First name terms

14- Spinning

Open books and written sheets of paper were scattered across the large table. The living room was quiet, opposite to everyone's mind. The only thing that could be heard were the birds chirping outside and the sound of the pen sliding against a notebook. Diana was biting her highlighter as she read a complex history text. Jerry stared at her and pretended he was writing every time that she turned a page. Anne was biting her bottom lip, writing, and reading simultaneously; some occasional yawns interrupted this activity. Gilbert and she were the ones taking up most of the space. The curly-haired boy was writing notes in pencil on the margin of each page. He was furrowing his eyebrows, never ripping his eyes off the text.

A mid-term exam was coming up and they were all determined to pass. The atmosphere left much space for concentration, which none of them lacked, except for Jerry, who would start studying the day prior to the test and end up being the whole night awake.

-Hey guys, would you like some hot chocolate?- Mary said those words with precaution. She knew they were concentrated.

-Yes, please! Some sugar for my system, this text is too boring for me- Diana whined with a sigh of defeat, dropping her highlighter on the table.

-That is very kind of you, Mary, thank you- Gilbert said, still writing something on his book.

-Sounds magnificent. Do you need any help?- Anne asked, relieved to have an excuse to stop studying. She was really fond of that subject, but she was completely exhausted.

-Only if I'm not interrupting your studying session.

-Please, interrupt it- she chuckled and followed the woman into the kitchen.

-I'm tired of this...- Diana said as she stared at the pile of pages left for her to read.

-Me too...

-Baynard, how can you be tired if you never started?- Gilbert said biting back a smile, and the boy threw a cold stare at him in response- Just kidding, just kidding.

-Why don't we take a break?

-Please- the girl scraped the floor as she slid her chair back to stand up.

-What if we watch a movie?

-Sounds great!

-You guys go, I'll stay here a bit longer- The curly-haired boy replied with his pencil in his mouth, never ripping his eyes off the paper.

-Of course, you are. We are going to have fun by ourselves, then.

-Great. What are you gonna watch? The kissing booth?- the boy smirked, emphasizing the word kissing.

-That was pretty good, Blythe. Your sense of humor is actually improving, guess you learnt from the best- Jerry boasted.

-Yeah, Charlie is a great teacher- he snapped back with a chuckle.

-Oof, harsh- Diana bit back her laughter and then patted her couple's back- It's okay Jer, let's go.

It was only a matter of seconds for Gilbert to dive deep into concentration again, which was now more intense since Jerry wasn't shaking his leg under the table. Everything went back to the peaceful way it used to be. He was by himself, studying on the kitchen table, listening to the chirping birds. Delly wasn't making a sound, Bash wasn't talking to her in a baby voice, Jerry wasn't singing horribly nor talking about Diana and Anne wasn't there rambling (even though he never found it bothering). It was like traveling back in time, around six years back, when he lived with his father. All those quiet evenings flooded his mind. Every Saturday, when his father was taking a nap, he would make a list of difficult words for his Monday spelling bees. A nostalgic smile appeared on his face as he stared at the empty seat where his father used to seat every day during dinner.