Ch. 9 Time Crawls Forward

Apparently, Beacon Hills High School had a great swim team at one point. They even won a state championship back in 2006 but had been lackluster since then.

Myrddin looked into the schools past a little. Lacrosse has always been the big thing here and football has been a joke. The past 2 years the lacrosse team won state as well and were expecting a third win this year.

They also have a soccer team, a track and field team, cross country, baseball and softball team, basketball, volleyball, and a few other random teams.

But the most popular one by far is lacrosse for some reason. Myrddin doesn't think too much about it, mostly because every school and town will have their favorite sport.

He did try to watch a practice, mostly due to the fact he wanted to understand what the hype was about but it ultimately was a bad idea. He just ended up wasting his time by getting absorbed in a book. And by the time he finished the book he had to go to work. It was on a half day and he had nothing better to do since Caval is nocturnal and his work only starts after school.

While he was watching, he understood why Jackson was favorited by coach. He was a natural at the sport. But his body wasn't natural, at least not fully. Myrddin clearly saw the effects of steroids being used. And he saw Scott and Stiles basically get bullied out on the field. Myrddin didn't understand how they could like playing when all they do is warm the bench.

He did spot Lydia sitting across the bleachers as she watched the practice. But she was also busy doing homework. His glasses were good, but they weren't good enough to see what she was working on. And it's not like he cared either, he was just curious what the girl was working on. And he wonders why she was working on it out here where the wind can disturb her when she can do it inside until Jackson finishes up.

Before Myrddin got fully engrossed into his book he did spot another girl looking at the practice that caught his eye.

There were a bunch of girls drooling over the guys on the field, but one in particular stood out because he had seen her around the school before. She was also in his P.E. class. And he noticed she looked at Stiles more than any other member on the team.

She was Erica Reyes. Her hair is long and is dark blond, brown eyes, and her face has acne and she looks a little ghoulish with her eyes having dark rings and her skin being a bit pale. She was kinda like him when it came to athletic capability. Although, he still fell behind her in that regard. She was a little overweight and had some mild acne. But she didn't look bad because of it. She just looked like an average female highschool freshman. The only difference between her and everyone else is that she was epileptic. She really would be normal if she wasn't epileptic, mostly because her anti-seizure medication has a side-effect of weight gain and acne. Her body was maybe slightly more fragile than a normal person.

But Myrddin was significantly weaker than other people his age. It would actually very disheartening if Myrddin cared. He knew his limits and did what he could. After his shoulder healed he started to work out a little bit, mostly with Caval out in the Preserve. They would go for barely short runs and Caval would watch him do pushups, sit-ups, squats, and other exercises. But he would only be able to do a little before he was tired and began to study.

He hadn't talked with Erica much, but when P.E. required them to have partners they would be grouped together. They were both technically considered outsiders. Myrddin knew Erica was epileptic, but he hadn't seen her have a seizure. Apparently she had them in other classes before but none were too bad. He also learned that she was very afraid about having a bad one in class. Myrddin gave her a few words of comfort that were kinda hollow before they finished the project and that was the end of that. He satisfied his curiosity and felt like she didn't really want to talk with him anyway.

——————

The lacrosse team continues to win game after game. And Myrddin figures they might go undefeated all season. But he hasn't gone to a single game yet, just a single random practice.

But that will change soon. Mostly because of homecoming.

Myrddin isn't very happy about it, but he figures he has to see one game to try and see what gets everyone so excited and just to say he's gone to a game. And it's his first highschool dance, he would go even if he was alone.

——————

Weeks pass as Myrddin gets his routine set in stone.

He wakes up early and has breakfast before his mom and sister even think of being awake. Walks to school. Tries to avoid everyone, but that's more of an all day thing. Aces his morning classes. Eats lunch in solitude. Aces his afternoon classes. Walks to the clinic. Work and take care of the animals, especially the cats and dogs. Leave the clinic before Scott arrives for his shift. Stop by a store to buy dinner and something for Caval. Go to the Preserve. Exercise for less than 15 minutes with Caval. Then after exhausting himself, which isn't hard, he sits and starts studying or reading with Caval. Walk back home to arrive at or a little over 10, Ada doesn't mind if he's a little late as long as he's in the house by 10:15. Shower and have a small snack before studying more. And finally fall asleep.

Rinse and repeat.

Now on the weekends it's different.

On Saturday he works at the clinic in the morning before swapping with Scott for the afternoon shift. Then he goes to the Preserve and lazes about, which mostly includes walking around with Caval until they find a good spot and he reads or studies while Caval lays down on him in various ways which mostly include it resting it's head on his shoulders or legs. And Sunday is basically the same thing except he just sits alone somewhere in town before Caval gets up around dinner time, which is early for a nocturnal animal like a coyote.

