Episode 837: I Need You

“You’ll feel better if you eat something,” her dad said.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I think I’m really sick.”

That got her mom’s attention, turning to her with her coffee.

“I’m probably sick like that boy at the wedding, “Tansy said. “I really think so, like, it’s so bad I’ll probably collapse any minute so-”

“Tansy,” her dad gestured to her mom with is eyes.

Her mom looked a heartbeat from panic. As much as she wanted to skip out on the first day of school, she didn’t want to do it at her mom’s expense and freak her out. “I guess I’m okay actually,” she said. Her mom visibly relaxed. Tansy wished she felt the same.

“Tans, I booked the afternoon off, and so did your mom, we thought maybe we’d all do something fun, anything you want, after school. How would you like that, Hero?” Dad ruffled the top of her brother’s hair. “Springing you early from daycare to hang out with big sis?”

Her little brother responded with an enthusiastic whoop.

“Sounds like he’s looking forward to it, how about you, Tans?”

“Yeah, okay, that’ll be good.” She tried to smile, she knew they were trying to make her day a little more joyful, just as she also tried to smile for Xavier when he showed up, because she knew he’d gone out of his way to be there to give her some sort of pep talk and the nice thing would be to pretend like he’d actually managed to comfort her, take some of the dread out of going to school. He hadn’t. Not until he confided in her that her really nice guidance counselor lost her grandma and she’s sad and she could probably use some help to get through the day, and since he couldn’t be there for her, he wondered if Tansy could try to be there, just check-in?

Tansy nodded. It was one thing to head into school believing no one want you around, it was another better thing to know that someone actually needed her.

Episode 838: Company