Matt (heyitsmatt) wrote in mcdermott_game, @ 2010-11-19 09:45:00 |
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Current mood: | tired |
Entry tags: | matt, matt/thisbe, thisbe |
Who: Matt and Thisbe
What: Talking. About some serious stuff.
Where: Harper Cove
When: Wednesday, November 3, afternoon (backdated)
Rating: PG (thematic elements)
Status: Complete
There was another half an hour left of her shift, but it might as well have been hours. Thisbe was tired – it had been a busy afternoon at Harper Cove, with what seemed like the entire campus descending on the café for fries and sodas and pizza. Thisbe’s feet hurt and her back was beginning to ache. She was seriously considering skipping dance team rehearsal that evening so that she could go back to her room, drop onto her bed, and take a nap.
But, of course, she couldn’t do that. Dance rehearsal was important, and it was the best part of her day – just because it came after classes and work and she was exhausted was no real reason to miss out on it. She knew that once she was in the Vaudeville, stretching in front of the long mirrors, she would be fine. It was just getting to that point that would be difficult.
Fortunately, they’d finally hit a lull, since the dining halls were opening for dinner and night classes were starting up. There hadn’t been a customer in at least three minutes, which was a record for today. “I can’t wait to get out of here,” she said to Matt as she leaned back against the wall behind the cash register, reaching up to pull her long hair into a messy bun. “I’m beat.”
“I’m stuck here for another hour and a half,” Matt said from the next register, making a face. He usually didn’t work Wednesdays, but the track team practice had been moved to Friday this week, so he had switched his hours. Matt didn’t mind the busyness; when he was moving, it kept his mind off the things that had been bothering him, and it made the time go faster. However, he had to admit that he really was tired. He was more tired than usual, getting used to his anti-anxiety medication, too. “But I wish I was getting off when you were. I’m exhausted.” He sighed and, despite himself, gave Thisbe a small smile. “We make a good team, though,” he pointed out.
“We do,” Thisbe agreed, returning his smile. She tugged on her bun and then glanced up at the clock. “If it makes you feel any better, I have to go right to dance rehearsal after this. Nothing to cure being on your feet like being on your feet some more.” Her own words reminded her that she was hungry, but she found it difficult to dance on a full stomach, so dinner would have to wait another couple of hours.
He gave Thisbe a bit of a sympathetic smile. “I’m just glad I don’t have two hours of track practice after this,” he told her. “I’m sure dancing for you is much more enjoyable than track for me, though.” Matt shrugged and tapped his fingers on the register; it was nice to relax, but it was also hard getting used to a lull when they’d been busy all afternoon. “I do have homework, though. Definitely not as exciting.”
Thisbe made a face. “Don’t even get me started on homework,” she replied, blowing out her breath as she began to organize a basket of straws that sat near the register. She had to do a paper for her father’s class; it wasn’t due until the following Tuesday, but she’d procrastinated enough on it that it was likely she’d end up spending her entire weekend trying to get it done. Another thing she didn’t want to think about.
She pushed the thought of the paper - and her father - out of her head and looked back at Matt while she stacked the straws. “Track sounds fun, though,” she went on, a bit more brightly. “Do you like it?”
Matt shrugged. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it - if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have joined - but it was hard to explain how everything fit in his life right now. It was challenging keeping up the routine - school, work, track, homework, social life, extra practice for recitals, guitar lessons, counseling - and he wondered how long he was going to keep going until something bottomed out on him. He suspected out of everything, track would probably be the thing that would go first. He really didn’t want to let go of it, but it was what it was. Tamara had suggested to him that maybe he had too much going on and he should look into letting go of something, but it was already too late in the season to flake out on his track team; at least, that was how Matt saw it.
He then remembered that it was Thisbe’s question that had triggered this whole thought process, and she was still looking at him intently, so he elaborated. “It is fun, I guess,” Matt said, picking at a few specks of dust on the cash register. “It keeps me in shape,” he pointed out. “Season’s almost over, though. I might do swimming in the spring. That’s my sport, actually. Track is cool, but swimming...” He gave her a fleeting smile.
“Swimming sounds fun,” Thisbe agreed. She finished with the straws and moved on to picking up stray receipts that people had left on the counters. She crumpled up the papers and tossed them into the wastebasket. “I was never very good at swimming - or running either, for that matter - but I don’t know, it could be interesting.”
