A Spine-Tingling Story - TDG Fanfic

Dropping Bombshells

*sighs of relief* Finished my A-Levels, finally. Now I just have to wait for results day.

You still haven't told me about the contract situation, said Finley's message later that afternoon.

Of course, it had been a couple of days since their conversation just before Ryan's return to school. Worrying about the right ways to save and expend spoons had driven it almost totally out of his mind.

I told my care workers, they'll let me have it, came the response.

F: Good, should my dad tell Dr Gareth then?

R: Yeah go ahead

F: How was school

R: Worse than I remember. Had to go home because I fell asleep in maths

F: Save your spoons mate

R: Easy for you to say, you've been off this whole week.

F: I've had to fight through chemo combined with GCSEs for most of the past year and I start sixth form on Monday, I think I've earned it. I've also been a spoonie for way longer than you have, I think I'd know a thing or two about spoon saving

R: Let's hear it then, how do you get through GCSEs and cancer

F: Hate to say it, but you really have to buckle down on good days. Use your extra spoons to learn some of the material ahead of time so that you won't be missing out if you have to take days off.

R: Are you kidding me

F: I wish I was

Naturally, the prospect of using his extra energy to pour through his maths textbook instead of doing something more fun (such as sitting through a 2-hour-long lecture on the history of socks) just further put Ryan off going back there. It was that coupled with his premonition that the other boys would accuse him of being lazy or getting special treatment after what had happened in maths earlier that day.

F: And you should be cancer free in not very long anyway

R: Fair point, sorry for complaining

F: Dw, I get that it's tough

Speaking of tough, Ryan had decided that he was ready for bed even though it was only 7:30 pm. Radiotherapy had taken up three more spoons, as per usual, and his explanation of the spoon theory to Mike prior to that had taken up another one. He suspected it was for that very reason that Mike had allowed him to go up to bed early. He really did need all the energy he could get to get through the next week of school.

The weekend slipped by, and soon enough it was time to face school again.

"Are you sure you're okay with going back?" Mike had asked him. "You don't want to take some time off to recuperate?"

"What do you think I've been doing all weekend?" Ryan had retorted, rather snappily. "Look, I'm fine, alright? I'll tell you if I'm not," he continued, lying slightly on the last part.

The school day passed about as smoothly as the others did, save for a slight anomaly in the form of Peter, Simon and Alex constantly "falling asleep" in lessons, especially when they knew he could see them, and sending him glares when they were reprimanded by the teachers for their antics. He could ignore them for the most part though. There were more pressing matters than a few immature idiots.

Like the contract.

After stumbling through the school day, both literally and figuratively, he caught sight of Mike staring at him from the office with a resigned expression - one that said he was tired of having to do this.