Troublemakers!Benchtrio AU

Chapter Seven Pt. 2

  So, back with part two here. Yay!

  Um, anyways. We are now at the SBI Drugstore with the boys. I'm going on vacation later today for a little while, so I didn't want to be mean and not give you guys the rest of Chapter Seven. So here's part two. 

  I'll give you 7.5 when I get back because I do not have the time to draft it up. 

  *note* Holidays are American, because I'm American, and it makes life easier. If you're from the UK or similar areas, feel free to tell me about any holidays that I could add into this book. 

  Trigger Warning(s): swearing, depression, mentions of suidcide

  Toby's POV: 

  Today was really an awful day to end up in the principal's office. Yes, I was in college, but some kids acted like they were still in elementary school, and knew how to pull strings. That son of a b*tch was one of them. 

  I did my best to keep my foul mood to myself, not wanting to upset Tommy or Rylan. It wasn't their fault. It really wasn't even my fault, though I probably shouldn't have punched the kid. 

  I was sick of bullies. Why couldn't they just focus on passing college like the rest of us instead of making life a h*lla lot harder for everyone else? I'd never liked bullies, but after they'd pushed Ry to edge of suicide, that was kind of like the last straw.

  How long has it been since then? A year? It sure felt like a lot longer than that. 

  I stared out the window, glaring at the passing signs to help myself quietly fume. Rylan was situated in between us, in a fitful sleep. Tommy was similarly quiet. It was strange, to say the least. Normally, we were exploding with energy, curses, and conversation. 

  The bus rumbled along, and nothing eventful happened beside the fact that we almost ran over a dumb pidgeon that was too stupid to move out of the way of a barreling bus. Ry jolted awake as we hit a particularly large pot hole in the road, and I set a steadying hand on his shoulder. He looked around wildly for a moment, before either registering our surroundings and relaxing, or remembering what had happened and relaxing. Maybe both. 

  "Hey big man," Tommy said. "How you doing?" 

  Ry took off his glasses and scrubbed his eyes. "Better."

  He was talking to us again. That was good. 

  "Good," Tommy said, then went back to facing forward in his seat. 

  We rode the rest of the way in silence. I continued to stare out the window, Ry just sat there, and Tommy messed with his lighter.

  When the bus finally lurched to a stop in front of the mall, we stood up and filed off the vehicle with a bunch of other passengers. The driver was one I was unfamiliar with, and she wore a black mask with a camouflage tank top. 

  (Alyssa pog)

  As we left, she gave us a polite nod, kinda like the one Clay always gave to Rylan. Her eyes were really blue. 

  I shook that thought off and followed Tommy as he led us to Phil's place. I took up Rylan's hand and picked up my pace to match Tom's, helping drag him to the store faster. He still looked utterly exhausted. Maybe I could transfer some energy to him or something? I don't really know what the f*ck he's feeling right now other than that stupid, overwhelming tired feeling that I knew all too well.

  He just didn't tell us enough about his problems, and it was harder to read him through his mask and glasses than it was without them. It was frustrating.