Joshua: Zac was almost late his first day of school. And he came home with a C-. I wanted to reprimand him, but I knew he wouldn't listen, so I didn't.

Joshua: He asked me if he could call in sick to work so he could study and work on homework. I was pleased that he was taking an initiative in improving his grades, so I let him skip work.

Joshua: He didn't touch his schoolwork once.

Joshua: Why haven't you been doing your homework?
Zac: Um, because it's a waste of time?
Joshua: It is not! If'd you do your homework once in a while you wouldn't have such low grades!
Zac: Whatever.

Joshua: I called Janine, my next door neighbor, and asked her for advice. She told me that her daughter, Emily, had excellent grades, and suggested that she come over and tutor him.

Joshua: The pair of them hit it off immediately, but I'm afraid Zac was more interested in flirting with her than studying.

Joshua: His grades did improve, though, and he was allowed to keep his job, though he didn't recieve any more promotions. I, on the other hand, got a couple promotions, until finally I was at the dead-end job of online movie critic. I quit my job and switched to the culinary field. Cooking was something I had grown to love, since I had been cooking meals for myself and Zac, and I felt I could earn promotions as quickly as I had before.

Joshua: Zac and I settled into a routine; he'd go to school in the morning, both of us would go to work that afternoon, then Zac would watch TV for an hour or so before starting his homework. I usually talked to him as I worked on my paintings, and I thought we were finally starting to get along.

Joshua: I thought so, until I tried to give him a hug and he pushed me away. Maybe winter will be better.

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