Short Stories: Charleigh Finney

The News of Being Homeschooled

As I was informed of my impending homeschooling fate, my mind was completely empty. It was a topic my mother had brought up before, so I was not surprised, but I never expected it to become a reality. 

We were all seated around the dining table, a rare sight as we usually dined in the living room. I absently wiped a finger on the table, noting its dusty surface. My older brother Charles, on the other hand, was not taking the news lightly.

"Mum, I'm sorry, but I can't agree to this," he spoke with calm, stern authority. "You can't just stop us from going to school. That's illegal."

"I've done my research," Mum countered, twirling her finger around the edge of her teacup. "I've asked around, and I'm confident we can homeschool all of you without any problems."

Charlotte, my younger sister, couldn't contain her excitement. "I want to stay home all day! Let's be homeschooled!"

But Charles was not swayed. "You can't stop me from going," he declared.

"Charles, I've already talked to the school," Mum interjected calmly. "You all are still going to school for another week."

Charles turned bright red, but he didn't argue further. 

The next week, Mum went out to buy groceries. I heard Charles speaking on the phone a bit too loudly. Curiosity piqued, I tiptoed to his door and pressed my ear against it.

"My mum is taking away my phone too... Angela, I'm sorry." Silence followed.

"We can't see each other anymore."

Before I could run off, the door swung open, and Charles grabbed my arms, furrowing his brows. "You know I can hear you breathing, right? Were you eavesdropping?" His grip was gentle, and he held his phone in his other hand. The call had just ended.

I looked away from the phone to him. "Who's Angela? Your girlfriend?" I teased.

"That's none of your business." Charles let go of me and collapsed onto his bed, his face facing the ceiling. I sat down on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me. "Are you going to miss high school?" I asked him.

"Hell yeah, I am," Charles admitted. "I'm going to miss it so much."

"I'm sure you'll find a better girl," I teased again.

"Shut up," he chuckled. "You know what they say about middle school romances being cringe, right?"

"I do," I replied, and we shared a laugh.

That day was our last day of school together.