((Parker Green - OPEN pregame_memories.rar█))
Parker placed the stapled sheets of paper onto the desk with nonchalance, the 8 sheets of A4 that represented his contribution to the group research project hitting the table in front of the person who'd decided to take the lead in organising this thing, Cecil. He wasn't the dumbest kid around, and biology was his thing, so he'd sat back and let him figure out what they all needed to piece together. His piece now, with the deadline a few hours away, lay abandoned in front of Cecil as he listened to the sombre piano and tones of Words on Signs by Archive that was being piped into his ears through the black headphones which neatly disappeared under the collar of the decidedly vibrant shirt he was wearing. It was vaporwave inspired and depicted a neon landscape with a central female figure walking away from the viewer. Parker hadn't really had the mental energy left to consciously choose his clothes this morning, and had basically just put on whatever was nearby and comfy in his rush to get out the door and not be late.
As his eyes flicked up from the cheap paper upon which and to Cecil's, he couldn't help but think he normally would have treated hi owns work with a little more respect, but quite frankly, he couldn't give a shit any more about this assignment. He was pretty sure the teachers barely skimmed them anyway, it was just about wordcount and making sure you sprinkled in some bullshit terms that let them tick a box. As long as you understood that, writing reports was normally pretty easy if you had time.
Parker had, in this occasion, not had the time to make that work however. He'd make some questionable priority decisions between writing his assignments and playing EVE, and well, by the time he'd started writing the piece earlier this morning it was clear he wasn't going to be turning in something he could be proud of. And as such, his objective had become turning in something that would still achieve a grade he could be proud of, as genuine work was probably only going to get him a B or so without the time to really refine it.
So he'd done what any upstanding citizen vying for the American Dream™ would do when faced with a difficult situation.
He'd cheated.
He could justify it by claiming that he was working smarter not harder, but did it even matter? What mattered was the end result in this case, which was him keeping up his nearly perfect grades. The means by which one got there was fairly irrelevant, as if you were smart enough to cheat successfully, you were probably smart enough to pass the test if you cared to spend the time to do so.
And he'd spent time getting it right too. All the connective tissue of the report was his own writing, but the explanations and details of the experimentation and effects were all carefully reworded and spliced together sections from a textbook he'd been able to find online. Obscure enough to be unlikely to ring any plagiarism bells, but mainstream enough to be right. That was how he'd managed to power out a few thousand words in a few hours, and even get some sleep in before handing in the work.
Not enough sleep, he was reminded, as he sipped from the can of Monster that was gripped in his left hand without any semblance of conscious thought. His body demanding its usual offerings of caffeine and sugar to function without protest.
"I covered everything you assigned me in the plan there." he reassured, trying to prompt Cecil to stop poring over his work and just shove it in the folder and get this shit finished. Who the fuck even thought giving high school students a research project was a good test anyway, the point of research projects were to add to the common pool of knowledge, and he was pretty sure half the fucks in Bio couldn't prove that water was wet conclusively - Let alone show that conservation of energy was maintained in a reaction.
Another day, another hoop to jump through, he supposed. He was just glad this whole thing was fucking done. Now he could just let the rest of the day sink into the white noise of routine, teachers, lunch breaks and lessons merging into something one could almost sleepwalk through without missing anything, until he got home and was free to enjoy himself. Or sleep. Sleep sounded pretty great, actually.
He took another sip of sickly, orange liquid, the sweeteners leaving a film on his teeth that he ignored as he looked expectantly at the person holding him up from executing on his planned coasting through the next 12 or so hours and forcing him to pay actual attention to things. He couldn't figure out what was taking him so damn long to just rubber stamp this thing.
Perpendicular Reward Structures
Paging LeslieFranc!
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Frozen Smoke
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Perpendicular Reward Structures
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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((Cecil Salazar-Loveless Memories START))
For Cecil, the rather sweet and fulfilling sense of achievement from finishing an assignment has always been a brief affair, immediately replaced by a restless determination to also get into the next objective and finish it as well before moving on to another task. And another. And another. And another. But nonetheless, one needs to find the balance between efficiency and effectiveness, and so despite the fact that Cecil finally has the last piece of the group project and could just deliver it to the teacher right now, he finds himself responsible in carefully checking over each contributions to make sure everything fits perfectly.
He only needed to skim through the pages quickly. He can read through all of them, but that would be inefficient. And provided by the evidence that is Parker'’s report, it seems like it proved to be a good idea.
He had responded at Parker’'s reassurance with a polite smile and a nod but still picked up the paper to examine, rolling up the sleeves of his brown V-neck wool knit sweater before his eyes started reading passage by passage as he flipped the pages one by one in every one or half a second, and right when he was reaching towards the end, he realized late that he just read something... familiar. His smile faltered, and he flipped back to that particular section of the report.
At first glance, it didn''t seem to be what Cecil thought. Rereading it again, his mind changed the words and phrases printed on the paper, like some sort of mental auto-correct, without actually changing anything about the meaning. As he continues to read, he felt the same familiarity of him reading a particular book in his home.
Which he isn’'t doing right now.
Another thorough read was enough for him to confirm his suspicions.
Parker plagiarized sections from a certain textbook for his report. A textbook Cecil is pretty sure he had read before. He definitely has a copy somewhere, too.
He blinked at this realization. Not realizing that he has been staring at Parker’'s paper for more than a minute now, he suddenly looked up and targeted Parker this time with another intense stare, as if considering him.
Cecil could admit that he doesn’'t really know much of Parker, or anyone else really. But he knew that Parker was smart enough to do well in the classes they have together, so he expected him to be smart enough to handle what Cecil had assigned to him, but apparently not, as he wasn'’t even smart enough to write his paper on his own. Or smart enough not to get caught cheating.
Consideration turns to disappointment, and then to judgement.
Cheater.
He looks away and decisively downs the rest of his bottled iced coffee before finally tucking Parker'’s piece in the folder along the rest of their classmates'.
