The Calbee Effect (Heart + Pancakes)

HappyPancakes

HappyPancakes

Edgepeasant
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Writing Levels
  1. Adaptable
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Name: Rebecca "Becca" Loecke
Age: 19
Height: 5'2
Short Bio: An only child, She lives with her dad Rick, and her most recent step-mom Lyn. She used to go to a rather good university two hours away until her dad had a stroke, and became much inclined to other health problems. Since then, she's moved back home because Lyn can't be bothered. It seemed that she was never without a stepmom, but she had no idea what happened to her biological mother - something she wants to find out.

Becca waited by the door, taking in the morning air with her attention mostly on her phone. From an outside view, she would've exacerbated the stereotype of her generation being nothing but phone obsessed. But did people really expect her to be completely present and focused on how cold it was! Even her jean jacket wasn't doing much with the morning breeze. Times like this she wished she hadn't chopped the eleven inches off. But it had to be done, and she loved it anyway. Besides, most of those naysayers had a phone just as good, if not better than hers. And it's not like they were making the heftiest communication waiting for an Uber, or a lift from a friend.

So Becca stayed on her phone, mostly scrolling through the baked goods on her Pinterest. She looked at the black sedan across the street, her breath temporarily turning more into a sigh. The 'For sale' sign haunted her. For something she could supposedly just if she 'kept up the good work', Becca felt like she was nowhere near even close to her own car. She kept up the good work at school, graduated within the top what, 30 of her class, and spent the first year of her campus life getting dropped off and picked up because "Freshmen don't need cars".

And her negotiation for one didn't work this year either. Her step-mother's shut down? It wasn't like she needed it – She didn't have friends to drive around. No matter how many different arguments Becca tried to come up with for the necessity of a car, even that she'd get paid back for any assistance or matching, and why Lyn's argument made no sense, she still lost out. The idea fumed her; she'd even moved to a campus near home after freshman year to help with her dad – and she couldn't even have a consistent way to travel without being a burden? And from the fresh manicures and blowouts Lyn seemed to sport every other week? There's no way it was a financial issue.

Becca looked down at her phone, hoping that at least someone would answer with some sort of empathy at her long winded rant. But Lyn was right in some sense – she didn't have a lot of people who would have answered. So far, just Caitlin – who she'd known since she was twelve – was the only one who'd help her in a jam. And she was on their old campus. So it was the black Hyundai she requested now in front of her. As the car went on the way to her new campus, she looked down, still seeing no answers back. Texts back wouldn't have helped anyway. She needed a friend that was actually in front of her in times like these. And she used to have one. He was the best too – Green hair, a crooked grin, and the ability to make her smile no matter what.

Only problem was that the more she was told he didn't really exist, the more she started to believe it.
 
"That stupid little..."

A man sat angrily on the rooftop of the building, watching Becca from afar. How many times has that Lyn left Becca stranded? Oh if he were able to he would give her several rides - anywhere around town! But sadly, as he held up his hand, he could nearly see past his skin to the view ahead of him. That was the way of an imaginary friend - a mere thought of the human mind. That's who he was - the imaginary friend Calbee.

He huffed as he tried to think of a way to get to Becca. All at once he became alert. Imaginary friends just know when their creator is thinking of them. Calbee wondered if he could still muster the trick from before.

"Come on, just bring me next to her. That's all," Calbee muttered to himself as if reciting a spell. His eyes were scrunched shut, and he tensed up. He began to flicker and disappear until he reappeared in the car seat next to Becca. Outsiders couldn't see Calbee, but he was sure Becca could see him still - she just had to!

When Calbee opened his eyes and saw he was in the black Hyundai, he smiled, then grinned, then laughed out loud in his signature, silly laugh: "HAHA! I did it!"
 
