Imperfect

Chapter 13

"There you are! Toby said he wanted to talk to you. He's over there." Eliza tells me as I arrive at school.

"Thanks Huber." I say.

She narrows her eyes, trying to detect sarcasm, but finds no trace. She smiles widely at me and says "Any time." And runs off towards homeroom.

I'm wary at first, seeing if this is some sort of prank, but sitting on a bench next to a tree is Toby, alone, with a phone held in each hand.

So, he is telling the truth.

"Hey, what's going on?" Maria surprises me.

"Jesus, please don't do that!" I say.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. What're you looking at?" She asks again.

"It is to my belief that Toby is about to prove to me that he isn't theman."

"Oh... So we were wrong?" She asks, confused.

"Maybe, but I'm going to check something first."

"Stop with the pronoun game! What do you need to check?" She orders in a bossy voice.

"I need you to come, after a minute and distract him. Ask us what we're doing then apologise for thinking that he was 'THEMAN' or something. I will be checking to make sure both the phones are his."

"I'm just guessing, but do you not trust him a tad?"

"No. I just don't like it! We have a lot off flimsy evidence and I want some that's solid! In this, I will either be proved wrong, like he wants me to be, you'll have said sorry and we can go back to guessing. But if I'm correct, then we will know who 'THEMAN' is."

"Good plan. But what will you do if it is someone else's phone? I mean his could be broken or something." She points out.

"Okay first, how did he make those posts at the weekend and then, he could just tell the truth." I explain.

"Good. I just wanted to make sure your facts were in order." She says cheerfully.

"Okay, come in as soon as I'm holding both the phones, or at least one of them." I tell her.

"Sure." She nods.

I walk over to where Toby is sitting, he smiles at me, and holds up the phones so I can see he has them.

I smile back at him.

"Good morning. I have proof that I am not a cyber bully!" He says sarcastically.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I look at them?" I ask.

"Not at all." He answers, smiling sweetly. He seems to be taking this okay.

"Oh, that one's password is two, eight, four, zero, and that one's is one, zero, two, three." He informs me.

"Hey Toby! Hey Charlie! What're you doing?" Maria asks happily.

The thing is, unlike Toby, Maria is a really good actress and is very good at talking. You can't usually tell the important stuff from the random stuff so you just have to try and pick up as much as possible.

"Oh, uh, I am proving to Charlie that I am not 'THEMAN' you can check and make sure for yourself." Toby offers.

This therefore sets off Maria. She starts chatting on and on with apologies and some sort of English assignment and then she starts jabbering about the play, but I'm not focused on her right now.

Drowning out Maria's chattiness is something all of us (except Toby) have learnt over the years. He is befuddled by her lack of needing air and word which leads me plenty of time to look at my phone.