He looked back up at Parker, some parts of him wondering how much thought and effort the guy had put into his contribution, or his cheating to be more exact, as Cecil could admit that he did almost fail to catch it. Cecil immediately decided that it doesn’'t matter and that he’'d still need to inform the teacher about it. However, before he could stop himself, he had already opened his mouth.
“"Most of it seems to be in order,”" he said with a calm tone that he hopes hides his judgement.
It doesn’'t hide his judgement.
He slowly smiles, his expression smug and knowing.
“"What sources did you use?”" he suddenly asks.
For Cecil, the rather sweet and fulfilling sense of achievement from finishing an assignment has always been a brief affair, immediately replaced by a restless determination to also get into the next objective and finish it as well before moving on to another task. And another. And another. And another. But nonetheless, one needs to find the balance between efficiency and effectiveness, and so despite the fact that Cecil finally has the last piece of the group project and could just deliver it to the teacher right now, he finds himself responsible in carefully checking over each contributions to make sure everything fits perfectly.
He only needed to skim through the pages quickly. He can read through all of them, but that would be inefficient. And provided by the evidence that is Parker'’s report, it seems like it proved to be a good idea.
He had responded at Parker’'s reassurance with a polite smile and a nod but still picked up the paper to examine, rolling up the sleeves of his brown V-neck wool knit sweater before his eyes started reading passage by passage as he flipped the pages one by one in every one or half a second, and right when he was reaching towards the end, he realized late that he just read something... familiar. His smile faltered, and he flipped back to that particular section of the report.
At first glance, it didn''t seem to be what Cecil thought. Rereading it again, his mind changed the words and phrases printed on the paper, like some sort of mental auto-correct, without actually changing anything about the meaning. As he continues to read, he felt the same familiarity of him reading a particular book in his home.
Which he isn’'t doing right now.
Another thorough read was enough for him to confirm his suspicions.
Parker plagiarized sections from a certain textbook for his report. A textbook Cecil is pretty sure he had read before. He definitely has a copy somewhere, too.
He blinked at this realization. Not realizing that he has been staring at Parker’'s paper for more than a minute now, he suddenly looked up and targeted Parker this time with another intense stare, as if considering him.
Cecil could admit that he doesn’'t really know much of Parker, or anyone else really. But he knew that Parker was smart enough to do well in the classes they have together, so he expected him to be smart enough to handle what Cecil had assigned to him, but apparently not, as he wasn'’t even smart enough to write his paper on his own. Or smart enough not to get caught cheating.
Consideration turns to disappointment, and then to judgement.
Cheater.
He looks away and decisively downs the rest of his bottled iced coffee before finally tucking Parker'’s piece in the folder along the rest of their classmates'.
He looked back up at Parker, some parts of him wondering how much thought and effort the guy had put into his contribution, or his cheating to be more exact, as Cecil could admit that he did almost fail to catch it. Cecil immediately decided that it doesn’'t matter and that he’'d still need to inform the teacher about it. However, before he could stop himself, he had already opened his mouth.
“"Most of it seems to be in order,”" he said with a calm tone that he hopes hides his judgement.
It doesn’'t hide his judgement.
He slowly smiles, his expression smug and knowing.
“"What sources did you use?”" he suddenly asks.
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Frozen Smoke
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The first read through was an annoying speed-bump to his day. 30 seconds of watching someone digest his work and verify that, yes, he was in fact capable of understanding the mechanics by which mould could grow faster. But it wasn't unexpected. Cecil was nothing if not diligent, he'd noted that, as well as infatuated by authority - always deferring to the teachers instructions rather than trying to put his own touch to the project. Which wasn't a bad thing in this context, but it was a weakness, especially when biology was clearly his favoured subject. Parker was almost disappointed that he'd kept to colouring between the lines, rather than taking a few risks on it in order to make sure he stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Almost.
The second read through was a sign of trouble, and whilst he kept his expression relaxed as he waited for a response, he couldn't help but wonder what he was picking up on. Another gulp of energy drink made it down his throat as he followed Cecil's eyes, watching them rapidly scan line after line of text. There were a few points where he seemed to re-read a line multiple times, and something nameless began to claw at the inside of his stomach as the worry began to set in. Did he know?
He tugged one of his earbuds out as Cecil replied with something other than the standard, near-monosyllabic "uhuh", "thanks" or "cool" he'd hoped to hear from the boy that would have indicated that this interaction was over. He had the distinct impression he'd failed some sort of test that Cecil had put him through, and judging by the fact that his paper hadn't settled with the rest only confirmed that Cecil was at the very least suspicious. It was a good thing Parker didn't crumble at the slightest indication of someone not believing him, but now he had to fake a convincing response from a version of himself that didn't actually know he'd cheated.
He tilted his head curiously at him, maintaining a light, friendly smile. As if he was proud of the work that lay between them, and of having worked with him and the rest of the team on their little meaningless project.
"I studied in the Library last night, didn't know a Bibliography was part of the marking!" he said - acting as if he thought the "most" in Cecil's words indicated a lack of completion in his work, curling that smile into a surprised frown. "If you want I can probably jot a few down off the top of my head, but I wasn't keeping track. My bad, dude." he added by way of apology, sounding something vaguely approaching genuine.
Almost.
The second read through was a sign of trouble, and whilst he kept his expression relaxed as he waited for a response, he couldn't help but wonder what he was picking up on. Another gulp of energy drink made it down his throat as he followed Cecil's eyes, watching them rapidly scan line after line of text. There were a few points where he seemed to re-read a line multiple times, and something nameless began to claw at the inside of his stomach as the worry began to set in. Did he know?
He tugged one of his earbuds out as Cecil replied with something other than the standard, near-monosyllabic "uhuh", "thanks" or "cool" he'd hoped to hear from the boy that would have indicated that this interaction was over. He had the distinct impression he'd failed some sort of test that Cecil had put him through, and judging by the fact that his paper hadn't settled with the rest only confirmed that Cecil was at the very least suspicious. It was a good thing Parker didn't crumble at the slightest indication of someone not believing him, but now he had to fake a convincing response from a version of himself that didn't actually know he'd cheated.
