Love Out of the Middle - Discontinued

Chapter 8: I Don't Want This

September 27:

Penelope:

"Do you know where I put my phone Penny?" Michael asks from his room as we try to get out the door for the morning.

"Dresser!" I call from the kitchen. Will and I exchange surprised looks.

"I can't believe he let that phone out of his sight. He sleeps with it right next to the clock on his nightstand." Will says, "I'm sure if he could shower with it he would." I start going through my school morning checklist as he talks,  "Penny, do you know where my-"

"Hall coat closet upstairs." I answer before he can continue his question continuing my checklist. Will walks away and Jones walks up to me. "Hi Buddy, what do you want?" He lays on his back. "You want your belly rubbed don't you?" I kneel down next to him and rub his belly. He wags his tail and his tongue is hanging out of his mouth.

"Let's go Pen." Sam calls from the front of the house.

"Coming!" I call back, "I got to go Jones, I'll be back this afternoon okay boy?" He stands up and follows me to the door.

"Everything okay Penelope?" Sam asks as I climb into the car.

"Jones is acting weird."

"Define weird." Sam says.

"Remember how Jerry was before he died, that level weird."

"Jerry was about six years older than Jones. Jones is still a puppy." Michael says.

"Jones is doing the same things that Jerry did before he died. Do you think he's sick?"

"I'll have mom or dad to take him to the vet after school. I'm sure Jones is going to be fine." Sam says pulling into the school parking lot and parking at his spot. "Jones is going to be fine." He reassures me picking up his books from the back of the jeep. I pick up my own things after the boys finish. "But if it'll make you feel better I'll take him to the vet during lunch. Now go to class before you're late." We go our separate ways and I'm in the room mapping out the partner project when Sue comes in. Sterling not long after her.

"How's it looking?" Sterling asks me.

"Daunting." I answer showing him the plan for the project. He stands behind my chair one hand on the back of it the other on my desk as he studies the game plan.

"Nothing's impossible, let's get together after my practice today and get started."

"Yeah?" I confirm, "Are you sure you'll be okay to work after your practice?"

"The project is due at the end of the quarter, between then and now I don't really have many options except after practice. Games are Friday or Saturday, you don't have time to do schoolwork on Sunday, Monday through Thursday is all that's left."

"I'm sorry." I tell him. "Okay, I'll get things together then we can meet at the library, not the school library, the public library, could your bring your laptop? My mother confiscated mine."

"Yeah, no problem." He says.

Classes come and go, soon I'm sitting with Sterling and his friends at lunch.

"So we're getting together after practice to go over a game plan, are you in?" One of Sterling's friends and fellow teammates asks.

"I have a project due, what about lunch tomorrow?" He asks the team agrees it would probably be better.

"I'll be back by closing time, do you need anything else?" Sam asks dropping me off. I shake my head and head to the door with my box of supplies. I hit the handicap button with my arm and then get cutoff by everyone the door closing before I could go inside the door closes. I try it two more times before giving up and sitting outside to wait. I pull out one of the pieces to try to start.