Homesick (Zeb)

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb liked animals, most of them at least. But if he had to pick, he would always pick people over animals. Though he liked to play hero to both (in the case of the cute and cuddly animal, of course), he had a softer spot in his heart for his “kids” at Hammel, than for any cute little fuzzy critter. Humans could be complicated though, and he was sure Connor found them easier to deal with. Added to that, animals made great listeners.

Zeb smiled, glad that Connor was at least making the effort to connect with his peers. And that the effort was paying off, or so it seemed. He didn’t know the Bishop twins as well as some of the other students at Hammel. Even with his memory for the kids, he had trouble keeping all the Bishops straight, especially those two. Still, they seemed friendly and kind enough kids. And a bit rambunctious.

Miss Greene, he knew a little better, if only because she lived in the dorms. And because her obvious ability made him keep an eye out for other's bullying her. But he still didn’t know her personally either.

“I stayed in the dorms, like you,” Zeb said, leaving out the part where he never stayed with the same roommate for long. “I wouldn’t say I had a lot,” he added, laughing a bit. “But I had enough to make Hammel feel more like home. It’s quality, not quantity, you understand?”

“Friends can make great distractions,” Zeb continued. Of course sometimes friends got too distracting and schoolwork fell by the wayside. But that was part of being a kid, or so Zeb argued. Not that he always shared that feeling with the teachers. “And if that doesn’t work, my doors always open.”

((wrap soon?))

[Connor Anderson]

Connor was grateful for Zeb’s attention to the kids in the dorms. While he wasn’t family, he still managed to make the boy feel a little more at ease and at home. He was nice, and really seemed quite brotherly at times. It took the sting out of missing Curtis, and that was a nice feeling.

Friends were helping too. Connor liked John and Jake, even if they kept trying to rope him into their insane stunts. And Charlie definitely helped things. She was pretty, and sweet, and loved to cuddle. What that meant, he still wasn’t too sure, but whatever they had, he liked it.

Sure, he did understand the quality versus quantity. He saw it every day at home. It was the quality of your racehorses, not the quantity. No one cared if you had 300 awful horses, but just one or two good ones and the world was looking at you. “I get it,” he promised. “And I like the friends I have. John and Jake are really fun. And Charlie...” He blushed slightly. “Charlie’s really great too.”

He finished his milk and set the glass gingerly down on the coffee table, smiling at the offer. “Yeah. Thank you, Zeb. This really helped. A lot.” His homesick feelings didn’t feel like a vicious gnaw in his stomach anymore. More of a dulled feeling now. Hopefully things would stay that way. “Um. I think... I’m okay to go back to my room now. But really, thank you.” He’d keep this in mind for the next time he felt awful, because Zeb was a lifesaver.

((wrap!)