He tilted his head curiously at him, maintaining a light, friendly smile. As if he was proud of the work that lay between them, and of having worked with him and the rest of the team on their little meaningless project.
"I studied in the Library last night, didn't know a Bibliography was part of the marking!" he said - acting as if he thought the "most" in Cecil's words indicated a lack of completion in his work, curling that smile into a surprised frown. "If you want I can probably jot a few down off the top of my head, but I wasn't keeping track. My bad, dude." he added by way of apology, sounding something vaguely approaching genuine.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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There wouldn'’t even be a problem if a Bibliography is part of the marking. Well, that'’s to say if Parker would actually jot down the thing he copy-pasted. But even then, sources are used as reference, not as the actual content of your research. Hell, he used it as a reference for this subject a few times, too!
Nonetheless, he denied it. Cecil was expecting that.
But the thing was that he was almost convincing, if Cecil had to be honest. He knows he'’s not an expert at being able to tell when someone lies, but if he wasn'’t so sure of himself, he might’'ve just dismissed it at the moment and scram.
Perhaps it would'’ve been better not to have said anything. He could’'ve just nodded, let the guy think he'’s safe, right before Cecil informs the teacher and let her decide what to do with him after that.
But he has already spoke, and it's not like regrets will get him anywhere from undoing it. That'’s not how it works, no.
So what should he do now?
Keep the conversation going, circle around the thing that both of them know but the other doesn'’t until Parker slips and Cecil could catch him off guard? Cecil supposed he could do that, but then Parker could also just deny it until the end, and maybe Cecil could still stubbornly push beyond that, but there's no telling how that would end. It could just dissolve into an argument. He never did inherit his mother’'s more advanced conversational skills to find a way around anything.
Although, however the conversation ends, Cecil still wins once he delivers the assignments.
And besides......
He forlornly glanced at the empty bottle in his hand.
I don't think I'’ve had enough to think too much about this.
So Cecil did what his other mother would do when there are several multiple complicated paths in front with their own obstacles and traps. Just go straight through everything and into it unapologetically.
He mirrored Parker’'s head tilt and smiled all the same as he responded in turn.
“"Rhetorical question, I know exactly what the source was,"” he said without missing a beat, his voice in a soft and even tone. He paused, then added as an afterthought. "“And what you did with it."”
And as always, once he started speaking, he doesn'’t stop.
“"You took a big chunk from the original source, chopped it up, flipped some parts over, rearranged it and tried to pass it off as your own, to be exact."”
Nonetheless, he denied it. Cecil was expecting that.
But the thing was that he was almost convincing, if Cecil had to be honest. He knows he'’s not an expert at being able to tell when someone lies, but if he wasn'’t so sure of himself, he might’'ve just dismissed it at the moment and scram.
Perhaps it would'’ve been better not to have said anything. He could’'ve just nodded, let the guy think he'’s safe, right before Cecil informs the teacher and let her decide what to do with him after that.
But he has already spoke, and it's not like regrets will get him anywhere from undoing it. That'’s not how it works, no.
So what should he do now?
Keep the conversation going, circle around the thing that both of them know but the other doesn'’t until Parker slips and Cecil could catch him off guard? Cecil supposed he could do that, but then Parker could also just deny it until the end, and maybe Cecil could still stubbornly push beyond that, but there's no telling how that would end. It could just dissolve into an argument. He never did inherit his mother’'s more advanced conversational skills to find a way around anything.
Although, however the conversation ends, Cecil still wins once he delivers the assignments.
And besides......
He forlornly glanced at the empty bottle in his hand.
I don't think I'’ve had enough to think too much about this.
So Cecil did what his other mother would do when there are several multiple complicated paths in front with their own obstacles and traps. Just go straight through everything and into it unapologetically.
He mirrored Parker’'s head tilt and smiled all the same as he responded in turn.
“"Rhetorical question, I know exactly what the source was,"” he said without missing a beat, his voice in a soft and even tone. He paused, then added as an afterthought. "“And what you did with it."”
And as always, once he started speaking, he doesn'’t stop.
“"You took a big chunk from the original source, chopped it up, flipped some parts over, rearranged it and tried to pass it off as your own, to be exact."”
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Frozen Smoke
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Ah. As soon as Cecil started speaking, it became clear what was going on. He'd either figured out that he'd cheated, or had a strong suspicion he had cheated and was confronting him in a bid to get him to admit it, which was a clever fork. But, Parker knew he'd cheated, so the end state of denial here was Cecil reporting his suspicion or proof to the teacher and him being caught. So it wasn't a great fork at all, as long as you thought out the potential paths.
His heart was beating a little faster now, though he tried to look nonchalant and impassive as he considered Cecil's words. Pondering what action to take. When it came to things like this, you had to figure out what to sell the other person. Why taking the course of action he wanted them to take was in their best interests. People moved in line with their goals, so if you could make them see that their goals could align with yours, things tended to work out for the best. He had the leverage of his component points being deducted from their overall mark, but Cecil had already indicated his willingness to sacrifice that, so it was irrelevant. He had paused for more than a few seconds now though, any longer would be suspicious.
His mouth opened and he began to respond, deflecting the pointedness of his statement as best he could as his mind whirred, trying to figure out what Cecil valued more than whatever notion was driving him in this equation. "I mean, yes, that's the spirit of the task." he said as if it was obvious, pausing for a moment to take a drink and feigning a casual attitude. If he acted like this was no big deal, then hopefully it would help de-escalate the situation. "You'd agree that the purpose of this project is to ensure that we engage with the subject in order to be prepared for our exams, yes?" he followed on, skipping a few steps and presenting a logical statement in the hopes of getting Cecil to start agreeing to concessions. That was an important step in getting someone to engage with you, and once it began, it got easier.
