Eaton

4. A friend

Will p.o.v.

I’ve always hated school. And not in the drop out, grades don’t define your intelligence kind of way. I hated the feeling of walking into a building where I knew that half the population hated me. Sometimes it was because of my own failure at upholding school regulations, but to be honest most of the time it was because of Marcus- whether it was because he had beat someone up or even slept with their sister… but anyway that’s another memory for another time.

So it’s safe to say that when I was signing up for this degree, I did not do it for the sake of broadening my horizons. I kept Tobias in my mind back then, the way he flinched when I tried to hug him, his skittish movements, the ‘yes sir’ still reverberating through my skull now as I walk up to the university doors. Two hours a day, I can survive two hours a day. If anything, it’s a way of remaining in contact with the outside world that doesn’t involve working. Of course, Marcus won’t be letting me live in his house for free. He wanted a plan.

How are you going to pay rent? You know you’re not going to stay here for free, I’m not some damn hotel-

Actually Marc, you gotta pay to stay in a hotel so really by making me pay you’re making this place a hotel.

He wasn’t amused.

He only said he’d let me move in after I promised to get a real job which gave me an actual pay cheque. A few days before I moved in I got a job at a café, and another at a music shop selling old vinyl records. So things are looking up.

I take a deep breath before walking into the lecture hall, before I lock myself into my seat for two hours. There are about fifteen others all with their notebooks and laptops. All I have is a notebook I got for the great price of fifty cents and a glare, and a pen I stole from Marcus’ office. I have to spend the next one hundred and twenty minutes with these people, who probably take these lessons as an afternoon delight. They don’t look like they’ll start bleeding internally five minutes into the lecture. I hope to God I don’t either. Two hours a day, Will, you can survive two hours a day.

Tobias p.o.v.

Twelve forty seven. Thirteen minutes until lunch is over and I have to head to class. There isn’t much to do in this small nook I’ve claimed as my own for the period. I’ve already eaten the Corny bar Will threw into my backpack this morning, so now I’m just killing time by flicking the balled up wrapper paper around the table.

I don’t hear the footsteps over all the noise from my peers, at least not until the kid is right behind me, and I’m thinking of every conceivable self-defence mechanism in my knowledge.

“Scuse me-” The guy reaches to tap my shoulder but I spin around so fast he ends up just pulling his hand back awkwardly. I look up at him, his dark hair hangs loosely of his head, his dark skin is almost the same colour as his eyes, contrasting the white T-shirt he wears that has a green alien saying It’s all good. He smiles in an amicable way, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“Uh, hey. I’m Zeke Pedrad. You’re in history class with me right?” 

“Yeah, um… yeah.”

How the hell did he notice me? I have become an expert at being invisible to the naked eye. Especially in a place like this where staying under the radar is what gets you through. Of course, Zeke doesn’t have the same philosophy. As soon as he walks into a room, everybody notes his presence. He’s loud, always cracking jokes which can get a response ranging from groans to explosions of laughter, and has had one too many encounters with teachers to be ignored.

“ Oh, good I got the right person. So listen I don’t really feel like going to summer school to make up for failing American history, so when do you wanna start this project?”

“What… what project?”

Instantly, his eyebrows shoot up and his smile widens. He lowers himself onto the bench next to me.

“Holy shit dude, you’re even worse than me. We have to do a timeline from the discovery of America till today and we gotta list all the main events. It’s our end of term project? Due on the 21st? Ms Bennett assigned us into pairs and everything. Zeke Pedrad and Tobias Eaton. You are Tobias Eaton, right?”

I nod, trying to give off the impression that, yes I do know what he’s talking about, and of course I was paying attention to that class. And of course, that my name aloud doesn’t elicit a wince and make my stomach tighten.

“So, yeah” He laughs in the awkward way people have whenever they want the conversation to end as soon as possible, “When do you wanna get started?”
“Um, well as soon as possible I guess. But I’d have to-”

“Great! We can start today, you can come over to my house and we’ll work there. I’ll see if I can get us some supplies…” He goes on, grinning excitedly about how we’ll kick ass with our brilliant timelining skills.

He didn’t let me finish. I have to ask my father, and knowing him he’d probably see this as something to hold over my head and use against me. Everything my father touches turns to ash- and this, this is a potential friendship. I don’t want him to ruin it.

“Is there maybe some way that we could work here? Maybe during lu-”

“No way. Dude seriously, I am not working through lunch as well. This is the time for chilling”

Well shit. I can’t say yes, Marcus would kill me. If I say no I’ll continue to live in the comfort of solitude. You’ve survived so far, haven’t you? Well, yeah but- And it’s not like you can just up and make decisions for yourself like some normal teenager. You have to run everything by the mayor, and that will take weeks, but you have no other choice. Right? Any other person in this situation, any other ~normal~ person would just decide for themselves. But of course that doesn’t apply to you.

“Zeke, um, listen I…” My eyes drift to the empty bench next to me, to the empty table, the silence around me, the cold hostility of being alone for fifteen years, the coldness I’ve gotten used to. I shouldn’t have, really I should’ve fought it before it could be imposed on me, the same way Will fights the ‘propriety’ being forced onto him.
I’m done living alone.

“I can come over.”

Author's note

Hey everyone I've finally gotten around to editing again. Its been a lazy month so far filled with post exam cleaning and crushing anxiety waiting for my results. But i managed to get another one up. There a few people who i have met quite a long time ago on this website and i wanted to acknowledge cos theyre all really cool people and have been great friends.

First of all, as always the awesome @Bluejojo135 she is a brilliant writer so you should check both of her stories out and a great person in general.

Secondly, i dont think ive ever mentioned her here but Amber_Tobias_Eaton is also a fantastic person to talk to, she is so much fun and you should check out her stories as well.

And finally stiff_pancakes_rock who is fun to rp with and a very nich person in general.

Ill see you all next time, until then i hope uou have/had a good day and enjoy summer!

XxRachele:)