The Pick Read online

  “I don’t want us to end either,” Tyson said as he squeezed Ally’s hand. “That’s one of the reasons why I decided to go to Utah.”

  Concerned, Ally looked Tyson in the eyes and asked, “You didn’t pick Utah just because of me, right? I don’t want you to feel like you need to go there just because I am.”

  Tyson smiled. “I know it’s where I’m supposed to go, Ally. I promise I’m not choosing Utah because you are going there, but it is definitely a bonus that you are going to be there too.”

  Ally sneaked a quick kiss as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Tyson grabbed both of their trays and took them over to the garbage can.

  Ally took a deep breath, “Well I guess I better head over to my interview.”

  “You are going to do great,” Tyson replied, giving Ally a hug. “Are you sure that you don’t want me to drive over there with you?”

  “I’m sure,” Ally said.

  “Good luck.”

  Later that day, Ally pulled into her driveway grinning from ear to ear. She couldn’t believe that less than 12 hours ago she had been a bucket of nerves. Her day had turned out better than she could have ever hoped for. Tyson was going to the same college as her and she had rocked her interview. She was actually looking forward to the next couple of months and the adventures they held.

  Chapter Eleven

  The evening of March 4th came quickly and Tyson found himself sitting in an auditorium on the same row as Ally’s parents and Kylie. He was typically the one being supported instead of the supporter. He couldn’t believe the anticipation he was feeling as he waited for the event to start. He was nervous for Ally and hopeful for her all at the same time.

  Tyson leaned over to Kylie and asked, “Do you guys feel nervous for me when you come to support me at football games and stuff?”

  “Ya?” Kylie said with a questioning look as the lights began to dim and the commentators took their place on the stage. “Why?”

  “Just making sure it was normal to be nervous right now.”

  As each group of Sterling Scholars were announced, the top ten in that category made their way to the side of the stage. The Math, English, Science, Dance, and Music winners were announced and Tyson found himself rubbing his hands together and the anticipation growing as the Business candidates were finally announced.

  He smiled as he saw Ally up on the stage. Each candidate was dressed as if they were future CEOs. Ally had mentioned to him that she didn’t think she was going to win because she felt like she hadn’t accomplished a lot compared to the other top ten candidates. But she looked like she fit in perfectly. He hadn’t done a lot to help her get there, but he felt extremely proud of this amazing girl he called his girlfriend.

  “The two runner-ups are Brayden Anderson and Jack Nowles,” the commentator announced. “And your Business and Marketing Sterling Scholar is Allison Parker.” Ally’s supporters jumped out of their seats and cheered.

  “I knew she would win,” Kylie enthusiastically whispered to the group.

  Ally’s mom nodded her head as a couple of tears escaped her eyes. “Ally made it sound like she wasn’t even qualified and she actually won,” Mrs. Brooks said.

  Ally’s supporters sat in shock and elation for the rest of the award ceremony. It seemed to drag on forever for Tyson. He just wanted run and find Ally and celebrate with her. It was a new experience having to sit in the audience instead of being right in the action of the excitement.

  After the lights finally turned on in the entire auditorium, Ally was already headed toward them. Her dad handed her a bouquet of flowers and embraced his daughter, followed by her mom. Then she moved on to hugging Kylie and Tyson last.

  “And you said you weren’t as qualified as the other candidates,” Tyson teased.

  “I didn’t think I was! If I would have known, I would have worn heels,” Ally said beaming from ear to ear. “I still can’t believe it.”

  Tyson beamed from ear to ear as well. He could get use to this idea. Being the supporter instead of the one being supported.

  Chapter Twelve

  Soon graduation was nearing and Kylie couldn’t be happier. She was actually going to ace her human anatomy class. Tyson and Ally had made it through the school year without breaking up. Last of all, she couldn’t wait for her senior Trip to Disneyland with her friends the day after graduation. Just girls, no boys. However, graduation was the first day where she really felt like she was losing Ally to Tyson.

  “You will never guess who asked Tyson to walk with him at graduation!” Ally exclaimed as they walked out of their last AP Calculus test.

  “Who?” Kylie asked still focused on reviewing the test in her head as she continued to think about the last problem. She did the problem again step by step in her head. She thought she had remember everything.

  “Hello?” Ally asked as she waved her hand in front of Kylie’s face.

  “Oh sorry. What did you say?”

  “Jenna asked Tyson to walk with her at graduation.”

  “She does realize that Tyson broke up with her like 8 months ago, right?”

  “Apparently not,” Ally said and shrugged her shoulders. “I wonder if she will ever figure it out.”

  “Who is Tyson going to walk with?” It was the question Kylie had dreaded asking because she knew the answer. But she could only hope that Ally was still going to stick with their original plan.

  At the end of Junior year, they had promised that they would try to be at the end of the graduation line, so they wouldn’t have to worry about being paired up with a guy they didn’t know. Historically, there were more girls than guys at graduation, so hopefully they could just walk into the auditorium together. At the time, neither of them had a boyfriend or prospects of a boyfriend. But now Ally had Tyson.

