Seer (TomTord)

Untitled Part 3

The school day went by in a flash of laughter with Edd and Matt; he had never been actually happy at school. But they had lightened it up and shown him the fun of it. None of the kids who usually laughed and hurt him came near him. The green cola boy and the narcissistic teen had a power he had never had. Tom received few glares, and definitely smiled more than he ever had.

The accepted him with open arms. The lit up his dark world with their humor and happy smiles.

But, before Tom knew it, he was trudging back through the snow to his gloomy house. His head drooped and his hood covered his brownish-blond hair. No happiness could ward away the darkness that the house he had suffered in for so long had brought.

Dread pitted in his stomach when he saw his dad's dented car in the driveway. It's brown paint glinted at him in the cold sun, blinding his void eyes and forcing him to look back down. His unsteady pace slowed as he set foot in the driveway. The dark wood door was scratched and slightly hanging open. He approached it and wrapped his hand around the cold knob. The touch of it was icy, and if warning him of going inside.

But he pushed it open, and flinched as it creaked. He stepped inside and closed it behind him carefully. None of the lights were on, and Tom assumed his dad was already drunk. 'How lovely.'

He walked over the tiled floor quietly, his eyes starting to adjust to the looming darkness. He set his first foot on the stairs, and-

"Whack!' He was pushed back, his back slamming into the ground with a 'thud!'. A thump sounded from the stairs as his dad came down.

"Back so soon?" His father asked, his teeth glinting. Tom hissed, and the front of his shirt was pulled up.

"Unfortunately for you, yes." Tom tried desperately, his voice wavering. His shirt was pressed painfully against the back of his neck, sending waves of pain across his spine.

His dad chuckled, sending a breath of beer-scent over his nostrils. "Unfortunately? I'd say fortunately..." his voice was slurred heavily, his movements quivery.

Tom shivered and tried to push the taller man away. "Just fuck off! Please.." he said, clawing at his dads hands. His father only laughed, and threw Tom to the ground.

"Why do you even bother coming home? Your unwanted." His father slurred, and as much as the scraggly teen hated to admit it, the words stung worse than a wasp. He kept his mouth shut and pushed himself off of the ground— his arms shaking and his neck bruised— and stumbled back. The older male snorted and turned away, stalking back to the kitchen; presumably to more alcohol, Tom assumed with a dry laugh.

He resumed his treacherous journey back up the dented stairs, his backpack gripped tightly in one hand; the other was carefully massaging his abused neck in an attempt to ease the nagging burn rippling from it. He pushed open the door to his bedroom with a small sigh, and the teen was greeted by a darkened space. He had never had a light in his room; a small flashlight lay untouched on his bed for when he was in the mood to read or had homework. He had completed his homework at school, however, so he allowed himself to collapse on the bed. A dim shaft of light managed to break through the dark curtains, shooting across his room and landing on a small plush bear beside him.

Tom hesitated to grab his only object of comfort. What would Edd and Matt say if they learned he slept with a teddy bear? They would probably laugh at him, and turn against him like everyone else.

"I shouldn't get my hopes up... They probably forgot they even met me. Guess it's for the best... for them at least..." He thought, somewhat bitterly. But a little burst of happiness beamed inside of him at the thought of the two teens. They were so friendly, so happy. Would they approach him tomorrow? Would they laugh and make jokes with him? Or make jokes of him, behind his back?

Only tomorrow would tell. The emotionally exhausted teen reached his arm over to a small shelf near him, using the dim light to scan through a puny collection of books. Had he not read them all a thousand times over, he would have been excited. But the same covers had dusted in his room since he and his father moved into this house. Another sigh escaped his mouth, and he leaned his back onto the bed again.

He hesitated again, but carefully grabbed his eyeless bear and pulled it to his chest. A feeling of relief and safety swamped his mind, the same feeling that Matt and Edd had provided. Edd and Matt. Why couldn't he stop thinking of them? Were they friends? He hissed at himself. "Stop assuming they like you. No one does."

But as much as his mind was against it, he knew. He knew that he was meant to be with them. A yawn escaped his lips. How long had it been since he last slept? A day?

So many questions. "Stop," he hissed at himself. "Questions don't matter."

The scraggly teen sighed and laid back on his bed, a hint of exhaustion hitting him as the worn blanket hit him. A feeling of neutrality was woven through his tired frame as he continued to ponder about the next day. Eventually, however, the youth gave up on the topic and shifted to laying on his bruised side.

Tomorrow would definitely be interesting.