paint your wings

Savannah nodded her head, the sooner they just got this thing over with the sooner she could put it all behind her and feel normal again. She could stop looking over her shoulder, or being to scared at night to get a proper nights sleep. She could go back to doing regular things, and not feeling like she had to be around someone she knew constantly. And maybe she could ease her way back into flirting and having fun. Once she felt like things could go back to normal she'd feel better. So without wasting anymore time she finished the short walk to the police station, luckily it was literally right across the street from their campus, and she got right onto explaining everything and getting a restraining order in motion.

---

"If you're this worried about her I'd keep an eye on her. Of course not in the creepy stalker could get you fired way. Just until you know she's okay. And honestly all you can do is make sure she knows that you're always there to listen if she needs you to. I mean it's not like you can force them to tell you anything. Plus for all either of us know at this point it could be something super personal that she doesn't want anyone to know about. And there are some rather private students. Just don't make a big deal out of anything unless you know for sure that's it's a big deal and you're like 100% worried she's going to get herself or someone else hurt." Zane told him hoping that he gave the right advice. Honestly it was the only advice he could think to give.

Nathan couldn't help but to laugh, just slightly, at the mention of the creepy stalker could get you fired way that Zane brought up. Nodding, though, he accepted Zane's advice because it was good - it usually was, after all. That was why Nathan relied on his friend so much; when he couldn't think of how to handle something, he had Zane to talk to. And, even if Zane couldn't offer advice, he still listened. "Yeah, okay," he decided with a sigh, "I'm just hoping that nothing serious is going on with her. She's a good student, after all, and she's smart. I already told her that I'm always around to listen if she needs to talk, though, so I can only hope that she accepts that offer or that somebody else can help her."

---

Letha leaned against the counter in the police station as she watched Savannah talk to the police. She didn't interrupt or anything, because she knew it would just delay the process and she knew Savannah needed this done as quickly as possible. Once it seemed like everything was in order, she offered a smile and leaned towards her. "Is it done?" she asked with curiosity. "If you want, we can have a girl's night to celebrate." Because she was sure Savannah would need it. They could just lie around and watch movies, or they could go out and do something. Letha didn't care as long as her friend would be okay and she could keep her distracted from worrying about anything Max might try to do.

Savannah nodded her head when she made her way back to her friend after getting everything in order. "It's all taken care of. And a girls night does sound really nice. You know what we should do though. We should go to the pub for some drinks. Nothing crazy or anything. Just a few drinks and listening to a bit of karaoke. Then we could head back to the apartment and watch movies while we pig out on all things bad for us." She said kind of wanting to actually go and do something out in the open now that she officially had something to keep Max away from her. Though the pub had never really been his scene and it wasn't that likely that he'd ever show up there. Still it'd be nice to just go out somewhere with her friend now that she was hoping she could move on with her life. "We totally don't have to though."

---

"Well I hope she'll be okay." Zane told his friend rubbing his neck slightly. "You know I don't have a class to teach tomorrow and it's still a decent hour. You wanna go grab a beer or something?" He asked his friend. Honestly he felt like since school had started up they hadn't really seen each other as much as they usually did when there wasn't school stuff to worry about. And it did seem like a nice idea to just go out after classes and just hang out. Not like they weren't allowed to do that or anything, because they were. Maybe Nathan could talk more about this girl he was so worried about. Zane could get some advice about his own student he was slightly worried about, but not in the same manner as Nathan.

Nathan nodded along to Zane's words, because he hoped Savannah would be okay, too. He'd just have to hope for the best and, maybe, everything would turn out okay and there wouldn't be anything to worry about. At the suggestion of going to grab a beer, though, he thought about it and nodded. "I don't mind," he assured, looking over at Zane with a grin. "We need a little relaxation time, anyways." He didn't get that often. He was usually busy grading paperwork for the classes he taught or he was dealing with helping his students. Most of his time was actually occupied by his students, in honesty, because he wanted to keep them on the right track and make sure that they were doing okay in their everyday lives.

---

Letha grinned at the mention of it. "Oh, we're definitely doing that," she decided with a quick nod. "I thought I was supposed to be the bad influence," she teased before linking her arm through Savannah's and leading the way out of the station. "You think we could walk to the pub or would you rather we drive?" She didn't mind either way, but it would probably be better for them to go together. Though it was unlikely, there was still the possibility that Max could try to bother Savannah while she was alone and Letha didn't want that. "Maybe we can even sing a little karaoke ourselves." It was a suggestion, sure, but Letha wasn't entirely serious about it - it'd be fun, sure, but Letha wasn't a huge fan of being in front of a bunch of drunk old men.

