all in my head

“wait, you’re joking.. you have to be kidding! i can keep eugene for the entire summer? wow, i already thought you were too kind but now, you’ve definitely one-upped yourself. but i do hope you know, when you give the crab to me, it’ll be the last time you ever see him.”

“no! of course not! i’m very serious, he’s all yours, if you want him! m-me? oh, well, th-thank you. i try to be kind, um, especially to you, since you’re so kind to me. i would say think about the children, but they wouldn’t even know he was gone, since it will be a new class! is that awful to say? but, um, i know you’ll take care of him. my dog will definitely not miss him, he always likes to bark at him. i think cupcake thinks he’s a little toy, or something.”

it was so difficult to keep his thoughts to himself when brynn was so cute and it made his heart flutter when he saw her cheeks flush. “ i’m pretty sure you are, brynn. unless you’re calling me a liar or something but that can’t be right. since, you know, you’re so angelic and everything. ” part of him felt bad for pushing it further but god dammit, seeing her all flustered like that make him weak in the knees. truthfully, he was just as nervous but unlike her, he had the ability to hide it.

just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. part of her wished she had a mean bone in her body, just so she could be content with avoiding matty and the anxiety that he brought her. yet, she couldn’t. she wouldn’t dare go out of her way to avoid anyone, especially a person who was being kind. it just made her so nervous, and she had no idea how to react or handle it. “i-i’m seriously not an angel. but, it’s, uh, v-very kind of you to think so. i never called you a liar! you’re just too, um, kind to me, and i don’t deserve it.”

“oh? wouldn’t it be easier to just decorate it now? like, in order to not have to rush and do it before the next school year starts? it’d be less to deal with! you’re the teacher here though, i don’t know what i’m talking about. what gives you the idea that i’m a good interior designer? is it because i’m.. short? i knew it. here i am, thinking we’d have a great connection. yet, i’m disappointed.”

“because you’re short? no! not even close! i was thinking along the lines of you arrange flowers well, so maybe you could arrange other things well? i don’t know, don’t mind me.”

“wha- no, brynn. i don’t want money. i wanna touch your pet crab! as long as i get to touch the crab, that’ll be enough for me. no stuffed animal could amount to playing with the hermit. ”

“oh? you know you don’t even have to ask! um, actually, if you want--only if you want--you can keep him over the summer? i mean, i could keep him too, but you really seem to like him.”

“a prize from the treasure box? wait, scratch that. plural prizes from the toy box? what more could a guy want? well, actually... y’know, you drive a hard bargain, maxwell.. but, i think i’ll need more than a few prizes to help your streamer situation.”

“yeah! anything you want! o-oh? what’s that? i, uh, only have ten dollars in my wallet, so.”

“ thank you, brynn, ” he cooed, lips curving into a grateful smile as he finally handed over the full pack, though his fingertips twitched as he tucked his hands away back into his pockets. “ you’re an absolute angel, you know that ?? i knew i could count on you. ” matty shot her a wink. “ no, no !! you are the perfect person for the job, i promise. and i believe in you. i’ll do my best not to cry, just so you don’t have to go through all that inner turmoil. ”

matty always made her nervous, just because his compliments were almost constant. they weren’t creepy, kind if anything, but she was never sure of how to react to them. they just made her shy and blush, which she could feel she was doing now. glancing back at the ground where his discarded cigarette butt lay, she gave a half hearted attempt to hide her burning cheeks. “i-i’m really not, but i’m glad you’re kind enough to th-think so.” her stutter only got worse when she was flustered, which she hated. she wished the ground would swallow her up whole instead of making her a bumbling and absolute mess. 

“i’m possibly the last person that you’d want helping you, considering i’m vertically challenged. but, can i at least help you redecorate your room? with what i can reach, that is. wait, a-a prize? well, this is a dilemma.. count me in! do you have stuffed animals?”

“of course you can! um, well, i’ll be redecorating closer to the new school year. i need to clean up for now, but i will definitely let you know when i do decorate! i’m sure you’re a very good interior designer. yeah, there’s lots of prizes for you to choose from. i think so, unless the kids picked all of them out.”

“would being a mom count? if so, that. um, otherwise... being an actress would be cool!”

