J X K

Detention

Jared's POV

"Detention again, huh?" Paul lowers down next to me, "Sam isn't going to like this."

"He can patrol for an extra hour." I shrug. I thought when I snuck in during lunch I could catch up for at least half the day, but I was caught jumping the school fence. I was trying to hurry to see Kim before afternoon classes started, I rushed too much and wasn't as careful as I usually am since I changed. The rattling of the fence gave me away before my feet even touched the ground.

"So, what did you get caught for?" I ask, trying not to sound too bummed.

"I haven't handed in any homework in a month." Paul admits. Crap, Sam asked me ages ago to help Paul to catch up. I could use the study time too. Even with Kim's tutoring, all my assignments are a week late.

"Didn't you have patrol last night?" I ask him. Now looking at him up close I can see the tired lines between his brows and the dark circles under his eyes, deep and discolored.

"Yeah. I have another shift after school." He yawns into his palm, leaning his head against the wall. "The principal said I'm suppose to use this time to work on that homework. By the end of detention I have to hand in at least one assignment."

"Lemme help you out man, maybe start on the easy stuff first—" Paul is already out cold, fast asleep on the wall like it's the comfiest bed in the world.

"You're lucky you got that face." I roll my eyes, emptying his bookbag out. I don't know when the last time he opened it was. A pile of paper drops out, but not a single pencil. I try to make sense of it, but there's overdue work from Christmas; it's spring already.

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"Detention's over." I shake Paul awake, and he barely opens his eyes.

"Shit." He yawns, already falling back asleep. This time I hit him upside the head. "I was suppose to do homework." He blinks awake.

"Well, you're lucky I didn't change while I was taking freshmen biology." Sometimes I wish I had. Sophomore chemistry is twice as hard, and every lesson counts.

"You did all of it?" Taken off guard, now Paul is awake. His dark eyes keep getting wider and wider the more he flips through the stack. He was so behind, I made up all his biology work for most of the school year. I'm not sure how correct those answers are, but he just needs to hand it in for credit, not get an A.

"I remembered what I could, then googled the rest." I shrug off, "You still have algebra, lit class, social studies, and Quillayute class."

"And woodshop. I have to make like ten bird houses now. And somehow I'm failing gym?" Paul sighs.

"How does someone even fail gym?"

"If you don't show up that's how. The coach says I'll be retaking it in summer school." Paul admits while everyone exits out.

"I didn't know gym class was even offered in summer school." Shouldn't summer school be teaching Shakespeare or SAT prep or something?

"It's stupid." He growls, the grogginess ebbing away to make room for his frustration. "If I don't do summer school for freaking dodgeball then I'm repeating the whole year."

"No way—" I'm cut off.

"Mr. Cameron, Mr. Lahote," the school's guidance counselor has dismissed everyone else, just waiting on us two now. In a school this small we only need two, one for freshman and sophomores. Then the other for the juniors and seniors. I expected Paul to be arrogant and proud when he hands over the entire stack, but I can tell Paul is too tired to gloat.