𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

Holly walked up to Toby and greeted him as she sat herself down next to him. "So where's Henry? He's usually like the first one here." Toby greeted Holly before answering her question. "He said he's hanging out with like Travis or some shit." Holly nodded, letting out a slight 'ah' noise. "So, I guess it's just you and me, huh?" She questioned, playfully elbowing him in the arm.    Toby rolled his eyes. "Yeah.. I guess it is." Holly seemed enthusiastic, as she and Toby hadn't hung out on their own in quite a while. "Soooooooo. How ya beennnn?" She asked. 

"Wow!" Toby gasped. "You're even more in love with me than I thought!" He teased, letting out a chuckle. Holly smacked him on the back, her jaw dropping. "I am NOT in love with you!" She defended as she scoffed at his insinuation. Another wave of laughter escaped Toby's lips. "You see, that's what someone who's desperately in love with me would say." Holly refused to retort, as she knew he would twist her words yet again. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes as she let out a soft, yet infuriating sigh. Toby moved on from his little skit and asked her how class was. "Oh it was fine, same old same old really." He nodded his head to confirm that he understood. "Any tea?" Holly asked with a quizzical look on her face. He took a second to think about it before shaking his head. "Nah, not really. Class was boring as always." 

They sat quietly for a moment, before Holly filled the silence. "You know who would make our classes more interesting?" Toby looked at her, confused. "Who?" Holly looked at him in shock, as of she was offended that he didn't know the answer. "Tianah, of course!" Toby's incredulous expression faded into something a little more serious. "She's dramatic as fuck, why would she be any fun?" Holly's eyes squinted. "There's actually a reason as to why Tianah is the way she is, and that's not your business to know unless she wants you to." Toby noticed he'd struck a nerve so he decided to quickly change to the topic. "Uh, anyways... So my mum actually bought me a couple new parts for my car. I was supposed to show Henry, but he isn't available anymore, so I was wondering if maybe you'd want to come over and I can show you instead?" Holly looked at him. "Oh my gosh, it's giving second place!" She exclaimed in a tone that made her seem like she'd been offended. A large smile beamed across the brunette's face. "Damn right." He laughed. 

"Oh my fucking gosh, Toby! You're cancelled!!" She teased, feigning a distraught reaction as she pretended to wipe tears away from her face. "Oh shut up, crybaby." 

~time skip to Toby's house~

Holly walked up to a perfectly ordinary, brown door. Just like Henry, Toby stood in front of Holly as he used his keys to unlock the door, allowing Holly to walk inside first. He guided her to the kitchen, to which he greeted his mother, Janet. "Hey, Toby! How was school?" Toby told her about school as Holly came into view. She gasped. "Is this the girl you're always talking about?!" She questioned, gesturing to Holly. Holly shot her a small, yet awkward smile as she waved. Toby sighed embarrassingly as his face went red."I don't know what you're talking about mum. I've never mentioned Holly before in my life!" Janet flashed Toby a suspicious look. "Mmmm, if you insist.. Anyways, I need to pop into the shops, I'll be home in maybe 30 minutes? An hour tops." Toby looked at his mother and nodded. As she grabbed her keys and her bags she turned around. "Love you!" Toby, unlike most other guys, wasn't afraid to show affection when it came to his mother. He walked over to her, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "Love you too, Mum."

As he walked back over to Holly, she teased him. "Love you too, Mum!" Toby eyed her. "Damn right I do. She was the only person who ever actually had my back." Holly noticed that she-just like Toby had earlier- had struck a nerve. She immediately apologised. "It's fine, it's just she's all I have now." Holly placed her hand on his back. He shrugged it off. Holly tried not to be too offended as he was kind of upset now, but she was so touch deprives that she couldn't help it. The two of them sat down in his living room. Holly wanted to know more about him. Before she could even ask, he started to talk. "Growing up, my father was really bad to me and mum. He was always drinking, and he'd end up taking his anger out on us." Holly's expression worsened, but she stayed silent. "He ended up leaving, and he took my brother with him. The only time I ever see Dacre is at school." 

Holly had no idea about any of that. Until today, she thought that Toby lived a carefree life. It was in this moment, she knew that she was wrong. "I'm so sorry.. if I had known I wouldn't have-" Before she could finish, Toby cut her off. "Don't apologise for anything, It's not your fault. As for the comment about my mother, you didn't know. I'm fine with it. We're good." Toby placed his hand on her leg to reassure her. "I know it's dumb.. but I do know what you're going through." Toby looked at her, confused. "Okay so don't judge but, growing up my mum wasn't really... a good parent. When I was around four, my mum turned to drugs to cope with some "issues" she was having. Anyways, not long after she started, she got hooked, and she ended up she left my dad and I for a life of substance abuse and gambling. Again, you don't have to say anything, I just wanted to let you know you're not alone." Toby's eyes glistened softly as he tried to stop himself from crying. He didn't realise how alike they were. Everyone always said they understood what he was going through, but nobody actually meant it. Toby grasped her hand in his as he looked into her eyes. "I've got you, okay? I always will." Holly smiled at his sentiment. "I know, same goes for you." 

The both of them decided it was time for a change in subject, and in scenery. "Anyways, wanna come and see the car parts my mother bought me?" He asked. Holly nodded. Toby stood up, his hand still in hers as he lead her outside.