Take What You Need {L.H.}

The Dishes

Luke hated washing the dishes.

It wasn't so much hate as it was being put off by the fact that the dishes were just going to get dirty again. He wanted to have everyone switch to paper plates to save time.

His mom knew this, which is why she asked him to do the dishes quite often. Everytime he complained, she decided that he would do it again tomorrow, even though she didn't tell him that.

Luke mentally prepared himself as he let out a half groan on his way into the kitchen. He flipped on the hot water to rinse the plates when he felt his phone vibrate.

"Hello?"

"I hate school."

Luke figured Annabelle wasn't very good at the whole idea of greeting someone before you start talking.

"Is there anyone who actually likes school?" He chuckled because as much as he disliked school, he had to admit that it could be entertaining.

"No. I mean I don't mind school. I just hate the way it makes me feel."

"What does even mean?" Luke was confused considering that he didn't really think school made people feel a certain way.

"It's pressure, right? Pressure to have friends. Pressure to have good grades. Pressure to be perfect. I don't like that feeling."

"Everything has pressure though." He said, picking up a plate in the sink. He just stared at the plate, not really concerned with the fact that he was wasting hot water.

"Right but because of this pressure, it just makes everything different."

"Different how?" Luke put the plate back in the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and turned off the water. He now had even less of an interest in doing the dishes, so he sat back at the table.

"It makes me feel inadequate."

"Well you can't be that dumb if you just used a big word like that." He chuckled in his seat. Luke saw a lone piece of spaghetti still on the table so he started pushing it around with his hand. 

"I said inadequate. Not dumb. There's a difference." She breathed a heavy sigh. 

"Do you want to fill me in?"

"Meaning I feel like I'm not good enough. I know I'm smart for my age, but I'm not smart enough to compete anymore."

"Oh." Luke still didn't completely get it, but he got her point. 

"I went from top of the class to swimming with the fish in a month." Luke listened to her voice get higher near the end, but not crack. 

"Well," Luke paused for effect. "You know what they say about fish." 

There was a pause over the phone line. FInally she answered. 

"What?"

"They can break the scales."

{A.N.}

Luke's puns omg. 

That is all. 

Written while on my way to english class.