She tossed the last of the receipts and then leaned back against the wall again. She looked up at the clock, gauging how many minutes she had left of her shift, and then sighed again, looking back at Matt. Their shifts hadn’t overlapped in quite awhile, and though she liked to think that Matt was her friend, the truth was that she really had no idea what was going on in his life. Nor did he know much about hers, to be fair. She wondered if she should try to change that. “So what else are you up to these days?” she asked. Might as well. “Besides track and swimming, I mean. It feels like we haven’t really talked in awhile.”
Matt shrugged. “Nothing, really.” Of course, that wasn’t exactly true, but he hadn’t really elaborated on all the new tumult in his life to anyone, and he wasn’t about to start now. He studied Thisbe for a moment, similiar thoughts going through his head - he considered Thisbe a friend, and it was always nice to work with her, but he realized he didn’t know that much about her, either. Even though he wanted to think his friends were his friends and that they’d be there for him no matter what, Matt was having a hard time with that right now, and so he decided to tell Thisbe the things that he considered safe.
“I’m taking guitar lessons this semester,” he mentioned, giving Thisbe another smile. “It’s pretty awesome, actually. My teacher knows his stuff, and he’s cool, too. Other than that... same old, same old. You know how that goes.” He swept off his side of the register, taking a rag and wiping off a stubborn stain, and then looked at her again. “What about you? Anything new and exciting in your life?”
"No, not really. I'm getting excited for the Pavlova," Thisbe told him, playing with her hair. She took it down from the bun she'd fastened only moments before, and began twirling the strands around her fingers. "It's only about a month away now, so that means our most intense rehearsals are going to start up. Everyone has to be perfect, I have to know all my steps ... it's kind of crazy, but I love it." She gave him a bit of a sheepish smile; sometimes when she talked about dance, she lost track of herself. "But yeah. Other than that, nothing too exciting. Classes, work, the usual. More or less the same as you. Minus guitar lessons - that sounds cool. Who's your teacher?"
“His name is Joel... I can’t exactly remember his last name at the moment, but he’s a grad student here. He’s only a couple of years older than me, so it’s not like he’s some old weird guy teaching me guitar.” Matt grinned. “I really like him. I’ve only had a few lessons since my life got a little crazy, but I’ve liked what I’ve had so far.” He paused, and then said, “And I know how that goes with rehearsals and all that. It’s like orchestra rehearsal. Everyone has to be playing the right note at the right time or there are some serious issues.”
“Yeah, seriously,” Thisbe agreed, nodding her understanding as she thought about what he said. “And I think I know someone named Joel. Dark hair, pretty cute?” The words were out of her mouth before she remembered who she was talking to, and she shot Matt a teasing grin. “Not that you’d notice. But yeah - my roommate KJ is friends with him, and we went with him to Boston over fall break so that he could play a gig or something. He was good. I can see why you’d want to learn from him.”
Matt had to laugh. “I guess he could be cute, if I swung that way,” he said, considering it. “Anyway, yeah, he did mention something about going to Boston, so that’s definitely him.” He nodded. “So you went with him? That sounds like it was fun. I haven’t really been to Boston before - maybe once, in high school, and for the airport. Maybe the next time he plays somewhere we can make a field trip and a bunch of us can go. I know I’m not the only one he gives guitar lessons to, anyway.”
He had wanted to make a comment about how much his fall break sucked in comparison, but Matt realized he’d have to elaborate on being diagnosed and just how not exciting that all was, so he steered clear of that conversation, pausing instead to ring up a customer that had appeared.
Thisbe waited until the customer had been rung out, and then sh smiled back at Matt. “That would be fun,” she agreed. “Before fall break, I’d only been to Boston, like, one time before. It was much more fun with KJ and Joel. You definitely have to come next time.” Of course, Thisbe didn’t even know if there would be a next time - or if she would be invited again - but small details. The trip had been good for her - she’d liked doing something completely different, getting out of her comfort zone, and letting herself have a good time.
She paused for a minute, and then decided to share her train of thought with Matt. “I don’t get to do things like that very often,” she told him, picking up a rag and beginning to dust off her cash register. “I was expecting my fall break to be totally boring, to tell the truth.”
