When You Smile -TomTord Fic-

Chapter 1

       

<Tom's POV>

            There was this new kid moving to my neighborhood. My mom said he's from Norway. He moved here with his mom to start a new life. Last thing I needed was that welcome party she threw. She throws welcome parties for every new neighbor. 

            I went to the party anyway. It was the summer before senior year, so I really had nothing much to do. The only thing I did all day was play my guitar and drink all my issues away with Smirnoff.

            "Tom!" I heard my mom call me in a singsong voice.

            "Tom! Can you please come help me with the food?"

            "Sure thing, Mom! Be right there," I called back, grabbing my guitar and putting her in the case. Susan was my pride and joy. My guitar and I have been through a lot. I even fixed her after Edd broke her trying to squish a bee. Now she was good as new.

            I went downstairs, Susan in her carrying case, slung around my shoulder. My mom had three pies on the counter. One was cherry, one blueberry, and the other peach. She heard that the new kid liked peach, but made two more for everyone else that would arrive. I grabbed the pies in a stack as my mom grabbed two large cases of soda.

            "Why are you bringing the guitar, Tom?" I was a bit startled when she said those words, but I quickly regained my senses.

            "I heard from Matt that the new kid's a bit of a wreck. I thought I could calm him down some."

            "You're so sweet, Tom."

            "Thanks." I grumbled as I turned my head down to the left. I hated compliments. My mom simply giggled and we walked out the door.

            We walked to the new kid's house, since he lived right across the street from us. I noticed Edd and Matt walking towards the grey-painted house. They lived down the street, next door to each other. Luckily we lived on a short street, so it wasn't that hard for us to hang out every weekend.

            We reached the house, and Edd decided to knock on the door, since he was only carrying a backpack.

            We waited about thirty seconds before we heard the door unlock and open to reveal a mid-height woman. She had blue eyes and light tan, almost beige, colored hair. She looked at us in shock and glee.

            "Hello there," she said, her Norwegian accent thick, she obviously was new to speaking English. "Come inside, I am glad you are all here. My son needs some company his own age." She looked from me, to Matt, to Edd as she said the last sentence. We all went inside. I almost dropped the pies as I forgot to watch my step at the door's raised footing. Matt caught me.

            "Be careful, Tom. You almost fell on me and ruined my beautiful face!"

            "Thanks for catching me, Matt." I grumbled as I regained my grip on the pies and my footing. I stood up and walked inside.

            The inside of the house was humble. The long sofa was set against the wall in the center of the living room, facing a television. I was motioned to set the food on the coffee table in between the sofa and television. I put them down, unstacking them so they lay next to each other. Edd put the backpack he was carrying on the sofa, my mom put the sodas on the coffee table, Matt looked at himself in his handheld mirror in self-admiration. We all then heard a thump from down the hallway.

            "Tord!" The Norwegian mother cried out, running towards the noise. I walked down the hall behind her. She stopped at what was supposedly Tord's bedroom, standing in the door. I walked up to her, stopping behind her to look over her shoulder, as I was a few inches taller than she.

            There in the bedroom lay a small boy shaking on the floor. Given the way his bedsheets were falling off the side of the bed, I'd guess he fell off the side. His mom walked into the room, kneeling down to cradle her son's head. He was still shaking.

            "Hva er i veien (What's the matter)? Hadde du et mareritt (Did you have a nightmare)?"

            The boy only nodded in response, I had absolutely no idea what was just said, so I asked, "Is he ok? It looks like he fell pretty hard."

            "Oh it was just a nightmare, right, Tord?" Tord's mom looked down at her still shaking son, who only nodded in reply, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

He really was a wreck.