Butterfly Wings

Chapter 10

Toby's POV

I had forgotten to set my alarm last night after my swim and woke up late this morning. I quickly jumped up and got in the shower. Michael must have taken one, because the water was freezing. When I got out I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a purple blouse. I only had time to brush my hair and pin it back in a bow. I grabbed my lace up boots and ran out of the house. I hadn't even had time to complain about Chelsea being loud outside my window last night. I got into my car and drove to school. I may have even sped some, oops. 

"Toby, get in here before I have to mark you late." Mr.Grey said to me as I closed up my locker. I walked into class and as soon as I sat down, ''Welcome to New York" went off. I sighed and hitched my bag up my shoulder. I walked out into the busy hallway and felt someone tap my shoulder. 

"Hey, do you have work today?" Ethan asked me. 

"No, I only work days that end in y." I said with a glare. "Of course I work." Ethan laughed. I still wasn't supposed to be talking to him according to Ashley. 

"Ok, when do you get done?"

"I get done early today, 4:30."

"Ok, I will meet you there after." He said as he turned back down the hallway and went to his 1st period class. I went to math rolling my eyes. I saw Ashley glare at me and I put my head down. I hoped she didn't see us just moments before. 

********

Lunch period finally came. I wasn't even done school yet and I wanted to go home. I failed a math test from last week and I got called on to answer a question in history that I hadn't been paying attention for. But, right now I got 45 minutes of peace beside the perfect tree.

"Hello, love." Ethan said as he sat next to me. I moved over since he had sat practically on top of me. 

"Hey." I whispered.

"Why so quiet?" He asked as he took my book. 

"Hey!" I said as I made a failed attempt to get it back. 

"Talk to me." He said looking at me with big eyes.

"No." I said as I tried to get the book back. Failed again. 

"Why not?"

"Because," I said trying to come up with a reason. "I don't want to."

"I know you don't want to, why?" He said as he put the book into the tree. There was no way I was going to be able to get it down myself. 

"You know something. You are just like Parker, that's why." I said squinting to see him, the sun was right in my eye. 

"I'm offended. But, how so?" He asked kneeling in front of me. 

''You want me to list?"

"If that will get you to talk to me, yes." He said laying back on his hands. 

"You have every girl falling for you and you choose me. Ashley is practically down your throat, but you still chose me. I push you away, but you follow me to work. Just everything leads me to believe that this is a whole big joke, just like Parker was." 

"Well, it isn't."

"Prove it."

"I saw you topless and didn't take a picture. Pretty sure Parker would have." 

"Point taken."

"And you are just as pretty as Ashley, even more at that." He said smiling. I blushed.

"Ok, but I still don't believe you."

"Oh c'mon!" He jerked his head back. 

"Hey, just guarding myself." I said throwing up my hands in defense.

"Yeah, yeah." He said getting my book down. He sat back down and looked at me. 

"Just admiring from a far?" I said in my ''boy voice''. 

"Nah, figuring out how to break you."

"Not going to work. I'm as guarded as the president." I said punching his shoulder. He fell over in mock pain. I got up and walked back inside. I headed to my locker and to my next class.

*********

I went into the girls locker room and saw Ashley standing by my locker. She was alone instead of her usual posse.

"You don't have gym now." I said as I moved her away from my locker. I pulled off my shirt and began getting dressed while she stared. I guessed she was wondering how I had lost all of my weight and was now skinnier than her. 

"I told you to lay of Ethan." She said under her breath so the others didn't hear. I looked at her while I changed my pants.

"I did, he is talking to me." 

"Then push him away." 

"Are you kidding? Don't you think I tried that? I'm not the most likable here."

"That is true." I laughed to myself at the thought of Ashley agreeing with me. 

"So any more requests?" I put on my shoes.

"Tell him that you have a boyfriend." Ashley said as her face lit up. "Yeah, tell him you have a boyfriend who is 6'6" and on the wrestling team. Oh and that he gets really protective over you."

"So, let me get this straight, you want me to just come out and say I have a boyfriend and hope he goes away?" 

"Yes and those pictures will go away. Or else he will see those and hear about Lake View." She said as she walked out the aisle. I gulped.

"Fine." I said pulling my hair into a ponytail. 

*********

I was cleaning off the counter when Ethan pulled into the parking lot. 

"Damn." I said. He probably wanted to talk and then take me wherever he had planned. I hurried over to the door as he walked up. As he went to pull it open, I locked it. 

"What gives?" He said backing off the door. I held a hand next to my ear telling him I couldn't hear him even though I clearly could. I flipped the open sign to closed and shrugged my shoulders. When he banged on the door I pulled the blinds. He then went to the next window and I closed them, too. He did this until I had closed all of the blinds. I started to put the books away that people had left out. When my shift was over I peeked out the window and saw that Ethan was still waiting in his car. I went out the back and quickly walked to my car. He started to jog up when I pulled out and raced home before he could follow me. 

*********

"Yes, no, well she-" Donna was talking on the phone when I got home. She waved me out of the room and I went down into the basement. I grabbed a bottle of Snapple and sat on the couch. I pulled out my computer and went onto Facebook. I hadn't been on since like 7th grade, but I wanted to look at some pictures of me when I was younger. I opened up my page and clicked on the album I was looking for. There it was, the pictures of myself. The pictures I had pushed out of my head up until Ashley brought them up. 

"Hope you're happy." Chelsea said as she flopped onto the couch. 

"Why?" I said exiting out of Facebook before she could see the pictures. 

"Dave found out how old I really was and broke up with me. Said that he couldn't go out with someone that was 4 years younger.''

"Why would that make me happy?" I said still not getting the point. She looked at me.

"Because, I don't know. I just wanna watch 'Sex and the City'." She said as she went onto Netflix. 

"Have fun." I said as I went back upstairs. I wasn't about to sit there and listen to her sob story. She was a real drama queen about breakups, and in general, but more so about things that upset her. I decided not to mock her either or tell her she was too loud last night. 

"Donna, I'm going out!" I said as I walked out the door. I heard her shush me as she was still on the phone. 

*********