A Meeting of the League

My last tutee for the day walks out of the small glass study room in the back of the library. Dixon, not the one in town. I assume it’s my last tutee, at least. No one else scheduled in advance. Technically they could simply show up during my hours without setting something up, but no one ever does. We’re all too busy. A text comes in. It’s in our League of Evil chat. Ali wants to meet up. Not really sure why. It’s not like any of us really have the time right now. I know in theory working as a group shouldn’t be a problem, but I know the League. We don’t actually get much work done. We get some work done, it’s just done much more slowly than later.

I reply to the chat. ‘Sorry, it’s my tutoring open hours. Maybe later?’ I got to say, I’m thankful Greg finally has his shit together. Being able to say that I’m tutoring people makes things much easier. Less having to come up with vague excuses, or worse, just outright denial.

‘No problem Nat,’ Ali quickly replies. She must have been waiting for replies. That’s weird. ‘When are you done?’

I’m not sure how to respond. I mean, I am done in a half hour, but at the same time, I got two final papers due in the next two days. I shoot Ali a quick text outside our group chat. ‘What’s up? Why the meet during hell week?’

Silence. I get back to work. Not tutoring, no one is here to tutor. No, I figure I might as well use the rest of the hour productively and get at least a portion of my final papers done. I already have an outline and most all of the sources for my Philosophy and Theory of Education final, basically I just need to make the disjointed points and quotes into a cohesive paper. A time consuming and focus requiring, though not particularly difficult, task. I get through one of my body paragraphs by the time Ali replies to my text.

‘Ike’s been avoiding me’ she replies. A long time thinking for such a short text.

I don’t take too much time in replying, ‘Why? Did you do something? Did he?’

I wait for her reply. It takes a bit of time. Like she’s trying to decide what to say. ‘It’s complicated. No, and not really to your other 2 questions’

This is too much, and I need to focus. Some of us are still going to need to show good grades. ‘Look, I got a paper due tomorrow and another due after that. Tell me why he’s avoiding you and why you want to chat, or I’mma just say I’m busy tonight’

Her reply this time was instantaneous. ‘No don’t do that’. Then there is a pause between texts. It’s something bad, then. She’s figuring out exactly what to say. ‘Let’s just say that Ike has some secrets, and I may have figured one out. Ike knows that I know, but he doesn’t know where to go from here.’ Proper grammar and punctuation. Dang, Ali’s serious about this one.

‘What’s the secret?’ I ask. She probably won’t say anything, but there’s a chance. She isn’t Therese, after all.

It doesn’t work. ‘Ask Ike’ she replies. Her weekly drinking nights with Therese have had an influence. Don’t know if it’s good or bad.

‘So you just want to sort that out?’ I ask simply. I figure the answer’s more complicated than that, but that’s more for an in person interrogation, not over the phone. Reading faces of people (not named Therese) is much easier than trying to read the implications of a text.

Unsurprisingly, after a pause, Ali replies in somewhat vague fashion. ‘Something like that’

I switch over to our group chat. ‘Sorry, had to deal with someone. I should be off in like fifteen, unless someone comes in at the end.’ Technically it’s true. The someone I had to deal with just happens to be Ali.

‘Sorry, we’re in a meeting. How bout in a half hour?’ Ike replies to the chat. Interesting. More secrets. My friends are weird sometimes. I guess that’s what I get for happening to be friends with people who’ve got too many long term plans.

Ali chimes in. ‘sounds good. The Grill or Al’s?’ She’s politely asking our friends whether they’ll need to drink. Big Al’s Pit Stop is a small casual diner, and it doesn’t serve alcohol. The Betty Grill Run is also a casual diner, but it has an open bar.

‘Grill’ Ike replies. Jase tacks on, ‘Def grill.’

So their meeting thing they’re in is one they aren’t particularly happy about. Or it’s stressful in some way. I probably should ask them about it, even though my terrible friends will likely just brush it off. Well, Ike will. Jase might tell us, assuming he’s high already. He gets really chatty when crossfaded. Either way, I’ve got the time to write the next paragraph before I should head out to make it to the Grill.

I really do like this method of writing papers. It makes sense. Figure out a topic, find all the evidence that could be relevant, form an argument for each bit, and then pick and choose those arguments in the most interesting way to make your thesis. Makes it much easier during this last push, because I already have all of the sources and quotes that I’ll need to prove my thesis, and some others to spare in case I need to add more length to the paper. Clean, simple, and easy.

The second paragraph takes a tad longer than the first did to make whole. My open hours finish before the paragraph is. I keep at it, though. I mean, it’s not like this is a special, tutoring only room. It’s a library study room. I just use it for tutoring. If someone else really wants to use it, they can kick me out. Otherwise, I’m not moving until I want to.

