Hello fellow Sorcerer's Apprentice fans! Sorry for the delay in updating as usual. I know I keep saying I'll get better but I don't seem to be keeping good on that promise. But I am working on my updating time! So here is the latest installment of this story. Please read and review because reviews guarantee that I'm writing what you want to read!
(A.N. = bold and italicized are thoughts)
"Dave you made it!" Becky shouted in joy as she jumped up from her seat and ran to her boyfriend. Dave simply smiled and hugged her when she finally reached him.
"Yeah Charley covered for me. I think we should do something for her to show her thanks," Dave said as he walked through the mass of people with Becky so they can reach their seats.
"Maybe," was all Becky said to that idea. "So are you ready to hear some poetry from some fellow classmates?" Becky asked with a bright smile.
"Oh um, yeah sure," Dave mumbled as he folded his arms on the table and looked towards the small stage that the coffee shop set up. "I just hope I don't feel depressed after all of this," He said, trying to lighten the mood that settled over him and Becky.
"Oh I doubt you'll be depressed after listening to some poetry. Besides, you should be happy that we can spend some time together. What with school and your uncle, we hardly ever get to spend time together," Becky said as she looped one of her arms through one of Dave's and leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh.
"Yeah you're right. Besides, it's not like I'm ditching all of my lessons with my uncle. Just a couple to have some fun," Dave said as he turned towards Becky with a small smile.
"Exactly, you need to have some 'you' time to do whatever you want. Like spend time with the girl you've been waiting 10 years for," Becky said with a slight teasing tone. Dave merely nodded in agreement, though his mind was not on the conversation completely.
"I'm going to get something to drink," Dave said as he stood up and walked towards the counter. He heaved a sigh as he looked at the possible drink selections. "Can I just have a small green tea please?" Dave asked the girl behind the counter who smiled and went to make his tea. I might as well try it since Charley always looks so much calmer after drinking it.
"Here you go. That will be three dollars please," the cashier said as she handed Dave his tea. Dave handed over three dollars and thanked the young girl before he carefully picked his way back to where Becky was sitting. Becky turned to Dave as he sat down and wrinkled her nose when the smell of Dave's tea hit her nose.
"Since when do you drink tea?" Becky asked with a confused tone.
"Oh, I just figured I'd try it. Charley is always drinking it so I figured might as well see if it's any good," Dave said with a shrug before he blew gently on his tea. He took a careful sip and simply smiled at the refreshing taste that hit his tongue. "And now I can see why she's always drinking it. This is actually really good. Wanna try?" Dave said before he held his cup out a bit for Becky.
"No thank you, I'm not a big tea drinker," Becky said with a slight edge.
"Is everything alright?" Dave asked cautiously. Becky simply nodded her head without turning to look at Dave.
"Everything's fine," Becky said tightly. Dave opened his mouth to retort but Becky held her hand up, "Shush, they're starting," was all she said before she lowered her hand and kept looking towards the small stage. Dave sighed quietly before following her example.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to tonight's live poetry reading. Now this is open to anyone who is willing to pour their hearts out tonight. And let's keep this evening polite, so please refrain from hurtful remarks or gestures, and please applaud everyone brave enough to read tonight. There is a sign-up sheet and we will be using that to call people up. So the first person up is…Mackenzie Stonewall!" the coffee shop owner said. A petite wisp of a woman walked up to the stage with a small smile. She introduced the title of her poem, but Dave's mind was not on the poetry.
I wonder if Charley will be able to finish her sculpture tonight. I hope so. I also hope that the girl who knocked her statue off the table will get in trouble. But she probably won't. Dave thought as the young girl finished her poem to the applause of everyone in the coffee shop. Dave simply ran on auto pilot and clapped with everyone.
"I thought her poem was just so cute. Didn't you think so too, Dave?" Becky asked as she turned to him with a smile.
"Huh? Oh yeah it was pretty…cute," Dave said with an unnoticeable grimace. I really should start paying attention. With a mental shake of the head, Dave squared his shoulders and tried his hardest to listen to the next poet who was talking about the pain that only he knows. Charley was right; there are a lot of depressing poems at things like this. No! Stop thinking about other things and get your head back on to right now! Dave's mental berating caused him to not notice the slight glare that Becky was sending him until it was too late.
"You know Dave, if you didn't want to come here with me you didn't have to," Becky said with a cold tone.
"What? Of course I want to be here with you. How can you say something like that?" Dave asked in confusion.
"Oh please, you're like a million miles away from here. You keep zoning out on me and I don't know what you're thinking about," Becky said as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in anger.