He won't exercise on the weekend since it won't help him anyway. You wouldn't even notice a difference in his physique even after all this time. He does what he can during P.E. which is an hour long and does the 15ish minutes workout with Caval 5 days a week.

——————

Ada was a bit worried about Myrddin for a while after he started school. He suddenly started spending a lot less time at home. But when she found out the reason why her worries were lessened, but they didn't disappear.

She was busy with work during the day, but she missed spending time with her kids after they got done with school and hanging out with friends. Or in Myrddin's case: get done with school and extra studying.

However, now her kids are spending a lot less time at home. And the house feels even bigger and emptier. She can't wait until Sebastian, her husband, comes home for his extended vacation. Even if they're in a new home after this year. At least someone will be home with her after she finishes her work for the day.

She can't even wait to make Sebastian wait for her to finish work before they get to be together. It's been so long since they spent an entire month together. Heck, even a week is rare now. But spending so much time apart makes the time they spend together all that much better.

It's because of Myrddin and Gwen that she's able to stay sane without Sebastian being home. If they weren't there with her… she is t sure what she would do. She can't go live in London with Sebastian and she would die of loneliness by herself while she waits for him to come back. Ada is so glad she was able to convince Sebastian to have kids when she did.

——————

Some time before the homecoming game and dance.

Myrddin sits back in one of the recliner in the living room. "Mom. I'm not taking you with me to the dance"

"Awwwww! Why not?! You don't have a date, why not take me? Other adults will be there" Ada messes with her son. Teasing him is fun, and she knows when not to push him too far.

Myrddin moves some of his hair out of his face. "The adults there are teachers or other parents that volunteered to chaperone the dance. Nobody actually willingly takes their parents to these types of things. And don't say 'back in my day' mom"

Ada pouts and looks at the opposite side of the living room. "I wasn't going to talk about dances back in my day…. I'm not that old you know…"

"Sorry" Myrddin apologizes and closes his book. "Plenty of other people will be going alone too. Not everyone has a date to the dance. I might even meet up with Scott and Stiles after I get there" He says to appease his mom, he has no intention of meeting up with them at all.

"I ran into Mellisa while shopping earlier today" Ada changes the topic.

Myrddin looks at the action movie playing on the giant tv. "Oh? That's Scott's mom right?"

"Yep! We had some mom talk. I'm surprised you don't get dragged into Scott and Stiles' shenanigans. She has some pretty crazy stories to tell" Ada remembers how Melissa vented to her about being a single mother raising a growing teenager. Ada could relate, but not fully. Sebastian is still in the picture, he just can't always be at home.

This is where Myrddin begins to worry a bit. But not too much. If it was Jackson's parents he would actually worry. And he knows that his mom talks with Lydia's mom, Natalie Martin, frequently. And ironically, Natalie Martin is also a single mom.

Ada then changes the subject. "So how was work today?"

Myrddin shrugs. "Nothing exciting today. I just organized some files. Fed the animals. And cleaned the instruments in the examination room"

The examination room is the same as the operating room. There's only the 3 rooms. The exam room, lobby/reception, and the room where the animals stay (can't think of the name for this room).

Ada slumps in her recliner. "Still sounds more exciting than my job. I presented my latest project to some old geezers and they chewed it up and spat it out. Worst part is, they didn't even tell me why they didn't like it. And when I had my partner present it they gobbled it up like thanksgiving dinner. The exact same design and everything! Sexist pricks" Ada vents about her architect job. She usually does this only when things went terrible. It's rare, because she usually brags when it goes well.

"They suck…" Myrddin comments and also reclines back.

Then Gwen comes down the stairs and he suddenly wishes he was disappearing.

——————

Myrddin and Ada go out that Sunday before the dance and get Myrddin a suit. It isn't anything fancy, but it still gets Myrddin feeling cool. It isn't often he gets to wear one after all. And he likes the way it makes him look, it draws the eyes of others away from his face and his glasses.

They also get something to keep his hair back. He plans on brushing it back since now it's at a relatively decent length. It's been a while since he had his face uncovered, but he plans on keeping his hair the same until the dance.

Myrddin ends up with a sleek black suit and a white undershirt with a green tie to match his eye color. His mom had a lot of fun dressing him up and having him try on many suits. She can almost never get him to go shopping with her so this was a great experience. She can already picture Myrddin getting ready for his Prom, and him going with some nice and lovely girl. It brings tears to her eyes.