Chapter 557: SeaView Manor
Monday, February 27th, Afternoon
He sat at the dining room table; his books spread out. The book's text was in view, in focus, and clear but made no sense. That is a new level of distraction; it all made sense and no sense at the same time. He snorted and looked at the door to see his mom standing there.
"Doing your homework already?" Dr. Meggy Reuter, MD, said.
"Trying to," Gareth Reuter said.
"Why trying to?" Meggy asked.
"Just, well, nothing is sinking in," Gareth said.
"That's not good, and why are you doing your homework without a fight? You're usually watching your friends at practice," Meggy said.
"No, not anymore," Gareth said.
"Why?" Meggy asked.
"Let's say things fell from grace," Gareth said.
"So, stand up," Meggy said.
"They will get no satisfaction from me," Gareth said.
"What?" Meggy asked.
"When the fall is all that's left, it matters," Gareth said.
"Is Trin Adams in town? You quoted the movie out of context," Meggy said.
"What?" Gareth asked.
"It means if death is all that's left, it matters how you live your last moments," Meggy said.
"Oh," Gareth said.
"What's wrong, Gareth?" Meggy asked.
"I don't know, just having a time catching up," Gareth said.
"You shouldn't have gotten into that fight," Meggy said.
Gareth leaned back, sighed, and stared at the ceiling. "I didn't plan that," he said.
"Usually, they aren't planned, but what got into you doesn't just happen," Meggy said.
"What do you mean?" Gareth asked.
"You tried being Lancelot to Sawyer's Guinevere," Meggy said.
"Sawyer's not married, never mind to a King," Gareth said.
"Nonetheless, you strap on your armor to defend her," Meggy said.
"I don't know," Gareth said.
"What don't you know?" Meggy asked.
"How to ask you," Gareth said.
"How to ask me what?" Meggy asked.
"I've been thinking, I'm going to be sixteen soon, maybe I could get my GED, and in the fall, I could start at Cape Fear Community College. When I'm done there, I'll finish up at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington," Gareth said.
"Why would you want to do that? You'd miss out on so much," Meggy said.
"From what I understand, much of what I miss is overrated," Gareth said.
"Say, I do allow you to do this; what would you study?" Meggy asked.
"I don't know; I'd figure it out while I'm at Cape Fear," Gareth said.
Meggy nodded, "Why would you want to leave high school so soon?" she asked.
"I'm so done with high school; I want to move on and start my future," Gareth said.
"You shouldn't rush growing up," Meggy said.
"Is that your advice?" Gareth asked.
"Just a sad fact," Meggy said.
"So, what do you think of my idea?" Gareth asked.
"Well, I want to know the real reason you want to leave high school early," Meggy said.
"I'm so done with it, and move on to the next step," Gareth said.
Meggy nodded, "I see," she said.
"So, are you in agreement?" Gareth asked.
"So, what do Sawyer, Keni, and LK think about your idea?" Meggy asked.
"Why does it matter what they think?" Gareth asked.
"Just answer my question," Meggy said.
"LK would process it; she'd say good luck," Gareth said.
"That's harsh," Meggy said.
"LK is great, but she's in her own world," Gareth said.
"Yeah, so move on," Meggy said.
"Keni, well, she would do the same thing if her mom and sister would allow it," Gareth said.
"Which sister?" Meggy asked.
"Fallon," Gareth said.
"Why Fallon?" Meggy asked, "I'd figure Chase or Izzy."
"How Keni explains it, she and Fallon are the only children of their dad, and Fallon can't have kids, so Keni is Fallon's heir," Gareth said.
"I see," Meggy said.
"None of it matters anyway," Gareth said.
"Why doesn't it?" Meggy asked.
"I'm not friends with them anymore," Gareth said.
Meggy looked at Gareth in shock. "What? Why?" she asked.
"I guess I grew past them," Gareth said.
"Why did you do that, Gareth? You've known them since y'all were little," Meggy said.
"I'm jettisoning the past for the future," Gareth said.
"Interesting," Meggy said, "What does Sawyer think about this?"
"Why bring her up?" Gareth asked.
"Because you didn't," Meggy said.
"It doesn't matter. I made my choice," Gareth said.
Meggy sighed, "Is this because you talked to her and she rejected you or because you're too scared to talk to her?" she asked.
"What?" Gareth asked, "What does it matter?"
"Gareth, you have to at least tell her you have feelings that are more than friendship for her. She deserves that much," Meggy said.
"How do you know?" Gareth asked.
"I do have eyes," Meggy said.
