When Beth came home, she really felt like doing nothing, although her due to send her project was in two days. “If I leave it for tomorrow, I will regret it because I won’t do it even then… Hmh…” ‘ Come on, you lazy fat ass. You have to be responsible, you’re 20 after all.’ “I don’t wanna.” ‘But you have to.’ “It’s hard to think.” ‘Oh, and the money’s gonna fall from the sky, eh?’ “I really hate myself… And if this goes on, I’ll be ready for a mental hospital.” Beth talked to herself like that every day. Every day she had to work. Term ‘summer holidays’ didn’t exist in her vocabulary. She was grateful as much as she was lazy for having a job at all. If it wasn’t for Deb’s parents, God knows where she’d be, in which part of the streets. So, after eating and showering, her fingers were taping on her laptop, waiting orders from her brain what to type.
“Hey, Beth.” Beth heard Deb calling for her and she raised her head from the warm nest she made with her arms. Deb’s expression went from happy to shocked in a second after looking at her best friend’s face. “What… happened to you?” Deb asked, still staring at Beth. “Wha? Why? Is there something in my hair?” she started fixing her hair, but stopped after she remembered the bags under her eyes. “Oh… that. It’s nothing, I was just working last night and the night before that and the night before that one, too, that’s all.” , “Maybe you should give it a rest, you know? Day or two… a whole week.”, “Oh, sure, sure, maybe.” , “Anyway”, Deb continued, “what do you say about pizza today?” her mood was all cheerful again. “Uuuhm, sorry, no can do. I’m thinking about sleeping ‘till tomorrow when I get home. Sorry. ”, “Well, never mind then.”, “Why don’t you go with Amy?”, “Yes, we were planning, counting you, but we’ll go together next time.”, “Right, right, have fun.”, “And you get some rest.”, “If you leave me alone, maybe I will.”
It didn’t pass 5 minutes when it rang and professor came right on time. “Do you know I wait outside the classroom for bell to ring? Just so I can come in a second after ringing?” Everyone went quiet and stared at him with a worrying faces on. “Relax, I’m just joking. You can laugh, too.” He said with a big, happy grin which soon enough became a straight line. “Yes, you can laugh. At your own results, ‘cause I’ve been laughing the whole night. Marco, would you, please?” he asked a student to share the tests. Beth got 86%. “Psst, Beth.” Beth heard Brian calling for her. “Yes?” she asked when turned to him. He had the pretty same face as Deb earlier. “Uhm… what did you got?”, “86.”, “May I see?” Just as he saw the score, he frowned. “What are you talking about? You got 96%. Here, I don’t even…” Beth just grabbed her test before Brian started with his lectures and turned back again. When she looked through it more carefully, it did write 96. She’s an idiot.
* * *
Did Beth rest when she came home? Yes. Did she eat? No. Did that thing with working lasted the whole month? Yes. Maybe two? Definitely. How did Beth look like? Like a skeleton.
* * *
“Beth? Beth?” Deb called for her while waving in front of her face. “Huh? What?” Beth snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Deb and then at Emily and Amy. They were all staring at her. “I asked you why aren’t you eating.”, “Oh, sorry, I was just… never mind. I’m not hungry anymore.”, “But you didn’t eat even a half from your plate.” Emily added. “It’s yucky. I don’t like it.”Beth replied, making a grimace. “Can I have some, then?” Amy asked, already pulling the plate towards her. “Sure, by all means.” While the girls started talking about boys or something irrelevant, Beth was thinking about her new work and took a sketchbook out of her bag. With a steady hands, she neatly drew a rectangle over the page and sketches that the program supposed to contain and on the other page how to make a working program inside that program. “Whoa, is that for an art class?” Amy asked surprised by Beth’s art. “What? Haha, no, it’s just something of mine, nothing important.”, “All that I can say is that it’s really pretty. Keep going.”, “Thank you.” When Amy and Emily left the table, Deb asked for Beth’s attention. “Beth, do you mind if I ask you something?”, “No, shoot.”, “Do you always eat like that?”, “Huh? Like what?” Beth raised a look from her sketch. “This little. How much do you weigh?”, “Don’t know.” Beth dedicated to her work again. “Find out.”, “Don’t wanna.”, “Beth, please, I’m worried about your health. You look like a prune.”, “Well, isn’t that a nice compliment to hear from a best friend?” Beth sarcastically said. “You won’t be hearing that only from me. Em and Amy said the same. Is there something bothering you?”, “Well, except you…” Beth stopped for a moment and received a hit from Deb, “my period is late, that’s all.”, “What do you mean, ‘that’s all’? Beth, get serious, it may be some difficulties, you should better go visit your doctor.”, “I will, I will, don’t worry.”, “You’re 20 and you act like 15.”, “It’s not that much of a difference, right?” Deb was quiet for a while, watching Beth drawing and then continued. “Why are you holding the paper so close to your eyes? Is your sight well? Look at me.” Deb said in a serious tone and Beth actually listened to her this time. “Please look at that pin board over there.” She said and pointed at the board which was 3 meters away from their table. “Now would you please read out loud the biggest title at the top?” Beth looked at it for 10 seconds straight and started reading:”What wald you do… if you be cough a place man far a way?” Beth said and leaned in her chair with a small smile on her lips. Deb looked at her with a terrified look on her face. “Now please tell me you’re joking.”, “Why? What’s wrong?” She asked with a frown. “Does it really sound grammatically correct to you?”, “I don’t give a fuck.”, “Beth, it says ‘What would you do if you become a policeman for a day?’ Visit a ophthalmologist, too. Please.”, “Yes, mom.” Beth said in a serious tone while nodding her head in agreement. “Now, let’s go, we have biology in 5 minutes.” Beth grabbed her bag, stood up and on her first step bumped into someone. “Watch it.” she said, looking up. “No, you watch it, slut.” Some big guy said, overtopping Beth. “So, will you move or what?” Beth asked, dead-serious, looking straight into his eyes. “No can do.” He replied, not moving an inch. Beth sighed and rolled her eyes, trying to bypass him, but the jerk moved, blocking her way. “Is that something important you’re holding?” he asked, looking at her sketchbook. Well, more at her cleavage than the sketchbook. “Yes, it’s worthier than your life.” She continued her glaring. “Then it would be a shame if someone ripped it apart.”, “You have no idea.” “Beth… stop it. Let’s go. Don’t get into another trouble.” Beth heard Deb behind her, but ignored her. Slowly, the guy moved his hand and grabbed the paper from on which the first sketch was and looked at it confused. “The hell is this? I don’t understand a word.” He said with the most stupid face on. “Well, I’m surprised you can even read.” Beth said and smoothly slid between him and the chair, with Deb following her. “Here.” She heard the guy’s voice and saw him handing her the paper. Beth gently took it and after studying through it while walking. When she noticed she made a mistake from the beginning, she crumpled it and threw in a bin.
“What was that all about?” Deb asked her, clearly upset from the previous event. “I don’t know, he was just there and… we bumped and that’s it.”, “He could have hit you.”, “Oh, please, shut up.”
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FanfictionA story about a young adult who's living an empty life with no family and a few friends. After a while, she takes a liking into a man with whom she has a lot of in common and they start a relationship while overcoming everyday insecurities and quest...