All in all, Beckett’s life was going remarkably well. He was the school’s beloved soccer star, hero-worshiped by most of the student body. He had lots of great friends and the perfect girlfriend. Still, sometimes he felt a little bit… off. Like maybe he was supposed to be somewhere else.
He’d tried to pinpoint what made him feel that way. It definitely wasn’t soccer. When he played soccer, he knew he was meant to be there, on the field, moving with his teammates as though they were one intricate machine. It was just them and the ball. He loved the game more than he could ever remember loving anything.
He’d started to think that the problem might be his friends. He hated to think it, because they were… great. They were great. Except… sometimes he felt like they maybe weren’t the nicest people, Madeline especially. They were never actively rude to anyone, but they made a lot of snide comments behind people’s backs. Beckett was always a little bit afraid that they talked about him when he wasn’t with them.
But whatever his misgivings, Madeline was still his girlfriend, and he loved her. He might not be entirely sure that she was a good person, but he did love her. So when he got the best news of his life, she was the first one he wanted to tell.
“Madeline!”
“Hi, Beck.”
“You’ll never guess what I just found out.”
“What?”
“I’ve been recruited for the Llamas! They want me to come play for them after I graduate!”
Madeline looked thrilled. “You’re going to be a real sports star! Oh my Plumbob, everyone’s going to be so jealous of me! It’s celebratory selfie time!”
Beckett grinned and took the picture. That was definitely something good about Madeline. She understood, and she was excited for him. When he’d told his family the good news, his father had frowned and asked him if a career like that was really sustainable, his brother had rolled his eyes, and his sister had asked him if she could have exclusive interview rights when he was famous. None of them had been happy for him the way Madeline had.
He was drawn back to the present by Madeline’s voice. “What do you think about a party tonight to celebrate your future stardom?”
He grinned at her, about to agree, then remembered something. “Oh, I wish I could, but we’ve got that essay due tomorrow and I haven’t even started it yet.”
“So? Blow it off. You could turn it in a couple of days late and the teacher wouldn’t bat an eye. What good is being the ruler of the school if you don’t take advantage of it?”
“I don’t want to take that chance. I do have to graduate if I want to play for the Llamas.”
Madeline sighed begrudgingly. “Fine. We'll have the party this weekend.”
--------
So that was how Beckett found himself at the Sunset Valley library on a Wednesday evening. They had a computer at home, but Alaric was using it, so Beckett escaped to the library. At this time, it was practically deserted, so he was free to write his paper in peace and quiet.
He had been working for a while when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud cry. “Noooo!” It was followed by an impressive stream of profanity.
Curious and concerned, Beckett followed the sound… to the door of the women's bathroom. He knocked cautiously. “Um… do you need some help?”
To his surprise, Danica Avendale wrenched open the door, then rolled her eyes upward. “Of course it would be you.”
“What's the problem?”
“I flushed my phone down the toilet, that's the problem.”
“You flushed your… how?” He asked, genuinely perplexed. How did you flush your phone down the toilet?
“I knocked it out of my pocket as I was reaching to flush, and I couldn't catch it in time. This is just typical! My day was going great, and then I flush my phone down the toilet in a public bathroom and have to tell the hottest guy in school about my massive failure.” She was flushed, but he honestly couldn't tell if it was from anger, embarrassment, or some mix of the two.
Beckett tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn't sure how well he pulled it off. “I don't think there's any way we can get your phone back tonight. Do you want to use mine to call your dad?”
She smiled back at him, obviously relieved. “That would be great, thanks. Sorry I yelled at you. I'm… more than a little aggravated, as you can probably tell.”
“It's fine. What are you doing here tonight, anyway?”
“It’s a long story. Basically, I want to be a teacher someday, but there's no way I can afford university unless I get a serious scholarship, so I'm doing extra work.”
Beckett nodded, impressed. “I'm here because I haven't finished the English essay that's due tomorrow.”
Danica smiled. “Want some help?”
“Why not?”
And when Beckett got home, he realized that he'd had more fun doing his homework at the library with Danica than he would have had partying with Madeline.
He frowned. That probably wasn't a good sign.
Author's Note: Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been sick, but I'm feeling better now. I'm hoping to get pictures for the next couple of chapters this week so I can start getting caught up. I still want to get this generation finished before the end of April. Anyway, next time (hopefully soon) we get to see Jade's problems!
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