Adam chuckled softly. “Yeah, Madeline’s a girl I think everyone can’t help but love,” he spoke and grinned proudly as he knew that his little sister was somebody who everyone she came across, seemed to love. “Honestly, I don’t mind helping out. You know what, I don’t really have anything planned tomorrow, and knowing me, I’m going to be bored out of my mind within an hour or something,” he said and rolled his brown eyes a little. “So, just… Tell me when and where and I’ll be there. Besides, I haven’t really been able to help out a hell of a lot with everything lately, so see this as me helping out the little I can,” he said and shrugged casually.

brynn paused, truly not wanting to burden adam with work when he should be enjoying his day off. she couldn’t help it--she was constantly concerned with others and what they wanted and needed. “are you sure?” she asked, not entirely convinced at all. “i could always find someone else, or i-i can do it by myself.” turning her attention away from adam, she gave a polite smile to the barista and ordered her drink hastily. “adam, i can get your drink! it’s no problem.” she insisted, shuffling to the side so adam could place his own order.

“I mean I can try and help, but I don’t know if I am really that much taller than you are.” She explained to the other girl. “I am more than willing to help you out though in anyway that I can.”

“well, i do appreciate the offer, nonetheless!” peering up at the streamers that we out of reach, brynn sighed and scooted a chair closer towards where she needed to yank them down. “the only downside of teaching kindergarten is how tiny the chairs are,” she began, carefully stepping onto the teeny chair. “it doesn’t give me much more height.” she sighed, straining to reach upwards. grabbing the tail end of a streamer, she pulled down on it, thankfully bringing the whole thing with her. “w-well, i guess we’re getting somewhere.”

CASSIUS: my bad !

CASSIUS: i'm fine, i'm just really fuckin bored

BRYNN: it's okay, are you sure you're okay? do you need me to call you an uber?

“ i’m basically always kidding, brynn. it’s just—especially fun to mess with you. i’m sorry. i’d say it won’t happen again but that would be untrue and i’m not a liar, ” he cracked a smile, lifting a hand to ruffle her hair gently, careful not to really mess it up. “ oh man. how am i ever supposed to decide on one of those amazing treasures ?? you know what—you’re right. i think i might just have to go for a homework pass because homework is just the WORST. ”

“is that so?” she asked, giving him a slight smile back. when he reached to ruffle her hair, she couldn’t help but flinch slightly. it was a knee jerk reaction, yet she still scolded herself mentally for doing it. she knew declan would never raise a hand to her in that way, yet she still reacted as if he would. “i wouldn’t give homework if i didn’t have to!” she explained, showing him the chest. “b-but, there’s a lot in here you can have! i’m sorry there’s no wine.”

Yeah, no problem at all.  Just out of curiosity: why are you taking them all down if you’re just going to have to put them all up again in a few months?

“you have no idea how much i truly appreciate it. well, uh, i’m not sure if i’ll have the same classroom! i’m hoping i do, but in case i don’t... better to be s-safe than sorry.”

“but if you’re just gonna put them back up when school starts again it seems like a major waste. i keep getting treated like a five year old so it should be okay. and, hey, i love candy. have they ever done something fucked up? like, you know those creepy stories where the kids a demon or something.”

“well, i’m not sure if i’ll be in the same room. it wouldn’t be very polite to leave them up for the next person to take down. o-oh! i don’t mean to be treating you like a five year old, i’m sorry. i was just thinking you may like candy. would you, um, want money instead for helping? and--no, of course not! all the kids are super sweet and awesome. thankfully, um, there’s no children of the corn type things going on in my class.”

“Yeah, sure, I mean… Maddie loves being in your class, so… She’s always so happy when she gets home,” Adam said and chuckled softly as he looked at the female standing next to him in the coffee line. Madeline was visiting their grandparents for a few days, which gave him a couple of days to get some work stuff done before the six year old came back on Friday. “Uhhh so, I’m heading back to work in a bit, but I have tonight off or tomorrow? If that’s something that could work for you?” 

“well, i’m sure you know i love having her! she puts a smile on my face everyday.” brynn gave him a genuine smile, knowing well that she wasn’t supposed to have favorites, yet maddie was. she was hoping for some help, but if it wasn’t offered, she would make do. “oh, adam, never mind then! i don’t want to take up your day off! you deserve it. i would feel bad for you to be working on the day you’re supposed to have to yourself.”