Becca relaxed against the window of the Hyundai, hoping the driver wouldn't be too friendly or talk too much. Normally she would be fine with it, but there was something in the air. Maybe the weather, maybe the mood, or maybe just thinking about the car she wanted. Either way, she really wasn't in the mood for talking. It seemed that the driver was feeling the tension, breaking it up with music from some other country – French maybe? Becca thought about putting in her headphones, but the drive wasn't too bad, and she didn't want to seem rude. Still, the only thing that kept Becca truly present was the AC on full blast. She lied, saying it didn't really bother her as the drive started humming along to the song. It just made her think of how nice it would be to have her own car.


Becca could have whatever music she wanted, have whoever she wanted in it, and have the AC as high as she wanted. The only other times she could think of having that much fun in a car was between step-moms. With just the two of them, it seemed like that was when she had the most fun. No one to pretend to be nice to, and her dad would let her have whatever music she wanted. He was the only one who seemed to go along with her old imaginary friend, fixing his seat belt before they left and even getting extra ice cream for him. He even kept the pictures of them she'd color – she'd seen some of them in his desk. If only he was around and he could drive her. Becca grinned at the stupid thought. Like someone who didn't exist was just going to pop in the back of her Uber and keep her com-


Becca whipped her head around when she heard the yell, her eyes wide. "WHAT THE FUCK" She yelled, startling the driver into a break. She held onto the car door while other cars started honking. She looked again when the driver asked if she was okay, and why she screamed like that. "You don't see him? He's right there!" Some psycho just got in the car! How the fuck did he even get in the car? They were driving there was no way someone could've just gotten in their car! Much to her confusion, the man didn't see the man in the back, and asked if she was sure she was okay. How could he not see him! This wasn't just an average Joe either! He had green hair!


"Wait," Becca paused, "Green hair." She quickly flashed back before nodding. "Y-yeah. I think so. I'm sorry. Maybe it was a nightmare or something. I haven't been sleeping well" She excused, wiping her brow. Becca made a note to give the guy a good tip before looking at the back seat through the mirror. There he was: Green hair, cheeky grin, pierced ears, not looking a day older than the day he left. No matter how many times she blinked, or rubbed her eyes, he was there. Becca kept her lips tight for the rest of the trip. It was bad enough that she scared the driver once, he didn't need to think she was crazy too! So despite how much she wanted to answer, she kept still until the driver dropped her off.


Becca finally huffed, wiping her brow again. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening," She repeated, "Why are you here?!" She asked. "HOW are you here?"
 
There she was! Gosh, she still looked like the child she was when she met (created?) him. A child in an adult's body! Calbee had to admit, Becca had grown a lot since the last time they talked. Hopefully, she was happy to see him!

"Yooo, Becca! Long time no--"

Suddenly, she was screaming obscenities. Calbee was not wearing a seatbelt, so he shot forward - right into the empty seat in front of him. "Owwww..." he said amongst the screaming and the honking of horns. He started to feel a bit normal and realized what Becca was saying, thinking, about him. Some psycho? How rude!

"I resent that," Calbee said, crossing his arms. "Some psycho, hah. Also, he can't see me by the way."

Calbee could not deny that seeing Becca angry was just a tiny bit funny...a tiny bit... okay a lotta bit. He grinned as Becca tried to play it off with the driver. The cheeky friend decided to lean close to Becca with a grin. If she was gonna give him the silent treatment, Calbee was gonna have some fun. When Becca would rub her eyes in disbelief, Calbee would be right there in front of her face to say, "Boo." For the remainder of the time, Becca would hear, "Hey. Hey Becca. Beeeeeecca! Becca talk to me!" in an annoying, sing-songy voice. This would continue, unbeknownst to the driver, until the ride ended.


When the ride was finally over, Calbee grinned and wrapped a friendly arm around Becca. As Becca kept saying, "This isn't happening," Calbee would reply, "Oh it's happening!"

"I'm here because I thought you really needed a friend right now. As for how..." Calbee began to look unsure. "I dunno, but I believe it's because a part of you hasn't forgotten me just yet. And for that, thank you."