Matt wasn’t too sure how he’d fare on a trip with Joel, KJ, and Thisbe. He knew Thisbe well enough, respected Joel as a teacher, and had met KJ a few times, since Chris had been hung up on her for a while, but he didn’t know any of them enough to know how comfortable he’d be spending a trip with them. Just the thought sent waves of anxiety through him, and it was a discomforting feeling, not only because it was always awkward when it happened in public, but because he hadn’t felt this since he’d started his medication. It also worried him, that maybe his meds weren’t working after all, or that they were only a temporary fix. To steady himself, he ducked under the register for a moment, on the premise of picking up something that had fallen when the customer had come through. When he emerged, he felt somewhat better, although the momentary sensation had unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
“Mine was boring,” Matt said. “I don’t get to do fun stuff like that much, either. I did go home, though. That was nice. My aunt is kicking her wedding preparations into high gear.” He shook his head and smiled slightly.
“Well, that sounds exciting,” said Thisbe, studying him for a moment. “How far away is the big day?”
“It’s in December,” Matt said. “Right after I get home from classes, but right before Christmas. It’s going to be crazy, but my aunt has been preparing for this for a while, and as long as all I have to do is put on a tux and walk her down the aisle, that’s not too much to worry about, right?” For a fleeting minute, he thought of his sister - he wondered how she was holding up helping her with the preparations. Matt was sure Danielle was involved, too, but he worried about Kristine and everything that was going on with her right now.
“Oh yeah. You’ve got the easy part,” Thisbe agreed with a grin. “I bet it’ll be exciting to have it so close to Christmas.” She liked flurries of activities, and wished that she had more of that sort of thing in her own life. Her Christmas vacation would be nothing spectacular to speak of, especially since her friends would be going to their respective homes and she would be stuck around Westmont with her parents. Juliet was coming home, which was something to look forward to, and the Costellos always had a very nice, very traditional Christmas celebration that she tended to enjoy once she was in the middle of it. She just wished it was more exciting.
“I guess so. It’s close to my aunt’s birthday, too, so it’s like a triple whammy,” Matt said. He shrugged - it seemed like girls got more excited about weddings than guys did. “I think it’ll be more busy than anything, but as long as my aunt is happy...” Matt gave Thisbe a sheepish smile. “Other than that, though, my vacation plans aren’t all that exciting. I’m considering taking a winter class, but I don’t know yet.” He shrugged again. “You taking anything?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought,” Thisbe admitted. “Maybe if there’s anything fun offered - I don’t really want to spend my winter break on academia.” It wasn’t like she’d have anything better to do, but she’d rather be bored than suffer through classes - at least with the free time, she could practice her dance routines or read or spend abundant amounts of time at La Thé. “I’d rather have the time off,” she added.
“Time off would be nice,” Matt agreed. “I don’t know, though, I just feel like after taking part of the summer off, I might need to catch up or something, you know?” He already knew, though, that if she had her way, her aunt would prefer him to stay home. She could already hear her voice, telling him it’d be good for him to be around his family, around his support system. Matt didn’t want to feel like he couldn’t function without them, though, and he genuinely was worried about his classes right now. He might have to stay just to make up a class, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “And I think I bit off a little more than I can chew this semester. Note to self: do not take this many units next spring.” He gave Thisbe a bit of an embarrassed smile.
She smiled back. “I figure, as long as I graduate on time, it doesn’t really matter,” she replied, turning to lean against the counter where the register sat, still facing Matt but now facing away from any potential customers. Not that there were any - they’d seemed to hit a dead spot. “But that’s just me. My father says I’m lazy, but I just ... I don’t really care about it the way I think you’re supposed to. Does that make sense?”
It did, and it didn’t. Matt puzzled over that for a moment. “I suppose you’re right,” he said, slowly, “but...” He regarded Thisbe, not quite sure how to phrase what was on his mind. He hadn’t really felt that way about his classes - for the most part, other than those pesky required classes, he liked all his classes enough to care about them the way Thisbe claimed not to. “I don’t think you’re lazy,” he began again. “But... can I just ask? Is there any particular reason why do you don’t care?” He tilted his head to look at her, curiously. “I mean, I haven’t felt that way about stuff here, so I’m kind of... not following.” He paused, and gave her another sheepish smile. “Sorry, I can be slow sometimes.”
Thisbe shrugged. “Academics just don’t interest me, that’s all. It’d be nice if I were the kind of person who could be interested in everything I have to do, but I’m not. I don’t care about English any more than I would care about math or science, if I had to take it. I like reading, but I like reading fantasy novels, and I like to read them my own way, you know? English literature is just so very dry. You have to analyze every thing, pick apart the story, write thousands of words on this character’s motivation or that author’s use of symbolism ... I’m sorry, but I just don’t get hyped up about stuff like that. It takes the fun out of reading.”
