Snippet Sunday or something idk
From Landslide (aka Fine Line but Jonathan's POV)
“When did you start working?” Ms. Kelly asks calmly, and he stares at the ceiling wondering what that has to do with anything. “I dunno” Jonathan answers. She gazes across the desk expectantly, waiting for him to reach into the recesses of his mind for the first time he offered to mow someone’s lawn. “Will was six maybe” he sighs. “So you were” she elongates, trying to do the math herself. “Nine” he blurts and her eyes go wide, "Or ten” he corrects like that will magically make his child labor better. “That’s pretty young” she remarks, trying to sound like she isn't once again mortified by his upbringing. “I guess” Jonathan shrugs. “You didn't feel young?” He glares at her, he doesn’t mean to but really how the fuck does he answer that? Of course he felt young. He felt young when he had to wake up at the crack of dawn for his paper route. He felt young every time he scraped his hands doing yard work. He felt young when he was bumming rides off of his coworkers at the Hawk and hanging around parties he had no business attending. But none of that changes anything. “I don't know” he lies instead of losing his cool. “Why'd you start?” “Hmm” “Working?” Was she serious? She knows about his family. How little they could afford even when Lonnie was around. Although, thinking back, he’s pretty sure that was the year Lonnie left around Halloween and didn’t show back up until New Year’s. What he really remembers is spending his free time with Will at the Wheeler’s and that he … “I wanted a lego castle” he says softly, admitting it to himself more than her. Miss Kelly silently encourages him to continue. But it’s hard, like there’s a fuzzy edge around the memories. “For me and Will, you know?... We loved that stuff and my parents… they couldn't afford it… it had like eight hundred pieces so I figured I could do some odd jobs…. and just get it myself” he recounts, shakily. “Did you ask?” she questions, placidly. “What?” “Your parents. Did you ask them for the lego set?” she elaborates. “No” Jonathan laughs nervously, his throat suddenly feels incredibly dry “I mean it's like I said they couldn't afford it” he jokes, wetting his lips. “So why bother asking,” Miss Kelly surmises. “Exactly!” He exclaims.