After auditions, I magically got out of the crystal's armor and we went straight to our bikes to go to my house. Toby was freaking out a long the way.
"Dude, she changed the color of you armor with a touch of the hand! How freaking cool is that!?" I shook my head as I gained a small lead on him. That's the thing he wanted to point out? The purple from her touch? Totally not the fact that I can magical conjure armor our of the fucking stone and it comes with a sword that is about the save length as my legs. Or hell, not the fact that Stickler saw me in said armor and now with all the stuff that seems to be combining on my plate, it feels like the world is against me.
Totally not any of that.
I couldn't blame him. I wasn't able to tell him yet about the trolls that appeared last night so he doesn't know about this "sacred duty" that comes with the armor. He doesn't know about the fact that this used to be amulet that was passed down from dead guy to soon to be dead guy. Which means obviously, even if I use it or not, I'm a dead man walking.
That is, once these "Gum-Gums" figure out that the amulet changed.
I looked at Toby, my chest filling with plain calm anxiety. "Tobes." I said it as if I dropped a feather and I didn't want to move it's path with my breath. I stopped as we reached the end of the street and basically forced him to look at me.
"There is a lot of things we need to talk about. Some I learned about this thing that fears me to speak, but they need to be spoken. There is danger to having this thing. No matter if I actually use it or not. We'll talk about the rest of it once we're at my house, but we have to be somewhat serious about this. Only you will know what's going on, besides myself that is and as my best friend, I need you more than ever." I placed a hand on his shoulder as he was looking me dead in the eyes. I could tell the small speech made him somewhat scared. Which is normal, it scares me as well. But I needed him to know that this is a serious situation. To know that what I'll say once behind closed doors, isn't just me being crazy or delusional. That all that I say is true.
His eyes shift from mine and down to my chest. I could tell that the color changed yet again with how he looked back up and gave me a small smile and a confident nod.
"Whatever you say to me Jim, will never leave the two of us." He started to ride across the street and I followed him soon after. "Also, to note that the necklace turns white when you're serious. Seems legit though. I remember Miss Janeth going on a huge tangent about colors in the middle of math once. She said something about how white was the color of innocence and purity. She also stated that some thought it was the color of truth. At least I now will forever know when you're lying or not."
He grew a giant smug smile as we turned down the street to our little block. "So now if I accuse you of liking Claire, you can't deny it." I chuckled at his antics. "I'm not saying a single thing." I sped up and passed him with a smile. I heard him struggling to keep up with me as I raced home. I skid to a stop in front of my garage and turned around. Tobes was still a good five feet behind me. I look off my helmet and placed my kick stand down on my bike.
"Oh, come on." Tobes stated out of breath. "You," He struggled off his bike and fumbled to his feet. "Have a lie detector basically dangling around your neck." He pushed the bike up to where I was opening my garage with placed a hand on his knee. "And you won't even let me try it?" He gave me a small pout as I grabbed my bike and walked it inside.
"Not for a million dollars." I said with a laugh. "But maybe we can see what other emotions causes this thing to react. What we've haven't saw yet, you know?" Tobes dropped his bike and put his hand together before his chest. His eyes seemed to fill with childish wonder and stars as it was obvious he grew excited.
"Really?! Come on! It would be like decoding a mood ring or something!" I placed my bike on it's kick stand once more and closed the garage door by it's button.
"It's nothing like a mood ring, Tobes." I walked through the opening toward the living room and put my bag on the stairs post. It was a little habit I had when it came to school. I jokingly blame my mother for said habit due to how it was her that used to put my bag on the same post when I was younger so I wouldn't forget to grab it on my way to school. I smiled at the distant memory. I walked toward the couch and flopped a little on it's arm.
"Okay, so you said you have serious stuff to say." He stood in front of me "So lets get to it! Where do you want to start?"
After explaining last night's encounter and the choice that I have to make, I looked him in the eyes. I was searching for any sign of him having anything wise to say or anything to really say at all. Wise things are not something anyone else would tie to Toby, but I knew better than that. Toby is a ball full of energy and optimism but he can have some of the wisest things come to mind. Especially when it came to my dad leaving.
That was my first real deep conversation with Toby. I dug a real deep hole for my feelings when my dad first left. I acted like it never affected me and I carried on with a bright smile. When I turned ten, five years after him leaving, my feelings raised from the grave I made for them. I was angry, frustrated, and started lashing out. It stemmed from how I finally got the guts to ask my mom what had happened to my father and when she explained, my anger rose. It evaporated when she said that "We just need to worry about each other now.".