Savannah laughed and pushed on her friends shoulder while they walked out of the police station. "No offense but you are the bad influence." She told her friend, and they both knew it was true. Out of all the time they'd known one another and gotten into even the slightest bit of trouble, or maybe just did things that could get them in trouble if they got caught it was usually Letha's idea. Though Savannah couldn't let her take all the blame. There were a few times here and there when she was the one with the crazy idea. It just wasn't as often. "We should do karaoke. It'd be fun, you could even pick the song. Oh and it's not that far I think since we're together it's safe to walk. Unless you want to drive."

---

"Yes I'd have to say we do." Zane said knowing that he needed this time as much as the next person. Usually his relaxing time consisted of grading papers or making up his lesson plans for the following week. But he didn't see why one night out would be such a big deal. He deserved a night off, and so did Nathan so they might as well go out and get a few drinks, listen to some karaoke, maybe play some darts, and just spend some time catching up. "I mean it's not like we get nearly as much time to relax as we use to."

"Well, we are professors now," Nathan said with a shrug. But, Zane was right - they didn't get to relax nearly as much. Of course, students didn't typically know that. While students could go home and get their homework done in a short amount of time, teachers and professors generally had to get started on grading papers from the moment they got home to the moment they went to sleep. It was stressful, to say the least, but Nathan didn't regret a moment of it. "At least we can enjoy ourselves, if even just for a little while. I think we deserve that much, after hours of teaching and then more hours of grading." That was his opinion, at least - but he was certain Zane would agree, either way.

---

"And I accept the role of bad influence with pride," Letha announced with a laugh. It wasn't that she always meant to be the bad influence, though - it usually just happened because she would suggest something silly and they'd go with it. It was always for the fun of it, though, so it wasn't like she wanted them to get into trouble any of the times. "Okay, okay, karaoke it is. But, if you leave the song up to me, we're totally doing some 5 Seconds of Summer music, if they have any." She didn't bother answering her friend on whether they would walk or drive - instead, she just kept walking in hopes that it would explain enough, because there really was no point in getting their cars if it wasn't too far away.

"Good, because I wouldn't want you any other way." Savannah told her best friend as they continued to walk towards the pub. And she meant what she said to Letha, she really wouldn't the girl to change at all. Yea some nights were a little bit crazier than others, but honestly that's what made them fun. "That's fine. I'll sing some 5SOS with you, which I'm sure if they don't have already programmed we can just request. Maybe they can look it up or something." She said not entirely sure how that worked, but surely they could look up a song if need be. "You know I'm really excited that we're doing this."

---

"True." Zane said knowing he had to agree with the guy. They were professors now and that changed everything. Which honestly he'd been expecting it to, because well he knew things couldn't have stayed the way they were before he'd gotten the job, sometimes he just had a hard time believing that all of this really was real. Even though it'd been real for a while now. "Lord yes. I've graded so many papers just this week alone already that if I grade one more before tomorrow I honestly might just give up a little and start giving out grades." He said knowing that everyone needed a break from that, and well there were some of the kids he taught that when he read their papers he didn't even know how to grade them properly because they were so off, and he just didn't want to deal with any of that tonight. It could wait until a day or two.

Nathan laughed, then, because he completely understood - he was in pretty much the same boat. It wasn't even their fault that they had so much to grade - those in charge of their section of the faculty decided what would be on the syllabi and, well, they didn't really ever think to realize that, not only was it hard for the students to keep up with that much, but it was difficult for the professors to keep up with all of the grading, too. "It can be hell, sometimes," he said with a shrug, "But, seeing the students succeed is nice, so I wouldn't really trade it for anything." He liked seeing smiles on his students' faces when they got good grades or ended the semesters with high marks. Sure, not every student ended up like that, but those that did definitely deserved it because they always worked so hard.

