You Did What? ((1915))

[victoriousscarf]

Mac shrugged. "That was hardly in question," he replied.

[amanika]

Tugger crossed his arms on the table and rested his head on them, still half-sulking in protest, "Gee, thanks."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac smirked. "Any time. Do you want anythin' ta eat?"

[amanika]

"I guess..." Tugger was still unwilling to be co-operative.

[victoriousscarf]

Mac rolled his eyes and pulled something out to start making. "Well, you goin' ta be that way and you get ta eat whatever I feel like makin'. I was goin' ta ask you what you wanted but now..."

[amanika]

Tugger shrugged, "I ain't fussed anyway."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac nodded, slightly saddened by the fact his joke had gone over with no apparent effect, and fell silent, making the food quickly.

[amanika]

Tugger knew he was behaving badly, but he was more cut up about this than he had really let on. He'd hated high school from the start, and the humilition was unavoidable, so the new ninth-graders might not realise he'd been kept back, but he was already anticipating the jeers from those of his previous class. He just didn't see how he would ever live it down. And no matter how much he was telling himself he didn't care, he knew it wasn't true. He was just proving what his father had always said about him. Maybe he was as useless as Deuteronomy always suggested. His ears flattened as he thought of his father getting wind of this, tail wrapping around his waist to comfort himself, it didn't work.

Tugger didn't say anything else to his brother, just stayed where he was, shoulders hunched.

[victoriousscarf]

Mac turned back to glance at him and frowned. After a couple minutes he pulled the soup he made off the oven and dished it into two bowls, setting on in front of Tugger, and the rest remained in the pot on the stove with the cover on for the other members of the household. He sighed, sitting.

"You could move highschools, you know," he said. "There's more than one in town."

[amanika]

Tugger glanced up as Macavity set the bowls down, "I guess."

He was silent for a while. Wrestling with something internally. Finally, he sat up and reached for the soup bowl, "Thanks." However, Tugger didn't look at his brother, toying with the soup in silence rather than eating it.

"It ain't that." he admitted finally, the sulk was gone, he just sounded miserable, "Wherever I go don't change the fact that I'm too damn stupid t'pass the ninth grade."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac sighed. "You're not stupid," he said, keeping the snap out of his voice. "Just... you don't always do so well. Besides, do you really want dad askin' why you aren't in school? I won't tell him about this, not ever, but it could raise questions you know."

[amanika]

Well at least Macavity had guessed Tugger's real fear without him having to admit it. "He'll bleedin' kill me if he finds out." and on Tugger's part, this was likely not an understatement, "Guess that puts me changin' schools outta the question..."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac considered that and cursed slightly. "Damn. You're right. But, it's a good argument ta continue goin' now isn't it?"

[amanika]

"I already said I'd do it. Just ain't nice knowin' I'm likely as useless as he always says." he stirred the soup viciously around the bowl. "Thanks f'not tellin' him. Y'sure he won't realise. What if they send another letter? That one was addressed t'him..." a pause, "and it ain't the only one. They sent another one when I was cuttin' last semester, but I knew they were sendin' it so I made sure t'get to the post first. Threw it in the fire, just t'be sure."

[victoriousscarf]

Mac paused, taking a bite of his own soup. "I'll keep any eye out for them ta," he said. "We almost always 'et home before he does anyway." Sonofabitch though, this was going to make make things hard. He paused. If he had seen the other letters, maybe he would have been able to intervene with Tugger more. He cursed in his head at that.