When We Were Younger | Book 1

Nervously

Four days later:

I walk through the corridors of the hospital with Tom. Bill had left the ICU and is now in a normal room.
He has some memory loss about what happened that day, but other than that he is okay. Or almost, he is still very tired and cannot tolerate bright lights.

He will recover very fast, the doctor said.
Simone has filed a complaint with the school and the police. Tom didn't want to, but I completely understand her. They would never stop. But the question is, will it even solve anything?

Just like Tom, I have my doubts. Sending them to another school isn't going to change anything.
And since they are still minors, they receive a light punishment. And the complaint will make them even more angry.

Tom didn't go to school since the incident, the school gave him time off.
I did have to go but I called in sick. After all this, I really didn't feel like going to school, especially not alone.

Everyone probably already knows about what happened and I have no idea how they'll react.

We arrive at Bill's room and walk inside.
"Hi, Bill " Me and Tom say together.
A smile appears on Bill's face when he sees us.

"Hi!"
He looks a lot better already, at least he has his beautiful smile back.
"I can go home tomorrow!" Bill says with an even bigger smile on his face.
"Tomorrow?" Tom looks at Bill confused.
"Isn't that much sooner than expected?"

Bill nods.
"I know what's going on, my little brother can't listen, again!" A sigh leaves Tom's mouth.
"Tom, the doctor said it was okay, as long as I rest enough."

"I know you, you can't just rest!" They look at each other, anger noticible in their eyes.
"I'll make sure Bill takes it easy." I say before either of them can say anything else and sit down on the edge of the bed.

Tom:

The next morning:

We went to pick up Bill from the hospital and we are now in the car driving home.
I'm still not sure if it's a good idea for him to come home already. Without anyone to look after him.

Why does he always have to do things differently? Instead of just doing what the doctor says. I'm curious how well he will rest at home and how soon he will want to go back to school.

Not that we like going to school that much.
Bill and I never liked going to school, at all.
All the bullying makes it a lot harder for us. But we never show our feelings. They can't know we care. It would make it even more fun for them.

Only thing I will never understand is why someone would spend so much time on anyone they hate so much.
New people are usually nice to uw at first. Until they start to hang out with those other people. or sometimes they are to scared to hang out with us, scared they will get bullied themselves.

Most of our friends don't go to the same school as we do. We met most of them on our school, but they changed schools because of all the bullying.
On those new school they met knew people and we are now a big group of friends.

Strangely enough, we all get bullied.
Mostly because of the way we dress.
It's weird to me how much appearance and style can determine whether someone likes you or not, without even knowing the person at all.

Tom (current):
I'm sitting on the couch fiddling with my phone while I stare in front of me.
'Tom, are you coming? Breakfast is ready" Bill yells from the kitchen. Without answering I get up and walk to the kitchen.
Bill has already set up the table and I sit down.

"Tom?" Bill looks at me questioningly. I look at him a bit dazed. "Is everything okay?"

For some reason all I can think about is Sophie. It's like she's stuck in my head.
Why didn't I gave her my phone number?
Why didn't she give hers to me?

"Tom!" I look up to Bill.
"What?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
Bill keeps looking at me and I avoid his gaze.

"Tom, you've been acting strange ever since we saw Sophie."
I look at Bill in surprise.
"You're imagining things." I say as I stand up and walk towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Bill yells after me. "Walk!" I yell back.
"You haven't eaten anything yet!"
Bill yells back. Without answering, I open the door, walk outside, slam the door behind me and walk towards the park.

What is wrong with me? My thoughts are overwhelming me. I need to clear my head, stop thinking.
I keep walking, not paying attention to where I'm going.

I turn around when I hear someone calling my name and I see Sophie walking towards me.

My heart starts to beat faster, a lump forms in my throat, my hands a little bit sweaty. "Hi, Tom! Everything okay?" She asks with a smile on her face.
All I can think about is how beautiful her smile is, how beautiful her eyes are, how her beautiful blonde hair slightly moves with the wind.

"Tom?" I am taken out of my thoughts by Sophie's voice. Her beautiful voice. TOM FOCUS! I say to myself.
"Hi, Sophie!" I can't suppress a smile on my face.
"Where are you going?" She asks.

"Nowhere." I say somewhat awkwardly. Why does she make me so nervous? "Perfect!" Sophie says. "Me too."

Sophie gently grabs my arm and starts walking. I follow her, not knowing how to behave or what to say.

"You wanna sit down for a moment?" I look at Sophie and nod. She sits down on a bench and I sit down next to her.

Why is it so hard for me to talk to her? Normally that's no problem for me.
"What did you think of Marco?" Sophie looks at me questioningly. This question catches me by surprise.
"He's okay, I guess," I say somewhat awkwardly. Not knowing how else to answer this question. What do I think of him? An annoying know-it-all braggart. But how could I say that to her?