a breath. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Then it was time to head home. If I remembered correctly, everyone would be there for dinner tonight, so it’d be the perfect time to make an announcement. It would also be the perfect time for my parents to give me all of their opinions.

Twenty minutes before dinner, I received a text from Bonham that read, That’s awesome. I can’t wait to hear about it. Sorry I couldn’t answer earlier. He added the emoji, blowing a kiss. At least he knew I’d called and I hoped he’d call me back later.

After we were all settled at the table, Delaney and Lily were on one side, me on the other, and our parents were each at one end. Our table wasn’t overly large. Lily dove into her dinner while telling me everything she did today. Everyone else was talking about their day except me until my dad asked.

“How is your internship going?” he asked me.

“It’s going well.” And for the most part, it was. I was supposed to be in accounting for the entire summer. “But I met with my advisor today.”

“For?” Mom held her wine glass loosely in her hand.

“To talk about switching my major.” The silence the filled the room told me as much as any yelling would have.

“Change it to what?” Delaney finally asked as she dropped another scoop of mashed potatoes on Lily’s plate. I had no worries about her opinion. She’d support me no matter what, but I think I caught her by surprise. She was the one who rocked the boat while I followed the rules. This was not me following the rules.

“Broadcast journalism.” I gave her a thankful look. At least someone had asked me something. “Working at the radio station has taught me that I don’t love the mundane. I don’t want to do the same boring job every single day. Accounting never changes.”

“It’s steady work,” Dad countered. The vein on his forehead hadn’t popped out yet, which meant he wasn’t super angry. When Delaney had told them she was pregnant, that thing