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- 12/08/2013
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Thwarted - 17. Chapter Seventeen
“So, are you nervous?” Jackie drizzled syrup over her waffles before passing it to Mark.
“A little, but I keep telling myself it’s a good thing.” Mark drenched his pancakes and set the syrup aside. They’d been talking about the upcoming meeting with Trey’s parents.
“Not that I disagree, but how so?”
“Well, as much as I hope that nothing happens, if Trey got hurt while he’s gone, his parents are the ones who’d be notified.” Mark cut up his pancakes, took a bite, and tried to get his thoughts in order. “While I’d hope they’d call me if Trey asked them to, they’re more likely to if they know me.”
“Yeah, I can see that. It would be weird for them to call someone they’d never met, though I hope that it remains a rhetorical situation.” Jackie took a bite of her waffles, her eyes closing and a small moan escaping.
“That good huh?” Mark snickered but had to admit his pancakes were delicious.
“Oh shut up, it’s just nice to be able to enjoy a meal that I didn’t have to cook for once.” Jackie set her fork down and took a sip of coffee. “So, have you decided what you’re going to do while Trey is gone?”
“I’m trying to decide between a couple of different options.” Mark pushed his plate away, the talk about Trey leaving and the thought of anything happening to him had made Mark’s appetite flee. “I had thought about starting school while he was gone, but even with the G.I. Bill, I’m not sure if I can swing it.”
“The G.I. Bill would cover everything wouldn’t it?”
“It should, and I’ve got some money saved up, but I’m wondering if I should put off school for a year and work for the year that Trey’s gone.” Mark leaned back in his chair and studied his sister. “The biggest plus to that versus going to school is that I’d be able to take time off when Trey was on R and R, whereas there’d be no guarantee I’d be on break from school.”
“Makes sense, the biggest question is, what do you want to do?” Jackie pushed her own plate away and leaned back in her chair.
“I don’t know. I do want to go back to school, but I really don’t want to live in the dorms. I can also see the benefits of working for a year, but then I wonder how much I’d actually be able to save with paying rent and my other bills for the year.” Mark couldn’t hold back the sigh that escaped him. He honestly wouldn’t know for sure what he was going to do until he actually sat down and figured out all of the financial aspects. “That’s actually what I’m going to be doing this afternoon.”
“May I help you with that? You do have another option, if you want it.”
“I do?” Mark wracked his brain trying to think of what he’d overlooked. What other option was there besides school or work?
“Well, not really another option so much as something else to go with whatever option you decide to go with.” Jackie paused for a minute and sipped at her coffee before focusing again on Mark. “I’d have to talk it over a bit more with Brent, but we’ve discussed it before.”
“Are you going to keep me guessing or are you going to tell me?” Mark hated it when Jackie pulled this crap. She loved to drag stuff out and keep him thinking, when all he wanted was for her to spit it out.
“You could come stay with us.”
Mark choked on his coffee, but before he could argue she held up her hand.
“Before you argue, listen to me for a minute. I think you should hold off on school for a year. Find yourself a job and put everything you can away, that way you won’t have to worry about working while you’re going to school. With everything you save, plus your G.I. Bill, you can focus solely on school, at least for the first couple of years.”
“I can’t do that, Jackie.” Mark couldn’t let his sister support him, it just wasn’t in him.
“Yes you can, it would be great to have you around.” Jackie set her cup down and reached over and took Mark’s hand in her own. “Look, I’m not expecting an answer from you right now, but at least give it some thought. You’d have your family around you while Trey’s gone. You’d get to spend a lot of time with your nephew, and you’d get to save up some money so you wouldn’t have to work while you go to school.”
“Don’t you think it would be weird? Me living with you and your family?” He was an adult who was used to living on his own. Then again, he was with Trey, so it wasn’t like he’d be bringing dates back to his sister’s house all the time.
“Look, at least think about it.” Jackie pushed her chair back from the table and stood before walking over and kissing Mark on the cheek. “I’m going to go do some errands, but take some time to think, and if you want to talk about it some more, meet me at my place for lunch, okay?”
Jackie didn’t wait for an answer and when Mark looked up again, his sister was gone.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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