Chapter 37: Worries Necessary And Not

--- Jeremy Graham ---

His skin itched as he walked through the halls of his school.

At first he thought it was just the nerves from all the work he’d have to catch up on from his week out of school He’d gone and asked the teachers about it, and they’d all been quick to assure him that there was nothing for him to make up and that the lost days would be made up by clipping a couple of three day weekends later on.

Unfortunately, that had done nothing to stop the itching, or the way he found the humming from the lights overhead so irritating. Something he didn’t quite understand given how comforting the sounds had been once upon a time, (a constant reminder of where I am…) that made every day in school harder than the last.

He forced himself to take a calming breath, trying to ignore how small and colorless the hall seemed to be as he flexed his hands, his skin feeling too tight for his bones. (Need more space… Need to go outside… Need to see the sky…)

(No…) He told himself with a shake of his head. (I can’t leave… it’s against the rules… I have to stay in school…)

The itching grew worse as he worked his jaw, the joints of it feeling so tight it was painful. (Might be more comfortable if I just ripped it off…)

He leaned against one of the nearby lockers as he felt himself breaking out in a cold sweat. (Just a few more hours and I’ll be out for the weekend… Can sleep off whatever bug I’ve caught…)

With that thought in mind he steeled himself and continued towards his next class. After all… His parents wouldn’t like it if he broke down in public.

--- Max Miller ---

She gave the small weapon on her desk a once over as she clipped the last couple of wires in place, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be before she started assembling the casing.

“You ready Maxy?” A voice yelled over her music.

She jumped causing a few of her smaller parts to scatter before turning around with a glare. “Dad! Knock before you enter my room!”

“I did, you didn’t hear me!” Her dad explained pointing at his ears. “You really should listen to this stuff lower or you’ll make yourself go deaf!”

She rolled her eyes as she lowered the volume, having rebuilt the speakers so that they couldn’t go over a volume that would actually hurt her hearing back when she was fourteen. “What do you want?”

“How could you forget?” Her dad asked with an amused grin. “Todays the big day, Maxy!”

“Uh, what big day?” She frowned while making sure she was positioned between her dad and the project she’d been working on.

“The first day of the HFPD, Heywood’s Future Police Department!” Her dad told her as if that was supposed to mean something.

“And that is…” She prodded after an awkward moment.

“Your youth program.” Her dad frowned like a kicked puppy. “Remember, we talked about it and you were going to start coming to work with me? It, uh, it took a while to get it going but we’ve got everything set up so that you and a couple of the other officer’s kids can go with us.”

“Oh, right… that…” She’d sort of forgotten about it between figuring out how her powers worked and trying to build something kickass with them. “I, uh, I thought that was a school day thing?”

“Technically it is, but we felt we could do orientation during the weekend.” Her dad explained looking much happier now that he believed she hadn’t forgotten about what was essentially a ‘take your kid to work day’. “Hawkins even volunteered to help with it since his daughter is signing up for it too. She was one of the girls you shared a room with at the hospital.”

“Oh, right… them.” She nodded, trying and failing to remember anything about the couple other than her mild jealousy at watching them cuddle together in their sleep. (Which is fine. So what if I’m single. I’ve got Bearbert if I need cuddles.) “Is she bringing her girlfriend too?”

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“Girlfriend?” Her dad repeated, before murmuring, “Huh… knew Hawkins was the free thinking sort, didn’t think he was that free thinking though.”

“What do you mean?” She frowned.

“Oh, nothing. We just need to get moving if we don’t want to be late.” Her dad told her before looking at his watch. “Also even if you get married, anyone you bring over is sleeping on the couch. Love you princess!”

“What?” She blinked as her dad rushed out of her room.

--- Harper Everette ---

“So… you’ve got that date with that Leo guy tomorrow don’t you?” Frankie asked as they sat around during yet another dead shift after the breakfast rush -(if you can call it that)- cleared out.

“Y-yeah.” She nodded, always feeling a bit awkward whenever the other woman asked her about her love life, due to… multiple reasons. (She’s your best friend, don't make things weird.)

