⌜ chapter fourteen ⌟

"I really hate school." Hope mutters as she turns around to face her best friend. "Do you think I'd do well in homeschool?" She asks.

"No."

"Oh, that's nice, Scar. Thank you." She says sarcastically.

"You have the attention span of a walnut." Letty tells her as she goes through her locker. "What's with the worsening aversion to school anyway?"

"I'm a balloon, and people are staring at me."

Letty turns then and looks at the girls that are whispering about them. "The hell are you lookin' at?" She questions, and they both quickly walk away.

"Thanks, babe."  Hope chuckles, and she winks as she looks back at her best friend.

Later that same day, Letty's sitting on the living room couch when Hope walks over and sits down next to her. "You've been hovering." She mumbles as she continues going through the pictures that Mrs. Matthews got printed up from her camera for her.

"Well, I was gonna come over here earlier, but Shawn was bugging you."

"Shawn's been in the kitchen obsessing about a girl named Dana for the last ten minutes. I heard him say that he wanted to stab Cory in the head for taking her on a date." Letty tells her.

"Hey, is that me?" Her friend asks as she plucks one of the pictures from her hand. "Oh, I remember when you took this."

"Yeah, it's been a few months now." She nods as she looks at the picture. "Before you were showing so much."

"You think I'll ever be this skinny again?" She asks, and Letty shrugs.

"You've got a fast metabolism, and we keep in decent shape..." She says as she starts looking through some of the other pictures. "So, is what you're putting off telling me that you're thinking about moving to Sioux Falls?"

"Okay. You know what, you damn mind reader—" Hope flicks her cheek.

"Ow! Bitch." She smacks her shoulder. "Jason told me that you've been asking about his homeschooling, and he told you that he actually likes his teacher. He's getting ahead, and you want to do the same because the girls are due in May, which is only a few months away."

"I'm gonna kill Jason." She sighs.

"Why? We both think that you should go."

"You do?" She asks, clearly surprised.

"Yeah." Letty nods. "You'll do better with school, for starters. But, I mean, we're already a full house here. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews have four teenagers and Morgan under one roof; it'll be a lot more packed with the twins. Over at Uncle Bobby's, you'll have your own room until the girls are born. Then you'll have your own space for the three of you. Jason can probably help you better that I can for now, since he's not an emotional basket-case." She says, and Hope chuckles. "I'm gonna miss you, but I really do think that it's the best option for right now."

"Thanks for being so supportive, Scarlett." She smiles.

"Plus, with you gone, I won't have to sleep on the couch anymore. I can have the other bed upstairs in Morgan's room." She adds, and Hope starts laughing.

"Oh, so you saying that I should go is purely for selfish reasons."

"Purely." She smiles, making her best friend laugh again.

"You're the best." Hope says as she leans over and wraps her in a sideways hug.

Letty's walking down the hallway at school the next day when she hears Eric yell, "I've seen you in gym class, Arthur — wear pants." He's talking to a boy that's walking away from him.

"You know, that's some really good advice." The brunette says, and he looks at her as he turns around. "I don't know the situation, but it sounds solid."

"He's up for the same internship at the tv station that I am." He tells her. "He says that he's more qualified for the job, and he could get it even if he went in with no pants."

"Well, he should definitely take your advice. I've seen him in Gym too, and I really wish that I hadn't. He has very pasty chicken legs, and a boy his age should have more hair." She says, and he chuckles.

"Thanks for making me laugh." He says, and she smiles.

"Nervous?" She asks, and he nods. "Don't be, it'll all work out."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't." She shakes her head. "But I know you. You're capable of a lot more than you think you are. You should really give yourself some more credit."

"You think I'll do well?" He asks, and she nods.

"Yeah, I do." She smiles as she looks up at him. "You know I've always believed in you."

"You have any advice for me?"

"Don't overthink it, just be yourself, and don't let Arthur get into your head." Letty reaches out and takes his hand in hers, and he intertwines their fingers. "Show them how hard you're willing to work for what's important to you. I've seen you at your best, and there's no one better." She tells him, and he smiles as he looks into her dark eyes. "I have to get to class. So in case I don't see you again before you go — good luck, I'm rooting for you."

"Thanks, Letty." He says, and she nods.

That night, Letty's in the living room putting her homework away when the front door opens, and Eric rushes into the house. She turns just as he shuts the door behind him. "How bad's the storm?" She asks as he quickly shrugs out of his coat.

"Didn't notice." He tells her, and her eyebrows furrow as she zips her backpack.

"You didn't—"

He gets her to look up at him, resting his hand on the side of her face, and then he leans down and presses his lips against hers. The action takes her by surprise at first, but as his other hand moves to the small of her back, she kisses him. Eric pulls her body flush against his as her fingers curl around the suit jacket he's wearing. His lips move in sync with hers as his hand then moves from her face to her hip, and her hands slide up his chest to rest on either side of his neck. A few seconds later, he pulls back and rests his forehead against hers, both of them slightly breathless.

"You know, you're not really...supposed to do that anymore." Letty says, and the corner of his mouth pulls up when he hears how flustered she is.

"I got the internship." He tells her. "I blew the interview because I was stressed, and I wasn't acting like myself. But then I was talking to the guy who runs the station, and I didn't realize it at the time... But I was myself, and he gave me the job. He told me that I could keep it as long as I come in and act like myself every day. Made me think of your advice, and I... I just couldn't help myself." He says, and she smiles.

"I guess we can make an exception...since it's a special occasion." She presses her lips against his again, and he smiles into the kiss. "I'm proud of you, I knew you could do it."

letty's photo of hope