She began playing with her hair again, tugging absently at the strands. “Anyway. Like I said, that’s just me. And maybe it doesn’t make sense. But it’s how I feel.”
“No, that makes sense,” Matt said, nodding. It truly puzzled him why Thisbe put up with dealing with that if she didn’t want to, but he wasn’t living Thisbe’s life, so he couldn’t judge her. “Music theory does that to me sometimes - like, I don’t really get why having to know the different sounds of a harmonic fourth versus a major second matter.” He studied her for a moment before he continued, “But then I think about the reason I came here, to study music therapy, and it makes it a little easier. It won’t matter so much unless I find out harmonic fourths make people feel better, you know?” He shrugged. “At any rate, you’ve only got a year and a half, right? It’s not that long.”
“Right,” Thisbe agreed, mirroring his shrug. Matt was passionate about music, which seemed to make all the little annoyances easier to tolerate. Thisbe just wasn’t passionate about English, and therein lay the difference.
But she wasn’t about to go down that road - the pressures her father put on her, the fact that she didn’t have much to look forward to after graduation except a useless English degree and possibly a teaching career so that she could follow in her father’s footsteps. It was just too depressing to think about. “Anyway,” she said brightly, changing the subject. “Enough about school. How are things going with Liv?” It was probably a random subject change, but it was the first thing that sprang to her mind.
Matt could tell Thisbe wanted to change the subject, but he half-wished she hadn’t changed it to that. “They’re going,” he said, which wasn’t a lie; they were, for all intents and purposes, still together. “It’s been a year now, isn’t that crazy?” But he was still trying to avoid her as much as he could, telling her he was busy, and even though he missed her incredibly he couldn’t bring himself to think about the look on her face when he told her that he had a diagnosed, clinical issue and she’d tell him enough was enough. Of course, all the evidence had proved to the contrary but Matt figured everyone had a limit, right?
“Really, a year? That is pretty crazy,” Thisbe agreed. “But that’s good. I’m glad things are still going well.” She didn’t know Olivia very well, but she’d always thought she seemed like a nice girl, a good fit for Matt.
“Well,” he said, before he could help it. “I wouldn’t say things are going well, but they’re going.” He sighed; he hadn’t intended on discussing this, but it was hard to keep this inside when there were about a million other things on his mind as well.
Thisbe arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Looking around, as if he expected for his girlfriend to approach them at this particular point in time, Matt ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “I’ve just had a lot going on and we’ve both been busy. It’s hard to see each other often,” he told Thisbe; it wasn’t a lie, but there was definitely more to it than that. “I mean, I’m not a relationship expert but I know that can’t be good.”
“I don’t know, I don’t think it’s bad,” Thisbe said after tilting her head to think about it for a minute. “I mean, if you were avoiding one another because of issues in the relationship, that’d be one thing. But if it’s just because you’re both busy and have a lot going on, then it seems understandable to me. I mean ... does she seem upset that you haven’t been able to spend time with her, or does she get it?”
Matt considered Thisbe for a moment; he wouldn’t admit it, but he was stalling. He wasn’t even sure of the answer, he’d been so distant with her. If you were avoiding one another because of issues in the relationship... Matt thought about these words. He knew that was what he was doing, and maybe he’d built it up in his head that that was what she was doing, too, but how could she even do that if he hadn’t told her what was going on? “Honestly?” he said to Thisbe, after a while. “I’m not really sure. She doesn’t seem upset, not really, but I guess I could be trying a little harder. It’s just... I feel like, right now, there’s so much going on with me that, in a way, I’m glad she’s been busy, so that she doesn’t have to worry about me.” Matt frowned. He didn’t like how it sounded, but it was the way things would have to be for now. He was aware that it didn’t sound good, either, but he just glanced at Thisbe, a bit abashed at his admittance. However, it was relieving, in a way, to say it out loud like that.
"So ... what is it that's going on with you?" Thisbe asked, looking at Matt a bit more closely for the first time. She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that; it seemed like he meant more than just school stress or being busy. What else he could mean, though, Thisbe didn't know.