With that, Calbee snuggled up to Becca before letting her go. "So, you gotta tell me, what is going on? Why won't your caretaker pick you up?"
 
Becca spent the entire car ride glaring daggers at Calbee. Having to balance that with looking as normal as possible to the driver was a chore all its own; it was exhausting but she was letting the confusion and anger of the situation motivate her. He was right; she was the only one who could see him. It was like that when she was a kid, and for some reason, it was like that now. That green hair and voice that could crack a windshield if it wanted to, they were unforgettable. If only Becca had the experience of being on the other side of his antics, she would've had the memory of how annoying he could be too. She was pretty sure she flipped him off a couple times in the car when he was in her face.

Once they were out of the car, Calbee's antics didn't stop as he kept goading her to talk. Eventually, she caved, letting him put his arm around her. "Fine. It is happening." She grumbled. Just because she admitted it, doesn't mean she wanted it to happen. "You're here. But that doesn't mean that I'm five years old. I can't just do whatever anymore. I have to look like I'm not fucking crazy, "She warned. She stopped to listen to his explanation of why he was here. Her frown started to fade. That was … actually very accurate. As much as she hated to admit it, she did want her friends around her, anyone. "I guess that makes sense. Kind of." She said, still confused but gave him a small smile back anyway.

"And you're welcome." After all, this was her best friend. Her sweet best friend, the sweetest. The one who made her feel brave when she had to let someone else in again, or when she couldn't be brave for herself. The boy who made her laugh when she knew she was about to cry – and she cried a lot for a five year old. "And fine, I guess I could use someone around right now. " She said, her tone a bit softer as he pressed on. "Caretaker, what am I, eighty?" She asked, seeing someone look at her funny as she seemingly asked herself her own age. She rumbled through her pockets until she found one of her headphones, sticking it in her ear and connecting the jack to her phone.

There. At least now it looked like she was on the line with someone. Becca shrugged when she got back to the question. "Well Lyn's a bitch and dad's …" She paused, gulping. Right. He wasn't here for the past rest of her life; there was no way he knew about what'd been going on with her dad. "Not feeling good." She said, lying more to not make herself upset than Calbee. It just reminded her that people being there for her wasn't a strong thing right now. Speaking of which… "Now I have a question for you – where the hell have you been for thirteen years?" Becca asked in a huff as she looked at her schedule.
 
Well, Becca was right - she wasn't five years old. If her taller figure and adult features didn't give it away, surely her "potty mouth" did. Calbee could just imagine the look of shock on her old elementary school teachers. He guessed with new adult experiences came new adult words. Still, there was no reason why she couldn't talk to him! Because people will think it's weird? Calbee had natural green hair and a half-nasally voice for cryin' out loud! Coming off as weird should have been the least of Becca's worries!

When Becca smiled, however, Calbee's eyes lit up. That was at least part of the Becca he knew and loved, and he was glad to get a little smile out of her. He saw Becca turn to see someone staring at her the two of them and, taking advantage of the situation, he stuck his tongue out at the stranger. "I know they can't see me, but it felt good to do that," he said with a grin. "Anyway, what am I supposed to call Lyn anyway? You don't recognize her as a mother I'm sure... ...and I don't either."

Calbee looked forward with a huff, thinking about how she left her stranded yet again. The angry feelings from the rooftop were coming back to haunt him and Calbee shook his head, clearing his mind. When Becca explained her way through the situation with Dad, Calbee looked puzzled. "Not feeling well? What's going on--"

Before he could finish, Becca had changed the subject, and this question left Calbee visibly stricken. "Becca... that's not fair," he said with sadness in his tone. "You wouldn't come to talk to me at all, because I was 'just made up in your head.' It's not like during that time you couldn't have called for me..."

Soon after he finished speaking, Calbee realized how harsh that sounded. Becca didn't need extra stress in her life. "Forget I said that. What I meant to say was, I was just roaming around. I figured if you wanted to talk, you'd call me again. That's all."
 
