Today - 239/240 evening

[notcalledlizzie]

Classes taken: 1
New classes signed up for: 2
Classes resisted signing up for: 1
Independant Studies accepted: 1
TA-ships offered: 2
TA-ships accepted: 2


Hmmm. Well, there was nothing like keeping herself busy. Which might explain the Teach Yourself Italian books she was currently working from.

What? She likes learning and likes languages. In her defense, she knows she's a geek.

Comments

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Charlie knocked on the door.

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Entrare," Elizabeth called, placing her bookmark at the correct page and looking up.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Charlie opened the door and stuck his head in. "Hey," he said. "Am I interrupting very important studying stuff?"

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth smiled across at him. "Hey, you," she replied, snapping the book shut. "I'm learning Italian. So, no, not really."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Charlie walked over and dropped down beside her. "Good. I didn't know they were offering Italian here. Or is this one of those 'I didn't get into enough really hard classes, high school is so mundane, I have to learn new stuff on my own' things?"

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth smiled sweetly at him. "It's a 'What language would be fun?' sorta thing," she said. "And I figured knowing Latin gives me a good basis, so..."

She laughed softly. "Anyway. How was your day?"

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"English is fun," Charlie grinned. "Bad English even more fun. As for my day.. pretty good. In over my head, but I keep telling myself it's just high school. Tomorrow's gonna be interesting though."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Bad English was a fate worse than death in my house growing up, what with my mother being an English professor," Elizabeth winced. "What's happening tomorrow?"

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

If Charlie Kawalsky could look sly, he managed it at that very moment. His tone was as nonchalant as he could make it. "Arthurian Traditions. With Camulus."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth just blinked. And then blinked again.

"You're kidding me. Please tell me you're kidding me."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"No kidding around. I thought about it, and last semester bugged me, y'know? Having a Goa'uld walking around campus and no one being able to keep tabs on him. I don't trust him. But he can't get rid of me if I'm in his class. I can watch him, make sure he's not trying to implant anyone or brainwash or whatever those snakey bastards do. And I get class credit for doing what I'd be doing anyway." He smirked. "Best of both worlds."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth bit her lip, and reached across to take his hand. "Just... just watch yourself, okay?" she said quietly.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Charlie squeezed her hand. "Promise. If he's really up to nothing, then at least I get to spend the semester annoying him. If he is up to something, then I'll be onto him and I have good back-up. But anyway. Happier topic. What classes did you get into?"

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Political campaigning, foreign literature, speech 401, and US government. And I added pyschology 101 and medieval English history. Oh. And I'm probably going to be doing magical theory as an independant study," she said, grinning. "Think that's enough?"

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"Uhh yeah," Charlie grinned. "I think that'll be enough to keep you busy. Just remember what it's like during finals if you get the urge to sign up for any more! But hey, we have a class together. I signed up for US Government too. Figured I'd have a better chance of understanding some of the stuff you know a lot about if I took it. And I got into Intro to Western Lit, which is a lot of reading but need it to graduate, and Paleontology which looks pretty good. Teacher seems like a good guy, plus I get my much needed science credit. Oh! And I got into Shop." He was excited about that and it showed.

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth laughed. "Well, now that you mention it, journalistic integrity looked fun," she said teasingly, winking at him. "US Government was one I thought about a lot, because I do technically know the stuff, but I'm interested to see how a former deputy chief of staff sees is, y'know? I'd have been in Western Lit too, but it clashed, so foreign lit isn't that much of a leap. I'm sure you'll have great fun in shop. Sam does."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to US Government. I've heard about Lyman. He's gotta be good at what he does to have worked for Bartlet. Shop was pretty cool today. It was harder than I thought, but I like being able to do stuff with my hands, so it was good."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"To be honest, I'm pretty much in awe of most of the Barlet administration. I mean, with what they had..." She trailed off sheepishly. "I'm not going to go all political on you," she said. "What did you do in shop?"