  “Ummm… me?” Ally answered as if it was a stupid question for Kylie to ask.

  Kylie sighed, “So no go on our original plan to stick toward the back and hope that we would get to walk together?”

  “Oh no… I totally forgot, Kylie. I’m sorry. Tyson already asked me to walk with him,” Ally said with concern.

  “It’s okay,” Kylie responded. But what she really wanted to say was, “You technically agreed to walk with me a year ago. So, Tyson is a little late to the party.” But she held her tongue. It wouldn’t be the last time, or even the first time for that matter, that Ally’s boyfriend took precedence over Kylie. And although it was hard to admit, she wanted to walk with Tyson too.

  As the day of graduation arrived, Kylie found herself in the back of the line with some of her other friends, hoping that they wouldn’t have to sit next to a boy that smelled and that they didn’t know. She could see Ally with Tyson’s arm around her shoulders further up in the line. At that moment, she missed them.

  Unfortunately, Kylie ended up getting paired up with a guy she hadn’t ever seen before. She still didn’t understand why the school insisted that the graduates sit boy-girl-boy-girl. Why couldn’t they just sit with their friends?

  Graduation dragged on as Kylie sat there in misery, wishing she had at least snuck her phone in to keep up with the NBA finals. At first it was interesting to watch each of the graduates before her walk across the stage and receive their diploma. But after Ally and Tyson each took their turns, Kylie realized that she didn’t know a lot of the people in her graduating class and lost interest. She was almost at the back of the ceremony. When it was finally her turn she was grateful to realize that it was almost over.

  Kylie couldn’t wait to leave when everyone around her threw their caps up in the air. She practically sprinted to find her parents. She wanted to get out and go home. She wanted this day to end, but as always, her parents insisted on taking pictures and lots of them.

  They finally made their way outside to take pictures. Kylie felt a little better with some fresh air. She took some with her grandparents and parents. Then she took a million with Tyson, because that’s what happens when you are twins. Th
en Tyson’s friends wandered over and Kylie was grateful for the breather.

  That was when she saw Ally wave. Ally lead her family over to where Kylie was standing and insisted on taking a picture with Kylie even though it wasn’t the last time that they would see each other. They were going to be roommates for goodness sakes.

  “We made it,” Ally said with excitement. “Can you believe it is over?”

  “Ya. It is pretty crazy, huh?” Kylie responded.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” Ally said.

  “That’s what best friends are for,” Kylie said as Ally hugged her and Kylie’s parents realized that Ally was there.

  “Alright girls, just a couple more pictures for me,” Mrs. Brooks said and she snapped a few. “Tyson, get in the picture.”

  Both families took pictures as Ally’s mom said, “I can’t believe the three little kids who used to play in our treehouse are all grown up.”

  “I know,” Mrs. Brooks responded with nostalgia.

  “Are we done yet?” Kylie asked as she was starting to get really tired of smiling.

  “Let’s just get a couple of Tyson and Ally then we can leave.”

  “Okay,” Kylie said with relief. She was more than happy to move to the side and let Ally and Tyson be the center of attention. As she stood to the side she was just a little annoyed at how perfect Ally and Tyson looked together. They were genuinely happy and laughing. Deep down she knew she needed to get over whatever feelings she was feeling because she knew that Ally and Tyson weren’t going to give each other up any time soon.

  Later that night, Kylie was surprised to only find Ally waiting for her by the entrance to Boondocks where their graduation party was being held.

  “Where’s Tyson?” Kylie asked.

  “With his friends. It will be the last time that he sees some of his football buddies. Plus, I feel bad for leaving you to walk with some random guy,” Ally said as she bumped Kylie with her elbow. “He at least looked kind of cute…?”

  “Who?”

  “The boy you had the pleasure of walking with at graduation,” Ally teased.

  “Oh, let me tell you….” Kylie dived into the details about the weird guy that sat next to her.

  Kylie felt much better by the end of the night. She was even more excited for the next morning when Ally and their friends would leave for Disneyland. It was the best senior trip she could have hoped for.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The summer went by quickly, and soon Ally and Kylie were moving into their off-campus apartment with two other girls they didn’t know. Tyson moved in with a group of football players on campus. It seemed like overnight they were college students with independence to do whatever they wanted. But they also had to be responsible to get their school work done while also taking care for themselves.

  Tyson woke up early to work out, went to classes, practices, meetings and other football activities, and capped off the evening studying. Even though he was redshirting, he still worked hard to be his best, and as a result he found it hard to find time to spend with Ally. They were able to eat lunch together twice a week. But it was especially hard to spend time together on the weekends when Tyson had away games. When he was home, Ally would always prepare dinner for the two of them on Sunday evening. They both made sure their homework was done so they could spend those evenings together. Sunday really was his favorite day of the week.

  In addition, he was getting ready to turn in his mission papers so he could leave shortly after the end of the football season. If he had it his way, he would leave at the end of January or February so that he could be back in time for spring practices. He didn’t have to wait too long to see where and when he would be going on his mission.

