On the paths of life by Aprilertuile  

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Chapter 4: At School

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Monday came again, and with it the return to high-school. 

Celegorm wanted nothing more than to abandon classes and go in town or back to the park but if he wanted to get that scholarship… Well… attendance was as important as the grades so… 

He just watched longingly as his best friend, Loscarmë, left the establishment as soon as they arrived. Him and several of their friends were going to the city center instead of class. 

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Loscarmë tried one last time. 

Celegorm shook his head. 

“I really can’t this time.” 

“Alright then. Take notes for me in history?” 

“Yeah, if I don’t fall asleep listening to the prof talking.” Celegorm answered amused.

Loscarmë laughed at that and left. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t fuck off with your friend.” Caranthir noted. 

“Priorities, baby brother, priorities. I’m getting that scholarship come hell or high water.”

“Partial scholarship.” Caranthir pointed out. 

“Yes brother, partial scholarship, which is way better than nothing, and is rewarding anyway considering again the number of people interested in this university every year. I don’t know if you realise how many candidates there are asking for that sort of funding, and it’ll help me tremendously when dad realises how serious I am about it. Or perhaps it'll help me to show dad how serious I am about this. Whichever will apply in truth.”

Caranthir looked away at that. 

“And let’s be honest, you really should be looking into it too to go in accounting.”

“Business management.” Caranthir corrected softly before he flinched and looked toward Curufin who was already near the entrance of the building, nowhere near enough to hear them. 

Celegorm nodded: “Business management then. But you know dad won’t approve of that anymore than he approves of my chosen career path. So look into your options and lay off me.” 

“Dad has more knowledge and experience!” Caranthir said quietly with a note of uncertainty in his voice, even as they found themselves having to run to get to their respective classes. 

The morning passed in utter boredom for Celegorm who nevertheless took detailed notes of his lessons. 

He was still bored out of his mind. 

But at least Loscarmë could have proper notes in all the subjects. 

At lunch however, as he was sharing a table with Loscarmë and Loscarmë's usual friend group, Celegorm found himself smiling helplessly looking at his phone: He just received a message from Oromë: 

“Hey kid, sorry for the late answer, I was surprisingly busy until now. So one of your parents is in your corner?” 

“Hey… not really. Mom isn’t any more happy than dad about my project, that she considers unnecessarily difficult to achieve, but the fact I got the agreement for the partial scholarship impressed on her how serious I am about this and she never stopped us when we are serious about a subject so… She disagrees with me, but she’ll let me prove my willingness to work for it.” 

“That’s good” Oromë answered. 

Yes, it was, although Celegorm would have much preferred for his parents to accept his projects with love and support but… Eh… at least he wasn’t given an unreasonable ultimatum like Maglor was over his decision to drop university. 

Also he wondered what it would take to convince Oromë to stop calling him ‘kid’. 

It reminded him a bit too much of how little power he had over his own life when his parents were concerned. 

“I’m not unhappy about it, to be honest. I just have to be serious about my studies until then and then… Well… It’ll be up to me I guess, to keep doing the best I can and to find a job. Should I search for one already you think?” 

The answer was fast to arrive. 

“About a job, the sooner you find one, the sooner you can start to put money aside for an apartment or paying the tuition your partial scholarship won’t cover, so I’d say yes. Look for one.” 

Oromë continued in a second message: 

"Plus, it's easier to find a job as a student to accumulate some work-place experience, so that later when you are in front of a recruiter for your dream job, they'll be able to contact other professional who can vouch for your serious and work ethic. If you are serious about it, I mean." 

Celegorm bit his lips at that. 

It did sound like sound advice but… It wasn’t really the answer he had hoped for as he also wanted to enjoy his life free of obligation for as long as he could. 

But Oromë did make sense. 

Ugh. That meant going to the school’s counsellor for help because he wanted to be as independent about that as he could, seeing it was all for a project his parents disagreed with but he had no idea how to start looking for a job. 

“Who’s that?” Loscarmë, back for lunch with the rest of their friends, asked, curious. 

“A fellow hiker, we met last week-end on the blue trail in the park.” 

Loscarmë look fondly bemused: 

“The park again?” 

“I got into an argument with dad, you know how we are. Anyway, he’s cool. I like him. His wife is fun too.” 

While talking, Celegorm used his phone to send a mail to the school’s counsellor asking for a meeting. 

“And you’re sure it’s safe? You know that last year was a bit of a record year for the number of disappearances in the park right? You’re sure he’s not some sort of psychopath out to…” 

“Out to what? Not murder me when he had the chance, and actually try to make another chance to murder me because the idea came to his mind later? Please we and his wife spent a solid two hours on a trail where no one else was last week-end. I trust he at least has more sense than that.” 

“Uh… You know, said like that…” 

Celegorm looked at Loscarmë pointedly. 

“Oh fine, it was uncalled for.” 

“See?” 

“Unless he’s a psychopath while his wife is normal and unaware and…” 

“I’m going to throw that thing that wants to pass for a plate of spinach in your face if you keep that up.” Celegorm warned him flatly. 

“Just saying.” 

“Loscarmë… I know that your interest in the national park is limited, but if you don’t shut up about the dangers I might find there, I’m going to do something to you that I won’t regret anytime soon.” 

Said Loscarmë, his best friend since middle school, looked briefly like he wanted to push that subject and start a fight in the middle of the school cafeteria. 

Alas, he took a look at the table the teachers tended to use to eat lunch and saw at least two looking their way, and he grimaced. 

“Yeah, fine.” 

They fell briefly silent, eating, but silence didn’t last long: 

“So, what do your hiker say?” 

“That if I’m serious about my project, I should start looking for a job now.” 

“Uh. You know… That’s not a bad advice. Dad’s been hounding me to find one too. I keep blowing him off but uh…” 

“Yeah.” 

“You’re serious to that point about the whole… Blowing your dad off and studying sciences of biodiversity or whatever that was?” 

“Yup, I am.”

“Your dad’s going to explode.” 

“You know, I’m pretty sure that self-combustion isn’t actually a thing.” 

“I’m sorry, have you met your dad?! I was at yours two years ago when your brother Maglor left university. I thought your dad was about to murder someone!” 

“I mean… he was probably about to murder Maglor to be fair. But it’s Maglor, he’s a diva, a pest and wanting to murder him on the spot is a pretty natural state of being after five minutes spent in his company for anyone not called Maedhros.” 

“… Nevermind. So a job uh. Any idea how to start that one?” Loscarmë asked, a note of considering curiosity in his voice. 

“Not yet, which is why I contacted the school’s counsellor who will be able to explain the process to me.” 

Seeing Loscarmë’s considering face, Celegorm shrugged: 

“I can pass along the info I’ll get if you want.” 

“Uh. Yeah, sure. Why not?” 

By the end of the day, Celegorm had a meeting with the school’s counsellor for the next day after class, AND decided once and for all that whoever invented philosophy was in fact a sadist.