Relief was a state Toby Isaacs had not felt in some time. The release (as it was known to him now) the previous day had done something incredible not just to his mind, but to his very body. His arms and legs felt stronger. Much of his upper body had loosened. Even his posture seemed better. His sight had briefly concerned him, but a quick trip to pick up contacts at the drug store took care of that.
Once again, thankfully his new condition remained unnoticed by those around him. Dad and Kate briefly asked what happened to his glasses, but a simple deception about how his frames were beginning to crack, and that contact lenses would simply be a cheaper alternative proved to be enough explanation for them. As for Ashley, he doubted she would notice if he grew a foot taller, let alone a change in eyewear.
Convincing the parental units regarding what happened to his room proved to be a bit more difficult. Toby was forced to come up with elaborate nonsense about how he felt a rearrangement of his room furniture would be a nice change of pace. He had been slightly worried they would ask what happened to his awards and why many of his posters were off the wall, but ultimately they simply offered to lend him any help if he needed it.
There would have been a time in which Toby would have been disheartened that they weren't more noticeable about what was going on or concerned that something was wrong with him. Those days, however, were fading faster than his appreciation of Degrassi, not that he cared about either much anyway.
Of course it was best that they and Ashley remain in the dark about what was going on. They need not know what he would be doing or what he was now. They were happy people (at least with Ashley, he thought so) and they deserved not to be bogged down in his activities. This didn't need them, in fact in would likely hinder him if they were anyway.
He had come to an ultimate conclusion, one that was a long time coming. Degrassi High had become inherently corrupt and filled with far too much apathy regarding what was happening to its students. The likes of Jay and Spinner had been allowed to run rampant and the administration was too concerned with covering its own ass and looking good to the public to do anything. With Rick, the most guilty party in the school dead, no one bothered themselves with taking actions against anyone else who was in the wrong. No one, until now.
Letting his emotions out the previous day had allowed Toby tremendous mental focus, perhaps the best he'd had in years. He could truly see clearly, and it wasn't just the new contacts. What he wanted, nigh, needed to do, was now remarkable apparent to him. Since there was no one else in the high school was willing to do anything to stop the erosion going on it was up to him to step up and take a stand. He didn't care what it took nor how it would it affect him, academically, socially, or physically. Such things mattered little to him anymore.
Of course he knew the importance of treading carefully. The greatest thing to be kept in mind was that he could not give in to the rage. He had been a witness to Rick's trail of destruction and saw that it brought him only misery and an early grave. Violence and its effects merely turned men into monsters, and as he had known with the likes of Terri, innocents into victims. As liberating as the physicality he had experienced the day before, he knew that he could never be that angry again.
Indeed, if he were to give to his baser instincts he would simply be like Spinner and Jay, tyrants who allowed their status and presence to go to their heads, and hurt those who they felt worthy of their punishment. The very thought of resembling either one of them sickened him, and Toby told himself mentally yet again he needed to stay on a higher plane with intentions. Defending others and questioning the actions of the morally dubious was his goal, not revenge or blood lust.
Such ponderings were in his head as he stood in front of a weightlifting set. He had found a small local health club whose membership required an easy fee, one he easily paid with saved allowances. He ignored the odd looks some of the employees gave him when he asked to join, and was soon allowed access to the facilities including the unused weight room he was standing in now. The bench press in particular looked quite appealing and he soon decided he would start on it first.
Despite his adamant non-violent stance, Toby did know that being in solid physical shape would be vital to his plans. Beyond the confidence and appearance factor that it brought, simply defending himself was intricately linked to having a body that could pull it off. The people who would be clashing with were likely not to share his views on fighting. His thoughts briefly returned to when Spinner and Jay shoved him in a locker, all for the unforgivable crime of being Rick's friend. When he lay down on the bench and began lifting, two words flashed in his head.
Never Again.