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"Had to make a coffee machine out of junk which I have not RPed yet so I'm not going to detail. You can go political on me. I won't understand half of what you're talking about, but this is me - what else is new?" He grinned again.

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Coffee machines are good," Elizabeth nodded, before laughing. "No, I'll be good. I already scared one of the new sophomores with election statistics the other night. I've got to remember that I'm a 16 year old high school junior more often."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"I'm finding it easier to think that. Sometimes I'll be me, the way I used to be, but a lot of the time just being here with everyone actually *in* high school makes it easier to just forget that I'm not like them."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"I'm doing better," she admits. "Better than I thought I would do. I don't know. Maybe once classes are a regular thing again, it'll get harder. It's just so frustrating knowing the answer, and not wanting to always be the one who says it." She shrugged. "They already think I'm too smart. I'm just thankful that my teachers are actually experts. I'm not meaning to boast or anything, but I don't know if I could cope, knowing that I was smarter than my teachers."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"That'd be bad. As much as everyone doesn't like the fembot Doctor Carter, and I don't either, she does know what she's talking about with what she teaches. If I took Tactics of War and some punk was teaching it? I'd go crazy. That's the kind of thing you mean, right?"

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth nodded. "Exactly. And with the exception of Ms Maclay, all the teachers I've had have been decent teachers. Which, as a former teacher myself, makes all the difference."

She laughed slightly harshly. "If not, I'd have probably snapped half way through the last term, and pointed out all the various problems."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

Charlie yawned and stretched. "I remember thinking the first time around that all of my teachers were really smart, even when they were telling me I was stupid or not good enough to do anything. They were teachers, right? They were the adults and the smart ones and what they said was gospel. Then I got out of high school and found out what it took to be a teacher through friends of friends, and met teachers and other people who were in power, and I realized that they were just normal people who had no right to put kids down the way they did. But these guys are pretty good. Except Maclay," he added quickly. "But at least now you know you can and should speak up if they screw around. It'll probably save a helluva lot of kids from being messed up for the rest of their lives."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

She laughed softly, shifting and moving to rest her head against his shoulder. "You do realize that you just suggested that being here will prevent kids from being messed up?" she said lightly. "I guess I've always known that teachers were human, even when they were idiots, thanks to my mom."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"I meant more messed up than they already are," Charlie smiled. "I think this school has messed 'em up already without any help from the teachers. But I wouldn't be so sure about teachers being human. Well, not all of them *here* anyway."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"I meant when we were growing up. The first time. Wait..." She paused, and looked up at him. "When did you grow up the first time?"

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"I was born in '55. High school was late 60s, early 70s. I think."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth blinked. "Okay, I'm not thinking about that again," she said decisively.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Charlie replied. "It doesn't feel like it. The more time I spend here, the more it feels like this is the first time around and that everything is some kind of past life."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"You missed what? Eight years? I guess that makes a difference," she said.

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. I don't remember the eight years, but suddenly just showing up like this after what happened and knowing that everything has changed and that I'm not meant to be back out there makes it easier. I miss mom and Jane and some of my pals, and actually doing important stuff every day, but that Charles Kawalsky is dead. Can't change that. Can't go back to it. But I can't go around looking like this and thinking like I used to. I'll get myself into a bind all the time if I keep it up."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"That's probably the healthiest way to look at it," she nodded. "I'm just glad that most of the time I'm not thinking about her and what she must be doing on Atlantis."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"It's not fair for you to be here. But the world's a better place with two Elizabeth Weirs around. She's off doing that. You're here, and you're gonna be here when the world needs you when she can't be here."

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

"Well, apparently one thing this place is really good for is my ego," she grinned, before turning serious. "But thank you anyway."

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

He pressed a kiss against her temple. "You're welcome. Anyway, I'm gonna get going and see if I can find Bridge. He knocked his wall down and I said I'd stop by and help him clean up tonight if he needed it."

They said their goodbyes and Charlie left in search of Bridge.