"Hi Tee, how was your day?" Mrs. Quinn asked as her daughter entered the car.
"Hi Mummy," Thea greeted, "I just wanna go home and sleep."
"Mhmm, but you have to study, exams are coming up."
"Why is it already June," Thea complained, "we were just writing our March tests but now it's June, and then it's going to be October, which is more studying."
"That's just how school is, it's a lot of work, but you need it. It's a privilege to be able to go to school Thea, you shouldn't complain so much."
"Yes Mummy," she sighed in response
—
Don't worry Thea, I also don't like school or those lectures, … even though it's necessary and true.
—
"Your Dad is working late today, he's got a long surgery ahead of him."
"Oh, how long do you think? When will he be back."
"I don't know. The poor kid that he's operating on has a very big tumor pressing against her brain, she's been in so much pain for so long. He is on 'holiday' from tomorrow, we both know that it probably won't be a holiday, though."
"Yeah… d-did he say if me and him are still going to the cinema on Sunday?"
"I don't know, Tee. You know that he wants to, but he also needs to rest."
"Yes Mum," Thea sighed. She'd been waiting months for this weekend, but her dad always had to cancel at the last second. Sometimes she wished that her dad just had a normal job. Yes, the money coming in was convenient, but having her dad with her, and actually being able to spend time with him, that was all she wanted.
'Lyrah and Terrance are probably going to get into trouble,' Thea thought, 'I should go out to meet them there. Knowing them, they must have agreed to meet at 4, it's always 4.'
"Mum, can I go for a ride later today? I'm going to meet up with Lyrah and Terrance."
Her mother sighed, "Are you sure you're going to meet with them?"
"Yeah I am, I promise, we're going to meet at Sugarlooped."
"Fine, you can go, under one condition."
"... I'm listening."
"You have to buy that caramel iced-coffee for me and bring it back."
"Deal."
"Good. There's spaghetti in the fridge that u can warm up, theres chocolate ice-cream in the fridge, don't take the chocolate and nuts though, that's Andrew's."
"Thanks Mum!" Thea said getting out of here mother's car. They'd just reached their home, which had been feeling more like just a house lately with everyone being so busy and stressed. She dragged herself to her room, all of her energy now gone as she was ready to sleep. Her chair squeaked as she pulled it back, her table looking more like a bookstore than a teenager's study desk.
Infront of her, the dreaded words stood, etched on the cover of the book in blue ink 'Afrikaans. Eerste Addisionale Taal'.
It was a horror to learn, even worse to write. Why did she have to do Afrikaans? She wouldn't even use it after school anyway. It just felt like a waste of time that she could use for something, anything else.
"No. No no no no. I'm not doing this right now, I'm too tired for this," Thea told herself, getting up to get food, "there's always tomorrow to study."
"Yo, TQ," a man said as she got to the kitchen.
"You're back so early?" Thea smiled. It was her brother, Andrew Quinn.
"Yeah, they gave me off since i finished a big project. That truck was a pain to get working."
"I can imagine, but don't worry, you just have to wait a few more years, then I'll be able to help you out."
"I'm counting on it T."
Thea took the leftovers from the fridge, making some hot for her brother too. They ate with the entertainment of a sci-fi - horror, and the occasional jump-scared yelp from Andrew, followed by a chuckle from Thea.