Matt was trying to work out what he was going to say. On the one hand, he’d pretty much painted himself into a corner, so there wasn’t much he could do other than blatantly lie to Thisbe. On the other hand, he’d sort of promised himself that this was his secret to keep, that it wasn’t going to be anyone else’s burden or problem, that he wouldn’t tell anyone about it - he didn’t want to look crazy, he didn’t want the looks of pity, and he didn’t want to be added stress to anyone else. And if he hadn’t even told his roommate or his girlfriend about it, why tell Thisbe?
But she was looking at him expectantly and Matt knew he had to say something. “Do you remember last year when I had to go home all of a sudden because of some family thing, because my sister was in the hospital?” he began. He figured it was a simple enough introduction, but detailed enough that if Thisbe had to leave at the end of her shift, Matt could still avoid talking about it.
“Sort of,” Thisbe replied after thinking about it for a moment. She vaguely recalled Matt having to leave suddenly; she’d covered a shift or two for him but she hadn’t really pressed about the details. Maybe she should have. She felt a sudden stab of guilt for not being a better friend, but she pushed that aside to focus on his words now - she could listen to what he had to say this time. “Is it something to do with your sister?”
“Well, no, not really. It’s kind of related but...” Matt shrugged. He supposed he should just get into the whole ugly mess now, even though he’d regret it later. “I went home last year because my sister ended up being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was kind of a shock, but I think we’re dealing with it okay. Or we were.” He paused, leaning against the register; it was surreal to be talking about these things in a place that seemed so public, so ordinary. “I started having panic attacks in the spring. Really bad ones, too - one was so bad that Chris and Liv had to take me to the hospital, too. They just kept getting worse, though, and my family was concerned, so I kept having to go to the doctor, and when I went up for fall break...” He sighed, and reluctantly looked at Thisbe, because he was afraid she was going to look away when he told her. “They gave me an official diagnosis. Psychiatrist, medications, therapy, everything.” He made a face.
"Oh ... oh wow." Thisbe didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been that. For a moment she was completely surprised, and then sympathy washed through her. She had no idea the enormity of what he'd been dealing with, and even though she'd never been a particularly demonstrative person before, she found herself moving over to him in order to give him a hug, the impulse driven purely by the thought that he probably really needed one. "I had no idea," she said when she drew back again a moment later. "Are you doing all right? I mean ... I don't know how it all works, but if you're doing therapy and all, that means it's getting better, right?"
Surprised, but grateful, Matt returned her hug with a bit of an embarrassed smile and shrugged. “I haven’t had any really bad attacks ever since I started my medication,” he admitted. “I have to go talk to a therapist like once a week, and that’s just... weird, you know? Talking to a stranger about your life.” And talking to a stranger about things you won’t tell your closest friends, a voice in Matt’s head whispered, but Matt brushed that aside for now. “It seems to be getting better, anyway. It’s just... it’s a lot to deal with, though. Working through the fact that I have a legit mental health problem is the hardest thing, I think.” He made another face, and then added, after a few beats, “You’re the first person I’ve told here.” He hadn’t expected Thisbe to be the first person to know, but there it was.
Thisbe hadn’t expected to be the first person, either. His words took her by surprise, and for a moment she was glad that he considered her enough of a friend to trust her with it, but then she realized that it meant Olivia didn’t know, and that made her frown. “I can’t really imagine what it must be like for you,” she told him, exhaling a breath. “I’m glad you trusted me with it, and you can talk to me any time you want to so that you don’t just have to talk to a stranger all the time. But Matt, you really should tell Olivia what’s going on. I know she’ll want to be there for you too.”
The worst part was that Matt knew she was right, but there was a part of him that was afraid he was going to lose her. It was easier, in a way, to tell Thisbe - even though she was still there now, reaching out and trying to help him, that didn’t mean that later, maybe after witnessing some sort of panic attack, that she wouldn’t think he was worth her while. It would hurt, yeah, but it wouldn’t hurt as much as Olivia wanting to do the same thing. He loved her - he loved her so much that he was willing to walk away if it was something she didn’t want to deal with, if it was too much for her to put up with. But he didn’t want to lose her, not now, not after he’d found her and attached himself to her.
He took his time in reaching Thisbe’s gaze and sighed. “I know,” he admitted, finally, “but I don’t know how. Not without the risk of losing her.”
