Chiron Academy

Operation: Saving Amy

"But boys aren't allowed in the girl's rooms," Mariah said.

"Fine, he can stand in the hallway," Amy pushed back.

"I think that still counts as the dormitory." 

"Dormitory: from the Spanish dormitorio. The noun form of the word, dormir, means to sleep. Would you sleep in the hallway? No? Then how could it be the dormitory?"

"But what if someone comes along?" Mariah said. "They'll see him."

"Well, I guess he would have to come inside and we would shut the door."

"But that's definitely against the rules!"

"So what? We're already on probation.  What are they going to do? Kick us out?"

"Yes," Wyatt said with a sigh. "That is exactly what they will do."

"Oh, Wittle Wyatt, whatever happened to that devil-may-care attitude from last week?" 

"That was something important."

"So is this," Amy said. "I am in the depths of despair. I am not long for this world, Wywy. I need my friends to cheer me up.  Now come inside and shut the door."

Mariah and Wyatt looked at each other.

Wyatt finally just shrugged and sighed, pulling the door closed behind him.

"So what exactly happened during your meeting with the dean?"

"He made it very clear that if I don't get my grades up post haste, they will expel me. His exact words were 'Amelia, you stand at the edge of a precipice. You need to show some results or you will fall." He threatened to look up flights home for me. I was surprised he didn't get my dad on speakerphone as well just to drive the knife in deeper."

"But I thought you had already done all of your homework. What have you been working on all of this time?"

"I have been doing homework."

"Okay, so why-"

"Okay, SOME homework. I've done some homework. Occasionally stopping to watch a movie. When I hit a wall in studying."

"Then why are they threatening to expel you?"

For the first time since Wyatt had met her, Amy seemed at a loss for words. 

"But there have been whole days that you said you were too busy to hang out because you were working on homework. Were you watching movies the whole time? And what about all that time you spent in the computer lab?  Were you just making the Chrome dinosaur jump?"

"I try, Wyatt," Amy explained. "I really do. But I think some people just aren't made for homework. After an hour, my eyes start to glaze over..."

Seeing Wyatt's expression, she rose to her knees on the bed. 

"Don't look at me like that, Wyatt! I  was pursuing happiness. As in  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of. It's in the Constitution. Our ancestors died for that right! It is unalienable!"

She laid back down on the bed, her energy obviously spent. 

"I know it wasn't the right thing to do," she said with a sigh. "That's why I need moral support." 

"How can you have let your grade dip so low?" Mariah cut. "Didn't you-" 

"Yes, Mother." Amy rolled her eyes. "I know. I should have worked more on the homework. That is the moral of the story. I don't need a lecture. I need support. Now, will you help me?"