No one even tries to kick me out, and I finish off the paragraph. Running a little late shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I put my laptop into my backpack, put on my sweater, sling the backpack over my shoulders, and leave Dixon. I start the walk across town. The brisk late fall air is nice. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself. I realize about halfway to the Grill that I really should’ve stopped by my room to grab an extra jacket. Walking back will be terrible, assuming any wind at all. The sweater’s warm, for certain, but it’s also not exactly good at keeping that warmth in. Nor will it stop any wind from cooling me quickly. But, it’s too late to change now. I’m already behind schedule and doubling back would only cause trouble. Me being a minute or so late is no big deal. Me being ten minutes late, especially if things between Ali and Ike are as awkward as Ali seems to think they are, could prove disastrous.

The Betty Grill Run is exactly what someone would expect when they hear about a Bar and Grill whose name is a pun from the local river. Goofy as hell. Lots of local history photos inside, lots of memorabilia. If anyone besides the Magister Apprentices and Prospectives ever came into town, I’d assume this was some kind of tourist trap. It’s not, the owner just really likes the town. Some people can be kind of weird. Ike, Jase, and Ali are standing awkwardly in the waiting area. I can’t help but sigh. These dummies really need to work their stuff out. Smiling, I say, “Sorry I’m late, League. Got held up.”

“No problem, Nat. Table’s not opening up for another minute,” Jase says with a smile.

I nod. “The two of them actually talk yet, or just stood there waiting for me to show up?” I ask him, very intentionally ignoring Ike and Ali.

“What do you think?” he asks back with a smile. “You know what’s up?”

I shake my head. “Not really. You?”

“You think Ali trusts me with anything important? Have you met me?” Jase jokes. That, at least, gets them all laughing. A good start.

I smile. “Unfortunately, I have,” I reply to Jase. Then, to the others, I say, “Listen, you two, sit down over there and talk. Jase and I will stand over here to make sure you aren’t bothered by anyone.” Then, looking Jase directly in the eyes, I make sure to add, “And not eavesdrop.”

“You’re no fun,” Jase jokes, even though he probably wasn’t planning on eavesdropping in the first place. I can tell from looking into his eyes that he’ll be in a chatty mood later, and that means he isn’t really in a sneaky mood right now.

“But,” Ike begins.

I shake my head. “No buts. I’m putting off actual projects to hang out with you guys, and I don’t want this to be awkward silence with the occasional comment by Jase.”

They groan as the pair of people with long term plans and too many secrets head to the bench in the corner. “Alright,” I say to Jase, “How’re things going for you? Everything good?”

Jase shrugs. “Good? Not really. But it’s fine. Just sorting some things out. Last year and everything.”

“You and your crew figured out what you’re doing next year? Ike’s been planning on rejoining Amanda since sophomore year, and Ter won’t tell me anything.”

He looks nervously at our friends to make sure they’re talking before he continues. “Don’t tell Ali yet, but I’m thinking I’ll be heading up to DC. Not as a fulltime Magister, but I’ll be doing some tech stuff for the government. I’ve been talking with Devon, I mean Great Maestro Stevens-Williamson, about whether and how it’ll work since the beginning of the semester.”

I furrow my brow. Jase isn’t one of my friends who keeps secrets. He’s, like, the one I can count on never to. “Why don’t tell Ali?” I ask.

“Because that Villa is on her list of finalists, but I don’t want my future to change her decision. Like, she’s got a real future, you know? Not just because of her parents, but like, she has actual plans and stuff. I don’t want to get in the way of that.” Jase is nervous as he speaks. Clearly he’s thought about this and is concerned.

“Have you talked to anyone else about this?”

He shrugs. “Ter got me in touch with Devon. Other than that, no. I mean, I’ll have to tell Miss Leyten next semester, but I’m pretty sure Ali’ll have decided by then,” he answers.

“Therese doesn’t count, that’s like telling a wall,” I say back.

Jase chuckles. “Because she wouldn’t tell anyone, or because she has mystical bugs on all the walls around campus?”

I chuckle back. “Pick one,” I joke, adding, “And I’m pretty sure not all of them are mystical.”

He laughs. “Probably,” he gets out through the laughter. “Anyways, Ter keeps saying she has ‘a plan’, but won’t say what. Leyten lets her, probably because they talk about it over whatever game they play together every week.”

“You should ask Ali. They also hang out weekly, and knowing them, they either drink in silence or cryptically muse about the future.”

Jase smiles and nods. “According to Ali, they drink in silence. Meaning they probably cryptically muse about the future and she doesn’t want me trying to eavesdrop.”

“Not like you could anyways,” I joke, “Therese has spies everywhere.”

A somewhat familiar voice comes over the dividing wall. “No, she doesn’t,” she says with a laugh. We peek around the corner. Irene is eating with Greg, his friend, and a couple others. I look at Irene judgmentally. “What? I overheard the perfect entry line,” she jokes.

Jase chuckles. “You gotta admit, she’s got a point. It was a pretty good line,” he says to me.

“You gotta,” Irene insists.

I wave them both off. “Don’t listen to Jase,” I counter, “He laughed at one of my jokes earlier.”

Jase continues to chuckle as he gestures towards me. “That’s also a fair point.”