Teen Dad Series

Demanding Schedule (Calum & Quinn)

  "Mom said I can go with her to Nicaragua for spring break, she asked if you wanted to come." Quinn pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she spoke. She was getting ready for the day, enjoying the Saturday morning. School had been exhausting for her this year, and any break she could get, she was seizing with both hands. Which meant spring break was going to be amazing. She had to wait two more months, but it was going to be worth it.
"You know I can't." Calum replied, leaning out of the bathroom to look at her. Quinn gestured for him to wipe the side of his mouth, where there was still a bit of toothpaste.
"You have time to get time off, right?" Quinn asked, grabbing her books and shoving them into her bag.
Calum shook his head, rolling up his sleeves as he walked past her to grab his duffel bag of his things. His shift was about to start and he'd be at the firehouse for the next three days. "I can't. One of the fire houses nearby lost a good amount of their guys at that hotel fire last week. Half our guys are being sent over there to help out until they can get things worked out. It's gonna be a long process."
"So you can't take one week off to hang out with family?" Quinn frowned, turning to look at her dad in disbelief.
"Don't give me that look. Besides, they're not technically my family. I'll go this summer once everything calms down, alright?" He looked at her, waiting for an answer, which he didn't get. Quinn scoffed, turning and leaving the apartment.
She went down the café just don't the block, planning on spending her afternoon pouring herself over the newest books she'd gotten. However, she couldn't focus no matter how much she tried to read. The annoyance she felt towards Calum and his stupid job was keeping her distracted. She sat there, staring out the window, and thinking about everything she wanted to say to him.
"How's the tea?" Quinn glanced up, noticing one of the employees of the café standing near the table she'd been occupying. Quinn recognized her from around school, they'd never talked, but the girl was in a few of her classes. Her name was Edin.
"Great." Quinn quickly took a sip, realizing it had gone cold. Well, it still tasted fine. It was her fault for zoning out anyway. Quinn took notice of Edin's name tag, seeing the 'Manager' just below her name. "Whoa, I've heard becoming a manager here is really tough. How'd you get that positon?"
Edin smiled, picking up a few scraps of paper from the table. "I started working here as soon as I was at the legal age. Been here a while." She shrugged. "My dad's been in and out of odd jobs, so I've been helping with paying bills for the past couple of years." She smiled brightly. "Guess it's a good thing I like it here, huh?" She waved slightly as she turned to walk away. "Enjoy the tea."
Quinn smiled, returning the wave then turned to look back at her book. She sighed, closing it. There was no way she was able to focus now. She had to talk to Calum.
It was a good thing the fire house wasn't too far away. She could just walk over and see if the guys were there. They were all hanging out, playing card games in the sitting area when Quinn entered. She stopped once she was standing next to Calum's seat, asking for him to talk to her in private. So they walked down to his office.
"What's up?" Calum leant against the edge of his desk, looking at her with mild concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Quinn sighed. "I'm just sorry about the way I acted earlier. I get it, you have to work and I should've been more understanding about it. I'm lucky to have a dad with a job." She shrugged. "Just, sorry for acting like a brat."
Calum smiled, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Well, you're forgiven. Is that it?"
"And I love you even with your demanding work schedule." Quinn wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug.
"Love you too."