---

"The hard part is going to be deciding what song to choose," Letha mock-whined childishly, clinging to her friend's arm as if desperate for help on the situation. But, she was mostly just trying to keep her friend distracted, trying to keep their spirits high because they were definitely going to have fun tonight and she refused to let anything even come close to ruining it. With a grin, she nodded her agreement. "I'm really excited we're doing this, too. We'll have fun, raising hell, kicking ass and taking names." She winked, clearly joking about the last part - though, she supposed, they probably would raise hell. They usually would, in their own way. But, she was excited about this, either way, because, when Savannah had been with Max, it was difficult for them to hang out. Max didn't quite like sharing Savannah's presence with anybody.

[ I'm skipping to when they're finally at the pub ]

Savannah was sure that Letha was right, the pair of them would have fun while they were out. They'd sing, drink, possibly raise some hell, maybe kick a little ass at pool, and it was going to be like nothing was ever wrong. Like they did this kind of thing all the time, which technically they used to. It was just back before her and Max were official and he got all controlling and scary. "Well here we are." She said when they finally arrived at the pub, "it's time for the fun to start." She said opening the doors and walking in ready to start enjoying her night out with her friend.

---

"Yea seeing the students happy and succeed is totally worth it." Zane said knowing that was true. Half the reason he'd taken this job in the first place was because he wanted to help people better themselves in one way or another, and what better way than to be a teacher and help them learn something that would help them get better jobs in the future. And though not every single student did great so far he hadn't had anyone fail, he also hadn't had to drop anyone and that was something else he was glad about. It totally made him feel like he was good at his job. Which was always nice.

(That's fine~ :D I think I'll have Nathan and Zane arriving at the pub in my next reply, if you want - that way, it'll give the girls time to hang out a bit longer before they show up.)

Nathan nodded his agreement, because it was clear that students' success meant as much to Zane as it did to him. It was another reason why they were such good friends - they cared about others so much that it was a little surprising to most of their students (or, at least, those students that actually noticed, anyways.) "It is. Seeing them succeed means that we've succeeded, too," he said with a grin. And, knowing that he managed to help students grow and succeed and everything always gave him such a good feeling that he couldn't describe. Making a difference in others' lives was definitely important to him and it was almost certain that that much was obvious.

---

"Try not to party too hard," Letha teased lightly as she entered the pub, glancing around a bit. It wasn't too busy, thankfully, and it looked like they'd be able to relax for a while. There was already somebody at the karaoke, which meant they would have time to find a song whenever they decided to go up, but, for now, they could drink a little. "Five bucks says the bartender hits on you," she hummed out, though she was mostly teasing. Of course, it wouldn't surprise her if the bartender hit on Savannah - her friend was gorgeous, after all, - but she was pretty sure that it wouldn't matter too much to Savannah if he did. Unless he was creepily hitting on her, that was.

[ sounds good ]

Savannah tucked her hair behind her ear and looked over at her friend. "I'll try not to. And he probably will. But we'll have to wait and see I suppose." She said knowing it wasn't exactly a secret between the pair of them that she was hit on all the time when they came out to places like this. Really as long as he wasn't like totally creepy about it or anything she'd probably just let it slide anyways. Yea he was nice looking and maybe something could happen there. But that wasn't what she was looking for. She'd came out tonight with Letha to drink and have fun, not search for someone to hook up with. She was only just starting to feel like she was getting her life back from Max, and so just having Savannah time would be nice for a change.

---

"It sure is." Zane said knowing he couldn't disagree with that. Another part of what made his job so amazing was when his students did well. Because it meant he'd done a good job at teaching them, and that they'd actually paid attention long enough to learn what they needed. Or at least he liked to think they were paying attention and not like cheating or anything like that. When they did succeed though he felt good knowing he'd helped make that possible for them. He especially felt that way when he saw Letha succeed in his class. He didn't know how she did in all her other classes exactly, but he knew how she did in his class and even if she didn't admit it very many people if anyone, he could tell she cared. And knowing that made him feel like he'd at least gotten her to trust him enough to care about one class.

Nathan grinned when his friend agreed, though he wasn't too surprised with it. They tended to agree on most things - which was likely a reason why they were such good friends, too. "I'm a little curious to what some of the students will do with the success later on in their lives," he admitted with a shrug. He liked to think that they would put their knowledge to good us and get careers that they would love as much as he loved teaching. Not everybody would get that chance, he knew, but he at least hoped that some of them would - and he was extremely hopeful for Savannah on that part. If she was dealing with a lot right now, he hoped it would abate soon enough and that she could enjoy her life, find a profession that she enjoyed and stick with it. He didn't let the thought stick around for long, because they arrived at the pub and he opened the door, gesturing for his friend to go inside first.

