Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

t h i r t y - f i v e

[ pls check out ch 2 of birds of a feather and the beginning of my new fic, the drive-in, if you'd like! ]

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Aspen had enough mind to stop by Mr. Penn's room on her way back from the library. She wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of it was, maybe that she just looking for someone to bring her back down to earth. She didn't know what she was expecting when she got there, but it certainly wasn't her older brother sitting at one of the desks near the front of the room.

Though Joey had never been particularly brawny, he was excruciatingly tall, making him a strange sight to see in one of the slender school desks. Even though his back was bowed, his chin stooped to rest against his palm, he still looked far too large to be in one of those seats. It was enough to make Aspen freeze in the doorway.

She hadn't been meaning to eavesdrop -- really, she was just surprised -- but Mr. Penn's voice filled her ears anyway. "I understand your intentions, Joseph, but don't you think-"

"No buts," Joey interrupted. He let out a breathy sigh, his tired hands carding through his already tousled hair. "I can't. Not now." 

Penn's wrinkled face contorted into a conflicted expression, his lips dropping into a deep frown. "I insist that you reconsider," he pushed, his voice unwavering. He was staring at the boy with a steely determination. "There are two of them, Joseph. At some point you must think for your own welfare. Minneapolis simply does not suit you." 

Joey shook his head as though he hadn't even bothered listening. Aspen felt her own mouth shift into a confused scowl as she tried to piece together what the pair was discussing -- and more importantly, why Joey was so distraught over it. She had a few assumptions, but there was no saying whether her ideas were even remotely close to the truth. Yet another shadow fell over her mind as she watched her brother's shoulders heave in a heavy sigh. She felt as though she were watching him come unraveled. Joey -- the one person she had never expected to witness break. 

"You don't belong here, Mr. Folsom," Penn stated, his voice far gentler this time. His jaw was set in determination, but there was a soft glint in his faded eyes. "You've gone through enough this year. Anyone else would be relishing in the chance to escape."

The sigh that left Joey's mouth sounded more like a pained hiss than a breath of exasperation. He lifted his head to set his cold gaze onto his teacher's aged face. "I'm not anyone else," he deadpanned, his fingertips twitching gently below his chin. There was a degree of anger to his tone, as though he despised the older man for what he had said. He sounded a bit like Caine.

The older man gave a curt nod. "I understand that," he expressed earnestly. "That's why it's so vital that you go. Who you are -- your character, your mind, your work ethic -- will be wasted if you pass up this chance." 

Joey just shook his head again, though the hunch in his shoulders displayed the trouble that he was beginning to entertain. Mr. Penn seemed confident enough that he had done what he could, apparently assuming that Joey had at least begun to consider whatever option he had been dismissing before. Aspen took that moment to wrap her knuckles against the door frame. Better to make herself known than to be caught eavesdropping without excuse.

Mr. Penn lifted his head, a tired smile falling against his mouth. Joey hardly had the energy to lift his head and glance over his shoulder, but when he finally did, his lips didn't curve into his normal smile. He raised his eyes to meet his sister's, their identical gazes blending for just a second. Then he turned away, and Aspen felt her chest constrict.

"Miss Folsom," Penn greeted. He beckoned her forward with a short wave. "I was just explaining to your brother the importance of continuing his education after he graduates."