Room 511, Friday night

[thatsamilkshake]

So. Waiting until Friday night to ask permission to transfer to a new high school when classes start on Monday morning: sign that Francine should have signed up for the 500 level Advanced Procrastination course, or diabolically clever plan the likes of which mere teenagerdom has never seen? Discuss.

Or don't, because shhh. She was about to make a phone call.

Really.

Anytime now.

Oh, crap, it was ringing.

__
[For -- wait for it -- a phone call.]

Comments

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Muffins let out a particularly loud yip in the background.

"Just a small family dinner, then?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"I was thinking maybe we could postpone that a little?"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Now just a bit of a tremor crept into Marie's voice. "Postpone it why, honey? You're going to need to come home soon to be ready in time for school."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Well, til... Thanksgiving, maybe?" Whoa, something somewhere near the point! "I was sort of hoping I could stay for school here. That's what my about that was about. That."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

We pause for a moment of Gobsmacked Silence. Then: "You want to do what?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Cringe. Again. Deep breath. "It's not just a summer camp. They have a school. And the teachers are--" Insane, sometimes fruit, and some of them have wings. "Really great, Mom."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"But Francine, honey." Quite possibly, the fact that Muffins had actually stopped barking for a moment didn't help with the cringing. "It's so far away."

[thatsamilkshake]

You have no idea. "But it'd be kind of a new start. I wouldn't have to go back to Puncture and deal with all that stuff from last year."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Oh, honey," Marie replied. "If you're talking about the whole school seeing you naked, just remember there's a whole new freshman class this year!"

[thatsamilkshake]

*head-lap* "Mrrrrm!" Head de-lapped. "Mooo-om! A whole new freshman class to hear alllll about it from everybody else!"

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm sure they'll just think it's all a big upperclassman prank," Marie said cheerfully.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Until they see the pictures." She actually wasn't sure if there were pictures, but she lived in fear.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Oh, honey, you know the yearbook staff didn't actually publish those!" exclaimed Marie. "That can't be the only reason you don't want to come home, can it?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"That's not enough?" Headknee headknee headknee. "I like it here, Mom. I made friends..." One of whom she'd already met, but she wasn't going within miles of there.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Probably a good thing to take the around-the-world scenic detour on that detail.

"Nice friends, I hope?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Not a lot of them because her player sucked but yes, nice friends. "Uh-huh My roommate's English, and she's got a cat. And there's Mac, my school Big Sister, and this really cute boy named Chuck..."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, that sounded promising. "He wouldn't happen to have plans for medical school, would he?"

[thatsamilkshake]

She had no idea. Which translated very nicely into, "He might? He dresses really nicely, so I bet his family could afford it."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Well," Marie allowed after another outburst of muted yipping from Muffins, "I suppose maybe we could consider it . . ."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Really? That's great! 'Cause classes sort of startonMonday."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Monday? This Monday? Oh, good lord, Francine!" Muffins, picking up on Marie's surprise, started up a fresh chorus of yipping.

[thatsamilkshake]

"I forgot our phone number?" she tried. Not very seriously.

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"You know I'd rather have you home," Marie began. "I'm not used to my little girl being so far away for so long. But you do sound happier than you did at the beginning of summer, and if you can keep up with your studies then I suppose maybe you can give this school a try."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I really am happier." And again, you have no idea. "And I promise I'll ignore my clarinet study hard."

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Marie sighed, the sound drowned out a bit by Muffins. Yes, again. "Well, after how miserable you were before, if you're happy I suppose we can give it a try," she said. "I did have the paperwork all filled out, just in case."

Was that a sniffle?

It most likely was.