---

"So, what do you want to drink?" Letha asked, arching an eyebrow at her friend, "I'm buying, because we're celebrating and it's only fair. I mean, you did buy last time we celebrated my getting kicked out of Professor Asshat's class." She couldn't even remember the professor's name, but she hadn't liked him - he had been disapproving of all of his students, which was more annoying to her than it would have been if he had just been disapproving of her. It had been a weird thing to celebrate, getting kicked out of the class, but most students would have dropped the class, anyways, if they didn't need it. That felt like ages ago, she realized, but that was probably because Max had tried to ruin their fun that night (not that it had been anything new.)

"I think I'm gonna have a sidecar." Savannah told her friend figuring it was a night to have fun and drink to something better than getting dropped from a class. Though she did have to admit that that had been a pretty good night for them both. Letha no longer had to deal with the insane class with a teacher no one could make happy, and Savannah didn't have to watch her best friend worry about a stupid class anymore. "And I suppose I'll let you get the tab this time around." She said knowing that no matter what she said Letha was going to pay for the drinks, and she wasn't going to change her mind. Because well once she set her mind to something she didn't change it easily, if you get her to change it at all. Plus this was how they were, they traded off paying for their fun nights.

---

"I am too. I mean I honestly want nothing more than for all my students to make something of themselves once they leave here. I want them all to do well and be happy with where they end up. Though I know that might not happen or anything. It's still what I want." Zane replied to his friend pretty sure that was all a teacher could ever want for their students. He didn't really want to think about that all night though, mostly because it was almost all he thought about as it was. And once he'd walked into the pub he headed for the bar, where he figured they'd sit for a while and just catch up.

Nathan nodded in agreement, but he knew a lot of the students wouldn't go through the full course of college. He wanted them to, of course, but some would end up having personal issues to deal with, soul-searching to do, the like. "Well, let's not worry about that, for now. For now, we'll get to our relaxation time," he decided as he followed Zane to the bar. It took him a few moments to see that Savannah was at the bar, too, and though he was curious, he didn't approach her - that would definitely make it seem like he was stalking his student or trying to pry into her life. That was the last thing that he wanted, so he tried not to pay too much attention to her.

---

Letha grinned and went ahead to order the drinks for herself and her friend, the sidecar for Savannah and a Jack Rose for herself. She hadn't tried it yet, but it was a favorite of her parents', so she figured she'd give it a chance. Turning her attention back to Savannah while they waited for the bartender to make their drinks, she quirked a brow. "Not like you'd have a choice, either way," she teased lightly, lifting her shoulders in a slight shrug. "I would probably drag you out of here if you tried to pay it yourself." She was joking, mostly, but she was honest about the fact that she wouldn't let her friend pay, not when it was her turn to treat Savannah to a fun night without worries.

"That's why I'm just not putting up a fight." Savannah said laughing a little. Tonight was all about the two of them having fun and spending time together. Not fighting over who pays, or worrying about Max or anything else they might've had to worry about. It was about being free, and Savannah was going to enjoy every moment of it. "So do you wanna drink a little then karaoke or karaoke now and then get some more drinks?" She asked because well Savannah was also going to go up and do some karaoke, even if she had to drag Letha up there with her. And well she wouldn't have to be drunk to do it.

---

Zane nodded, it was totally relaxing time. So he took a seat at the bar and went ahead and ordered himself a beer just because it was usually what he got when he came here. Mostly because well if he wanted a Jack and coke he'd much rather just wait until he got home where he could make it himself and not have to pay some outrageous amount for one. Plus he wasn't here to get drunk he was there to relax a play catch up with his friend, so beer was the best option. "So aside from teaching and all how've you been? Honestly I feel like we haven't really gotten together for anything in a while."

"I know the feeling," Nathan said with a laugh as he went ahead to order a beer for himself, too, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "We don't really have much free time anymore, though, so I'm not too surprised. At least we get to talk every now and then." Which was, in his opinion, better than nothing. But, either way, no matter how long they went without talking or relaxing together, it seemed like no time had passed at all when they finally did get the chance. "I've been alright, though. Busy, but that's expected. Everything's been relatively calm, though. What about you? How's your life been?"

