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CHAPTER NINE! ( WIFE WITH SHINY PEARLS. )
THE SCHOOL DAYS seemed to be getting longer, and the evenings brought mountains of homework. That Thursday, Joan and Violet sat in the back of the library, pouring over their homework. Joan wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes and fall asleep right there. Knox, Meeks, Cameron, and Pitts joined them after a while, but ended up leaving earlier than them to just work in their rooms.
"I'm gonna go up too, I just finished chem, I'm sorry," Violet said, standing up.
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute," Joan nodded, only three quarters through her chemistry.
After mere moments, Charlie ran into the library, moving like a tornado. He spotted Joan and grinned, dumping his bag on the table.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.
"Nice to see you too, Joey," he smiled. He pulled his notebook out of his bag to reveal his chemistry assignment, absolutely empty.
"You're just starting that now?" she laughed, "Good luck."
"Well actually, I'm really glad I ran into you here. I was wondering if you could give me the answers," he asked giving her puppy dog eyes.
"No," Joan said, using her pencil to turn his face away from her paper.
"What? C'mon," he groaned.
"No, Charlie I've been working on this since school ended, there's no way you're getting out that easily," she stated.
"It's not my fault I go to this damn school," he sighed, opening up his chemistry textbook.
"Not mine either, but it's still a privilege that a lot of people don't have," she reasoned.
"Well sure but I'd rather give that to someone else," he muttered.
"Do you realize how lucky you are? You hardly have to worry about your grades anyway because your dad has the money to bail you out of anything."
"You think I want that? It's so suffocating. I mean, everything I do has a price on it."
"I know the feeling," Joan paused, "Do you ever feel like nothing's really up to you? I mean, my entire future is already decided for me. I just can't stand the idea of me ending up just like my mother in some stupid old house going to weekly book club meetings just to gush about how perfect my life boring is in hopes it'll help me move up the social ladder." Joan looked up at Charlie for a second, confused as to why she just told him that. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I can't stand the idea or being a balding banker who never takes off their suit and tie, wasting away in an office. I don't wanna come home to perfect catholic kids named Frederick and Walter and a wife who always keeps the house spotless. I definitely don't want to be the guy who talks politics while smoking pipes with a bunch of phonies either," he laughed, shaking his head.
