Shouldn't Have [TomTord]

Chapter Two

"Is everyone ready to go?" Edd clapped.

Edd ushered everyone out the door, shooing them quickly so he could lock the front door. Once the task was done, he ran to the car and hopped into the driver's seat with the others following behind with less enthusiasm. Except Matt, who was already in the back of the car buzzing with untamed excited.

Minutes prior, Tom had walked into the living room and saw his two best friends sitting there watching TV. It was like they had sensed his presence, because as soon as he was near by they turned their heads to his direction and gave a warm smile in return to his grumpy expression.

"How are you feeling?" Edd had asked, being sweet enough to care.

"You were insane last night!" Matt had exclaimed before Tom could answer Edd's earlier question. Edd lightly slapped Matt on the arm while the other flinched away and stuck out his tongue.

Come to think of it, Tom didn't remember a single thing he had done last night. Maybe he blacked out again. He's been getting better about blacking out, but he still continues to get drunk most nights and it's proving to become unhealthy and a bad habit. But enough about that.

"Matt, what did I do?" Tom had asked, eyebrow raising in query.

"Hah! What didn't you do?" Matt gave a short laugh and smiled hugely at Tom, as if that was all the answer he needed.

"You broke a lamp." Edd smiled.

"How?"

"Details, details," He was waved off, "but, I think it's best if we buy a new one." Edd then proceeded to scratch the nape of his neck, staring down to where the lamp was usually situated. Noticing it then, the lamp was gone and there was nothing occupying the little table that stood by the couch. How sad.

They then got Matt to bring Tord back to the living room and make plans with them to go to the Home Depot that was in town.

And that is what brought them to now, on the road and driving to the store to buy a replacement lamp for the one Tom broke last night in his drunk dreary.

It's moments like these where Tom almost felt bad for the things he does. If they knew he was going to be such a chore to take care of, his roommates would probably never have taken him in and became his best friends.

He met Edd in elementary school but they weren't friends at all. Tom knew about him, but they continued to go on about their own lives, doing their own things and only passing by each other in hallways. At that time, Tom was dealing with his confidence and had little to no friends, his self esteem so low that he refused to talk to most people.

In middle school he saw Edd and Matt around together. Tom, at this point, had his own group of friends. Or... 'friends'. The people he hung around at that time weren't good people, being that they already started to smoke and steal liquor from their parent's alcohol cabinets. He never opened up to them so they never knew anything about him, and that's probably a good thing because, knowing them, they would've become his bullies and ruined his life upon knowing about his parents. He was lucky to get by with his eyeless sockets.

It was college when things changed. Tom had gotten way too drunk at a party and was kicked out, leaving him on the curb in front of a liquor store, drinking like he wanted his pancreas to pop. That was where he saw Edd's kind smile and his hand, which reached down to help Tom up. Letting Edd help him up changed so much in his life and years later it ended up being a good thing.

For Tom, at least, it was a good thing, but moments like these he worried that his friends might be having second thoughts about helping the drunk freak they found.

Tom managed to keep his face stoic the whole ride as his thought process went wild. He sat in the passenger seat, looking out of the front window and watching all the buildings go by.

Then he felt a small kick to the back of his seat and was reminded that Tord was sitting behind him and was very much pissed at him for whatever reason. What a little bitch.

Tom never knew how Edd and Matt became friends with Tord. He was extremely different than them, being obsessed with fire arms and lewd things that neither of the other men expressed interest in. In other words, he brought guns wherever he went and watched hentai in his free time. He was probably watching it in his room when he stormed out of the living room that morning.

Tom never asked how they all met, but he didn't want to seem like he cared. After all, that was his whole persona around them. He never cared.

And he wished he came into their lives differently so he could show that he did care and he is sorry. But it doesn't matter anymore.

Edd parked the car and they all climbed out, heading towards the doors of Home Depot. When they reached the inside, they all headed in the direction of the lighting section.

Tord looked at night lights, Matt walked into the chandeliers aisle, and Edd actually went to the lamp area, the place where they were all supposed to be at. Tom just stood and looked at all of them, not going to adventure or move around at all.

His eye got caught on Tord bending down to pick up a night light. Why was he over there? And why was Tom staring?

Tom tried to look away, but he immediately looked back to see Tord picking out between two lights. One was plain while another had a red tint to it.

Tom felt something in his throat.

He tried to ignore it, opting to just space out on the red nightlight in Tord's hands, but the feeling grew painful as he could no longer breathe properly. Tom gripped his throat and squeezed, pain increasing with every passing moment the object pressed against his windpipe.

Fuck it, he needed something.

Tom rushed to the check out lines and grabbed a water bottle from a cooler that usually was situated near that area. Without hesitation, he opened the bottle and chugged back half the contents in it.

He felt the cold water slosh around and push down the object on his windpipe. He breathed. God, it felt wonderful to breathe. He could practically feel his, probably red, face relax instinctively.

"You know you're going to have to pay for that, right?" A voice scolded like some idiot who knows what they're doing. Tom turned around to see a female cashier glare at him, but as soon as she saw his lack of eyes, she faltered.

Tom had a smug look as he reached into his pocket and got out a five dollar bill, crumpling it up into a ball and throwing at her underhand.

"Keep the change." And he walked away.

Back at where he last saw the rest of the gang, he found Edd and Matt around a lamp that looked identical to the one they once had. Tord, however, was no where in sight.

"Why can't we buy a prettier one?" Tom heard Matt ask, sounding so disappointed.

"Because this lamp has never failed us before and it'd be horrible if we go and replace it now!" Edd exclaimed.

Matt seemed to like that explanation so he smiled and looked down at the identical lamp like a proud father.

Tom walked up closer to them, "But aren't we technically replacing it because it's not the original?"

Edd whipped around and pressed a finger up to his own smiling lips, "Shoosh!"

They bought the lamp and met Tord at the car, who was leaning against the vehicle and holding onto a plastic bag with some mystery item inside.

Tom felt the feeling in his throat again and drank it down with the water bottle in hand.

It was then, when Edd unlocked the car and they all climbed in, that Tom realized the game that Tord was playing. Instead of climbing to the back where he usually sits, he took Tom's usual spot in the passenger seat. This was childish and stupid and Tom didn't have enough energy to fight him, going to just drink the rest of the contents of his water bottle and sit quietly in Tord's usual spot.

But he'll find something to piss Tord off. Just not right now.

.:.