Becca watched her once best friend blowing raspberries at people and talking about how good it felt. She scoffed, amused as she tried to make sense of him now. Growing up, it seemed that Calbee could've gotten away with anything that she couldn't. She remembered learning about Freud or whoever talking about different minds and shit: Id, the one that did whatever they wanted because they wanted to, Ego worked on reality, and Superego on morals. She was starting to wonder if Calbee was her Id all those years ago, and still was her Id now. After all, he got to be as free as possible, while she was stuck in her body, seen by the world.

"I bet it did," Becca smirked again. Even with having to pretend that she was talking on the phone instead of someone right in front of her, it was actually kind of nice to talk to someone right now, and watch the stupid stuff he did. Stupid stuff she wished she could do. "You can just call her Lyn. Just like with all the other women dad married – I think you were only around to see Greer." She remembered. At least Greer tried to get her to call her mom, even if it was to try and manipulate her dad out of some money she thought existed. "Since then, there was Paige, Charity and now, Lyn." She said, filling him in before they began to dig into things.

Becca didn't want to talk about her dad. She didn't even remember what Calbee remembered about her dad, and she didn't want to think about when he was healthy. Even with that, she didn't think that bringing up Calbee's absence this whole time would have hurt either of them. But there they were, the anger from losing him once back again, and even he was clearly shaken from being propositioned. "No. It's not." Becca spat back, one of her earbuds falling out of her ears. Her ears, and parts of her cheeks began to flush with anger. Like she couldn't have called for him? She didn't even know how she called for him now!

And it wasn't like Becca wanted to think he was in her head! She wanted to have him around for as long as she could! But he was the one who disappeared! He was the one who left without a trace – and she thought about him all the time before she was forced to make other friends. Becca wiped her eyes; she didn't want to cry here for any reason. Even when Calbee was trying to make things better, it didn't help. She balled her fists, keeping them at her side. "I have two classes today, and it's my first day at this school." She said, her tone clearly holding back how much she wanted to say, and tell him off.


"I'm clearly stuck with you now, but I don't want to hear you, or see you while I'm in class at all." Becca said before putting her earbud back in. "You don't have to leave, but I don't want to see you." She clarified before walking to her first class, her music turned up higher than normal.
 
Crap...

Calbee, you stepped in it this time, he thought to himself. Stunned by her response, Calbee only stood there as his friend walked off. He had never seen this side to Becca, and if he had and he couldn't remember, it certainly wasn't at him. Had she really forgotten? How her family (or according to what Becca said, what's left of it. Goodness, human relationships were confusing!) began to constantly chastise Becca on account of him? He could remember one fight very vividly, and how her mother at the time yelled back, "He's not real, get over it!"

Since then, he found himself at a distance from Becca. She was talking with real people, having real conversations, and now it looked like she was having real problems. Despite all that, was Becca really calling for Calbee? Did she really want to spend more time with him than with other, real human beings?

With a newfound determination to make things right, Calbee began to follow Becca at a distance. He went inside the school building with her, hiding behind walls and doors and displays. He knew he had to do something right here and now, think Calbee, think! He looked around and saw Becca approaching her classroom. A grin slowly spread across his cheeks when he knew exactly what he would do. All he'd have to do now is wait for the door to shut and the bell to ring.
 
Becca sniffled, doing everything she could to stop herself from crying on the spot. That idiot! How could he possible think that the only reason he wasn't around her anymore was because she wanted it that way!? Didn't he know that she was forced to think that way? That every time she brought him up, either her dad or one of her step-moms at the time would think something was wrong with her? At first she knew it was their faults for not being able to see him. But the longer he was gone, the more she wondered if she was really the problem.

Did Calbee even know what had to happen for a kid to have that fucked up kind of thinking? Becca wiped her eyes and readjusted her headphones before getting further to class. Becca sat, only to remember that it was the first day, which could only mean one thing: Syllabi, and the every so awkward getting to know you activities. At least this time she could look forward to the activities. Maybe if she had to be awkward with other people, she wouldn't have time to think about him. But first, syllabus. Becca tried to take as many important nuggets of information down, but couldn't help but replay the conversation back.

