:Ticci Toby:{A Rewrite}

2

The rest of the day went seemingly well, though sometimes Toby would catch that one kid just staring at him. He knew he was different but damn. Cameron couldn't take his eyes off of Toby. "Take a picture, it'll la-last forever.." Toby finally muttered, just loud enough for the other to hear as he made his way down the hall. Toby wasn't trying to cause a scene, he was just kinda annoyed from being stared at. Cameron didn't exactly have any friends it seemed, he was just rude to everyone. Toby wasn't special.
Toby Made it out of the school building, but what he saw wasn't what he exactly expected. Where was his mom? Was she not here to pick him up? All he saw were buses, he never thought he'd have to ride one. He'd honestly rather walk home. Toby turned and went around the buses, none of the staff saw him slip from the rushing hoard of students trying to get home. Toby picked up his pace and started to jog down the main highway, watching the cars zoom by.
He stayed on the side of the road just shy of a ditch, it was bound to happen. Toby fell into the ditch by accident, by his leg giving up on him. He groaned, annoyed by how horrible his luck had been lately. "Maybe I'm just cursed.." He muttered to himself as he lifted himself up. Leaves and twigs coated his hair.

Just then two kids zoomed by on their bikes, noticing him and stopping quickly. "Oh shoot! Do you need any help?" One said, getting off of their bike and holding their hand out in a helping gesture.
Toby glanced up, one eye slightly squinty. He hadn't seen these kids before, even in his class. He of course reached for their hand, only for them to pull it away the second he was about to grab it, resulting in him falling back down, sliding further into the ditch.
The kids bursted into laughter. "Yeah, you thought, ticci," They called loudly and took back off on their bikes.
Toby glared dimly as they biked out of sight. He should've known he couldn't trust these kids, they were below him, and they knew it. Toby clawed himself out of the ditch with all of his upper strength, draining him almost completely. Wiping mud and dirt from the knees of his pants, he pulled his bag back up and continued to walk home, looking mangy and muddy now.
Toby trotted up onto the porch, seeing the blonde man standing there. The guy usually always stood on the porch, knowing Toby was coming home, an hour later than when school originally ended.
Toby went to push past the man, but was stopped, his face being grabbed to look up at the man whose breath reeked of the wretched smell of alcohol. Toby grimaced, the man's cold rough hands squeezing his face. "I fell." Toby mumbled out, glaring up at him. The guy hasn't shaved in months..he really did just stink, in general.
The guy hummed, finally letting go of him. Toby's face was a little scratched from face planting into the ditch, and it had some dirt still blanketing his left cheek.
Toby opened the door and went in slowly, dropping his bag. His mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner, turning around to see her son when he finally came home. "Tobias! Where were you? I was worried sick."
"If worried sick means not p-p-picking me up then I must've been lied to."  Toby crossed his arms, sniffling a little.
"I would've picked you up but your dad had the car all day, he said you'd be fine if you walked home and didn't let me…get a word in." She spoke, eyeing Toby. "It seems he was right, but you look rough, please go clean up for dinner." She held his shoulder, him pulling away with a subtle nod. He just hoped every day of school wouldn't be like this.
Toby went on to take a quick shower, getting all of the sticks and leaves out of his already messy hair. It was very thick, so it was hard to get them all out. By the time he left the bathroom, he was met by Lyra, who immediately pulled her brother into a hug. "Did mom not pick you up? I'm so sorry I should've been there, I had to work so late, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Toby put his hand over her mouth in an attempt to get her to be more quiet. "no shouting remember?.." He started, earning a small nod from his sister. "It's okay, i-im not mad..actually I now own a collection of sticks." he held out his hand to reveal the tiny twigs.
Lyra smiled weakly and nodded in approval. "hehe..it's a very nice collection…You better hide it though.."

Toby sighed slightly and closed his hand back, hiding the many twigs. "I'm going to go to my room first, th-then I'll be downstairs." Toby admitted before disappearing into his dark room.
He flicked on the light and rushed over to his desk, flipping through the pages of his notebook, finding one page where he had doodled a lanky stick figure. Toby laid the twigs and leaves he pricked from his hair onto the page. It looked like some kind of ritualistic aspect without context. Context that's not going to be explained.
"This…Is a good place, hopefully he'll like it."

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