S.M

Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Genius that I am, I gave two characters the same name (oops). One of them is only very minor, so the guy in the study group is being changed from 'Stephen' to 'Phil'. The Stephen that is staying the same is the one who who is Kyle's cousin.

Will

Sitting with his presentation group, Will was seriously considering dropping out. Tara and Victoria were both working very hard, Phil had his headphones on so it was hard to figure out what he was doing exactly, and Will wanted to smack his forehead into the table.

Will couldn't even make himself read the article that was up on his phone. It was written in a type of English he was unfamiliar with. English had always been one of his better subjects, and languages in general, but this one was impossible.

"Will?" Tara had a knowing look about her.

"Yeah?" Will stopped himself from volunteering to get them all more coffee. They'd had two cups already, and they hadn't been sitting in the cafeteria long enough to warrant it.

"Anything to add?"

Will pushed the papers he had contributed already across the table. "This."

Tara didn't even look at the papers, but gave Will a look. "This is probably... half of what we need from you."

Victoria frowned at her. "We still have two weeks."

"We all agreed we wanted to practice runs, and mid-terms are going to take up all of our time the week before the presentation." Tara replied. "Let's say we'll try get it all finished by this Saturday?"

Will knew they were waiting on him. But sitting down to work on this was like trying to push his car up a hill: it didn't work. He mumbled out, "Fine." It felt like a lie. It must have sounded like that to Tara too.

"This is good work," Victoria pointed out, clearly trying to break the tension.

Tara rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure to thank Dune when I see him."

Will stiffened. Yeah. Dune had helped him with the research. He didn't do it for him. He may have helped him find the articles. And point out which points to take down. And helped to arrange it into a coherent argument... But Will was rubbish with this kind of thing, and Dune wasn't. And—

Did Dune tell them?

Will took out his phone, pretending to be checking a message.

Did he? Was he talking about Will to them?

Dune didn't gossip. But maybe him and Luke were already pouring their hearts out to each other. Maybe Dune talked about Will. Maybe Luke passed that along. No. No. But Dune wouldn't, right? He knows that Will hates being talked about. Or does he? If it's not about the eating thing, than maybe the other aspects of Will are fair game?

"I was thinking we could all go ice-skating." Victoria was suggesting when Will focused back-in. "Are you guys free tonight?"

"I'm up for it." Tara agreed.

Phil gave a thumbs up. So he could hear them all.

"I've a date."

Victoria's smile faltered a second, then she looked interested. "A date?"

"The older boyfriend, right?" Tara looked interested as well.

How does she know that? Dune must have been talking. Will hadn't said a word about Gabriel to anyone, aside from mentioning that he had a partner. That was it. Dune was talking about him.