It bugged Becca, knowing that this was getting to her without her even knowing why. It was almost fifteen years ago. So what if she lost her friend – she'd lost plenty of friends, Calbee shouldn't have been any different, right? That's what Becca told herself as she wrote down the date of her final.
 
The orientation had begun, and about five minutes into class, Calbee walked in. Well, he didn't "walk" in, per say. Rather, he walked straight through the door without opening it. Knowing no one except Becca could neither see or hear him was going to be fun, and hopefully this next performance would cheer her up.

Calbee walked up to the podium and stood behind the teacher. From then on he would open and close his hands like a mouth while rolling his eyes.

"Mannnn who the heck cares about the final?! Its the first day, fam!" Calbee yelled as he made dramatic arm gestures. If the teacher moved, Calbee would move with him, mocking the way he walks with an air of arrogance. "Oh look at you, Mr. Ph.D!"

Calbee took a glance at Becca to see if she'd be paying attention.
 
Becca doodled around while the professor went through the scheduled modules. As long as she got the finals and big assignments written and remembered, she didn't see much in trying to pay attention to everything. Especially when she got a look at the classroom and found a rather good looking blue eyed boy smile back at her for some reason. Judging from the way he retreated the second she locked eyes with him, she knew the way he looked at her was no accident. While she wasn't in the market per say, Becca figured a boyfriend wouldn't be too bad. She wouldn't be so lonely and there was a good chance that he would have a car and wouldn't have to pay for an Uber anymore. In the meantime, she tucked some hair behind her ears, her fingers working on a psychedelic looking bunny.

Becca's doodles however, were interrupted by a rather loud voice clanging in her ears. She looked up, seeing no one else had looked up, or looked startled. That and the sound led her on. She grew furious, trying not to let it show on her cheeks. That idiot! What the hell was he doing?! Becca clenched her fist under the table, glaring straight at the green haired nuisance. She asked for one thing from him. One. And he couldn't leave her alone for a couple of hours?! Oh she wanted to grab him off the stage and knock some sense into him more than anything! But she knew how messed up that would look to everyone. Hell Calbee probably knew how bad that would look. He was just tormenting her now.

"I'm gonna kill him," Becca thought, furious as she got up, getting out of the classroom and into the nearest bathroom without trying to cause too much suspicion.
 
"What?!" Calbee gasped. He thought this would make her laugh! Messing around with the teacher's was a specialty for him! Quickly he ran out of the classroom and caught up to Becca before she could go in.

"Wait, Becca, come on," he said through labored breath. "I know I hurt you. I want to make things better! Won't you at least try to let me make amends?"

Calbee looked up at Becca with an almost pleading look. He didn't want to lose his best friend again. "Seriously Becca," he said, a lot more quieter this time. "I only wanted to try to make you smile back there."
 
Becca could feel Calbee pulling at her arm, begging her not to go into the bathroom. She turned, facing him and trying to explain himself. While she understood, she couldn't forgive him on the spot. Intention or not, he still hurt her. "All I wanted was some space for a few hours," Becca said, "All I asked for was some space." She reminded him, raising a brow when he started talking about amends. "Typically, the first step to that is 'I'm sorry'," Becca said, not sure why she was still looking at him or giving him a chance right now. After all, she was still furious and had a class to get back to. Her expression barely softened when he mentioned just wanting to make her smile. It was more than anyone was willing to do in a while for her.

"I know what you were trying to do," Becca said, slowly sliding out of Calbee's grasp. Again, someone actively trying to make her smile and it wasn't over the phone? This was rare, especially this time in her life. "But I'm still really mad at you," She reminded him. "I might need you, I do need you. But you can't force me to forgive you like, five minutes after we fight." She said, her tone forming more into that of a frustrated teacher than an angry teenager. Becca wondered if this was something he just didn't know. She also didn't want to admit that what he was doing was pretty funny, and she would have at least chuckled if she hadn't been so mad at him earlier.