"Look Becky, I'm sorry that I'm zoning out. But poetry isn't really something I'm interested in. But I came because I wanted to spend some time with you because we hardly ever get to be together," Dave said with the patience of a saint as Becky just kept glaring.
"I've done things that I'm not interested in when we're together, Dave," Becky said in a clipped tone.
"Like what? I went to see that chick flick with you last week. I went to a bunch of malls with you. And I even had coffee with you and your friends from the radio station. And do I have to remind you that one of them was flirting with you the entire time and you just smiled about it?" Dave said evenly, though you could tell he was getting frustrated if you looked in his eyes.
"Oh yeah! I umm…I watched as you fiddled with your stupid tesla coils!" Becky floundered while uncrossing her arms in a huff.
"We weren't even dating then. I was just helping you with physics," Dave said with slight exasperation creeping into his voice. "look, clearly we're not going to settle this tonight, so I'm just going to go. Call me when you feel like talking this through without fighting," and with that said, Dave stood up with his tea and walked through the crowd. He paused for a moment and turned to the cashier. "Can I get another small green tea please? I owe a friend one," Dave said as the cashier simply nodded and smiled. Dave put the three dollars on the counter and took the tea when the cashier handed it to him. "Thanks," he said with a small nod of gratitude.
"Don't mention it," the young girl said before she waved him off. Dave exited the small coffee shop and headed back towards NYU campus. His thoughts rampaged through his head, trying to give the poor physicist a pounding headache. He made it quickly to the Art Building and walked right in. He took his time to look at some of the artwork that students created, noticing quite a few of them were Charley's works. The one that caught his eye in particular was a fairy dragon on blue paper. The wing design looked like a cross between a dragonfly's and a butterfly's wings, the shape more reminiscent of the dragonfly's while the pattern on the inside was that of a butterfly's. The dragon was done in black and white with hints of sliver in the wings and the delicate claws as well as the eye. The small dragon was curled in an "S" like fashion, showing off its tender underbelly with the head turned so the person could see its profile. Dave smiled at the title, "Little Doesn't Mean a Thing". Still smiling, Dave made his way to the art room that he left Charley in. He sighed in relief when he saw that there was a still a light on in the classroom. He gently opened the door after balancing the two cups of tea.
"Dave?" Charley asked when she looked up and saw Dave in the door way. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Becky listening to poetry," Charley said as she put one of her carving tools down.
"We sort of got into a fight and I didn't want to make a scene or something. So I just told her to call me when she felt like talking instead of fighting and then I left. Here, I bought you a green tea," Dave said as he walked over and put the other tea down on the work area.
"Oh that sucks hon. I hope things work out for you," Charley said as she reached over and grabbed the tea. She took a grateful sip and sighed in relief. "That hits the spot. Thank you by the way. You didn't have to get me anything," Charley said before she took a longer drink of the soothing liquid.
"I know, but I do owe you for covering for me," Dave said as he walked behind Charley to look at her sculpture. "Wow you got a lot done while I was gone," Dave said as he looked at the almost completed sculpture.
"Mm hmm, I just have to remove the last huge chunk of clay and work on a few more details," Charley said with a nod. She picked up a larger carving tool and took out a large chunk of clay from one of the bottom corners before she picked a smaller detailing tool and began to work on the last bit of carving. "So what was the fight about?" Charley asked with genuine curiosity.
"I was spacing out at the coffee shop and she started saying that she's done things she isn't interested in when I told her I wasn't into poetry. It just escalated from there," Dave said with a sigh as he pulled up a stool and leaned his head on his folded arms. Charley looked away from her sculpture with a worried look.
"Oh sweetie, that really does suck. If Becky is smart, she'll call immediately and you two can work things out," Charley said as she wiped her hands free of clay. "Now cheer up mister, being depressed is a waste of time," she said as she poked Dave in the side, causing him to jerk up and away.
"Another life lesson?" Dave asked as he followed Charley, who was caring her completed sculpture to the kiln.
"Nope, that's just the cold hard truth. Being depressed is the biggest waste of time there is," Charley said with a smile as she turned to the control settings on the kiln. "And in about 10 minutes, I shall have a complete sculpture that I can paint tomorrow," Charley said with a relieved sigh and a thousand watt smile. Dave returned her smile just as enthusiastically.
She certainly has a great smile. And with that thought Dave hugged Charley. Charley was momentarily confused, but hugged back just the same.
There you have it everyone! Hopefully ya'll enjoyed it!