Research.

Friday was another day we spent on our own after school. Well, maybe not completely so. I knew Alice and Grace had bunkered down in the latter’s house to read everything they could about every university that offered the courses their parents wanted them to take, getting ready to make a case for themselves when they tried to get them to accept going somewhere else. Sarah took Noelle to her house to talk while enjoying the sauna, thinking the redhead needed to relax. Mila went back home to have a serious talk with her parents, not to tell them she had made up her mind, but to discuss her options.

Me? I had two intruders in my room watching over my shoulder as I sat at my computer and looked some things up.

“I mean, I figured this might happen…” Isabelle said, a frown on her face and her lips curled down. “But… You’re really thinking of leaving the house?” she asked me.

“I’m… looking at options,” I told her. “There are things I can’t give up on.”

I was looking at houses and rooms for rent in the city, nearby towns and other places. I was looking at the locations, prices, distance to universities, size of the buildings, number of rooms… All that stuff.

“And you want to move in with all the girls?” Thomas asked, sighing. “And here I was thinking of asking you to move in with me.”

Oh? That was a surprise.

“Aren’t you staying in town?” Isabelle asked him. “Why would you need to move out of your parents’ house?”

“I love my parents, but I want more independence. I don’t want to bother them every time I want to throw a party or something.”

“I thought you might move in with Maria,” I told him.

The big guy flinched. “I… considered it but was too afraid to ask. It’s too soon, isn’t it? It’s her house, after all. Her own space. I don’t want to intrude.”

“For what it's worth, she’s happy you’re staying in town,” I told him, scrolling down the fifth page of a list of house rentals. “Are you sure you’re okay with Hyogen University, though?”

“Yeah,” Thomas said confidently. “I don’t really care what degree I get. I just want to play basketball at that level and make myself known. Going to a weaker school will give me a better chance to be a starter from the get go.”

“Oh, that’s kinda smart,” Isabelle praised. “If you went to a school with a strong team, you might just be warming the bench for years.”

Thomas scowled. “I want to believe I would make an impression regardless. It’s just…” He sighed. “Maria is the best thing that has happened to me in a while. I don’t want to choose between her and basketball, so I can compromise on going to a weaker school if it means staying with her.”

“And here my brother is looking for houses just to do the same with his girlfriends…” Isabelle groaned loudly. “Ugh! Why are you two such good boyfriends!? Why do I get stuck with the worst, most insensitive men on the planet!?”

“Sorry, Isabelle, but you’ve had bad taste since I’ve known you,” Thomas said with a shrug. “I did warn you a few times, but you never listened.”

“She never does,” I told him.

Thomas nodded. “I bet you’re one of those who look at the bad boys and think ‘I can fix him’, only to get disappointed they turn out to be the assholes they always seem to be.”

Isabelle’s face went beet red with shame. She looked down, grumbling but saying nothing coherent.

“I’ve always liked you, Thomas,” I told him, nodding in approval.

“Oh, shut up. I’m done looking for boyfriends, anyway. If someone nice comes around, we’ll see, but that’s it. I want to focus on my own stuff now.”

“Oh yeah, what ARE you doing after high school?” Thomas asked her.

“I’m gonna study photography,” Isabelle said confidently. “I’ve been having a blast editing videos and I can learn more of that on my own. I want to learn more stuff about lighting, how to organize a scene, stuff like that.” She grimaced and then hugged me from behind. “So… try not to go too far from here, okay? I want to continue our channel.”

I smiled. “I know. I do, too.”

“There’s Diana, too, right?” Thomas asked. “She has everything here, doesn’t she? Her house, her job… You really can’t go too far.”

“And Grace and Alice might end up going far away if we don’t find a way to convince their families to let them pick something in the area.”

“Can’t Alice just work with her brother in his shop?” Isabelle asked.

“She’d love to, but their father says cars are a hobby, not a job. Alice’s brother basically went rogue.” Which I respect the fuck out of, really. I kinda wanted to have a chat with the man.

“Then Alice should just do the same,” Isabelle said before pouting with arms crossed. “I know, I know. It’s not that easy.”

“...”

What would the girls need to do the same? Grace, Alice and Noelle are at the mercy of their families choices. If they wanted to break free… what would they need? A way to sustain their own livelihoods. Meaning money. How much?

Cake interrupted my train of thought by jumping on my lap. She stood on my thigh and put her front paws on the desk of my computer, looking at the screen.

“You think she wants to look at houses, too?” Thomas joked.

“Hey, that’s right…” Isabelle grimaced. “I’m staying here with mom, especially if you leave. I don’t want her to be alone. So… if we’re parting ways… Who’s keeping Cake?”

Shit. Good question. Cake was attached to me, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love mom and Isabelle. Not to mention that mom loved having Cake around, too. Friday nights had become Movie Nights for the two.

“This is why I didn’t want a pet…” I said with a groan. “Everything gets more complicated.”

Then again, the same could be said about having a relationship. If I was single I wouldn’t have to be worrying over houses, universities and logistics. It didn’t mean worrying about all these things wasn’t worth it, though.

…

Money, was it?

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