"I think you might have to get to know me all over again," At this point, Becca was growing tired of her anger, and parts of it still remained even if the majority was letting go. "I have to go back to class. And I actually have to pay a little attention in there." She sighed, lucky that no one seemed to be just wandering around them so far. "We can get to know each other when we get home," She said as she walked back into the classroom and into her seat. Becca thought about what she proposed. Maybe if Calbee knew who she was now, it would make these kinds of things less frustrated and complicated. On the other hand, she wondered if he could even do that, or if he would keep doing what he had.

Either way, Becca couldn't keep her mind on it for too long – standard Ice Breaker Activities began, including going into a frenzy to find out who filled out which on their 'Get to know you Bingo'. Much to her pleasure, pretty eyed boy, aka Michael, was one of the first to approach her. She didn't remember what he signed honestly, but did write his number on the back of her sheet. She was still feeling leftover anger from Calbee, but at least that gave her something to smile about. After the activity, class fortunately ended rather early. All she had to do was wait for her next class to start, and that meant plenty of time to refocus and dick around.
 
(OOC: Yeow, that post looked much longer on my phone than on my computer. I'm sorry mine was so short!)

Calbee listened as Becca scolded him. This time, it drove home that she was truly serious, that what happened from before couldn't be mended with just a funny act or a silly comment. Calbee seemed to nearly deflate as they continued talking. It hurt, it really hurt that she wouldn't forgive him just yet, but he guessed that was just another aspect of friendship. If they need space, they really need space.

"All right, I'll leave you alone," Calbee sighed. "But I'll hold you to getting to know you better after school."

Calbee didn't have much to say after that, and just let Becca go back to class as she wished. They parted ways as he began to walk out of the school building entirely. He phased through the doors and then sat down on the steps. It kind of floored him, how things really weren't all that easy like it was before. He remembered how kids her age were saying how they wanted to be grown up, be adults, and he laughed a little bitterly at it.

"No guys, you really don't wanna grow up." Calbee said under his breath. He laid down on the steps and looked up at the sky. At least it was still a clear, blue sky day. He smiled a bit as he looked up, enjoying the sun's warmth. His eyes began to grow heavy, and Calbee decided he would nap away the stress, letting the school's bell be his alarm clock when it sounded.
 
Becca wasn't sure what had rung through Calbee's head, or what struck a chord. But he actually did it. He said he would leave her alone for a little bit, as long as she wanted, and actually disappeared for the time being. A fleeting second had Becca frightened; what if she had sent him away for good, and he really didn't return. But he promised her that they would get to know each other better once class ended, and Becca knew Calbee enough to know that he wouldn't just break a promise like that. Especially after all these years. She mouthed a thank you before she settled back into class. Michael had welcomed her back strangely enough, and the class went on, eventually with more get to know you activities.

Michael wasn't in Becca's next class. She noticed that even with the half hour she had to herself, it really was still for herself. Calbee hadn't shown up again. Again, it only concerned her for a minute – she thought he would be asking her twenty questions, including when her next class was. But sure enough, he hadn't come back yet. So she quietly let herself take down all the information in her next class, getting to know some people and trying to get a gage on whether she'd actually see them outside of here or not. Class had ended much more quickly than she anticipated, and Becca walked out casually. "I'm done," She thought, thinking it would bring him back to her side.

When it didn't, some of the fears Becca had, reappeared. What if she really had pushed him away forever? Becca hung around the steps, thinking of where Calbee might have wandered off to, when she saw some green nestled under arms, and students walking past like it was nothing. She smiled. He fell asleep? She waited until the students mostly dispersed. Becca grabbed a pen, pretending to smoke from it to look like she wasn't just sitting there before perching next to Calbee's head. Her smile grew tender; when they were little – well, when she was little – she would always be asleep with Calbee wide awake, and he'd be wide awake by the time she woke up too. Even on car rides she seemed to be the only one sleepy at every opportunity. Probably because Calbee popped her out so much. So it was kind of neat seeing him sleep for a change.

