“Because cooking relaxes me. I don’t like being put on the spot and kitchens have a way of making you feel safe, protected... You know what I mean?”

A knot forms in my throat when I think of Salt. “I do,” I say. “Cintia, I think your worries are valid. I’m a little stuck myself making college decisions, but if this is what you want, why don’t you give it a try?”

She pulls her hand away from the mouse. “You know, PC had a plan. He signed me up for the quadrille because he bet that if I could dance in front of everyone, then I could answer equations in front of everyone, too.” She rolls her eyes. “He wasn’t even there for the quadrille in the end...”

“But you danced!” I point out. “You didn’t back down.”

“It’s different, though.” Her shoulders slump. “I guess leaving the quadrille a dancer down was worse in my mind than dancing in front of everyone. And even though it made me anxious, at least there were other people dancing, too. Pedro was there. The regionals are totally different. It would be just me on stage against some other kid.”

“How about I introduce you to Pimentel?” She’s already shaking her head again, but I continue, “Just listen to this. I know it’s scary, but she’ll help you. She helped me. And she’ll quiz you so many times until December you’ll learn to get in the zone faster.” Her round dark eyes shine like she’s picturing herself achieving it. “She’s a great teacher. And I’ll help you, too. You’ve been cheering me on at the cooking club all this time, so it’s time I support you, too.”

“Lari, I don’t know...”

“Just talk with her, at least? No strings attached.”

“Okay, I could talk with her—” she begins to say, and I’m already getting up and prompting her to come with me to the teacher’s room, the librarian is looking like she’ll fulfill her promise when she sees all the commotion. “Lari, no promises!”

Cintia shakes Pimentel’s hand when I introduce them, and she glances at the end of the hallway like she’s seriously considering bolting. But Cintia and Pimentel are kindred spirits. Their love for mathematics is contagious, and for a moment I forget my college worries, and I just listen to Cintia discussing her goals and Pimentel’s anecdotes about her time in college. But then I start to wonder... Is this what Pimentel meant when she said we should consider the things we love when we’re declaring our majors?

I know I’ll never muster the same enthusiasm for economics.