Call Me Six

37: 'Number Nickname' -Tobias

TOBIAS-

December seemed to appear from out of the blue. In these few short months of school so much had changed. Nothing was as it was when we were in September.

They were serving meatloaf again. Or that's at least that's what they claimed it was. I still don't see how a dry slab of off-brown brick was considered edible. You could probably blend it and you'd get the rough equivalent of sand.

From across the cafeteria, I caught sight of Tris. She was walking with Will and Christina. I don't know where that pairing happened. I don't really care how. But it was good to see her happy. Her smile reaching her eyes for the first time in months.

They were laughing. Tris browsing a piece of paper quickly before handing it back over to Chris. They hugged, parted ways, and then Tris made her way over to the table where I was sat with Uriah and Zeke.

"Hey," she said whilst sliding into the seat beside me.

"Hey. What was that all about?"

"What- Oh I as just reading over Christina's cover letter, Harvey's been looking for new waitresses and she asked if I could help get her application up together."

I shrugged. "Didn't realise you two were so chummy."

"Eh, well. For Will's sake I decided that hostility wasn't the best approach. And I kinda owe her some sniceties for that time in the hallway."

From across the table Zeke scoffed. "I think you owe her more than a fucking recomendation after that shit show."

"Probably," she said, "but I'ma let karma take care of that one. There's no need to swoop in and be her new bestie." She checked the time on her phone quickly before standing and leaving. "Gotta go. I'm already late for detention with Mathews. Bye, Tobias."

And just like that she was gone again. Strutting off through the cafeteria, catching eyes as she went.

"So... Is that number nickname gone?"

"Thankfully."

~

Somewhere between the hours of nine and twelve, I found myself cleaning. Carefully sweeping up puddles of glitter that'd been contaminated with dust. Vacuuming the sparkling carpet. Gathering up the Barbie dolls left in neat little poses where they'd been sipping tea for weeks on end.

Everything was clean. Neat and tidy. The house looked like no one was actually living in it. More like an awkward display room.

There was one room however I couldn't bring myself to touch.

Tentatively, I pushed the door open and flicked on the light. The whole room shined.

I placed the dolls I'd gathered up down on her bed and just sat there for a while, remembering the countless hours we'd spent in here.

Slowly, I started hanging the dresses that were strewn across the floor up in the pink wardrobe. I put the colouring pencils back in the pot on her desk, and lined the glitter-glues back up in rainbow order.

The bed sheets were straightened out and I plumped up the pillow before placing the stuffed animals she used to sleep with on top of it.

On the windowsill I placed her dolls, sat up like she used to like.

There was a loose piece of tape hanging on the wall, below in lay the drawing that'd fallen. Grabbing a new piece of tape, I hung the drawing back up. The photograph that she'd copied was stuck to he bottom left-hand corner.

Smiling back at me was the glitter-glue version of myself, Sophie, and Tris.