Always the Opposites {Brollins}

[ Chapter 9 ]

After their first few study sessions, Rebecca quickly learned the ins and outs of Colby's study habits and school schedule.

Rebecca had a habit of asking questions, so she quickly learned that he liked his privacy. She respected it though, seeing as she wasn't one to spill much personal information either.

So, when Rebecca met up with Colby in the library, the two quickly got to business. However, Colby found himself studying Rebecca as she explained the work, rather than what he was actually supposed to be doing.

He watched her hand gestures as she got really into the things she was explaining, the way she'd fidget with her pencil, and how she smiled when she realized she already knew a specific piece of information.

"Got that?" Colby clued back in just in time to catch Rebecca's last few words.

He nodded, sitting up straight, knowing he hadn't been paying attention to anything she was saying for the past five minutes.

"Okay, so tell me what I just said." Rebecca smirked knowingly as she raised an eyebrow.

"You asked me if I got it." Colby explained, "I did."

"Not that." She shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Before that."

"Oh, that." Colby's trailed off as he tried to put a coherent thought together. "Well, you mentioned that, according to... someone, something happened."

Colby paused, smiled and nodded his head, "There, end of story. See, I was listening."

"No, you weren't!" Rebecca laughed, getting some stares from a few people sitting near them.

"Okay, so I got distracted, so what?" He rolled his eyes playfully.

"Distracted?" Rebecca questioned, "We're in a library. What could you possibly be distracted by?"

Colby looked at her for a few seconds and looked down at the table with a small smile. He looked back up as he took a breath and shook his head. "Nothing."

Rebecca pushed some hair out of her face, before moving on and trying to get Colby to focus on something related to his work.

"What are you studying to be?" Colby's sudden question caught the both of them off guard.

"A teacher hopefully." Rebecca smiled, "What about you?"

"I don't know, an architect I guess. My dad runs his own business." Colby shrugged unenthusiastically, "He helps me pay for my place and tuition, funny thing is he didn't always... only pretty recently."

Rebecca forced herself to not press on, but when he willingly continued she could tell he didn't get to vent often. "The old man couldn't give a damn about me, but he pays the rent and we get to eat every day so, it is what it is.

Colby shrugged, "My football scholarship pretty much covers most of it so it's not that big of a deal, but you know."

After realizing everything he had just said, he left himself stunned, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." Rebecca stopped him, "How long has it been since you moved out?"

"About six years." Colby replied, "I left right after high school and if everything goes to plan I graduate this year."

"Me too!" Rebecca smiled, "Except I've only had to do four. But after this, it's two years of teacher's college."

Rebecca looked down at the work surrounding them and sighed, "Just gotta push for a little longer."

Colby stared at her, "You're really smart Becky. You're easily a shoo-in for anything you want to do. Why are you pushing yourself so hard when you can relax and do just as well?"

Rebecca smiled, but it didn't reach the corners of her lips, "I don't know. I've always been like that, it's how I'm programmed I guess."

"But why stress yourself out so much?" Colby asked curiously as he watched her mood shift.

"Academic validation." Rebecca looked at him, sadness lacing her eyes. "Because what am I if not the smart friend?"

Colby nodded, knowing that that type of mindset was difficult to deal with. "One day you'll realize you're so much more than school."

"Yeah, okay." She laughed dryly, studying Colby as he looked out the window.

She took the opportunity to rummage through her bag quietly. Colby turned his head ever so slightly and watched Rebecca fumble with something in the palm of her hand. When she looked up at Colby, he made sure to stare back out of the window. His eyes slowly wandered back to her as he noticed that whatever it was disappeared and she rolled her shoulders, taking a drink of water.

With Rebecca, being open seemed easier than it was with anyone else. It was like he was okay with letting all of his struggles and problems break through the barrier he had in place.

He just worried that once the floodgates opened, he'd scare her away with everything going on in his life. But the thing that almost seemed scarier would be if she accepted all of it.

He blinked away his thoughts and refocused, "What about you though? Did you understand that question the way I explained it?"

"I think so..." She scanned over it again, "But I don't need to look at this variable as if it follows the common rule, I look at it as its own being?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "That way when you multiply the first common variables it doesn't intervene with the one that needs to be squared first."

"Why are the answers still not lining up?" She slumped down on defeat.

"You have to keep an eye out for negatives as well as the way the question is worded." Colby explained, "Sometimes you have to use the second or third equations I showed you depending on what they're asking for."

"Great." She laughed and shook her head. "Just great."

"Don't get caught up in the one thing you can't do." Colby looked at her, "It'll consume you."

He looked down at their array of textbooks, "You have what it takes to figure it out. Sometimes all you need is time."