Present
"We had a lot of the same classes, so we quizzed each other for tests," Tony finished. "On breaks, we sketched notes and outlines for projects on napkins. If it weren't for Joe, I'd have never made it through those two weeks."
"Wait a minute," Frank cut in. "Didn't Joe come home with pizza sauce in his hair and clothes? All he'd tell me was that he tripped."
"Sort of," Tony grinned. "People came back to watch Joe juggle. They gave him suggestions and stuff. Well, one guy dared him to juggle the ingredients for a pizza. Bet him a whole pie."
"Oh God," Chet groaned through a wide smile.
Tony nodded. "He did pretty good up until the sauce. The lid popped off and spilled all over him and the floor. One step was all it took. He looked like a pizza."
The whole table roared with laughter.
"Did he win?" Callie managed to ask.
"Of course," Tony replied. "The guy was such a good sport, he bought Joe two pizzas."
"No wonder he won't eat any pizza," Frank stated. "After all that, he's probably set for the next year."
Fenton grinned proudly as the teenagers continued to talk. He remembered those two weeks; he had barely seen his youngest boy during that time. The only chance he got was sneaking into Joe's room in the middle of the night, only to find Joe draped over his homework. Each night, Fenton helped his child into bed and tucked him in as he had when Joe was a little boy. Fenton had been, and still was, proud and humbled by Joe's innocent selflessness.
"Still, though," Callie's voice brought Fenton back to the conversation. "Having Joe tutor you? And with all those distractions? What were your grades like?"
"Actually, I did better than I normally do," Tony told her. "Especially in English."
"My sons always put schoolwork first," Fenton supplied. "I insist on that, if they want to work on cases."
"Still, though," Callie persisted. "Frank is more the brains of the team."
"Don't sell Joe short," Phil spoke up in Joe's defense. "He may not be interested in school, but he's a lot smarter than anyone gives him credit for."
"Come on, Phil," Biff said. "We've all see Joe's grades. If he's so smart, why doesn't he get straight A's like you and Frank? I'm not buying it."
"Personally, I think he's bored," Phil replied. "He doesn't feel challenged enough to put forth the effort. But trust me; when he wants to, he can really shine."
