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intheheartTitle: Heights
Rating: PG.
Summary: Jake and his foster parents have a talk.
Date: Spring 2002
Notes: I love reusing characters.
The Crofts sat down with him right after he turned sixteen, just the three of them around a table with tea in their hands and solemn expressions on their faces.
Jake squirmed in his seat. This looked like the setup for a lecture.
To his astonishment, none was forthcoming. Instead, Mr. Croft leaned forward and smiled at him. "Relax," he said. "You're not in trouble. We just wanted to talk to you about college."
College? Jake blinked at them. Nobody talked to foster kids about college. Foster kids didn't go to college. "What about it?" he asked, cautiously.
"Do you want to go?" Mr. Croft asked. Jake must have shown his surprise, because he added, "You're certainly intelligent enough, and you have the grades for it."
He shrugged, and flexed his hands on his mug. "Doesn't matter," he said. "I can't afford it. Don't get my inheritence until I turn twenty-one and then it's too late." Not that his inheritence amounted to much, and definitely not enough to pay college tuition for four years.
"Set aside money for a moment," Mrs. Croft said, gently, reaching out and laying her hand on his wrist. "Just focus on what you want. Would you want to go to college?"
It was a really good question, actually. Would he?
There had been a time when he'd taken college for granted. He'd taken everything for granted, then; his parents, his sisters, his safe and secure life. The fire had taken all of that away and after that he'd stopped caring too much about the future. It had seemed silly to make plans when he knew something would change them before he ever got started.
He'd started planning again, recently. But he hadn't even thought about college until now.
Better start, Foster.
"I don't know," he said, slowly. "I like school. I like learning. I would like... I think I would like to go to college, but there's no real way I can do it, is there?"
"We cannot afford to send you," Mr. Croft agreed, which was in itself a minor miracle; Jake couldn't think of any other foster family that would have even considered the possibility. "And I'm sorry for that. But I don't think it's so entirely out of the question as all that."
"There are scholarships," Mrs. Croft added. "Foundations who give out money for this sort of thing. We can help you apply for as many of those as you want. And of course you can go on living here. We can certainly afford that much."
Scholarships. Huh. "I never thought about that," he admitted. "I didn't think I had good enough grades."
They exchanged glances, then Mr. Croft leaned forward again. "Kiddo, you got the grades to get anything you want. Not to mention financial aid."
"Robin got several little scholarships," Mrs. Croft added, referring to their eldest son. "And his GPA was lower than yours."
Mr. Croft nodded. "The point is, Jake, that you can get scholarships. You probably won't cover your whole tuition, but there's student loans for that."
"Student loans suck," Jake said automatically, thinking hard.
Mr. Croft raised his eyebrows, and said, pointedly, "Then you'd better bring your A-game, hadn't you? Get a full ride and you won't have to worry about student loans, ah, sucking."
Jake grinned sheepishly at his foster father in apology. "So... I have to think about this," he said, "but... I think I'd like to go to college. And... thank you."
They exchanged glances again. "For what?" Mrs. Croft asked, carefully.
For thinking of me. For telling me I could do this. For finding me a way. "This," Jake said, and hoped it encompassed everything.
Apparently it did, because they both smiled at him. "You're welcome," Mrs. Croft said, and that was that.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Jake and his foster parents have a talk.
Date: Spring 2002
Notes: I love reusing characters.
The Crofts sat down with him right after he turned sixteen, just the three of them around a table with tea in their hands and solemn expressions on their faces.
Jake squirmed in his seat. This looked like the setup for a lecture.
To his astonishment, none was forthcoming. Instead, Mr. Croft leaned forward and smiled at him. "Relax," he said. "You're not in trouble. We just wanted to talk to you about college."
College? Jake blinked at them. Nobody talked to foster kids about college. Foster kids didn't go to college. "What about it?" he asked, cautiously.
"Do you want to go?" Mr. Croft asked. Jake must have shown his surprise, because he added, "You're certainly intelligent enough, and you have the grades for it."
He shrugged, and flexed his hands on his mug. "Doesn't matter," he said. "I can't afford it. Don't get my inheritence until I turn twenty-one and then it's too late." Not that his inheritence amounted to much, and definitely not enough to pay college tuition for four years.
"Set aside money for a moment," Mrs. Croft said, gently, reaching out and laying her hand on his wrist. "Just focus on what you want. Would you want to go to college?"
It was a really good question, actually. Would he?
There had been a time when he'd taken college for granted. He'd taken everything for granted, then; his parents, his sisters, his safe and secure life. The fire had taken all of that away and after that he'd stopped caring too much about the future. It had seemed silly to make plans when he knew something would change them before he ever got started.
He'd started planning again, recently. But he hadn't even thought about college until now.
Better start, Foster.
"I don't know," he said, slowly. "I like school. I like learning. I would like... I think I would like to go to college, but there's no real way I can do it, is there?"
"We cannot afford to send you," Mr. Croft agreed, which was in itself a minor miracle; Jake couldn't think of any other foster family that would have even considered the possibility. "And I'm sorry for that. But I don't think it's so entirely out of the question as all that."
"There are scholarships," Mrs. Croft added. "Foundations who give out money for this sort of thing. We can help you apply for as many of those as you want. And of course you can go on living here. We can certainly afford that much."
Scholarships. Huh. "I never thought about that," he admitted. "I didn't think I had good enough grades."
They exchanged glances, then Mr. Croft leaned forward again. "Kiddo, you got the grades to get anything you want. Not to mention financial aid."
"Robin got several little scholarships," Mrs. Croft added, referring to their eldest son. "And his GPA was lower than yours."
Mr. Croft nodded. "The point is, Jake, that you can get scholarships. You probably won't cover your whole tuition, but there's student loans for that."
"Student loans suck," Jake said automatically, thinking hard.
Mr. Croft raised his eyebrows, and said, pointedly, "Then you'd better bring your A-game, hadn't you? Get a full ride and you won't have to worry about student loans, ah, sucking."
Jake grinned sheepishly at his foster father in apology. "So... I have to think about this," he said, "but... I think I'd like to go to college. And... thank you."
They exchanged glances again. "For what?" Mrs. Croft asked, carefully.
For thinking of me. For telling me I could do this. For finding me a way. "This," Jake said, and hoped it encompassed everything.
Apparently it did, because they both smiled at him. "You're welcome," Mrs. Croft said, and that was that.
