Leah and Trent

Chapter Ten

September 20 2016 - Tuesday

~

Brittany

(Song: Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)

I had captured several different shots around the park while the sun was still hanging on to the sky. Atlantis had a lot of lush greenery mixed in with its concrete and brick buildings. It supplied an amazing contrast between nature and civilization. Walking around the city made me feel very fortunate to live in such an aesthetically alluring and dynamic place. It was a photographer's paradise.

While I was out, I saw Torrance, our head cheerleader, and she was with three of the other sisters at a sidewalk café. I was about to walk over to them when I saw that they were in the middle of arguing with each other. I quietly slithered my way over, trying to get as close as possible without being noticed; I even resorted to hiding behind a tree. But I still couldn't clearly hear a single word they said. They all yelled over each other like they were part of a dysfunctional choir. Although, I did manage to snap a couple action shots of Torrance throwing a spoon at one of the girls.

It didn't take long for a waiter to come over and intervene. He struggled with trying to talk over them, but after he threatened to ban them from the Café, they all ended up storming off in different directions. I smiled thinking that no group of people could really argue better than a bunch of cheerleaders; we were trained to yell after all. I made a mental note to be sure to tell Leah what I saw and share the pictures with her.

The house was empty when I came home, but my mom had sent me a text saying she and my dad were at the store. I was in the kitchen, sitting at the island and uploading my photographs onto my laptop, when my parents walked in carrying grocery bags.

"Hey, sweetie. What'cha doin'?" my mom asked.

"Working on some images." My parents walked over and placed the bags near me on the kitchen island. My dad started putting things into the refrigerator, but my mom paused and looked at me with shallow eyes.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" she asked with her hand on her hip.

"I. . .will."

"Brittany~"

"I know. I know."

"You have to put more focus on your grades."

"I am."

"Are you going to study with Leah?" By study she meant tutoring, of course.

"If she's free."

"I still think you should consider, maybe, choosing between cheer and drama club."

"But I don't want to quit either of them. And you said they'd look good on my applications."

"Yes, but a C average isn't the best thing to have."

"I'll try to get my grades up."

"Okay, but. . ." My mother paused and looked down at the stone on the island. My mom was a very gentle soul. She always had a perplexed expression on her face whenever she was trying to think of a subtle way to get her point across.

In that moment of silence, my dad's voice stepped in. He was always a really quiet person, but he usually had something brilliant to say whenever anyone needed it. It was as if he saved his voice only for when it was no less than essential.

"There's nothing wrong with realizing your cup is overfilled. Sometimes it's best to lighten the load," he said still putting groceries away.

"Yeah, but I enjoy cheering with Leah and my teammates. And I like being crew."

"Do you still plan on having a career in photography?" my mom asked.

"Yeah."

"Then maybe it's time to start making some plans in order to steer towards that goal." I stared at my computer screen. The shot I had taken of kids playing around on a dome at the playground stared back at me.

"It's not good to spread yourself too thin, Brittany," my dad said. I nodded my head, but my mom must have read the somber expression on my face.

"But, of course, it's completely up to you. We're just giving you a suggestion. I like watching you cheer, you're always so cute," my mom said smiling and placing her hand on my back.

"Thanks, mom," I said trying to match her smile.

(Song: Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots)