Tobee walked on the wooden tile, the backpack on his shoulder and the phone against his ear.
"Hey, Ali." he said, "I wanted to check in, because you haven't been answering. If you're mad at me for whatever reason, let me know. I care about you, Ali. I'm heading to class. See you, Alison."
The fourteen-year-old boy rustled his dyed blond hair, kicking a pencil.
He adjusted his glasses.
His fingers gripped the phone.
His friend wasn't answering any of his calls, and they had missed his birthday that was yesterday.
He cringed at the 'I care about you' part, but it was too late to unsend it.
Walking into Algebra class, Tobee was faced with the stares from the students.
Tobee hated the stares.
He wished that Alison went to the same school as him—the friend was two years older; they'd met online two years ago.
It felt like Alison was ghosting him, and he didn't know why.
Tobee couldn't go to Alison's house because his parents had restricted him from going anywhere.
Tobee could only wait for a response that he was already waiting for for two weeks.
"Tobee?"
The boy looked at the stern teacher's face.
"Yes?" he said.
"How do you solve this problem?"
The fourteen-year-old stared at the equation, wondering why anyone would decide to combine the alphabet with numbers.
He shook his head. "I don't know."
The teacher rolled their eyes, calling on another student.
"Wimp." the girl said to Tobee.
Tobee scowled at her.
The teacher-assistant handed Tobee his classwork.
He looked at the 'D' on the paper.
At least it isn't an F, he thought.
He crumpled the paper under his palm.
***
The boy tossed a pebble to each hand, Tobee keeping himself busy at the playground.
He stared at the 'Hi' text he had sent to Alison.
There was no response.
What if she...
He winced at the thought.
Stop, Tobee. I'm sure she's fine. She has to be.
Tobee looked at the other kids that were swinging next to him.
He had convinced himself that he and Alison were no longer friends, but that couldn't be true; Alison would have texted him if they were no longer friends, but Tobee still wasn't sure.
His phone buzzed, but it was a text from his mother that was asking where he was.
Tobee started walking.
YOU ARE READING
"The Zombie Outbreak" (Original Story)
HorrorAlways make sure that someone is okay, because you never know what will become of them... Fourteen-year-old Tobee is put on death's edge from the strange zombie outbreak to the disappearance of his friend. Trying to keep his cool, Tobee receives m...