Usually. Perhaps Cecil would be an outlier.
Parker took another drink from the can, his mouth feeling a little dry as he waited for a response.
He doubted he would be.
His heart was beating a little faster now, though he tried to look nonchalant and impassive as he considered Cecil's words. Pondering what action to take. When it came to things like this, you had to figure out what to sell the other person. Why taking the course of action he wanted them to take was in their best interests. People moved in line with their goals, so if you could make them see that their goals could align with yours, things tended to work out for the best. He had the leverage of his component points being deducted from their overall mark, but Cecil had already indicated his willingness to sacrifice that, so it was irrelevant. He had paused for more than a few seconds now though, any longer would be suspicious.
His mouth opened and he began to respond, deflecting the pointedness of his statement as best he could as his mind whirred, trying to figure out what Cecil valued more than whatever notion was driving him in this equation. "I mean, yes, that's the spirit of the task." he said as if it was obvious, pausing for a moment to take a drink and feigning a casual attitude. If he acted like this was no big deal, then hopefully it would help de-escalate the situation. "You'd agree that the purpose of this project is to ensure that we engage with the subject in order to be prepared for our exams, yes?" he followed on, skipping a few steps and presenting a logical statement in the hopes of getting Cecil to start agreeing to concessions. That was an important step in getting someone to engage with you, and once it began, it got easier.
Usually. Perhaps Cecil would be an outlier.
Parker took another drink from the can, his mouth feeling a little dry as he waited for a response.
He doubted he would be.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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Cecil had his arms crossed, still wearing the same serene smile as always, trying project a calm and relaxed front and partially failing. He is calm at the moment, but saying he'’s relaxed wouldn'’t quite fit. Him being relaxed is a very rare and special occasion. Fortunately, the situation in front of him right now at least doesn'’t make him very uneasy at all. He was going to do something right, after all. There was nothing to worry about in his side.
It did slightly annoy him that Parker is acting very nonchalant about this, and this could either mean that Parker'’s trying to smoothly find a way out of this situation even if Cecil’'s not even sure how he could, or Parker actually has no idea that what he did is considered plagiarism and cheating.
He'’s not sure which conclusion will make him look down on Parker even more.
Did he really just say that? Spirit of the task my a——
Cecil's plastered smile immediately turned to a confused frown before Cecil picked it up again and tried to maintain that smile.
“"Is that a confession?"” he inquired with a strained smile and widened eyes. He started shaking his head, his voice full of complete incredulity.
“"I mean, if by 'task' you mean cheating, then yes, that is the 'spirit of the task',"” Cecil then said, purposely emphasizing the word cheating, mostly to remind Parker and himself who actually has the upper hand in this situation.
He started fidgeting. Cecil licked his lips in uncertainty, having the distinct feeling that he'’s supposed to watch what he'’s going to say from now on.
“"Well......yes,"” he replied uneasily, but decided to plow through. With more emphasis, if necessary. And it was. Like hell will the guy get away from this. "“But what does that have to do with you cheating?” And without even him realizing until it was too late, Cecil had ever so slightly raised his voice. "“Cheating,"” he repeated. "“That's what you did. What are you—"—”
He paused suddenly, as if stopping himself from saying more. Cecil was growing impatient already, and realizing that, he tried to rein in his temper. There'’s no reason for him to be angry. Not so fast, at least.
But that didn'’t stop his voice from dripping in condescension as he attempts to continue talking as if nothing happened.
“"I’'m not sure if you'’re familiar with research projects, Parker, but sources are used for reference, not recycling."”
It did slightly annoy him that Parker is acting very nonchalant about this, and this could either mean that Parker'’s trying to smoothly find a way out of this situation even if Cecil’'s not even sure how he could, or Parker actually has no idea that what he did is considered plagiarism and cheating.
He'’s not sure which conclusion will make him look down on Parker even more.
Wait, what? Cecil’'s a bit lost now."I mean, yes, that's the spirit of the task."
Did he really just say that? Spirit of the task my a——
Cecil's plastered smile immediately turned to a confused frown before Cecil picked it up again and tried to maintain that smile.
“"Is that a confession?"” he inquired with a strained smile and widened eyes. He started shaking his head, his voice full of complete incredulity.
“"I mean, if by 'task' you mean cheating, then yes, that is the 'spirit of the task',"” Cecil then said, purposely emphasizing the word cheating, mostly to remind Parker and himself who actually has the upper hand in this situation.
Cecil narrowed his eyes. Where'’s he going with this?"You’d agree that the purpose of this project is to ensure that we engage with the subject in order to be prepared for our exams, yes?"
He started fidgeting. Cecil licked his lips in uncertainty, having the distinct feeling that he'’s supposed to watch what he'’s going to say from now on.
“"Well......yes,"” he replied uneasily, but decided to plow through. With more emphasis, if necessary. And it was. Like hell will the guy get away from this. "“But what does that have to do with you cheating?” And without even him realizing until it was too late, Cecil had ever so slightly raised his voice. "“Cheating,"” he repeated. "“That's what you did. What are you—"—”
He paused suddenly, as if stopping himself from saying more. Cecil was growing impatient already, and realizing that, he tried to rein in his temper. There'’s no reason for him to be angry. Not so fast, at least.
But that didn'’t stop his voice from dripping in condescension as he attempts to continue talking as if nothing happened.
“"I’'m not sure if you'’re familiar with research projects, Parker, but sources are used for reference, not recycling."”
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Frozen Smoke
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Parker didn't react, simply watched, with a relaxed but impassive expression as Cecil responded to him. Acting as if he was calm whilst the boy worked himself up a bit more, reaching his climax in a few hurried sentences. The condescension in his final statement as he finished talking and handed the floor to him, expecting a response to his judgement as if it was absolute, tugged on him. The fact that he was sticking his nose in and being the arbiter of academic morality that GHHS didn't want nor need didn't make him a hair superior to him. He reminded himself to be careful not to sound condescending in his own response, as horribly tempting as it was to do so. Success was in getting what you wanted, after all, not in getting to act like you wanted.
