For Them, We Must

Do the right thing.

"You misspelled replacement," Oakley's eyes shifted over the paper. "Twice."

"It happens," Tate shrugged from where he sat across the dining table from her.

Oakley looked up at him and raised her eyebrow.

"There's spell check on the computer, Tate," Oakley said. "You didn't see that red line showing the error?"

"It's the first paper of the year," Tate shrugged.

"That you got a fifty-eight on it," Oakley folded her hands over the paper. "Tate, you've never failed a paper before."

"It was a hard subject," Tate shrugged again.

"It was tribal relationships and how they've evolved in the twenty-first century..." Oakley sighed. "That's literally you, Tate."

"I'm not tribal relationships," Tate made a face.

"No, but you're the face of the twenty-first century when it comes to Native Tribes in this country," Oakley smiled.

"Just because I'm half doesn't mean I'm the face of it," Tate said, making Oakley's smile dim.

Tate was picking at the table in front of him, not meeting Oakley's eyes. She thought it was weird, this...anger that Tate seemed to have right now. Tate wasn't a straight-A student, but he was a good student. Oakley pushed the paper to the side and sighed.

"What happened?" She asked him.

"What?" Tate finally looked at her.

"What happened?" Oakley repeated. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not," Tate mumbled as Kayce walked into the dining room, just now getting home.

"Hey," Kayce kissed the top of Oakley's head as he squeezed her shoulders. "What's up?"

Suddenly, Tate's eyes were wide as he almost pleaded with Oakley to not say something. Oakley shifted, looking up at Kayce with a smile.

"We were trying to debate on whether to have pizza or burgers for supper," Oakley said.

"Should have called," Kayce mentioned. "I could have picked something up."

"Hence the debate," Oakley stood up. "But I'd love you forever if you drove me into town and we grabbed some burgers for us?"

Kayce sighed but smiled at Oakley.

"Alright," He turned around.

Oakey glanced back at Tate who at least looked thankful toward her.

"When I get back, you're gonna tell me what's wrong," Oakley said. "So think about how you want to explain it to me."

Tate nodded as Oakley walked out of the room,

**

"So why am I driving you to get burgers?" Kayce asked, pulling his truck out of the drive.

"Because Tate failed his first paper and he won't tell me what's wrong," Oakley crossed her arms.

"Just one paper," Kayce shrugged.

"Kayce," Oakley looked over at him. "He's never failed a paper before...and when I pushed I could tell there's something there. And it was about tribal relationships, which should be a breeze for Tate to write about but he...didn't."

"Still don't see why I had to leave?" Kayce glanced at Oakley.

"I was the one talking to him," Oakley smiled. "And I was also hungry."