Gone was the teenager bouncing off the walls; he actually looked peaceful to her. But none the less, they had a deal. "Wake up," Becca said as she brushed some of his bright green hair out of his face.
 
I'm done...

Calbee stirred a bit, but couldn't seem to get up in that moment. He didn't realize that he slept through the school's alarm. He didn't exactly want to get up in that moment either, for he was having a very sweet dream. It was of a time when younger Becca and Calbee stayed up pretty late. They were just talking, gossiping about nothing, and reading books with a flashlight. They had to pretend they were asleep whenever her parents came in, and they were successful each time. Whenever Becca started nodding off, he'd attempt to sing her a lullaby. It never went well, but despite the shared laughter at Calbee's terrible singing, she'd still nod off, and Calbee would still keep watch over her, making sure that she had no nightmares or unrestful sleep.

The green-haired man finally began to open his eyes, looking around himself before looking up into Becca's face. "What...time is... OH NO!"

Calbee shot up and turned to face Becca. "I'm sorry!! I thought the school bell would wake me up and I slept through it and I don't normally sleep--" Calbee would continue to frantically scream his apologies for keeping Becca waiting. Quickly though, he stopped himself and took a deep breath to calm down (a trick that still worked to this day thanks to Elementary School).

"I'm sorry for not waking up sooner," Calbee finally said, cool and collected. With that, he put on his signature smile and ruffled Becca's hair. "So how was it? Class, I mean. It's probably different from the elementary school we went to huh?"
 
Becca watched, amused and fascinated instead of the anger she was feeling earlier in the day. So even the carefree and supernatural Calbee had times when he wasn't happy all the time. She just figured out he actually slept, and now he got frantic sometimes too? This was about the same kind of revelation that came with realizing that her dad liked having sex with Lyn. Except far less disgusting. "It's okay," She said, "And hey, it was kind of funny being awake before you for a change," She said, referring to the days when he'd wake her up after putting her to bed the night before. "Hey – I spent like, five minutes doing that!" She pouted playfully, straightening her hair back down after he ruffled it. Honestly, if Becca were to say? Class was just like any other first day. As long as she had a syllabus and a pen, she was solid. "Oh it's awful," Becca grinned.

"There's no snack time, no recess, no nap time…" She said, realizing with each thing she listed off just how bad it did actually suck. Wow. They really did have it good back in the day, didn't they? "But at least I can eat whenever I want, even when the professor's talking. And I mean, no place is really off limits to take a nap." She shrugged. That was only mostly true – social convention kept her from just napping in someone's office or breaking into a car for a nap. "You would've been so bored in high school. And middle school – middle school was so bad," Becca said, almost kind of jealous that Calbee didn't have to go through all of those things. And she had the feeling it wasn't just because of her either.

Things started to calm down, and they were facing each other again. "I wanted to say sorry," Becca said, "I mean, a part of me doesn't even think this is real, but it is. And it's really confusing. But I don't want you to leave now that you're here. At least until we fight again," She initially joked, but did kind of wonder when would be the next time they find something to disagree about. "And thank you, for keeping at least most of your end of the bargain. So now, it's time for me to keep mine." Becca said as she looked for a place for the two of them to kill time. She sure as hell didn't want to go back home right now. Even if Lyn and her dad were supposed to be at his physical therapy appointment, she wanted more time to just be away from that than she would have if she just went home with Calbee now. After finding some empty space on the grounds by a tree, Becca took Calbee's hand and dragged him over there.

Becca kept her hand close, hoping no one would notice she was grabbing 'nothing' to them. She let go when they reached the tree and she got to stretch out her arms. "Now you have about what, fifteen years to catch up on - What do you want to know first?" She asked, putting her bag down. The weather had warmed up with the afternoon, and she was able to throw her jacket down with her bag, using it like a blanket as she sat.
 
