Excitement Over… 14C

Peggy, slightly upset that Shane shut her down, decided to watch a little tv. He usually indulges her. She allowed herself to see it's alright for him to say no. They did have a rule she forced down his throat. Despite the reasoning of it, she still felt a li=

Sawyer looked up from the book, right at the professor before realizing he had been tapped on the shoulder. The guy beside him waiting for him to respond. "What?" He blinked once.

"My pen. It's on the other side. Can you…" he trailed off.

"Oh. Sure." He searched and found the pen on the floor by his right side.

"Thanks. If you're this invested can I borrow your notes?"

"Not today." He scoffed. "I'm recording." He tapped his phone. Assessing the guy with the pen, "Weren't you writing?"

"Clearly not." He shrugged, waving his pen.

Sawyer scoffed again. "Okay."

=ttle bad. She spent the next two hours on the couch, watching tv until she decided to go to her room. In a few hours her mom would be back home and she would tell her about her day. The first day of four years of high school. She dropped on her bed with a sigh. Having lost her bad feeling some time in the last two hours.

Steph took the steps two at at time on her way to Tanner's room. Since it was closer. "Hey." She called before knocking. Hearing his deepening voice from the other side of the door. Reminding her that he's growing. Much faster than she could follow. Soon he'd leave too. Another year. "Tanner?"

"Yeah?" He called back. "Come in."

"How was school?" She asked once she was in. She noticed, lying on his bed, headphones on, laptop on, tv on, his phone in his hand. Her forehead creased. "I've told you before. Don't have everything on at once. What are you even doing?"

"Checking something out for school tomorrow."

"With your laptop sure. Phone, okay. But the tv? And the headphones. That's distracting."

"I-" He looked at all the gadgets on. "At least the video game is off." He smiled. Her crease deepened, her arms folded. "Someone sent me something, I was listening to it. I'll take them off." He did.

"The tv."

"That too." He sighed.

Peggy, passing by the corridor, noticed the open room door and wandered in. "Mom!" She stood beside her.

"Hi Peggy." She flashed a smile, watching Tanner turn off the tv and putting the remote aside. "Now, how was school?"

"It was fine." Tanner shrugged.

"It was different but the same." Peggy said excitedly and told her everything she'd told Shane.

Steph listened, watched Peggy gesture with excitement. It was funny. All these months of excitement for this. "Wow."

"Five compliments and you're this excited?"

"Shut up. How many students came up to you today?"

"I wasn't counting." Tanner said smugly.

"Ugh!" Peggy rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I don't want to be known as nothing but your sister. It's not like everyone looks at you and sees Shane."

Now she understood. How long had she been thinking about this? Steph wondered.

"He went to a different school and had different friends."

"I'm in your school and I'm not going to be Tanner's sister and nothing more. "Today five compliments, tomorrow ten."

"They're still going to find out you're my sister. Don't do something stupid before then."

"Maybe I will, just to embarrass you." Okay, a fight is brewing. "Enough. Tanner, as much as it's a nice game to you and your friends, understand what she's trying to say. Think about it. And Peggy just make sure this person you want to be in school is someone you like. Be yourself. Have two friends, have ten. Know a lot of people. Know a few or have them know you. Just-"

"Don't be embarrassing."

"Tanner!" Steph turned to him with a glare. "Don't say another word." She warned.

Peggy looked ready to hit him. "If anything, you're embarrassing me with the stupid game. Everyone's expectations will be high."

"No one told not to say anything."

"Enough you two. You're both right and wrong. However this ends, accept it. I'm leaving now. Peggy follow." She turned around. "Before you start fighting about something else."=

Students began to pack up. Class was over. A hard reminder hit him. He was supposed to have called Tom hours ago. As he packed up, he dialed.

"Is this an hour to you?"

"Time difference." His excuse.

"Did you realize that when I was calling by like eleven last night?"

"Did you? You went with the whole thing. Hand the phone to George."

"Come on, seriously?"

"Yes. I could have called Tate. But we had a plan."

"You practically abandoned it."

"I'm calling aren't I?"

"Eight hours later."

"George Tom."

"I went to school. I am in school."

"Now."

"Gimme a sec."

Two minutes later. "Hey Sawyer." George sounded skeptical. "This is weird."

"Where are you?"

"In school."

"Where's Tom?"

"Beside me. Take a picture of him by his locker and send it."

"Whoa! Sawyer. I'm here I promise. That's just extreme. I'm here." Tom interjected.

"You wouldn't mind, if you are indeed there." Tom sighed loudly. "Take the damn picture." He said to George. "You're making me regret calling you. The one time you finally pick up." He sighed again.

Sawyer chuckled, walking out the lecture hall. "At least dad didn't drag you from your room." His phone beeped. He looked at the picture he received. A glare from Tom looking better than he had sounded that morning. His hair it's usual style, medium blue sweatshirt and black jeans. "Dashing as always. Later." As much as he didn't mind continuing the conversation, Hannah was right in front of him. "Hi." He said with a broad smile.

She walked up to him. "It doesn't feel like I saw you this morning." She bit her lower lip.

"I didn't see you this morning." He opened his arms, closing them around her. "What's up?"

His late class had been exhausting for him. Even though he spent most of it visualizing Peggy sitting in her own classroom taking notes with a smile on her face. For that fact alone, when he got back, he put on his headphones and listened to the recording he'd made, at the same time, flippingthrough his books and writing down the important things. Meanwhile, Hannah was on his bed. Him, too busy with school work to see what she was doing.

Hannah couldn't help admiring her boyfriend. Head down over his books, pushing up those glasses every now and then. Like he didn't leave class over an hour and a half ago. Her phone, which had been in her hand all through, focused on him. She turned her camera on and made videos, and took pictures. And did it all over again on Snapchat and posted them. Her eyes darted from the pictures to him. So deep in, that he didn't notice a thing. As the comments rolled in, she put her phone away and picked up a book.

On the one hour mark, she got up and went to him, pulling his headphones from his ears gently. He sucked in a deep breath and looked back at her. "It's been more than two hours. You literally left class to study more." He scoffed. "Get up."

"I'm almost done."

"Ok, twenty minutes. I'll go get us dinner." She turned around. "Would have preferred to go with you."

"I'll be done by then. I don't want to have to think about it later."

"Okay." She shrugged with one shoulder.

True to his unpromised word, he was done when she got back. They shared dinner. And what started as her telling him about the pictures she'd taken and posted and showing him the comments became them looking through her social media. Hannah, telling him about her friends and all the things in between, didn't notice when he fell asleep. One moment he was asking questions and she was answering and the next, like five minutes later, he was asleep. She couldn't help giggling at the situation. It looked like she was reading him a bedtime story. "Study bug." She whispered. He responded with a deep breath in, then out, and turned away from her.