Fear (TordTom)

Chapter 7: Jealous?

Edd.

The boy looked like he'd been crying. His cheeks were red and looked inflamed, and his eyes were still a little puffy. He wore a long green sweater instead of his usual hoodie and his hair was combed neatly to the side, showing his brown chocolate eyes, which were full of rage.

His head whirled to where Tom and Tord sat. Tord narrowed his eyes at the boy. Of course, Edd always had to ruin the moments he spent with Tom. It seemed Tord was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially right now. Edd looked ready to kill, and Tord didn't want to be the first to die.

"Why does Edd look so upset?" Tord leaned over to whisper in Tom's hoodie covered ear. The no-eyed male cringed and hunched his shoulders, making him appear smaller than he already was.

"I, um, rejected him."

Rejected him. Hope and joy flared in Tord's heart. So, he doesn't like Edd. Thank God.

But then again, this isn't necessarily a good thing, either...

"Damn." Was all Tord responded with.

"Sit down, Edward!" The teacher called. Edd was still lingering in the doorway, his eyes fixated on Tom. The boy was snapped into reality and gave a small nod and trudged to his seat beside Matt, who looked extremely uncomfortable. As soon as Edd sat himself, Matt leaned over and started whispering in Edd's ear. Edd just looked forward, his fists clenched under the desk.

Tord glanced at Tom. He didn't want to see him get hurt, especially by Edd. Tord knew from the start that Edd would eventually crack, and now demons spewed from the inside of his heart. Tord clenched his fist, and made a silent vow. I won't let you be afraid. I'll protect you, Thomas, I promise.

...

The entire day, to Tom's disappointment, Tord flanked his side. He thought he wouldn't have to deal with one of his problems, but now he was dealing with two. This day was going absolutely perfect.

The next few classes came and went, and soon Tom found himself being pushed into the dining hall by a mass of hungry, angsty, and hormonal teens. The jocks pushed and shoved in line, while the popular girls teased and shrieked to the fighting boys, who were clearly trying to show dominance. The geeks milled around a table, distributing cards, probably to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The quiet kids sat in pairs or in fours, drawing and smiling at their phones.

Tom, not really wanting to sit with his problematical group, decided to sit with some of his soccer friends from middle school, who were all sitting at a round table. They were very nice and accepting of Tom's "condition" and considered him as one of the best players on the team. Tom went over and gave a small grin, and one of the boys, a hyper and small kid named Ethan, waved his hand frantically as he spotted him.

"Ey, Tommy!" As soon as he called him, the entire table turned. Soon, the whole group was smiling widely and laughing.

"Come sit over here!" A girl, who Tom remembered was named Ember, called. She was the varsity goalie, and almost the whole season not a single goal was scored when she played.

"Tom, you're coming to tryouts next week, right?" Ethan asked as he elbowed his friend Reid.

Reid smirked and blocked Ethan's elbowing. "No duh, is your skull dense or what?" The two boys laughed and began messing with each other's hair as the girl next to them, who Tom remembered was Autumn the forward, rolled her pretty hazel eyes and mouthed, "Lovebirds."

Tom laughed along with the rest of the group, feeling happier for the first time in days. However he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, and his neck burned as if someone was staring a burning hole into his skin.

...

Tord watched Tom wistfully from the other side of the dining hall. He was surprised that Tom went his separate way from him. The Norwegian thought that Tom would let Tord hover over him, but Tord had misjudged and now he sat with some of the basketball kids from middle school. Sure, they were some of his best friends, but nothing could replace their group. In middle school they were called, "Most Athletic." You can probably guess why.

Derrick spoke, his voice higher pitched than the rest of the boys. "Tord, basketball is starting soon."

Tord shrugged. "Yeah, I know."

Will frowned. "Don't tell me you're thinking of dropping out. We need you, man."

Tord laughed. "Never, bro. I just got other things on my mind, I guess."

Derrick wriggled his eyebrows. "A girl got you head over heels, or nah? I know at least three hot girls who've got it bad for you, dude."

Tord shook his head. "No, not that. Something else..."

"Y'all having fights again?" Will asked, frowning again. Will was one of Tord's confidential friends. The guy never uttered a word, even when pressed by other people. Derrick was a bit of a loud mouth, but he could be trusted with Tord's bigger secrets.

Tord sighed. "Edd's jealous again."

Will shook his head. "Jealous? No, more like obsessed. I feel bad for that Tom kid. He seems pretty chill."

Tord growled. "Yeah, and Edd's being a real prick to be messing with him like that. He knows Tom has some sort of anxiety."

Derrick shrugged. "Well, why do you care so much. I would just let em' solve it on their own and back off, y'know?"

Derrick did have a point. It would be better for Tord, mentally and physically, to let them handle their differences by themselves and not butt in. But no matter how hard he tried to coax himself into ignoring them, his mind always circled back to one thing: Tom.

Oh shoot, I'm sorry for not posting! I've made it up to you though, right?

Thank you sooo much for over 200 reads! I really appreciate it! Voting on my story makes me feel good too, so go ahead and vote if you enjoy this sorry!

Next chapter at 300 reads??