Thisbe bit her lip - for a brief moment, she was torn between being sympathetic to Matt, or telling him what she thought he really needed to hear. She wrestled with it in her head silently as she regarded him - he really wasn’t that much younger than she was, and his relationship with Olivia was obviously incredibly important to him. But to Thisbe, it seemed like he was prioritizing it wrong. He cared about her so much that he wanted to keep something from her so that he wouldn’t lose her, and didn’t seem to realize that keeping secrets - huge secrets - was exactly the thing that could drive her away.
She thought of Knox; she remembered how blindsided she’d been when his relapse had come to light, how much it hurt when she realized what he’d been keeping from her. And she’d lost him in the end anyway; she hadn’t been enough to compensate for his demons, had not been enough to keep him. She’d carry that loss around with her for a long time - even though the ache had dulled considerably over the past year, it was still something that she felt, a sharp pang whenever she actively thought about it. Knox had hurt Thisbe far more by not trusting her than he would have if he’d admitted to her that he had a problem.
Thisbe and Knox’s situation wasn’t Matt and Olivia’s, and she knew that, but she could see the parallels. Studying Matt’s face, she thought about how he considered her enough of a friend to trust her with his secret, and in return, she had to try to make sure that he had a happier ending than she had. “Matt,” she finally said, “I understand that you’re afraid of losing her. I really do. But the thing is … I can almost guarantee that keeping something like this from her is what’s going to make you lose her instead. Olivia is your girlfriend - obviously she cares about you a lot. She’s been with you for a year - don’t you think that means that she’s willing to stick around through anything? She’s not going to freak out or decide you’re not worth it or whatever it is that you’re thinking she’ll do. She’s going to want to do whatever she can to help you, because that’s what you do when you care about someone. You just … you have to be honest with her. Because if you don’t tell her, it’s going to hurt her when she finds out. A lot. Trust me, I know. And let me tell you - nothing destroys a relationship faster than realizing there’s no trust in it.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust her, I just...” But what could he say to quantify that statement? If he wasn’t telling her, then that meant he wasn’t trusting her with his biggest burden, that he wasn’t trusting in their relationship enough to tell her. He sighed, leaving the thought unfinished. Instead, he studied Thisbe; it seemed they had learned so much about each other in the span of a few short minutes. He knew the look on her face, and the depth of her words, came from someone who’d gone through the same experience, and not only did he feel bad for having to have her revisit that, but he felt bad that he’d never known and hadn’t been there to help her through it in the first place. And it was then that he realized that he’d never want to be the person who did that to Olivia. He knew what he had to do now, and that it was only feeble excuses that had kept him from doing so in the first place. Even though he’d lost so much - his parents, his sister, and now his sense of being ‘normal’ - that didn’t necessarily mean he’d have to lose the best thing that he’d found in a long time.
“I’m sorry,” Matt said, finally, in part to cut off his inner monologue. “I didn’t realize that someone had hurt you like that. I wish I had known - it’s not easy living with pain and not being able to tell anyone.”
Thisbe lifted her shoulders a bit. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago,” she replied; it was, at this point. The wounds had mostly healed. “I just don’t want to see you lose someone that you care about.” And he did care about her - she could tell that much from the look that crossed his face whenever he talked about her. She could tell by how scared he was of losing her.
Matt nodded, giving Thisbe a grateful smile. “Thanks, Thisbe,” he told her. He still had a lot to work through on how exactly he was going to do this, but she had said the words he’d needed to hear in order for him to reach out to the people that cared about him most - something Tamara had been telling him to do since they’d started. “I really appreciate that you care who I care about.” He gave her a slight laugh, and then gave a glance to the clock. “I swear I’m not trying to kick you out, but don’t you have dance practice?” he asked her curiously, as he realized just how much time had gone by.
Thisbe’s eyes widened just a bit; she glanced up at the clock to realize that her shift had ended almost fifteen minutes ago, and dance rehearsal would start in another ten. She’d gotten so caught up in talking to Matt that she’d completely forgotten about it. “Oh, damn!” she exclaimed, shooting Matt an apologetic look. “I have to run. But hey - let me know if you ever want to talk, okay? I’m an email or a text away.” While she spoke, she ducked down to gather her backpack and dance bag from where the rested beneath the counter. She straightened again, slinging both over her shoulders.
“Don’t worry, I’ll track you down if I have to,” Matt told her, giving her a bigger smile. “Now go before you’re late. Thanks for everything,” he told Thisbe, his look hopefully conveying everything he was grateful for but couldn’t say.