Little's Academy

Variables.

(A/N: SKIP TO THE DASHES IF YOU JUST WANT THE IMPORTANT PART. I thought writing it out was nice but now I feel like it's just too overfilled :( ,
im sorry)

"You're late. Quite late, actually." Nathan sighed, tapping his foot on the ground. Jackie was sitting on the floor, eating from a small bag of cereal.
"I know, i'm sorry. We had some,, mishaps." Samuel said, moving his head in the direction on Alex.
"Alex!!" Jackie yelled, standing up.
"Hey, inside voice. And pick up the snack." Nathan corrected, looking to Jackson who did as he was told.
"Sorry." He said, handing the snack to the caregiver.
"That's alright," Nathan sighed, patting the boy on the head.
"Good to go?" Samuel asked, setting Alex down on the floor.
Alex quickly shoved his face against the caregiver. He did not like being out in the open.
"Alex, come on. Jackie's excited to see you." Samuel said, nudging the boy in the direction of the other little.
Alex quickly took the pacifier out of his mouth and looked at the floor. This was humiliating.
"Alex, come! Lemme show you somethinggg" Jackie said with excitement, taking the boy's hand. Alex reluctantly accepted being dragged down the hallway.
"So, what happened?" Nathan asked after some time. Samuel had never met a little he couldn't put in their place.
"Timeout." Samuel sighed, wiping his face with his hand.
"Ah. That all?" Nathan asked, knowing there was more to that.
"There was maybe a different consequence mentioned-"
"Samuel, no. You didn't, did you?" Nathan said, now stopping and looking very concerned.
"No no- I didn't. But almost." He admitted, continuing his walk.
"What did he even do? He just seemed like a shy little guy. He can't be older than what, two?" Nathan whisper-yelled, still not believing what he was hearing.
"Actually, he goes from 2-4 mainly. How old does Jackie go?" Samuel corrected, ignoring the question before, which didn't seem to go unnoticed.
"He goes 5-7. What did Alex do?" Nathan asked again, still pushing for an answer.
"I don't know. He was hiding things from me very suspiciously, and then ran out of the classroom, and then used inappropriate language directed towards me." Samuel said quickly. Saying it outloud made it clear that maybe he overreacted a tiny bit.
"Wow. And those were all against your agreed rules? What rules did you set?"
"Well-"
"Don't tell me you used the same ones from-"
"Well they worked with him! How was I supposed to know they wouldn't work with Alex-"
"Because he was not a little. We've been over this-"
"Of course he was a little. We've known since middle school!"
"Samuel, I don't want to have this conversation again. Your rules were too broad. Littles, especially younger littles need a bit more specificity. Add charts, lists, cards. Just make it interactive and fun, they like that." Nathan sighed, opening the door to the parking lot where Alex and Jackie were staring at a light.
"I swear it was doing it!" Jackie assured.
"Yeah right. You're lying." Alex scoffed.
The light flickered, sending Alex scurrying to his caregiver.
"See! I told you! It's haunted!" Jackie squealed in excitement.
Alex resumed his signature whine as he looked for comfort.
"Hey, you're okay. Come here, darling." Samuel said, encasing Alex in a tight hug.
That seemed to be becoming a routine with the pair.
"Jackson, really?" Nathan asked. It was obvious the little was a handful.
"Oops." Jackie said quickly, realizing what he had done.
"Im sorryyyy" Jackie promised, now feeling bad about what happened.
"Okay okay, let's get going." Nathan said, nudging everyone in the direction of the car.
"So who's-"
"Jackson, you're not driving." Nathan sighed, unlocking the car.
"But you considered it."
"No, I did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Did so."
Nathan opened the backseat door of the car, the two littles right behind him, with Samuel behind them.
Opening the door revealed a gray and purple carseat.
A carseat.
Made specifically for regressors.
Primarily those in the younger range.
Babies.
"Samuel, I didn't know if-" Nathan began, stopping when Alex made another escape attempt.
He hadn't gotten any better, however. All he managed to do was run right into his caregiver, who was quick to pick him up.
"You were saying?" Samuel asked, ignoring the recent events.
"I was going to ask if you wanted Alex in a carseat. This is my sister's car and I'm not really supposed to move the seat."
"Well-" Samuel began, looking at his already very embarrassed little. That's when he remembered the "rule" Alex had set. No embarrassing him.