  The white envelope arrived on a Thursday. The family room at his parents’ house was buzzing with excitement as they waited for Tyson to open his mission call. Ally was sitting next to Kylie talking to some high school friends. Tyson looked around the crowded room, with the biggest grin on his face. He was so excited to find out where he would be going.

  As his friends and family quieted down, Tyson felt the nervousness. This envelope held his future for the next two years. Before he opened the envelope, he surveyed the room. He saw his grandparents, friends, football coaches, and young men’s leaders all there to support him. His eyes stopped on Ally who smiled and gave Tyson a thumbs up from her seat across the room. He was so happy that Ally was supporting him in his decision as well as the rest of his family and friends. His nerves calmed a little at that realization.

  His dad gave a little spiel about how grateful he was that the people that were important to Tyson were here to support him. Then he handed the letter opener over to Tyson. He carefully opened the envelope not wanting to harm any of the documents inside. He pulled out the papers and began to read the letter.

  “Dear Elder Brooks,

  You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Mexico Tampico Mission.”

  Tyson paused for a second as he soaked in the fact that he was going to Mexico. The sounds of his family and friends cheering and freaking out faded to the background. That meant he had to be speaking Spanish, right?

  “You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on January 20th. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language.”

  Tyson was shocked, Spanish, wow. He quickly scanned the rest of the letter as friends and family members walked up to congratulate him.

  Kylie was one of the first people out of her chair to hug Tyson. But Ally stayed in her spot for a little while. She thought Tyson’s family should be the first to congratulate him. She was so happy and proud of him for choosing to serve a mission. But it was starting to become a reality that Tyson would be gone for two whole years. Would he change while he was gone? Probably. She knew that she wanted him to learn and grow, but would the change be so much that it would affect their relationship?

  Ally decided that she had a couple of months to savor every moment with Tyson before he left. She wasn’t going to dwell on the what ifs quite yet. The crowd was starting to die down so she stood up and made her way toward Tyson.

  “Congratulations, Ty,” Ally said with excitement as she hugged Tyson. “Mexico is one lucky place.”

  “Can you believe it? I’m going to have to learn Spanish!” Tyson said.

  “You will catch on quickly. I just know it.”

  Those months Ally had to spend with Tyson before he was ready to leave on his mission went by quickly. Tyson was busy with football, school, and trying to be as prepared as possible for his mission. Ally was just as busy with her full load of classes. Their obligations left little time for them to spend quality time together. Typically, Tyson spent most of his spare time trying to get a head start on learning Spanish. Ally knew how important everything Tyson was doing was to him and he went at it full speed.

  Ally tried her best to support and encourage him, but Ally felt like they were growing apart. She knew that she loved Tyson and Tyson told her that he loved her, but it was hard to continue to build their relationship when they were lucky to see each other a couple of times a week. Plus, it was rarely time spent alone.

  Slowly, but noticeably to Ally, there were less kisses and less hand holding. Ally was lucky to get a brief hug. She admired his focus on preparing to leave for his mission and she knew that was where his focus should be. But every time Ally tried to talk about the future, Tyson would change the subject. Ally still had so many questions.

  “Thanks for helping us move this new furniture in,” Kylie said to Tyson one afternoon.

  “No problem,” he responded.

  “Ya, this looks way better than the furniture our old roommates had in here,” Ally chipped in.

  “Do you two need help with anything else?” Tyson asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Kylie said as Ally shook her head.

  “Okay. Well I t
hink I’m going to head out then,” Tyson said as he headed toward the door.

  After Tyson shut the door, Ally flopped face down on their new couch and groaned.

  “Did he seriously just walk out of here without giving you a hug?”

  “Yes,” Ally groaned into the pillow she was pressing against her face.

  “You still haven’t talked about anything?” Kylie asked as she made Ally make room for her on the couch. “You guys are cutting it pretty close.”

  “No. Believe me, I wish we could just figure things out already. We are hardly ever alone to talk about it. And every time I tried to bring it up, he just changes the subject,” Ally complained.

  “I’m sorry, Ally. I wish that he would just tell you what he wants from your relationship too,” Kylie said. “Remember in high school when you worried about going to different schools? He was pretty clueless then, and I hate to break it to you, but nothing much has changed.”

  “Can’t you just ask him?” Ally pleaded.

  “I told you and Tyson that I wasn’t going to get involved in your relationship. So, no, you will need to talk to him about it. But I hope you get it figured out sooner than later.”

  “I just wish he would just tell me what he would like me to do. At the very least, just make it seem like our relationship matters, that I matter,” Ally said as she wiped a tear away. “But instead he hasn’t said anything. I don’t know if he will be mad if I date while he is gone. Or does he want me to date others? Does he want me to be here when he gets back? Or does he not care if I get married before he returns?”

  “You still have time,” Kylie responded. “Try to talk to him about it. Because it sounds like you need an answer before he leaves or you are going to go crazy. Then you’re going to make me crazy.”