Take Back

Chapter Two

*Tommy's POV*

"How's been over there?" Allyson asks me as I come out of my house, my real house.

I shrug, "Stan yelled at me a few times, called me some names—but none of which I haven't heard before— and made me do everything myself. No one really talks to me, but my mom will every now and then. It's not a big deal."

"Oh," she says as we start to walk side by side. I really wanted to say that it sucks and that I'd really rather be over at Adam's where Leila cooks food and Eber talks with me after school and Neil and I have our little fights. But do you see how I left out Adam from that description? Yeah. That's the big brick wall keeping me from going there. The big, stupid, jerk-faced wall... "Are you coming back to school tomorrow?" I groan and sigh heavily.

"Yep. Actually, if I miss like, two more days of school, I'll have to either repeat or go to summer school. That's not going to happen." I roll my eyes and shake my head. That's seriously ridiculous. I've made up all my work so far, I'm still above a C average, and I don't get into trouble (anymore, anyway). Honestly I think it's a pretty dumb rule. I could understand if I was failing and I would never complete anything that I missed, but I don't, so, what's the big deal?

"How many days were you absent?"

"I don't know, like ten, maybe? Eleven?" Allyson looks up at me in shock, mouth slightly agape.

"Really? I've only been out for like, two!" she kind of laughs, a little in disbelief. I chuckle shortly too, then my mind switches cold.

"Well, all the days I've missed were because of a certain someone that won't be ruining my life anymore." The air thickens and it's almost as if Allyson shivers from the iciness that my tone gives off.

"You're... really not letting up, are you?" she ends up asking quietly after a while of tense pacing. She folds her arms uncomfortably and stares straight ahead. My hands mold into fists and I blank out every memory that's pounding and chipping away at my determination.

"Nope," I say solidly. I know what I said must have been harsh to hear, because Adam didn't really ruin my life, but that's my attitude now. I'm no way in hell going to let anyone step on me anymore and play with my heart like it's a toy. That's just not going to happen. And if that means that I'm going to have to say some nasty, over exaggerated things to make sure I convince myself not to go back to that, then so be it.

"I think Adam meant well—" I stop in my tracks, nearly making skid marks with my shoes on the pavement. I can't imagine what she's feeling as I look at her like I'm picturing in my head. I'm incredulous. Absolutely incredulous.

"Allyson," I state dubiously, hearing my voice go higher. I'm truly speechless. I thought she was on my side one hundred percent. I really, really, need someone to be there with me wholly because now I don't have that anymore in a boyfriend. She bites her lip nervously, trying her best not to look me in the eye for more than a second at a time.

"Look..." she trails off and I begin to feel guilty for being so intense and my shoulders relax a bit at a time."You know I love you and you know I get where you're coming from and that I'll be there for you, but I was just saying. I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything." I let go of the breath I was holding in and my expression softens.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "Everything's still raw. I'm... I don't know." I put my face in my hands and try to breathe evenly, rubbing my temples to calm down. "I don't mean it at all." She frowns and pats my shoulder.

"I know; I don't take it personally."

I've been insanely frustrated since all of this has gone down. It's been like, three days and I'm in the most stress that I've ever been in. I don't want to necessarily own up to it, but I think that I'm even more stressed out now than I was when Adam was in rehab. That's saying something. It makes me so mad. I'm crushed. I'm literally, utterly crushed. It hurts me so bad that I think I've physically given up. We start to walk again but it's slower than before. My feet feel like they have fifty pound weights strapped on them.