But I was still upset which is normal for a kid. Being told that your dad just up and left is hard. Especially when that young. You start believing that it must of been something that you did or something they noticed you cannot become. I started throwing small temper fits a lot in result. There was one time I was angry when Toby came over and he asked me "what's wrong with you today?". I explained to him all my mom told me. That day was the first time Toby had ever made me stop and rethink all I have ever done. I will remember what he said till the day I lay in my grave.
"You still have Dr. L though right? Why be angry on who left when you could be grateful for who stayed?"
I smiled at the faint memory as he was still dancing around his choice of words. Tobes is an amazing friend. He's fun and energetic with this "young forever" type of personality. We've shared so many interest over the years it's unreal. Yet it is moments like this that we share that make me realize how lucky I am to have him as a best friend.
I gave him time to think as I stared at the wooden floor boards. It felt like an eternity before either of us spoke.
"So, my best friend could be the new King Arthur like Batman?" I laughed at his question.
And I was expecting a token of wisdom from the almighty monk Tobias Domzalski.
"I could, I guess. That's one way of stating it." I pulled the crystal necklace out from under my shirt and held in my hands. I watched as it illuminated it's normal pink aura. "But people could get hurt, Tobes. Me, you, mom, and many others. I know I should answer this call. I know I should do to how many people it will save and how it could be the adventure I kind of hoped for. Something bigger than myself, you know?" I rubbed my hand against my neck for comfort. It was one of my many anxious tendencies.
"But, I'm only a teenager. I thought my life was going to be filled with high school drama and then off to college close by so my mom won't have a heart attack about me leaving. Possibly a family. Be a better dad than my own was. But this, this is something I thought was only in comics. A call to adventure. To save the world. To help the innocent. But this all also means that I could die."
I dropped my hand from the back of my neck as I could feel Toby's eyes on me as I stared off to a picture of my mom and I when she graduated medical school.
"I don't know if I could do that to my mom."
I felt Toby place a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at him and noticed the child amazement from earlier melted into soft concern. "I understand your fears here dude." He patted my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. "But like you said, there are people that rely on someone to be able to use this." He tapped his finger on the crystal that was still residing in my hand. He pressed my fingers down so they collapsed around the stone. "I don't know what to really tell you other than you still have a choice. That's what that Blinky guy said right?" He let go of my fingers and placed both of his hands of my shoulders. "Like you said at auditions, I would say go with it! This could save lives and two worlds, dude. But I'm also not the one truly taking the risk. He said you could always just keep it right? Like don't use it at all?"
I nodded slowly to his words as I kept my eyes on my closed hand.
"Then I would say do the training, understand how to use it a little better. Then, if you ever feel like you can't withstand everything or if you're in too far over your head, quit. At least then you know how to use it." I picked up my head to give him a smile.
He's right. I should take this opportunity to be able to get to know the power. I did feel, complete in a way, when I had the armor on earlier. It felt as if it was a second skin that I lost and found.
This was the token of wisdom that I was looking for.
"Thanks Tobes. I think I know what I'm going to do in two days then. I'm going to take up their offer. I've made my choice."
The next morning was less eventful as yesterday's. I woke up at the right time, changed my clothes, made sure I had good hygiene, checked the necklace, and even made breakfast for mom so when she wake's up she wouldn't have to make anything.
I walked out the garage with twenty minutes before school started and a happy and eager Toby outside. We rode to school without any conflict or worry. It was beginning to seem like nothing was really going to happen.
We barked our bikes in the school's bike racks and headed to our lockers. We had around ten or so minutes before class started so we took our time. We were walking around a corner when I heard a terrified yelp come from our right. I looked over to see our wonderful school bully Steve Palchuk and his little gang of testosterone junkies pushing a poor kid named Eli up against the lockers.
"Come one nerd! We know you can do it! Just finish the assignment one more time, but for each of us." They all started laughing. With each push, Eli's pleads were ignored. Kids just kept passing by and carrying on with their days. I felt this sudden wave of anger crash against me and I started drowning in this pool of emotion.
"Note to self, stone goes black when mad." I looked over at Tobes and gave him a confused look. He pointed down at my chest and I realized that the necklace was still over my shirt. I glanced down to see the crystal looked as if it was dropped in tar. It's normal beams of light went dark and seemed instead to have a glossy finish. I looked back over at Eli's torment.
If no one else is going to do something, then I will.
"Hey!" I walked over slowly toward Steve and Eli with determination in each step. I stopped when Steve noticed it was someone talking to him instead of a kid upset about being knocked in the shoulder. "Leave the poor guy alone." Steve had Eli by his collar when he gave me his attention. He smirked and held the smaller teen off the ground. Forcing Eli to struggle and kick his legs to try to get out of the hold.
