Chapter 15 - The Recommendation
Advanced-course recommendations arrived in May.
Jacob’s envelope sat on the kitchen table when he got home.
Nina had not opened it.
“Why not?”
“It has your name.”
“You open my dentist bills.”
“I respect educational mail.”
“You’re scared.”
“Yes.”
He appreciated the honesty.
They opened it together.
Recommended: Advanced English 9
Jacob stared.
Nina smiled.
“You did it.”
He did not smile back.
“What?”
“What if they only put me there because of everything?”
Nina’s expression fell.
He knew immediately that thought had occurred to her too.
The recommendation felt contaminated.
Again.
He called Ms. Patel.
She answered after dinner.
“Jacob?”
“Did you recommend me for advanced English because of Collins?”
Silence.
Then:
“No.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
“Yes.”
“How do I know?”
“That’s a fair question.”
He waited.
“I submitted your portfolio to three teachers who do not teach you. Your name was removed. Two recommended advanced placement immediately. One recommended standard placement with reconsideration after first quarter.”
“Why did you choose advanced?”
“Because your strongest work meets the criteria, your revision skills are strong, and your recent performance improved.”
“What if I fail?”
“You might struggle.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“Advanced classes are supposed to be harder.”
Jacob smiled despite himself.
Ms. Patel continued.
“You can also choose standard English. Recommendation is not a command.”
There it was again.
Choice.
After the call, Nina asked, “What do you want?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s okay.”
“I thought I wanted advanced.”
“You wanted the right to be considered.”
Jacob looked at her.
“Yeah.”
“Now you have it.”
He spent three days deciding.
Not because he doubted his ability.
Because he wanted to make sure the decision belonged to him.
Finally he checked the box.
Advanced English 9.
He signed his name.
Nina signed beneath it.
No fear.
No manipulation.
Just ink.
The next morning he carried the form to the counselor’s office.
On the way, he passed Room 214.
Ms. Patel’s door was open.
A student stood beside her desk holding an essay.
“I don’t understand why this paragraph got six out of ten.”
Ms. Patel pointed at the rubric.
“Let’s look.”
Jacob stopped for a second.
Nobody else noticed.
The student was not ashamed.
The teacher was not offended by the question.
That should have been normal.
Jacob knew now that normal was worth protecting.
He delivered the placement form.
Counselor Brooks stamped it received.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Jacob turned to leave.
“Jacob.”
He looked back.
Brooks smiled.
“You know the advisory group’s complaint system goes live next year.”
“I heard.”
“Your tracking-number idea stayed.”
“That was Ava’s.”
“Really?”
“Probably.”
Brooks laughed.
“I’ll credit the committee.”
In the hallway, Jacob found Ava waiting.
“What did you choose?”
“Advanced.”
She held up her own form.
“Same.”
“You copied me.”
“I submitted mine yesterday.”
“Then I copied you.”
“Correct.”
They walked toward lunch.
Halfway there, Jacob stopped.
A trash bin stood beside the lockers.
A crumpled worksheet had missed and lay on the floor.
He picked it up.
Ava stared.
“What are you doing?”
“Throwing away trash.”
He dropped the crumpled page into the bin.
Then looked at her.
“Actual trash.”
Ava groaned.
“That was painfully symbolic.”
“I know.”
“You planned that.”
“I absolutely did not.”
She laughed.
So did he.
May you like
Then they kept walking.
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