A Hero I Look Up To

Neglect

September 6, 2018. Tobio has entered his middle school days as a sixth grader. He wore a white dress shirt with black pants and black shoes, something new and a little formal for a change. Of course, most the kids were taller than him, but that doesn't stop Tobio from making new relations. He remembered in the new student orientation, the sixth graders had to choose a locker. Tobio picked the one that's closest to his homeroom class, so it would be easy to find.

Tobio opened his locker to put his books in for the year. As he put his books in, he heard other students opening up their lockers and chatting with each other, some either slamming them closed or banging on them while they chat with friends. The last thing Tobio took from his bag, was his schedule. He held the schedule in his left hand, then he gently closed his locker once he finished adding in his books, locking it up. His lock was a metallic cherry color. To unlock it, there was a code he had to follow, which you have to turn three times for one, two for the next, and finally one for the last. However, after he slung his bag on his right shoulder and pivoted to his right to head to his homeroom class, he saw someone with grayish silver hair and a white hoodie with dark blue jeans was next to Tobio's locker on his right.

This may be the chance to make a new friend, he made a smirk, plotting a way to befriend them without messing up the slightest bit. However, as he looked at the boy's eyes, it looked like an old friend of his. His face even looked similar to that friend, and the way he acts is how they also act. Tobio widened his eyes as he tried to find out why he looked so familiar.

"Did you want to ask something?" The boy cocked his head to one side and glanced at Tobio who was surprised to see him. After he saw Tobio with a surprised look without anything else to say, he glanced back at his locker to continue putting his last three books away. "You know... if you stay silent and have nothing to ask, then you don't have to look at me..."

It took Tobio a while to process his thoughts while looking at him. However, the voice and the attitude was easily detectable, that Tobio's bag tumbled off his shoulder and landed with a thud onto the ground, with the schedule glued to his left hand. His pupils dilated the more he saw his face intensely and he was rapidly blinking, seeing if he was in a dream. From there, he concluded that the person he saw right in front of him was...

"Loid...!?"

"Hold on... you know my name?" The boy widened his eyes and took a small step back, widening his eyes as Tobio guessed correctly. "How—"

That boy was indeed Loid Augustin, that same Loid from elementary school and that same friend that Tobio and Mia first made, standing right in front of Tobio. Just like Tobio, Loid stared at Tobio with a face that showed that he saw a new toy that was released. Both of them were at a loss of words, not knowing what to say, processing their thoughts, with Tobio stepping a few steps back and Loid slowly closing his locker until it locked shut. Suddenly, Loid slowly paced himself towards Tobio and gave him a warm comforting hug. Tobio returned the hug he gave and he closed his eyes with a warm smile. To think the two would reunite in middle school... it was something he never thought would ever come.

"You don't know how worried I was when I transferred out of your elementary school you know!" Loid exclaimed, patting Tobio on the back. "Don't come calling out to me all of a sudden, you idiot!"

"Ahaha, sorry about that, idiot." Tobio pulled away from the hug and thought about surprising Loid with the way he talks. He let out a smirk and a cunning laugh.

"You've changed, huh?" Loid noticed the switch in Tobio's voice and started to talk normally. "You used to be all shy and say a few words back when we were in Kindergarten. Have you started to talk to more people?"

"Well that and Chris just wanted me to talk to some people to make friends." Tobio tapped his pointer finger on his cheek.

Loid was agape. "Chris is still babysitting you at this age?"