The entire Gleason clan has, in a way, adopted Dad and me. We go over to one of their houses—all within two blocks of one another—for holidays. I might still be full from Thanksgiving last week. We’re invited to any family event. And man, do the Gleasons always look for an excuse to get together and celebrate. They’re a friendly, funny bunch, and also extremely loud. I guess if you’re one of ten cousins within eight years of one another, you have to shout to be heard.

“SHUT UP!” Jan yells at Neil now. “Let’s go outside, and I will wipe the floor with you. Girls can be just as fast as guys.”

“Especially if the guy in question is Neil,” Julia replies with a snort.

“Hey,” Neil protests, and then tries to flex his skinny arms.

“What’s going on?” Rob asks as he sits down next to Marian. “Did I miss everybody picking on Neil? Because if so, let’s start from the beginning.”

Neil shakes his head as he takes a bite of his sandwich, his cheeks matching his ruddy hair.

“We’re talking about college applications,” Marian says, always the peacekeeper of the family.

“Can we talk about Neil instead?” Rob winks at Marian before pulling her in for a kiss.

The Gleason clan reacts by gagging.

Neil wisely ignores Rob and turns to me. “So, Ally, how are applications going? Not like you have to worry about getting into schools.”

“Yeah, Miss Valedictorian,” Jan says with an overexaggerated bow of her head.

Marian groans. “Did I miss the memo that we now refer to everybody as Miss Something or Other?”

“Miss Bossy,” Jan and Julia reply in unison.

“I’m struggling with the essay questions for scholarships,” I admit.

“Right? Who are the sadists who come up with this stuff?” Rob asks as he pushes back his long black bangs that are always in his eyes. “Where do I see myself in ten years? I don’t even know where I see myself this weekend.”

“Which is why I’m in charge of our social calendar. And we have Lee’s party on Saturday,” Marian reminds him.

“Right, right …” Rob’s dark brown eyes stare at my plastic container of taco mix. “Are you going to finish that?”

I push my remaining lunch at him. Rob eats more food than should be humanly possible. Even though he has the tall and sturdy build of a football player, the only exercise Rob gets is by working his mouth overtime.

“Rob, for the love of God, let Ally eat her lunch,” Marian says with a shake of her head.

“It’s okay,” I reply. I was finished. Plus, I’m not afraid to use my fork on Rob when he forgets to ask. Which is often.

“So, Ally,” Rob begins as he inhales a tortilla chip full of my leftovers. “What questions are you stuck on?”