"Please." Rose laughed, "She has Pilates or Zumba or something dumb like that on the weekend. I can't even get her to take me to the comic store let alone take my friend all the way to Terrence."
"Yeah." He continued to think. Then suddenly, he had an idea. "Do you think Ms. MacKillop would take us?"
"The biology teacher? Why would she take us?"
"It's biology right? Shouldn't a biologist be interested in something like this?"
"I don't think even if you told her about your dreams she would really believe it was a real mermaid."
"Well." He said thoughtfully, "I don't have to tell her about the mermaid. A field trip to the aquarium would be good for a biology class, wouldn't it?"
"But you need all kinds of forms and things to make a field trip." Rose was tossing a little stuffed cat back and forth as she spoke, turning her head to watch wherever it landed, "The exhibit is in five days. Is that even enough time to set something like that up? And if it's $40 she has to come up with the money somehow, or charge us all I guess. Probably just getting a bus to the aquarium is a lot of money."
"Why do you have to be so negative?" Billy snapped, "I don't know why I asked for your help anyway."
"Billy!" Rose shouted indignantly, jumping out of her chair, "I was just trying to tell you that it's not so easy-"
"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy." Billy sighed, "But I will find a way to go to the aquarium this weekend. I swear I will." He clenched his fists, "Even if I have to set the whole field trip up myself."
"Billy..." Rose looked at her feet. Her hands toyed with the edge of her shirt. Finally she said, "If, I mean, if you manage to find a way to go, I'll lend you the money."
"Really?" He asked, face showing a small hint of a smile for the first time.
"Yeah." She said, looking back up into his eyes.
Billy smiled, then with a surge of speed, he wrapped Rose up into a hug. Rose's face turned bright pink for a moment, but it had faded by the time Billy let her go.
"Thanks Rose. I won't forget this I promise. And I will find a way. Just wait."
With that, he left, his footsteps echoing down the stairs. Rose lifted her hand and touched the place where his arms had just been. When the warmth had faded, she sat down, reattached her headset, and turned herself back to the waiting screen.
"Yeah." He continued to think. Then suddenly, he had an idea. "Do you think Ms. MacKillop would take us?"
"The biology teacher? Why would she take us?"
"It's biology right? Shouldn't a biologist be interested in something like this?"
"I don't think even if you told her about your dreams she would really believe it was a real mermaid."
"Well." He said thoughtfully, "I don't have to tell her about the mermaid. A field trip to the aquarium would be good for a biology class, wouldn't it?"
"But you need all kinds of forms and things to make a field trip." Rose was tossing a little stuffed cat back and forth as she spoke, turning her head to watch wherever it landed, "The exhibit is in five days. Is that even enough time to set something like that up? And if it's $40 she has to come up with the money somehow, or charge us all I guess. Probably just getting a bus to the aquarium is a lot of money."
"Why do you have to be so negative?" Billy snapped, "I don't know why I asked for your help anyway."
"Billy!" Rose shouted indignantly, jumping out of her chair, "I was just trying to tell you that it's not so easy-"
"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy." Billy sighed, "But I will find a way to go to the aquarium this weekend. I swear I will." He clenched his fists, "Even if I have to set the whole field trip up myself."
"Billy..." Rose looked at her feet. Her hands toyed with the edge of her shirt. Finally she said, "If, I mean, if you manage to find a way to go, I'll lend you the money."
"Really?" He asked, face showing a small hint of a smile for the first time.
"Yeah." She said, looking back up into his eyes.
Billy smiled, then with a surge of speed, he wrapped Rose up into a hug. Rose's face turned bright pink for a moment, but it had faded by the time Billy let her go.
"Thanks Rose. I won't forget this I promise. And I will find a way. Just wait."
With that, he left, his footsteps echoing down the stairs. Rose lifted her hand and touched the place where his arms had just been. When the warmth had faded, she sat down, reattached her headset, and turned herself back to the waiting screen.
