Post by Tobias on Sept 23, 2014 12:14:39 GMT -6
“Toby! Toby, wake up!” Aunt Helen's voice was a high-pitched whine that seemed to worm its way into the ear of her sleeping, unsuspecting target. The boy in the small bedroom across the hall to the right stirred and opened one eye.
“Tobias,” he groaned, sitting up and raising his voice, “my name is Tobias!”
“He hates to be called Toby,” he heard her say to somebody, probably Uncle Frank. “I don't understand it.”
“I'm not a kid anymore,” Tobias grumbled under his breath. He threw the covers off as if in protest and instantly regretted it as the morning's chill hit him head on; his teeth were chattering before his feet even made contact with the floor. He yanked a wrinkled Ramones tee shirt over his head and pawed through the pile of clean clothes on the floor for a pair of socks. If it was possible to “trip into” your jeans, Tobias somehow managed to do it. He flew down the stairs without an ounce of grace just as his uncle yelled, “Get a move on, kid, I ain't drivin' ya!”
“Didn't ask you to,” he muttered as he jammed his feet into his Chucks and slammed the door. He was quiet the whole way to the bus stop, preoccupied with trying to get his blonde hair to lie flat. When he reached the bus stop, he noticed a group of kids was already there. They looked about his age, but Tobias didn't talk to them. Jake was big, not football-player big but solid, and everyone knew he was into sports. He kind of had this way of capturing attention wherever he went. Marco, the guy standing next to him, was a lot shorter than either Jake or Tobias, but he was a fast talker and girls thought he was cute. Speaking of girls, there were two with the boys, so Tobias assumed they must have been paired up. One was tall and blonde, the other was black and a little more petite. Tobias looked away as they boarded the bus; he was pretty sure the blonde girl had cast a glance at him.
The hall pass crinkled in his hand as he meandered down the hallways in between classes, looking for the restroom. Science class ended in ten minutes, then he needed to hurry and get to math. Trouble was, he couldn't find the freaking bathroom. He must have made a wrong turn somewhere, because now he had no idea where he was. Being in a new school could really suck. Of course, just as that thought passed through his brain, his eyes settled on three guys walking toward him. The biggest one was Robbie, but he didn't know the names of the other two. Tobias looked away, tried to turn down another corridor, but Robbie's hand caught hold of his shoulder pretty fast. “Heeeeeey, Fowler,” he said as he threw an arm around Tobias. “What's up, are you lost?”
“Uh, I just...” Tobias brushed blonde strands out of his eyes and looked down at the hall pass he clutched in his fist. “...I was just looking for the bathroom.” The minute he said it, he knew it had been a mistake.
“Oh, yeah, you're all turned around, man.” Robbie grinned and looked around at his pals. “Ain't he all turned around? Let's show him where the bathroom is.”
And that's how the new kid ended up with his head in the toilet, just thinking about how much he really hated Mondays.
“Tobias,” he groaned, sitting up and raising his voice, “my name is Tobias!”
“He hates to be called Toby,” he heard her say to somebody, probably Uncle Frank. “I don't understand it.”
“I'm not a kid anymore,” Tobias grumbled under his breath. He threw the covers off as if in protest and instantly regretted it as the morning's chill hit him head on; his teeth were chattering before his feet even made contact with the floor. He yanked a wrinkled Ramones tee shirt over his head and pawed through the pile of clean clothes on the floor for a pair of socks. If it was possible to “trip into” your jeans, Tobias somehow managed to do it. He flew down the stairs without an ounce of grace just as his uncle yelled, “Get a move on, kid, I ain't drivin' ya!”
“Didn't ask you to,” he muttered as he jammed his feet into his Chucks and slammed the door. He was quiet the whole way to the bus stop, preoccupied with trying to get his blonde hair to lie flat. When he reached the bus stop, he noticed a group of kids was already there. They looked about his age, but Tobias didn't talk to them. Jake was big, not football-player big but solid, and everyone knew he was into sports. He kind of had this way of capturing attention wherever he went. Marco, the guy standing next to him, was a lot shorter than either Jake or Tobias, but he was a fast talker and girls thought he was cute. Speaking of girls, there were two with the boys, so Tobias assumed they must have been paired up. One was tall and blonde, the other was black and a little more petite. Tobias looked away as they boarded the bus; he was pretty sure the blonde girl had cast a glance at him.
The hall pass crinkled in his hand as he meandered down the hallways in between classes, looking for the restroom. Science class ended in ten minutes, then he needed to hurry and get to math. Trouble was, he couldn't find the freaking bathroom. He must have made a wrong turn somewhere, because now he had no idea where he was. Being in a new school could really suck. Of course, just as that thought passed through his brain, his eyes settled on three guys walking toward him. The biggest one was Robbie, but he didn't know the names of the other two. Tobias looked away, tried to turn down another corridor, but Robbie's hand caught hold of his shoulder pretty fast. “Heeeeeey, Fowler,” he said as he threw an arm around Tobias. “What's up, are you lost?”
“Uh, I just...” Tobias brushed blonde strands out of his eyes and looked down at the hall pass he clutched in his fist. “...I was just looking for the bathroom.” The minute he said it, he knew it had been a mistake.
“Oh, yeah, you're all turned around, man.” Robbie grinned and looked around at his pals. “Ain't he all turned around? Let's show him where the bathroom is.”
And that's how the new kid ended up with his head in the toilet, just thinking about how much he really hated Mondays.