---

Letha thought about it for a few moments, tapping her chin as she debated the options. On one hand, if she drank a little and sang, she'd have the alcohol in her system to force away her nerves but she'd also probably screw up a lot on the lyrics. So, after a moment, she grinned. "Let's go ahead and do karaoke. It might take a few minutes for our drinks," she decided with a subtle nod before setting the money on the bar for their drinks and hopping up from the stool. "You can choose the song, since I decided the band and we both know how long it would take for me to pick what to sing."

"That sounds reasonable." Savannah said before hopping up from the bar and making her way over to the karaoke station. "Uh we'd liked to sing It's Gonna Be Me, by NSYNC." She told the guy who was in charge of getting the lyrics ready and everything, then she made her way back over to Letha and told her the good news. "I'm craving some NSYNC, so that's who I went with." She said smiling and figuring if they decided to get up and do this again then they could go with a different band. Like maybe 5 Seconds of Summer. Either way no matter who they went with this was all about having fun and that's what Savanna planned to do.

---

Zane was about to respond to Nathan when he happened to hear music going and he could tell someone was about to sing some karaoke, and just for the hell of it he turned his head to watch a little shocked to see Letha. It wasn't that he didn't think she had friends, because well he'd hoped that she did. Just liked he'd hoped she did normal things with these friends much like this. Honestly he was shocked to see her there because it didn't seem like something she normally did, but he was also glad to see her there, not that he planned on saying anything to her, just because it kind of reassured him that she was in fact social. And that she didn't spend her time locked away alone in her room hating everything like some people thought about her.

(Sorry this is so short! D: )

Nathan's attention got pulled away from Zane when he heard music starting and he wasn't even sure if his friend had answered. It was easy for him to spot Savannah with the friend that she had been at the bar with, but he was a little relieved to see that she seemed to be in a better mood than she had been in class that day. Maybe he had been wrong when he assumed something was bothering her, after all; she could have just not slept much or something, he supposed. Regardless, she seemed better now and he was more than a little happy to see it.

---

Letha quirked a brow, then, but grinned and nodded. "Let's do this, then. Who knows, maybe we'll get record deals," she joked lightly, nudging her friend and moving to get them both microphones. Handing one to Savannah, she offered a small smile. "I'll let you have the honor of starting us off." She wanted her friend to have fun, after all, and, well, she felt Savannah deserved to be the center of attention more than she did.

[ it's fine! and sorry if my replies are taking a bit longer than usual. Mibba's being kind of weird with me right now. ]

Savannah smiled and took the mic from her Letha ready to bust this song out. The sad part about the song she'd picked though was probably the fact that she didn't even need the lyric screen to sing it. And so when she heard the music start to play she started to sing away. And it felt amazing actually. This wasn't exactly her first time at a karaoke bar, nor would it be her last. It was just fun getting up and singing fun music and dancing, and enjoying a time out again. She felt like she hadn't had a night like this in a while and honestly she didn't want this night to end. It was just amazing. When the song was over though she couldn't help but take a small bow before making her way back over to where their drinks had finally arrived. It was time to drink and enjoy some of the other people singing.

---

Zane sat there and watched the girls sing, and though it probably wasn't exactly the best thing to think he couldn't exactly help but be a little entranced. They were pretty good, of course there weren't usually that many terrible people who went up there. And even if they were at least the people here were nice enough not to boo them off stage. Because that wasn't really the point of karaoke, the point was to just sing a song and have fun with it.

(No worries! Mibba was spazzing with me earlier, too, so I'm not too surprised, haha. Plus, I'm scanning through Spotify, trying to find good music to listen to, anyways, so I'm pretty much multi-tasking.)

Nathan was more than surprised to hear the girls sing, because it was so easy to just get lost in it. It was clear that the two were enjoying themselves and it surprised him a bit to see this side of Savannah after he had only seen the distant manner she seemed to have lately. He smiled, though, and would have clapped when it was over if it weren't for him not wanting to attract attention to himself. Looking back to Zane, he took a sip of his beer. "The one who bowed, that was the student I was talking about earlier," he told him after a moment.

---

It had been ages since Letha actually listened to NSYNC, but she had definitely enjoyed every moment of singing it with her friend. It was fun to just be silly with it and, really, Savannah was probably literally the only person that would ever be able to get Letha to join in on karaoke. When it ended, she grinned and laughed, clapping teasingly when her friend bowed. Hopping off the stage, she followed Savannah to the bar and picked up her drink. "That was fun," she sing-sang cheerfully, grinning as she took a sip of her drink.