Inside Theo's World

Returning Home

I sigh and bounce on the bed. This is the last time I'll ever see this bed. This is the last time I'll ever see this city! I'm going home! I'M GOING HOME! I'll get to see Gabby again! My beautiful amazing sweet Gabby and her awesome beautiful sister Meghann! Meghann has never noticed me, I don't think. Even if she has, I'm too shy to be friends with her.

I grab my suitcase and head out the door, sighing again. I have to ride a plane from here to New Mexico just to get home. This is going to be a long day.

~~~~~~

I grit my teeth and exhale through my nose as I feel another peanut bounce off my shoulder.

"Kid, would you stop that?!" I demand.

The boy's mother smacks him, hard. "Keith, stop it, this instant."

Keith rolls his eyes and flicks another peanut at me before he turns back to his iPhone. I turn my attention to the old fat guy sitting beside me. He keeps trying to nod off on my shoulder but I just keep jabbing him in his huge gut with a pen. As soon as I get off this plane, I am tossing this pen in the trash.

He snorts. "Oh, sorry."

I cringe at his terrible breath. "It's... fine..."

Everyone on this plane are imagies. I hate imagies. I'm sociopathic, so sue me. I only hate imagies because of what happened when me and Gabby were ten.

~~~~~~

I wish she could meet me here. But she can't. Her parents wouldn't understand why they were stopping at the airport for no reason. No one would understand. Not even other imagies understand. I can't trust any more imagies. Not after what happened with the teasing about my sexuality. I'm gay. Big deal. You don't need to tease me for it.

As soon as I arrive home, Gabby's mother, Melissa, is walking through the door. I slip through the door before and run right by the living room and to Gabby's room. The living room is so different than I remember it. I dash back out and jump onto the couch beside Gabby. I snuggle up to her and nuzzle into her neck.

Tom, her father, clears his throat. "Your mom and I are going to town."

Gabby just nods and yawns as her brother Nate asks, "Where?"

"Just downtown."

I wait about a half hour before her parents leave.

"So..." I start.

Gabby turns in my arms and tackles me backwards onto the couch. "I miss you so much!" she squeals into my hair. Good thing both Nate and Meghann have headphones in.

"I missed you too..."

"Aw, Tayo, were the other imagies mean to you in the way back?" she asks.

I nod. "You have no idea. This kid named Keith kept throwing peanuts at me and a hairy fat old dude kept trying to sleep on me. I kept stabbing him with a pen. I threw the pen at the airport."

Gabby chuckles and snuggles up to me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine... You've gained some weight since I left, huh?"

She nods sheepishly, and I can tell she's blushing. She shifts on top of me before she straddles me. "I did. But it's so hard to maintain a low weight!" she whines.

I laugh. "I know."

Suddenly her phone vibrates and we both jump. She snatches up her phone. "Oh. It's just Benny."

"Benny?"

"Boyfriend. I'm not really digging him so much right now," she explains. "Hey, I'm dragging you to school with me tomorrow. I need you to get through the day."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. But only 'cause I love you."

"I love you too!" she hugs me again. "Awwh, you missed Hairspray today."

"THE MOVIE?!?"

"No. Drama did the musical. My friend Isaiah was in it and he was so cute!"

"Do you have a crush on him?"

"No. He's gay but I still love him so much he is so adorkable."

I laugh. "Aw, now I wanna meet him."

"I wish he could see you," she whines as she sits beside me.

I put my arm around her shoulders. "I don't need anyone but you."

"And a boyfriend."

"Gabe, we talked about this. You know I can't trust any imagies anymore. Not after fifth grade..." I mumble, looking away.

"Please just try. Maybe not other people's imagies... Maybe let me make you one? Please?"

I sigh. "I don't know, love. You could try if it means that much to you, I guess."

She squeals. "Now I have to go get my pencils and notebooks and markers..." she rants on as she runs around the couches and to her room.

Great, now I have to worry about some hot imagie hitting on me. It isn't fair. It isn't fucking fair! I don't want to be hit on! I just want to continue my normal life with Gabby! Ugh, why does life have to be so hard...?