Here's chapter two. Sorry for the shortness—the next one will be longer, I assure you. ;3
And wonder1440 recently made a point that I said that my fic takes place after book two, but that it ends in December.. and yet my fic takes place in November. To say that I want this fic to take place a whole year later would be a flat out lie. I don't want that at all.
What I meant by the "my fic takes place after book two" was because I make references to events that happen in book two and I don't want to spoil it for people who've only read book one. (Not that there are any real spoilers though; It's only a few quick references.) So thanks wonder1440 and I hope I've cleared up any confusion my poor planning might have caused. X3;
Anyhoo. So read on, dear audience, and enjoy. :heart:
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Chapter Two: The Call
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Tory paced around him room, occasionally stopping to stare resentfully at the phone innocently lying on his bed.
Call me, okay?
Call him. Just call him. You know his number. You memorized it weeks ago, he told himself. Just do it. You know what you want to say.
Why is this such a big deal? He thought, frowning slightly.
Tory walked over to his bedside and picked up the phone.
Taking a deep breath, he dialed the familiar set of numbers.
Ring.
Ring.
Ri—
"Hello?"
"H-hey, Colin." Tory silently berated himself for stuttering, feeling his face grow hot.
"Oh hey Tory." He gulped and pulled himself together.
"I know you don't like Thanksgiving and all, but since you're not doing anything, I was wondering if you'd still want to come over and eat dinner with me and my mom tomorrow? She makes really good turkey, and everyone always tells my mom how—"
"I'd like that," Colin said, gently cutting Tory off from his rant.
An involuntary grin broke put across Tory's face and he felt as if he were going to explode with excitement.
"Did you want to work on the physics project?" Colin inquired, a dull edge in his voice at the mention of the tedious project.
"Nah, not on Thanksgiving. We can do that some other time."
After a few more minutes of careful planning, Tory finally hung up with Colin.
He was to come over at four tomorrow evening. He could hardly contain himself.
He glanced at the glowing red numbers on his nightstand and smiled.
Only nineteen more hours and thirty more minutes before he is going to be stepping into my house, Tory thought feeling strangely happy. Okay so what do I have to do to prepare?
He scanned his room wearily.
Okay, he thought, I definitely have to clean.
His eyes fell upon his pile of journals. His bustling train of thought paused and his eyes dimmed as he thought of his friend.
..And I suppose I should hide my journals. Not that he doesn't already know my secret, but even still. They're not all about him, he thought wryly.
He wandered over to the unruly boxes containing his journals and stuffed them back into his closet, making sure to leave his current journal on his computer desk in case something worth recording happened.
"Tory??" came the muffled call of Mary's voice from the kitchen.
He opened his door and stuck his head out.
"What mom?"
"Paul just swung by and asked if he could eat with us tomorrow. I told him that was fine," Tory blanched, "but now I don't seem to have enough to go around! Will you be a dear and run to the store for me?"
Shit! I didn't tell mom that Colin is coming over tomorrow. Oh my god, I'm an idiot! How could I have forgotten?!
He smacked himself on the forehead and bounded down the hall.
Rounding the corner, he stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Mom? Is it okay if Colin comes over tomorrow too? I already made plans with him." His heart was pounding.
She looked at Tory, concern etched into her features.
"I'm not sure if I'll have enough money to buy that much more food, Tory," she said, examining the bags of food on the counter before her. Tory's mouth dropped and emotions raged within him.
"But we can afford enough to feed Paul? He can eat at his own house! Come on mom, please?" He felt himself growing desperate. She looked at him and smiled half-heartedly.
"Check my purse. If I have at least thirty dollars then that should be enough to buy what I need, and he is welcome to join us."
"Thanks mom!" He jogged to her purse, which was hanging in its usual place: on the hook by the door.
Anxiously opening the small black wallet, he rampaged through it.
Upon finding the money compartment, his heart sank.
Only one ten.
What do I do now..? he thought, as disappointment and grief pooled in his stomach.
Wait. Wait, he thought to himself as he drove his hand into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled ten dollar bill.
Crud, only twenty, he thought, pausing to consider his options. I guess I'll just dip into my savings to cover the rest.
"Is there enough, honey?" Hearing her padding towards the living room, he shoved the two tens into his pocket and hung her purse on the hook.
"Yeah, there was enough," he said, smiling. She beamed at him.
"Oh good! I was worried I wouldn't have enough. I would hate to turn away the opportunity of learning more about Colin."
Yeah, me too, Tory thought lightheartedly.
Mary walked over to him and gave him a crude grocery list written on a piece of scrap paper.
"Okay thanks. I just need to go shut my computer off first."
"Okay sweetie," Mary said as she walked back into the kitchen.
Dashing to his room, he glanced at the dormant computer, before grabbing a twenty from his sock drawer.
And with that, Tory left for the store.
Tory hurriedly bought the items on the list at the Stop & Shop down the street and exited the store.
By now, darkness was beginning to blanket the city in sharp blues and greys.
I can't believe how much those groceries cost! Tory thought with a twitch as he zipped up his jacket.
He'd spend $36.10 on the food, thereby sucking up twenty-six dollars of his own. But honestly, Tory couldn't have cared less. He would have spent all his money without a second thought if it meant an evening with Colin.
Tory frowned slightly.
But why? He asked himself. I'm just researching the Gaia Project, right?
His heart clenched at this thought. Right..?
Tory's grip on the plastic bags tightened.
Why do I want to see him so badly?
Could I really…?
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That's it for now! X3 Please review :D