He paused for a second or two though, giving him a moment to feel self conscious, blinking a little as if surprised at the wrath incurred. Stopping the pretext he'd been building up would do little to help him, and perhaps it would make him doubt his own judgement.
"Yes, sure. All that new, experimental data we have to analyse to validate our hypothesis'. Research." he responded sarcastically, completely failing to keep the condescension out of his voice, watching for his reaction with a hint of wry amusement. He paused again, as if waiting for a response to an unspoken question, before speaking again. Keeping the cadence of balance seemed to get him flustered, so he decided to keep doing it. Hopefully it would engender mistakes, or at least an oversharing of information.
He reached over, picking up his papers, and spinning them around so that he could read them. "If I put say..." He began to say as he flicked over the stapled pages, quickly pointing at one of the more well cut-up sections of the report. "... This section in my exam, that would absolutely not be considered cheating by the school board. That would be considered good fact retention and exam technique, right?" he postulated, his tone changing as he tried to sound as if he was explaining something slightly complex that he expected Cecil to understand, as if he was teaching him the right way to look at the issue at hand.
He leaned back and let Cecil read after spinning the piece of paper back around to face him with a swift motion of his thumb and forefinger, and took another sip of his drink, his eyes never looking away as he studied him. Waiting for a response. He wondered if he'd agree this time, or if he'd have to take a different tact. He declined to interrupt his thoughts for now though, letting him stew as he looked down at him with a soft, understanding smile.
He paused for a second or two though, giving him a moment to feel self conscious, blinking a little as if surprised at the wrath incurred. Stopping the pretext he'd been building up would do little to help him, and perhaps it would make him doubt his own judgement.
"Yes, sure. All that new, experimental data we have to analyse to validate our hypothesis'. Research." he responded sarcastically, completely failing to keep the condescension out of his voice, watching for his reaction with a hint of wry amusement. He paused again, as if waiting for a response to an unspoken question, before speaking again. Keeping the cadence of balance seemed to get him flustered, so he decided to keep doing it. Hopefully it would engender mistakes, or at least an oversharing of information.
He reached over, picking up his papers, and spinning them around so that he could read them. "If I put say..." He began to say as he flicked over the stapled pages, quickly pointing at one of the more well cut-up sections of the report. "... This section in my exam, that would absolutely not be considered cheating by the school board. That would be considered good fact retention and exam technique, right?" he postulated, his tone changing as he tried to sound as if he was explaining something slightly complex that he expected Cecil to understand, as if he was teaching him the right way to look at the issue at hand.
He leaned back and let Cecil read after spinning the piece of paper back around to face him with a swift motion of his thumb and forefinger, and took another sip of his drink, his eyes never looking away as he studied him. Waiting for a response. He wondered if he'd agree this time, or if he'd have to take a different tact. He declined to interrupt his thoughts for now though, letting him stew as he looked down at him with a soft, understanding smile.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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This time, Cecil only twitched a little bit when he sensed something else other than the harmless and easygoing front Parker has been conveying this entire time. He shouldn''t even be surprised, the guy did try to cheat after all, but there was still that possibility of him just not knowing what can be considered plagiarism, although even that was a stretch, at least for Cecil, but that doesn't matter now. Based on that response, Cecil could at least be sure that Parker knew exactly what he was doing, and that he didn''t sound like he regrets any of it.
And when Parker decided to present another question again without answering Cecil's question first, he felt his own smile became a tad bit wider, all sickly sweet. Cecil stared at Parker with a sugary frozen smile, the intensity only growing as now Parker started saying that what he did would be considered a "good job" by the teachers.
As if it was Parker who has done something right.
As if Cecil was the unreasonable one.
Unless he'’s a teacher or someone else with authority over him, he does not have the right to teach him about anything.
Especially if Cecil knows he'’s dead wrong in all of this.
He snatched the paper, glanced at the section, then looked back up at Parker.
“"Well of course,”" he replied with gritted teeth. "“But that’'s besides the point, isn’'t it? If it was in an exam, it might be acceptable. But this isn'’t the exam, it'’s a research project."”
He then pointed at the plagiarized section of the paper.
"“Now in a research project? The school board would consider this to be plagiarism,"” he said very slowly and carefully, as if it was supposed to be something said so straightforwardly for Parker to finally understand. "“There'’s no if's here. You did put this section in a research project, not an exam. And instead of being considered as a correct answer, your work will be considered invalid."”
Now it was his turn to start explaining something so basic to this arrogant di——
“"Is it that hard for you to understand?"”
There was something else in that obviously forced calm wrapped in a soft-spoken tone. So much frustration with the whole situation. But mostly with Parker.
And when Parker decided to present another question again without answering Cecil's question first, he felt his own smile became a tad bit wider, all sickly sweet. Cecil stared at Parker with a sugary frozen smile, the intensity only growing as now Parker started saying that what he did would be considered a "good job" by the teachers.
As if it was Parker who has done something right.
As if Cecil was the unreasonable one.
Unless he'’s a teacher or someone else with authority over him, he does not have the right to teach him about anything.
Especially if Cecil knows he'’s dead wrong in all of this.
He snatched the paper, glanced at the section, then looked back up at Parker.
“"Well of course,”" he replied with gritted teeth. "“But that’'s besides the point, isn’'t it? If it was in an exam, it might be acceptable. But this isn'’t the exam, it'’s a research project."”
He then pointed at the plagiarized section of the paper.
"“Now in a research project? The school board would consider this to be plagiarism,"” he said very slowly and carefully, as if it was supposed to be something said so straightforwardly for Parker to finally understand. "“There'’s no if's here. You did put this section in a research project, not an exam. And instead of being considered as a correct answer, your work will be considered invalid."”
Now it was his turn to start explaining something so basic to this arrogant di——
“"Is it that hard for you to understand?"”
