The bet (Erejean)

Ch.4 Okay but then what?

"Welcome home!" A voice called from the kitchen as both Mikasa and Armin entered their home.

The food was soon set on the table, a nice grilled chicken, peas and some mashed potatoes. Ms. Jaeger always made the best food, she's the best mom they ever could have had, with her around they didn't need a dad nor did they really mind about their bio parents when they had her around. "Where's Eren?" She asks obviously noticing her sons absence. Both Armin and Mikasa look at each other, roll their eyes and look to Ms. Jaeger as she gives a nod and places his food in the microwave for him to warm up himself later. "So, what is it this time?" She asks as she takes her seat as the others do the same. "Just another quarrel with Jean." Armin pipes sounding somewhat exhausted by just the words themselves.

"Again?" Her eyes widened a little. We're they serious? "I've really need to get ahold of his parents," she huffs picking up her fork. "Eren.. you know him.. he just.. makes me so.." she shook her head not wanting to go any further into it. "I just wish he'd do better, I just don't understand. He knows.. he should know how hard it is having to put up with all of this." Her voice quivered a little but she didn't cry, just began to eat, quickly, maybe a little out of frustration. Armin shot the woman a look of pity "You oughta have a good conversation with him when he gets back, Mikasa, you too Armin." They nod in unison, Oh boy is he gonna hear it when he gets home. Armin just kind of shrinks in his seat, perhaps wishing he were in any other situation but this.

"Mom.. I'm really sorry.." Mikasa began. Carla tilts her head, "Sweetie, for what? You have nothing to be sorry for." She attempts to reassure the noirette who nods back to her, sometimes she just couldn't help but to apologize in Eren's place for his shitty behavior.. "it's just.. sometimes I feel like, I could really talk him out of this but I don't I just let him.. I just let him.. I don't know."
What was supposed to be a nice family dinner turned out to be quite the opposite, Eren's missing again due to another fight and now they're most likely all known for his behavior by now. She's embarrassed. How sick.. what mother is embarrassed by their child? Maybe it's no big deal in your eyes but a problem child is a problem child, how the hell is he even supposed to pass with grades like these? Can he really be helped? At all?
"Oh Mikasa, Armin, no, no, no, no. You listen here, you have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing. What Eren does is his choice, you can't save someone from themselves you know, all you can do is keep yourself from falling down along with them, I suggest you two let him have it, if this is the life he wants that's the life he gets, you understand me?" They in unison nod. And the rest of their dinner is silent. That conversation really stuck with Armin though. Those words, Mikasa's from before too. 'Rock bottom.. let him fall. Be on his own. He won't be your burden anymore.' Huh.

After dinner Mikasa helps out and cleans up the dishes which Carla thanks her for. "You two.. you two really are gifts, angels, both of you, I don't know where I'd be without you." And they felt the same about her. She hugs them both and Armin goes off to study for that upcoming test.

—

They must've sat there for an hour.. a long exhausting hour. And we all say time goes by so quick once you're at the age of thirteen and so on..
They'd still occasionally glance to each other every now and then as they 'Studied.'

'Reiner you make no sense.. just what am I supposed to do if he loses?! What's so embarrassing.. humiliating that he'd never ever be able to get out of his mind for as long as he lives? Dammit.' Jean thought to himself as he glared at his phone biting his thumb nail.

Eren could not help but to think similarly,
'Okay, say I win this, what's so mortifying and degrading that he'd never be able to even step foot in this damn school again?'
as the anxious tapping of Jean's tapping gets louder and louder and his teeth bite his nail so hard he starts to bleed a loud ringing is soon heard not only startling the boys but Pixis as well since he nearly falls out of his seat. "Oh, seems our time here has come to a close." He nervously chuckles as he stops the alarm on his phone. "Now, I hope I won't be seeing you two in my office again."
In unison the boys reply with a, "Yes sir." And stand up getting their things to leave. "You two have a good rest of your day, behave yourselves!" And with that Jean is the first to leave, there's a bus outside awaiting them to aboard and soon they do, home they head. Eren would most definitely be awaiting a scolding from not only his mother but Mikasa too, Jean would just ignore his Ma and luckily his friends probably wouldn't bug him either. Maybe Marco would send a few texts asking if he'd gotten home okay but that's really it.

