She rested her head on the sofa cushion and let the tears continue to flow.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she felt Samiah gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find her friend staring down on her, concern etched across her face.

“Have you been crying?” There was both concern and accusation in Samiah’s voice. “Does your ankle hurt? Do you need more painkillers?” She rounded the sofa and reached for the bottle, but Taylor stopped her.

“No, I’m fine.” She lifted herself up, taking care not to jostle her ankle. “I’m just…I—” She couldn’t hold it in. Once again, the dam broke, sending tears cascading down her face.

“You are crying!” Samiah rushed to her side and perched on the arm of the sofa. “What’s going on?” she asked as she wrapped one arm around Taylor’s shoulders.

Taylor’s first instinct was to brush off her concern, but maybe talking it through with Samiah would help. She needed to talk to someone other than herself about this stuff.

“Do you promise not to judge?” Taylor asked. Samiah’s pursed lips and stiff jaw were answer enough for her. “I hate school,” she said. “I mean, I really, really hate it.”

“I’ve gathered that from past conversations,” Samiah answered.

“But what if this”—Taylor gestured to her ankle—“had turned out to be worse than a sprain? What if I couldn’t conduct classes or do one-on-one training?”

“Have you—”

“And I know I can still do a lot of things without a college degree. A degree is not an indicator of a person’s ability to be successful.”

“No, it—”

“And comparing myself to you and London has got to stop. Not everyone is destined to be a doctor or a computer brainiac. Or a lawyer or an architect like my brother and sister.”

“Who said you—”

“A person’s occupation does not define them. It’s not a measure of how good a person they are. Well, except for London’s job, but who the hell can compete with someone who saves the lives of sick kids? I can’t—”

“Taylor!” Samiah screeched.

She jumped, slapping a hand to her chest.

“Sorry for yelling,” Samiah said. “But being polite wasn’t getting me anywhere.”

“Sorry.” Taylor grimaced. “I’ve kinda been holding all of that in for a while.”

“Yeah, I could tell. You do realize this isn’t some competition, right?” She took Taylor’s hand in hers. “Your decision to go back to school shouldn’t be about competing with anyone else. You have to do it because you believe it’s what’s best for you.” Samiah pointed to her chest. “I’m ready to cheer you on, Taylor, but only if this is what you really want.”