"What are you gonna do, Lake? Gonna use that hippy crystal on me or something?" He started bellowing out a hefty laugh as he dropped Eli with a smile. The poor kid landed on his ass and pushed himself up against the lockers. Anyone could tell that he just wanted to be as small and unnoticeable as possible within this moment. Steve certainly noticed though and let out another laugh. He looked me straight in the eyes right afterwards with a crooked smile. "I said, what are you gonna do? Go home and cry to daddy? Or are you gonna ask your mommy to help you after I bumble you so hard that no one would recognize you?"
That was a real low blow. Almost everyone knew about the story of my father.
I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer. "Isn't Eli's fault that you're gonna be stuck in a garage, wishing you could go back to your peaking days of high school as he's a owner of a huge computer company." I heard the poor guy muffle out that he actually loved computers.
I felt a hand shove me backwards but I was pretty good at standing my ground. "What did you say? Oh, you are lucky your mom's a doctor! Cause she's going to have to keep an open bed!" He went to go punch me but I was able to dodge it just in time. I had the urge to punch him in the face. To give him a taste of his own medicine that he poured down other people's throa-
If you are ever going to throw a punch, even if it's in the name of protecting others, you are no longer any better than the one who started it.
My eyes shot wide as I came back to my reality. Steve was obviously pissed now at my antics. He went to throw another punch and I almost dodged, yet he landed it in my stomach. I winced and my knees buckled. I put my forearm linear against my stomach as he advanced a little closer to me. "Big words but no bite? Huh Lake?" He shoved me my shoulders back again but I still kept on my feet.
"But Mommy! He called Tobes a fat orphan and pushed him into the jungle gym! I couldn't just watch!"
"I won't lay a hand on you. You can punch me all you want, but I won't hurt you. That ruins what I aimed for."
"I know honey. You did it out of love for your friend."
Palchuk raised his fist once again, but I was standing firm. My arms now at my side.
"But you become the bully once you do the same thing. No matter the reasoning."
"Palchuk!" We both turned our heads toward the gym door to see Coach Lawrence calling his name. "Are you going to join for morning conditioning or are you going to stand there? Don't forget, penalties happen for principal office visits." Coach walked back into the gym as Steve called back that he would be there. Steve kept his eyes on me though throughout the interruption. Once he could tell that Coach left, he raised his pointer finger in my face.
"You and me, Friday. After school. No matter if you're going to fight back or not, you're getting destroyed." He took his leave once he finished his last word, not even a care about if I rejected it or not. I rolled my eyes at his cocky attitude. I took in our surroundings once he left and noticed the crowd the little encounter caused.
I ignored the crowd and walked back over toward Eli and lent out a hand toward him since he was still cowarding against the lockers. "You okay?" I gave him a reassuring smile as it took him a minute to accept the open hand. Once helped up, he adjusted his glasses and flattened his wrinkled up shirt.
"I should be asking you that. You were the one that took the punch. All I got was a couple of shoves." I shrugged as I felt Toby's presence behind me. "It's nothing I can't deal with. Just a small punch. Nothing huge." Eli rubbed his arm with his hand as he stared off into the ground.
"Thanks anyway though. You're a true hero, Jim."
A hero Master Jim!
I placed my crystal in my hand and clutched it tight. "I'm not a hero, Eli. I'm just a guy that can't stand bullies." I turned around with a smile on my face. "Come on-"
This is not even close to Toby.
I was face to face with a clearly concerned Claire. "Are you alright Jim?" I turned dead silent, rubbing the crystal in my hand as a form of support. "Yeah. I'm fine." I subconsciously let go of the crystal and rubbed the back of my neck. Claire had a small smile until she looked down at my chest.
"Wasn't that black a little bit a go?" SHIT!
"Oh, it's uh a mood crystal. My friend is a huge nut about stones and minerals. Knows most of their meanings. He found this the other day and I found it interesting so I asked if I could have it."
At least I'm not completely lying.
"Oh! That's really cool." She reacted out and touched the crystal as if it was glass. With that single light touch, it started to change to the purple hue from yesterday. "What a beautiful color. What does that one mean?"
"I'm not sure. It didn't come with a color manual or anything."
Again, at least I'm not completely lying.
"What a shame. Purple's my favorite color. Maybe you'll figure it out." With that the warning bell rang for first hour. "Well, I'll see at rehearsal this week." She gave a small wave and started heading toward her class.
"Bye Claire."