“The one at his apartment?” Frankie pressed in a suggestive tone.

“We, uh, we’d be going out if it weren’t for…” She gestured to their still broken window with a cookie she swiped. “But nowhere wants to stay open after dark.”

“Uh-huh, if you guys are going out during the weekend can’t you just go out during the day?” Frankie pointed out. “I know a couple of places are still open.”

“Well, we could but uh…” She felt her face heating up a bit. “I sort of caught him… bringing groceries in after my morning run with Berry and, uh, he got all excited about cooking dinner for me.”

The way he’d stuttered and stumbled through it all while trying to play it cool had been really endearing.

“He’s cooking dinner for you?” Frankie repeated with surprise. “Damn, wish any of the guys I dated offered that. Dumbasses expect me to be the one to cook just because I’m a woman.”

“Well, if you want them to stop you could actually cook for them.” She offered, knowing that neither of the two of them she was the only one who could semi-cook and even then she tended to get distracted and burn what she was cooking half of the time. (But that just means Berry gets more to eat and he’s a growing good boi!)

“Yeah… no. That’s like a death knell for dating.” Frankie grimaced.

She rolled her eyes as she took a bite out of her cookie. “You’re being dramatic.”

“Get a boyfriend and I’ll consider your argument.” Frankie told her, before bluntly asking. “So you going to put out?”

“What, I- What?!” She jolted.

Frankie shrugged. “I mean if you’re going to his house and everything…”

“I-it’s our first date!” She reminded the other woman.

“Yeah, but you guys have been talking for a couple of months, right?” Frankie nodded, before letting out a sigh as she shook her head. “Look I know you want your first time to be romantic and all, but at the same time the longer you put it off the worse you’re going to build-”

“I am not comfortable walking in on this conversation!” A voice loudly interrupted from the cafe entrance.

They both turned to the voice and found themselves smiling as they caught sight of a large older latino. “Rey!”

She rushed forward and practically tackled the man, forcing him to stumble a step back.

“Oof! It’s good to see you too, chica.” Rey admitted, hugging her back. “You don’t visit nearly as much as you should.”

“I know…” She grimaced. “Life’s just been… life.”

“Ah, I get that.” Rey nodded in understanding, having lived a life rougher than most. “Still, with everything going on, the sky cracking open and so on, I figured I’d come and check on you girls. And when I didn’t find Frankie at her home playing it safe after a Creep invasion…”

“What can I say? You raised me to be a hard worker.” Frankie told her foster father.

“Ey, don’t blame that shit on me.” Rey glared half heartedly. “I spoiled your ass and you know it.”

“You did.” She agreed with a nod.

“Hey, you spoiled Harper more than you did me!” Frankie tried to argue.

“Nah, I just treated her like anyone should treat their kid.” Rey frowned, his voice taking on a slight growl as he remembered her actual father.

Catching himself, their foster parent shook his head. “Still, it’s good to see you both made it through all of that mess in one piece. I would’ve tracked you both down sooner, but I was expecting certain someones to come check on their dear elderly padre.”

“You’re what forty? That’s middle aged, not elderly.” She told him, with a light punch to his shoulder. “And even then you're in better shape than most people your age.”

“True.” Rey nodded. “Have to keep in shape for the chicas.”

Frankie let out a snort, knowing as well as her that Rey hadn’t been on a date in at least a decade.

“But speaking of love lives.” Rey continued loudly as he looked at Harper. “What’s this I hear about you dating?”

“Just, my neighbor asked me out.” She shrugged, embarrassed. “He’s a nice enough guy so I said yes.”

“I see.” Rey nodded with narrowed eyes. “And you know that if this boy tries anything you don’t like, I can have a beating with him.”

“You mean talk?” Frankie smirked.

“I know what I said.” Rey admitted without any shame.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s harmless, and even if he wasn’t I can handle him myself.”

Rey really should know that. (After all, he’s the one who taught me and Frankie how to box.)