There was something else in that obviously forced calm wrapped in a soft-spoken tone. So much frustration with the whole situation. But mostly with Parker.
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Frozen Smoke
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Parker had to nail his smile in place, frozen in time as Cecil spoke. Maintaining that projected calmness as he continued his stubborn tirade, continuing to fight his preposition, not giving him the satisfaction of showing his displeasure. The shift in framing he'd tried to weave in had been caught, isolated, and kicked back at him. Clearly he wasn't going to convince him that he should simply drop this, which meant that there was some underlying motivation here he had to find if he wanted to progress in this conversation, and get the result that was going to be the easiest for all of them. Which was his work being submitted, no-one noticing, and them all getting good marks.
He tried his best to let those further remarks roll off him, feigning something akin to a pitying look as Cecil threw his argument back at him, the expression twisted slightly with the annoyance he felt at having wasted his time trying to go down that line of reasoning with him. He'd underestimated his intelligence and overestimated his wisdom. Not a mistake he would make again.
"I don't think you've really thought through the course of action you're about to take, Cecil" he said, calmly and crisply, keeping his tone informative and his pace relatively slow. Giving him enough time to think, but not nearly enough time to interrupt. "Let's play this out in fact - So, you take that page to the teacher and say 'This is plagiarized, look, these sentences are very similar to these ones' - Do you think it's in the teacher's best interest to look beyond a quick control - f search of the references you're giving them?"
He let that thought stir in his head for a bit. Watched his expression carefully, wondering if he'd connect the dots of the implications himself, or if he'd have to explain it for him. The can raised up a little, body acting on autopilot for a moment as he continued the trend from earlier pauses, but he caught the impulse and stopped. He didn't want to break eye contact. Not until Cecil responded.
He tried his best to let those further remarks roll off him, feigning something akin to a pitying look as Cecil threw his argument back at him, the expression twisted slightly with the annoyance he felt at having wasted his time trying to go down that line of reasoning with him. He'd underestimated his intelligence and overestimated his wisdom. Not a mistake he would make again.
"I don't think you've really thought through the course of action you're about to take, Cecil" he said, calmly and crisply, keeping his tone informative and his pace relatively slow. Giving him enough time to think, but not nearly enough time to interrupt. "Let's play this out in fact - So, you take that page to the teacher and say 'This is plagiarized, look, these sentences are very similar to these ones' - Do you think it's in the teacher's best interest to look beyond a quick control - f search of the references you're giving them?"
He let that thought stir in his head for a bit. Watched his expression carefully, wondering if he'd connect the dots of the implications himself, or if he'd have to explain it for him. The can raised up a little, body acting on autopilot for a moment as he continued the trend from earlier pauses, but he caught the impulse and stopped. He didn't want to break eye contact. Not until Cecil responded.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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And he finally takes on a different approach, I see.
Cecil felt his own caution rise as Parker'’s still infuriatingly even and matter-of-fact voice started spouting off some supposedly logical outcome that wouldn'’t end in Cecil's favor. And perhaps, at a certain angle, Parker could have a point. It depends on the teacher's judgement in the end, and Cecil would be the last person to have wasted a teacher'’s time. No, he doesn’'t want that.
But Cecil should be able to trust their Biology teacher to see actual grounded reason, and not whatever narrative Parker is trying to construct every time he opens his mouth.
Yes, blind trust, even with people with authority, is very dangerous and could still lead you to disappointment, but Cecil believes that letting them know is something he ought to do either way, and he can'’t afford to lose now. Not when he'’s already made the decision to make sure Parker doesn''t get a grade he does not deserve. And Cecil will make sure to see the end of it.
One thing'’s for sure though: Parker won'’t make it easy.
With the inevitable feeling of being wronged if he does end up dropping it, Cecil fails to keep the indignity and anger away from his voice, but his words were careful and thought-out this time.
Or at least, he thinks so.
"“Oh, there wouldn''t be any need for searching, I don’'t want to trouble her that much.”" He channels his resentment to physically widening his smile that he felt his cheeks start to hurt. "“I have my own copy of the textbook, and I guess I have show her where you still stole original content from the very exact page."”
Cecil ended the last sentence in a harder tone, meeting Parker'’s eyes straight on. Clearly angry? Yes. Uncertain in his position? Still a no.
And the copy’'s left back home, but if Cecil had to, he'’d find some way to bring it to school and prove his point.
"“And why wouldn''t it be on her best interests? Shouldn''t a teacher grade accordingly with what a student is only capable of based on the criteria?"” He scoffed. "“If she knew you cheated, is it in her best interests to let it go?"”
Cecil felt his own caution rise as Parker'’s still infuriatingly even and matter-of-fact voice started spouting off some supposedly logical outcome that wouldn'’t end in Cecil's favor. And perhaps, at a certain angle, Parker could have a point. It depends on the teacher's judgement in the end, and Cecil would be the last person to have wasted a teacher'’s time. No, he doesn’'t want that.
But Cecil should be able to trust their Biology teacher to see actual grounded reason, and not whatever narrative Parker is trying to construct every time he opens his mouth.
Yes, blind trust, even with people with authority, is very dangerous and could still lead you to disappointment, but Cecil believes that letting them know is something he ought to do either way, and he can'’t afford to lose now. Not when he'’s already made the decision to make sure Parker doesn''t get a grade he does not deserve. And Cecil will make sure to see the end of it.
One thing'’s for sure though: Parker won'’t make it easy.
With the inevitable feeling of being wronged if he does end up dropping it, Cecil fails to keep the indignity and anger away from his voice, but his words were careful and thought-out this time.
Or at least, he thinks so.
"“Oh, there wouldn''t be any need for searching, I don’'t want to trouble her that much.”" He channels his resentment to physically widening his smile that he felt his cheeks start to hurt. "“I have my own copy of the textbook, and I guess I have show her where you still stole original content from the very exact page."”
Cecil ended the last sentence in a harder tone, meeting Parker'’s eyes straight on. Clearly angry? Yes. Uncertain in his position? Still a no.