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"Woah." Calbee was shocked to hear the stark contrast between elementary school and college. "That's... that's horrible! Who'd take away nap time from a child?!" he asked. The idea was foreign to Calbee. Continuing to listen to Becca, he continued to be in shock and awe at the stuff Becca went through. No wonder she was upset, she had a lot on her plate!

The crowds began to fade away, and Calbee turned to face Becca as well. "What's the matter, Becca?" he asked. Upon receiving her answer, Calbee looked almost...relieved, or happy. She really did take his apology from before! Calbee smiled warmly and squeezed her shoulder gently. "It's okay. I sure hope we don't fight again!" he said, laughing along with her. Excited to know that they were finally gonna hang out after all this time, Calbee happily obliged when she took his hand and walked with her to the park grounds.

"What do I want to know?" Calbee asked. "Gosh, everything! What happened after I left? Did people treat you well? Why was middle school so bad?!" Calbee quickly moved closer to Becca, leaning his back against the tree. "Oh yeah, here's another one, why do you have to pretend to be 'normal' around me? Just because people can't see me doesn't mean I'm not there! Although things can get pretty interesting that way...heheheh," Calbee chuckled a little evilly, remembering how he was trolling the professor earlier. Even if Becca didn't find it funny at the time, he was still a bit proud of his work.

"So those are my questions, and I'm sure I'll have more by the time you answer, like, two of them."
 
Becca held in her laughter; as right as Calbee was about how messed up it was to take all that away from them, it was nice hearing someone around her age actually say it. "Sad people run this world." She said, more comfortable now that they were away from so many people. She wanted to hope that the two of them didn't fight again. She knew that they would definitely have to set some ground rules while he was here, and probably find out how long it was going to last this time. But for now, Becca was okay with sitting in the grass and answering whatever questions she could…. At least she thought she did until Calbee started asking about what happened after she left. "A lot happened," Becca started, wondering how to word it.

It wasn't that Becca didn't think Calbee would ignore that, but she wanted time at least! "I mean, I'm nineteen now. It'd probably take a while for every little thing from five to nineteen." She explained as she thought about the other components of the questions. "I mean, overall, I was treated okay. And honestly, I think everybody hated middle school. Like, stuff like puberty happened, and everyone was really ugly but it wasn't their fault." She shrugged, thinking she didn't have to explain why she had to act 'normal' aka like he wasn't there. "Calbee, things work differently here. A lot of people figure if the majority agree on something, that means it's right, and that people who argue against the obvious are nuts." Becca explained, "Like, some people decided what kids could do at some ages and what wouldn't be right, and everyone went with it," She said, her annoyance at the idea.

"It's really stupid actually," Becca admitted. "And there's probably reasons why we do the things we do, but I'm not a psych major so I don't know." She shrugged, shifting and relaxing back against the backpack. "I have some questions too." She said, looking up at him. "Like do you think it's weird that a little girl needed a friend and got a …" she said, pausing. She was about to say a boy Calbee's age, but that opened up another window. "How old are you?"
 
Well, at least people treated Becca well for the most part. He smiled at that, again in a relieved expression. As Becca talked, Calbee listened with interest. Middle school sounded like a tough spot in life, but Becca made it through till now! He couldn't help but feel a bit proud of her, it sounded like she survived a however-long-year battle.

"Wow," Calbee groaned. Becca's explanation of social norms made his eyes roll. She was right, people do suck. "That doesn't make it right just because a few people approve of it! Isn't that what Mom used to say, something about jumping off a cliff and not doing it because others are?"

When asked how old he was, Calbee opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and this time had a confused look on his face. "Huh. You know what?" he said, turning to Becca. "I don't know. I mean I just kind of...happened. Even though I'm talking and stuff, I'm still technically a thought...I think," Calbee mused openly. "I kinda just turned around and, well, there you were! In that case, maybe I'm your age?"
 
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