“Earth to you,” Summer said, huffing a laugh, “I don’t need /help/. Sometimes you just need to take a break.” She kicked his knee lightly. “When I want help, believe me, I will ask for it.”
He jumped at the touch before grinning, showing that he was surprised rather than scared of the random contact. “You’re prickly aren’t you? Defensive. But that’s okay – I am too.”
“I am not either prickly!” she exclaimed, affecting offense. “I am a tough, smart, independent woman who don’t need no help.” Then she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
Summer drawled dryly, “Usually I’m the one doing the summarising for other people. I’m not struggling with understanding the books or what I want to write about, but I do have to have actual sources, and tonight I just … ” She flourished a hand. “I can’t focus. So I’ll just let it sit overnight, and tackle it again tomorrow.”
“The internet might help you find the right ones? Or maybe give you some pointers?” He suggested then, seeming desperate to help her as he had neglected his own homework, with no intent to return to it before its deadline tomorrow. “Sounds fair enough to me.”
“Earth to you,” Summer said, huffing a laugh, “I don’t need /help/. Sometimes you just need to take a break.” She kicked his knee lightly. “When I want help, believe me, I will ask for it.”
She shrugged, uncomfortable. “It’s just this thing I do. If I go ahead and get things done, I can play and not feel guilty about it. And I’m not overwhelmed at the end. It just makes sense. Plus, I don’t know, somehow it seems to take less time if I go ahead and get things done.” With a sigh, she added, “But that’s clearly not the way things are going to be tonight. At least I got the photocopies I wanted, and I know where I’m planning to go with it. The writing won’t be that hard once I get all my thoughts straight.”
“I try that, but sometimes things get in the way, usually Lacrosse. Sometimes I can work around it and get my homework done on time, but not always,” Isaac explained with a sheepish smile, before cocking his head to the side and pursing his lips. “You can get help online, you know? People summarise the book and everything for you to help you get a better understanding of the plot and characterisation and stuff.”
Summer drawled dryly, “Usually I’m the one doing the summarising for other people. I’m not struggling with understanding the books or what I want to write about, but I do have to have actual sources, and tonight I just … ” She flourished a hand. “I can’t focus. So I’ll just let it sit overnight, and tackle it again tomorrow.”
“I have to write a paper on Jane Austen. It’s not /hard/, I just can’t concentrate.” She forbore to mention that /he/ was the reason she couldn’t concentrate. “It’s not due for a couple weeks anyway, I just wanted to get a head start.” Summer turned the glass in her hands, looking down at the way the ice moved.
“Never read her stuff, sorry.” Isaac winced apologetically, before his eyes widened and he cast her an admiring glance. “See, I wish I could be like that. I was trying to do tomorrow’s maths homework but I gave up before I could finish it,” he commented with a crooked smile, before falling silent and watching her curiously.
She shrugged, uncomfortable. “It’s just this thing I do. If I go ahead and get things done, I can play and not feel guilty about it. And I’m not overwhelmed at the end. It just makes sense. Plus, I don’t know, somehow it seems to take less time if I go ahead and get things done.” With a sigh, she added, “But that’s clearly not the way things are going to be tonight. At least I got the photocopies I wanted, and I know where I’m planning to go with it. The writing won’t be that hard once I get all my thoughts straight.”
“It was hard to tell,” she laughed, dropping the other subject. “Panther was almost as laid back as Helios, so if he got drunk it didn’t change his normal behaviour much. He still just laid around and purred.” Summer gestured to the short couch. “You don’t have to sit on the floor, you know.”
“Fair enough – at least he wasn’t a hyperactive drunk, I suppose!” Isaac smiled then, before he nodded and hauled himself upright, trotting over to perch on the very edge of the sofa. “So what homework were you doing?”
“I have to write a paper on Jane Austen. It’s not /hard/, I just can’t concentrate.” She forbore to mention that /he/ was the reason she couldn’t concentrate. “It’s not due for a couple weeks anyway, I just wanted to get a head start.” Summer turned the glass in her hands, looking down at the way the ice moved.