And the copy’'s left back home, but if Cecil had to, he'’d find some way to bring it to school and prove his point.
"“And why wouldn''t it be on her best interests? Shouldn''t a teacher grade accordingly with what a student is only capable of based on the criteria?"” He scoffed. "“If she knew you cheated, is it in her best interests to let it go?"”
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Frozen Smoke
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Parker was glad Cecil was at least one of the people who revealed far more than he should, even when he was being stubborn, talking and talking and talking. It was almost shocking he hadn't taken the option of just saying he wouldn't report him and doing it anyway, or just leaving it to the teacher to find. He might have suspected he'd ratted him out, but he'd have no way of knowing it. Cecil seemed more interested in extracting some sort of apology from him, proving that he was in control. He wasn't about to give him that. So he stood, and he listened, picking apart his reasoning as best he could.
He had to stop himself from smirking as the last line came through though. Something about how hopelessly optimistic it was, how naive it was, just made his mask of seriousness crack a little. A joke he couldn't quite explain as he responded abruptly.
"Uhuh. So tell me, how are teachers graded again, in terms of performance?"
He had to stop himself from smirking as the last line came through though. Something about how hopelessly optimistic it was, how naive it was, just made his mask of seriousness crack a little. A joke he couldn't quite explain as he responded abruptly.
"Uhuh. So tell me, how are teachers graded again, in terms of performance?"
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
- Posts: 188
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Something inside Cecil just froze in their tracks at Parker's immediate reply.
How are teachers' graded, in terms of performance?
Cecil'’s answer to that question is just as immediate, but he never opened his mouth to say it.
Technically, based on the student’s' academic performance.
Cecil doesn''t like the implications of that very well. So when the beginnings of doubt start creeping up on him, he scrambled to make sure he doesn'’t start losing it. He had to deal with a fact he always knew but never tried to think about thoroughly.
Adults are still people. Of course I know that. I'’m not that much of an idiot. They'’re not perfect, and they still learn, but they know some things better than us. Teachers are supposed to teach us. And they’'re people, too. So could a teacher also inflate their own evaluations, letting something like this go for their own sake?
It'’s not impossible. Well, of course it'’s possible. But——
Stop, Cecil.
It doesn''t matter. It doesn''t matter.
Just focus on the matter at hand, Cecil.
It does not matter. Does not matter.
Cecil opened his mouth to reply, but in the midst of jumbled thoughts, nothing came out and he shut his mouth closed.
He can'’t dignify that question with verbal answer of his own, no. He refuses to.
He just sighed, attempting to wash at least most of the tensions in his face and body away. He leaned back and looked up at Parker with a worn-out glare.
"“So, what now?"” He lets out a bitter and tired smile, but there was still a challenging tone behind his voice. "“Should we just take this and our discussion to the teacher then?"”
How are teachers' graded, in terms of performance?
Cecil'’s answer to that question is just as immediate, but he never opened his mouth to say it.
Technically, based on the student’s' academic performance.
Cecil doesn''t like the implications of that very well. So when the beginnings of doubt start creeping up on him, he scrambled to make sure he doesn'’t start losing it. He had to deal with a fact he always knew but never tried to think about thoroughly.
Adults are still people. Of course I know that. I'’m not that much of an idiot. They'’re not perfect, and they still learn, but they know some things better than us. Teachers are supposed to teach us. And they’'re people, too. So could a teacher also inflate their own evaluations, letting something like this go for their own sake?
It'’s not impossible. Well, of course it'’s possible. But——
Stop, Cecil.
It doesn''t matter. It doesn''t matter.
Just focus on the matter at hand, Cecil.
It does not matter. Does not matter.
Cecil opened his mouth to reply, but in the midst of jumbled thoughts, nothing came out and he shut his mouth closed.
He can'’t dignify that question with verbal answer of his own, no. He refuses to.
He just sighed, attempting to wash at least most of the tensions in his face and body away. He leaned back and looked up at Parker with a worn-out glare.
"“So, what now?"” He lets out a bitter and tired smile, but there was still a challenging tone behind his voice. "“Should we just take this and our discussion to the teacher then?"”
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Frozen Smoke
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The two of them stood in silence for a few moments. Parker declined to offer Cecil anything that might have broken what he hoped was contemplation on the statement he'd just offered up. Even if he didn't buy the cynical assessment of the situation, he hoped it would at least put the motives of the authority who got to determine what cheating was into enough question that he would be less certain in his initial course of action. Judging by the length of the pause between call and response, it seemed Cecil was at least a little shaken.
His response indicated no progress towards the ultimate goal of getting him to drop the matter however. He was still clinging to his initial course of action, as stubborn as ever. Whilst he tried to remain as impassive as he could, a glimmer of a frown set into his features as he looked back at Cecil. Their eyes did not lock onto one another, meeting for the briefest of moments before Parker looked away, thinking about what to say for a few precious moments. Only when he was ready to speak did his eyes connect with Cecil's attempt at an exasperated glare, matching it with a look that was supposed to seem aloof and smug, but betrayed the frustration he was feeling as he took in the sight of Cecil once more.
"You are welcome to continue this discussion with staff if you wish." He stated, matter of factly, before tapping the sheet in front of him "I've never seen this piece of work before though, and it's definitely not the one I gave Cecil, Miss." he added, trying to keep his tone as clean and matter of fact as before. He mostly succeeded, but he couldn't help but rise to the challenge Cecil had faced him with as he looked down at him, his tone sharp and precise.
His response indicated no progress towards the ultimate goal of getting him to drop the matter however. He was still clinging to his initial course of action, as stubborn as ever. Whilst he tried to remain as impassive as he could, a glimmer of a frown set into his features as he looked back at Cecil. Their eyes did not lock onto one another, meeting for the briefest of moments before Parker looked away, thinking about what to say for a few precious moments. Only when he was ready to speak did his eyes connect with Cecil's attempt at an exasperated glare, matching it with a look that was supposed to seem aloof and smug, but betrayed the frustration he was feeling as he took in the sight of Cecil once more.