The two glanced at each other one more time, an eye roll from one and the bird being flipped to the other.
—

The door is soon quietly opened, Carla stood there awaiting her son. He could be so much better than this.. "Again?" Her arms were crossed. She's said these things too many times you know. There's no getting through to him. "Sorry."
"Yeah well, someone's always sorry for something, you know that's the same thing your—" she shook her head.

How could she allow such words to leave her mouth.. how cruel.. "your dinners in the microwave." And she walks away to prevent further conflict, she goes to bed early far too tired to deal with any more of this. Too tired. Eren sighed, he ate as Mikasa stood there glaring at him the whole time.
"What?"
"You know what." She's stern, firm, and angry.
"Yeah yeah, so I got into another fight, big deal." He scoffs. "Yeah it is because it's irritating Eren, every time we turn around you're getting into more and more trouble, how're you even expecting to make it the rest of the school year with your grades and act the way they are." He only shrugs at her.

Armin was just in his room trying to ignore the conflict outside his door, ears plugged and all. "Anyways," Eren starts, "I need help."
"Nuh-uh, I'm not helping you with shit."
"No I promise it's with the test! The math test!"
"Why? So you can just jot down random things and nap? Ask Armin— or no actually don't because he's also not helping you." Mikasa chastised.
"No, it's important! I seriously have to beat Jean! It's a challenge! Mikasa im begging you! Can't you see I'm desperate here?!"
"Aren't you always? It's hard to tell." Her tones nonchalant, doesn't give a damn. "No honest! I need you to help me here! He's— he's gonna make me do something really really embarrassing!"
"Oh really? Like what?"
"I-" he hesitated. "I don't know! Just help me out here! Please!" Soon enough his plates thrown into the sink and he's gripping at the bottom on her skirt like he's going to throw a tantrum. "Hey! Stop it you'll rip it!"
"Please!"
"Okay! Fuck! I'll help, just study alright? There's not much else you can do than that, honestly. You'll have to talk to Armin, he'll help you study."

The two head to Armin's room and they all watch a movie however they talk more than they watch.
"Y'know Eren, I don't see how you got yourself in such a stupid situation, can't just say no?" Armin says, "Uh, no! It's a challenge and it's Jean! I can't say no to that and you know that! Don't you know how humiliating that is?!"

For the rest of the night Eren bitched about how he was going to get a better grade than Jean. They planned to study hard after school and maybe even during their free time during school as well.

After all, it's one grade and he doesn't even have to score a 100% all he's gotta do is do better than Jean. Soon the movie ended and they were off to showers and bed, Eren always took the longest time in the bathroom.
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As for Jean, he got a scolding from his mother, after dinner he was off to bed, didn't bother to do much else.

It's then as he's about to lie himself down on his bed his phone buzzes.
He groans but picks it up. There's a text from about an hour ago or so from Marco, reading, "I'm disappointed in you." But other than that it was as just group chat messages from his friends. They were just arguing about things and teasing each other. He didn't bother with that right now. He's much too tired for Marco's shit however if he needed his help he'd have to make things up.
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Jeany boy: Hey.. look, I'm sorry, I was just screwing around earlier play? I didn't mean it to get as serious as it did, won't happen again. Eren's always starting shit, he made it worse than it was.
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Of course he'd blame him, but hey, he thinks it'll take the blame off him enough to make the other automatically forgive him when in reality he just looks even more immature.

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               • • •

Freckled dork: Just forget it Jean, I'm over it.

What else should he expect coming from Jean, it happens almost every week so it's only predictable.

Jeany boy: Hey, do you think you can help me study? For the math test Friday?

Huh.. help studying? How odd of him.
It's not often he'd ask this, if he did it was five minutes before the test.

Freckled dork: Sure. :)

Jeany boy: Thanks. (:

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And with that Jean went to bed. It's assumed the others had as well.