Wingspan(Paranormal, Young Adult) MAJOR EDITING**

eighty one

"wow. you're here. and drinking." he wore a leather jacket over a simple tee and faded jeans. sensible, trendy. toby had good taste. see already I was getting to know him a lot more.

toby somberly looked down at the cup in his hands. "it tastes awful." he grimaced at me offended.

i laughed knowing how terrible it tasted. "thats why i brought this." i showed him the cup kira gave me. 

it wasn't cold but it was better than nothing. I wasn't sure why I even brought it with me.

toby looked at it. "can i try?" 

I stared at him unable to string a coherent sentence together. "s-seriously? i mean...well are... i guess so." i smiled feeling less awkward when he smiled back.

in two short paces toby stood in front of me. i let him take my cup since i didn't plan on finishing it. "you're right." he gave it back nearly empty.

i watched toby dump his cup on the ground without mentioning how the disposal of unwanted items was killing our ecosystem. 

"nowhere for the holidays?" i asked unhealthily observant.

toby went back to his place standing by the tree. "you don't like silence do you?" he put his back to me and crossed his ankles.

it was the opposite actually but i would have never said that. when i was with him i couldn't stop talking. it was good that chanel wasn't around to comment on my abnormal behavior.

toby looked so far away from me as he watched the surrounding flatland. "its just me." he murmured. wind blew stands of his black hair round his cheek.

"i'm sorry." i said before the lull in conversation kept on.

"don't be." toby looked at me for a short amount of time. "I've made peace with it along the way."

i walked over and stood beside him making sure not to trigger his agoraphobia.

across-the-board the quad was calm save for distant people that were strolling in the opposite direction where we stood on foot. 

"what happened?" a distinct accent pronouncing words i had just said echoed, multiplying a similar two-worded question.

i watched as toby observed the grey clouds for a moment in solace. his face hard like the famous statues on the buildings i'd seen countless times.

toby sighed glaring onward. "I thought I knew everything. i didn't listen and chose to ignore their pleas of compassionate salvation." he stopped talking and faced me. "have you ever done something without realizing who it would hurt?"

"yeah, yeah i have." i say. 

not wanting him to see what I looked like I turned my head and rubbed my nose. bullshit. I didn't even know why I was crying. 

I wasn't an emotional person and I had such a hard time talking with words about how I was feeling so this came unexpectedly. and it happened right in front of toby. Gah. so embarrassing.

for saving grace eventually i glanced back at toby. 

he could manipulate others but not me. beneath his tough exterior we had a connection that made it impossible for him to fool me.

I recognized the bottled up feelings of confliction and remorse. i just hoped all that residual anger he felt wasn't directed towards himself. 

Toby's voice was low and sad. it was strange to hear coming from him and letting me be with him in that instant felt something special. like he was giving me a rare treat.