"You are welcome to continue this discussion with staff if you wish." He stated, matter of factly, before tapping the sheet in front of him "I've never seen this piece of work before though, and it's definitely not the one I gave Cecil, Miss." he added, trying to keep his tone as clean and matter of fact as before. He mostly succeeded, but he couldn't help but rise to the challenge Cecil had faced him with as he looked down at him, his tone sharp and precise.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
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LeslieFranc
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Cecil’'s eyes widened when Parker started weaving another narrative, one where Parker has actually given Cecil a fair and clean work, but Cecil had actually replaced his with another paper that pointed to Parker cheating. He was threatening Cecil to paint him in a bad light in front of the school board.
The school faculty is due their respect. They try to do their jobs, and Cecil has nothing but respect for them for making sure that the students would be able to learn without any problems. Sure, they'’re not perfect, but he doesn''t really believe that being ungrateful to things they have done is the right course of action.
Letting them know that someone at least appreciates some of their work is important, and that’'s why when they also let him know that they acknowledge that appreciation, Cecil felt that he has done a job well done.
So now that Parker is telling him that he's going to ruin that? Cecil felt, at least at that moment, that he couldn''t forgive Parker for that.
With a darkened expression, Cecil had finally stood up from his seat, never breaking eye contact. He'’d had enough of Parker looking down at him. Standing at six feet, Cecil practically towers over Parker, but he leans his hands on the desk, getting physically close to Parker.
“"And?”" he challenged, no longer with a smile. "“Do you think you'’re the first person I'’ve caught cheating? You think you'’re the first one to deny that they cheated? The first one to try to get me in trouble?"”
With one last glare, he puts the damned paper back to the pile, the first one to see, to pick up, and to show and inform.
The school faculty is due their respect. They try to do their jobs, and Cecil has nothing but respect for them for making sure that the students would be able to learn without any problems. Sure, they'’re not perfect, but he doesn''t really believe that being ungrateful to things they have done is the right course of action.
Letting them know that someone at least appreciates some of their work is important, and that’'s why when they also let him know that they acknowledge that appreciation, Cecil felt that he has done a job well done.
So now that Parker is telling him that he's going to ruin that? Cecil felt, at least at that moment, that he couldn''t forgive Parker for that.
With a darkened expression, Cecil had finally stood up from his seat, never breaking eye contact. He'’d had enough of Parker looking down at him. Standing at six feet, Cecil practically towers over Parker, but he leans his hands on the desk, getting physically close to Parker.
“"And?”" he challenged, no longer with a smile. "“Do you think you'’re the first person I'’ve caught cheating? You think you'’re the first one to deny that they cheated? The first one to try to get me in trouble?"”
With one last glare, he puts the damned paper back to the pile, the first one to see, to pick up, and to show and inform.
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Frozen Smoke
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Parker's eyes flicked away from Cecil's, studying his expression as their dialogue turned from a negotiation into one with a more Melian bent, with all future consequence and ramifications and clever wordplay rendered moot by the simple factor of the leverage Cecil held. His eyes flicked down to the folder where the papers had been shuffled, the white, now slightly crumpled paper of his assignment sitting atop a stack of other, pristine pages. Part of him thought about simply grabbing the whole thing, throwing his out and simply taking the "no entry" mark. His eyes lingered a little longer as Cecil continued talking, he was distracted too. He could totally just grab it and run the fuck out of here.
But he'd be seen. Someone would notice him, stop him, and that would do nothing to help him in this situation.
The impulse died, and he looked up now at Cecil, who had decided to take the physical as well as moral high ground. Both of them knew that they weren't going to actually fight right? Zero tolerance policies might be shitty at preventing bullying, but they did make intimidation from someone like him pretty laughable. Getting hauled in for fighting wouldn't be in the best interests of either of them, he assumed.
Then again, he'd been wrong about this person before. He'd assumed they were motivated by their academic success, hence the threat of taking this disagreement to a coin-flip of their academic careers. Either of the two of them being seen to frame another for cheating would take them out of the race for basically any college worth a damn, and they were smart enough to realise that, he was fairly certain. Which meant that he was wrong about his goals, because someone trying to actually do well with the end goal of being accomplished in biology wouldn't risk their future on something as tiny as this.
In retrospect he should have taken the loss and tried to make it up by sucking up to him, but of all the people to be assertive about something inane like this, this hadn't been his prime suspect. They had earned some respect for being pretty damn good at their subject. Enough that he'd sit back and let them lead the group, rather than him. He'd hoped Cecil would at least be clever enough to be focusing on the future past 18, not the place he was going to be in for another 18 months.
"Fuck you."
But he'd be seen. Someone would notice him, stop him, and that would do nothing to help him in this situation.
The impulse died, and he looked up now at Cecil, who had decided to take the physical as well as moral high ground. Both of them knew that they weren't going to actually fight right? Zero tolerance policies might be shitty at preventing bullying, but they did make intimidation from someone like him pretty laughable. Getting hauled in for fighting wouldn't be in the best interests of either of them, he assumed.
Then again, he'd been wrong about this person before. He'd assumed they were motivated by their academic success, hence the threat of taking this disagreement to a coin-flip of their academic careers. Either of the two of them being seen to frame another for cheating would take them out of the race for basically any college worth a damn, and they were smart enough to realise that, he was fairly certain. Which meant that he was wrong about his goals, because someone trying to actually do well with the end goal of being accomplished in biology wouldn't risk their future on something as tiny as this.
In retrospect he should have taken the loss and tried to make it up by sucking up to him, but of all the people to be assertive about something inane like this, this hadn't been his prime suspect. They had earned some respect for being pretty damn good at their subject. Enough that he'd sit back and let them lead the group, rather than him. He'd hoped Cecil would at least be clever enough to be focusing on the future past 18, not the place he was going to be in for another 18 months.
"Fuck you."
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.