Shakespearean - JayTim - Camp NaNoWriMo - July 2017

Chapter 11 - Drive

Jason was really happy he hadn't procrastinated as much as he had wanted to. It would really suck if he had, because even after spending a ton of time all week on his research assignment for journalism, he still felt overwhelmed and unprepared. That might have been because he really wanted to do a good job in this class, but he was pretty sure it had more to do with a personal attachment to the topic.

Jason was pretty sure there wasn't really much more for him to do. He'd finished his research and had written most of the paper already. The final paragraph was in the works and he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to say in it, so he wasn't worried about that. He wasn't concerned about the grade either.

Sighing, Jason leaned back in the chair at his standard issue desk in his dorm. He knew what he really was stressing over, if he was being honest with himself, and it wasn't the topic as much as he had thought. He really liked Professor Clark, and he wanted to continue to be liked in return. So far he'd done a good job of making a good impression, and he really didn't want to screw it up because of the topic he happened to get randomly.

Running a hand through his hair, he stood up and moved to the bed. He didn't want to finish yet, since class wasn't until the next day and it was still morning. Jason was a procrastinator, and anything finished could be judged, so he decided to put it off until it wasn't morning anymore. Because mornings sincerely sucked, in his humble opinion.

As he usually found himself doing these days when he didn't want to focus, Jason found his thoughts drifting to Tim. When Tim had driven him home from his house a few days before, the ride home had been as entertaining as the rest of his time at the house. The first minute or so had been silence, but Tim hadn't been able to contain his curiosity.

"I couldn't have predicted the sign language thing in a million years." Jason wasn't really sure how exactly to interpret Tim's tone of voice. It seemed to hover somewhere between curious, impressed, and cautious.

Jason had slowly nodded his head while trying to figure out what kind of answer Tim was wanting and what kind of answer Jason was willing to give him. "I generally give more of a rebel without a cause impression, don't I?"

Tim had snorted softly and kept quiet for a few seconds, and Jason had allowed himself to think that his deflection had worked, but he'd thought too soon. "So that girl..."

"Look, Tim," Jason had interrupted. "I really don't want to talk about her. It was a long time ago and it brings back a lot of bad memories I'd really rather not recall. Maybe one day, but right now, it's just not a good idea for me." He'd looked over at Tim, begging him with his eyes to please let it go, and Tim had nodded, relenting. Jason cleared his throat, hoping the lump would disappear, and changed the subject. "So is Cassandra hearing impaired or what?"

Tim had shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "No, she's mute. Her dad was..., well, he was pretty messed up. He was abusive beyond most people's imaginations, and, the way Cassandra tells it, he never let her say a word. He kept her home, never let her leave the house or go to school or anything, and she never actually learned to speak. Any time she had tried resulted in a beating that should have meant a hospital trip but only actually meant her asshole father stitching her back up himself when he was in the mood." Tim's voice was tight, like he was still angry at the bastard and wanted to do the guy in himself. His expression softened. "Cassie's tough, tougher than anyone I know, and I'm the proudest guy in the world to be her brother. I love Conner like a brother, but if he don't treat her right, I'll kick his ass into next century."

Jason had raised an eyebrow. "So Conner and her are together? It seemed like it, but I hadn't wanted to assume."

Tim had smiled, apparently pretty pleased about it. "Yeah, actually. Cutest couple ever, if you ask me. They're kind of perfect for each other. Considering he learned sign language for her before they were even a couple, I definitely approve.