She frowned. “Wouldn’t the stuff your family had go to you? You should have some money, seriously.” Helios sniffed at the stuff inside the glass, then let go and padded over to make sure Summer was drinking the same thing. She held the glass for his inspection wordlessly, and then he wandered off to the kitchen. “I used to have a cat who drank beer,” she commented, watching the fluffy tail wave.
“They didn’t leave me anything except the house and that’s under…the police have still got it or something,” he admitted with a wince, sure that she was going to ask questions now, ones which he didn’t have all the answers to. He arched an eyebrow and let out a faint, near disbelieving laugh. “Really? Even get it drunk?”
“It was hard to tell,” she laughed, dropping the other subject. “Panther was almost as laid back as Helios, so if he got drunk it didn’t change his normal behaviour much. He still just laid around and purred.” Summer gestured to the short couch. “You don’t have to sit on the floor, you know.”
Helios considered the petting fingers, drawing his head back out of range, and then licked Isaac’s hand, before reaching up with one paw to hook on the edge of the glass and tug it down.
“I don’t — know.” Summer considered it. “I mean, I think it depends on what kind of services you get?”
“Don’t you have your own bowl to drink out of? I don’t know if cats even like lemonade,” he murmured with a chuckle, angling the glass downwards to allow Helios to peer inside, whilst mentally vowing to ask Summer for a clean one for himself.
“I guess so. I mean, I’m kind of living with a friend and his mom at the moment, so maybe…” He trailed off then, brows furrowing together as he chewed at his bottom lip.
She frowned. “Wouldn’t the stuff your family had go to you? You should have some money, seriously.” Helios sniffed at the stuff inside the glass, then let go and padded over to make sure Summer was drinking the same thing. She held the glass for his inspection wordlessly, and then he wandered off to the kitchen. “I used to have a cat who drank beer,” she commented, watching the fluffy tail wave.
“It’s a derivation of the lolcat memes — ‘I can has cheeseburger?’ — so Helios has you. You are in his possession.” She poured both glasses full of lemonade, added some ice, then brought them over to him. “Even a cheap smartphone would have gps.”
“Oh, really? Well, I suppose that makes you my boss, huh?” He chuckled and petted the kitten on the nose, then reaching up to take the glass with a grateful smile. “But wouldn’t the bills be expensive? I…I don’t have much money and I really can’t ask the people I’m living with for some.”
Helios considered the petting fingers, drawing his head back out of range, and then licked Isaac’s hand, before reaching up with one paw to hook on the edge of the glass and tug it down.
“I don’t — know.” Summer considered it. “I mean, I think it depends on what kind of services you get?”
“There’s this thing called gps? It’s in your phone. And they have compasses, too,” she teased, getting a couple of glasses out of a cupboard. “What do you want?” Helios put both paws on Isaac’s knees and started marking his nose. “Ohoh, you’re being has’d.”
“I can’t really…um…afford a new phone right now.” He murmured sheepishly before he fell silent, watching Helios’ antics with some confusion, a frown tugging at his mouth. “I’m being what?”
“It’s a derivation of the lolcat memes — ‘I can has cheeseburger?’ — so Helios has you. You are in his possession.” She poured both glasses full of lemonade, added some ice, then brought them over to him. “Even a cheap smartphone would have gps.”
She pressed her palm to his lightly. “It’s not that big a place,” she scoffed. “I’m sure you didn’t have any trouble.” Helios rubbed his face along Isaac’s knee as Summer stepped back, gesturing toward the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink? Water, soda? I have lemonade.”
“I’ve got a really bad sense of direction; I’m getting better though.” He stated and then dropped to his knees, fingers tingling at the touch before he reached to scratch behind Helios’ ears. “Sure! If it’s not too much trouble?”
“There’s this thing called gps? It’s in your phone. And they have compasses, too,” she teased, getting a couple of glasses out of a cupboard. “What do you want?” Helios put both paws on Isaac’s knees and started marking his nose. “Ohoh, you’re being has’d.”