Chapter 5

Teddy POV

"Time to get up guys, pancakes are waiting for you downstairs!" My dad's voice woke me from outside the door.

Pancakes?...On a school day?...Am I still dreaming?

I sat up rubbing my eyes and slowly began to recall everything that had happened last night.

Well...breakfast should be fun.

"They're getting cold!" My dad's voice rang out again.

Wait….why is he still here? I checked the time. He's usually long gone by now.

I rolled out of bed and quickly showered. I pulled on Jeans, a T-shirt and my hoodie from last night. I rubbed some gel into my still-damp hair and headed down to face the music.

"There you are!" My mum said handing me a class of orange juice as I walked past the kitchen counter.

My dad was sitting at the head of the table reading the mum came around to sit at his right. Phoebe shoved her last bit of pancake into her mouth and jumped up from the table.

She looked from me to dad and back again, gave me a you're-in-so-much-shit look, pushed her chair in and headed back upstairs to get ready.

Mum loaded up a plate of pancakes for me, and placed it across from her. "Come and eat." She insisted.

I walked slowly over to the chair, sat down and picked up my fork.

"Good Morning Ted," My dad said, folding his paper up and placing in on the table.

I almost dropped my fork.

"M-Morning…" I stammered in reply. What the fuck is going on...

"What classes do you have today?" He asked conversationally.

Which at any normal family breakfast would have been a perfectly acceptable and expected question. But this wasn't normal. This was…what the fuck was this?

I stared at him, my forkful of pancake suspended in mid-air. My mum was smiling pleasantly at me as she too waited for my response.

"Uhhh… Biology, English and Gym." I said carefully, looking back down at the table.

I slowly put the pancake in my mouth and chewed.

"So you have a free period?" He asked.

I stopped chewing. What is happening!?…what about last night? Have they forgotten?

I nodded slowly in response, trying to concentrate on my pancakes.

"After lunch." I added, swallowing loudly.

"Excellent, well I have a meeting that should finish about 12:30, what do you say I pick you up from school, and we can head over to driving range, hit a few balls?"

This time I did drop my fork.

Okay, I call bullshit.

"Why would you do that?" I asked reproachfully.

Maybe he was going to kidnap me and send me off to boarding school? Or drive me out to the middle of nowhere and just leave me there.

"Because I can." He said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Oh yea you're dead, he's actually going to murder you. My subconscious assured me, arms crossed.

"Cool?" My dad prompted, draining the last of the coffee in his cup and getting to his feet.

"Uh…yea I guess." I answered, not knowing what else to say.

"Great," He smiled, "I'll pick you up out front at 12:45."

"Where are you going? Can I come?" Phoebe called out, as she bounded back down the stairs.

"To the dentist." My dad lied smoothly, cocking his head to the side.

"Ew. Gross. Never mind." Phoebe shuddered, shaking her head and grabbing her school bag from the foot of the stairs.

My dad turned his head and winked at me surreptitiously.

I just started back at him, my mouth slightly ajar.

"Alright, I've got to get to the office, I'll see you later Ted." He said as he leaned in to kiss my mum and then disappeared through the hallway.

What the actual fuck is going on….?

"Teddy we're going to miss the bus if you don't hurry up!" Phoebe complained, tapping her foot impatiently.

I looked down at my food. I'd only taken about two bites of my pancake, but I suddenly wasn't hungry.

I downed my orange juice in a few gulps and wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my hoodie.

"Teddy use a napkin!" My mum exclaimed in disgust as I jumped up for the table.

"But I have a perfectly good sleeve right here," I answered, holding up my arm.

She threw the tea towel she was holding at my head, I ducked laughing.

I laughed harder as I picked it up and threw it back to her.

"Off to school, both of you!" She scolded half-heartedly.

"Yes mum," Phoebe and I answered in unison, causing us all to break into a fit of giggles.

"I mean it! Out!" She laughed walking around the counter to give Phoebe a hug.

I kissed her on the cheek as I walked past, "Bye mum!"

"Have a good day!" She called as we headed for the front door.

I was still smiling as I walked down to the edge of the driveway.

"How much trouble did you get in last-night?" Phoebe asked as we waited for the bus.

My smile faded instantly. That's right, why aren't they still mad at me?

I just shrugged at her in response.

"Where did you go?" She pressed.

"No where." I answered.

She frowned at me and then shook her head in disapproval. "Whatever. "

After a while she added, "Mum and Dad were so mad last night, and this morning it was like Step-ford family….I mean pancakes on a Friday…weird right?" She mused shaking her head again.

"Mm." I muttered. So I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Suddenly I was anxious to get to school to tell Jesse what had happened. Maybe he'd have some advice for me.

The school bus came around the corner right on cue, and I was silent as I climbed on and headed for my usual seat. I was so distracted that I almost didn't realise someone was already sitting there.

The bus began to move and I quickly changed direction and sat in the same row, across the aisle. I turned glaring, ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind.

But I stopped. It was a girl, a very very attractive girl.

My glare turned quickly to a stare. I'd never seen her before…or maybe I had?...No, I definitely would have remembered.

Suddenly she looked up at me, and when she saw I was staring she removed her earphones.

"Sorry, did you say something?" She asked apologetically.

I think my brain broke.

I don't know what made me say it but, "You're in my seat. " I replied.

She frowned, confused as she looked down at the seat and back up at me.

"Really?" She said slightly annoyed. "I don't see your name on it." She continued, raising her eyebrows at me.

Say something clever, say something clever.

"I mean, I usually sit there." I replied. Wow...You're an Idiot.

"Well now I'm sitting here." She said slowly, like she was explaining it to a two year old.

"I don't know you." I stated. Seriously? You're a fuckin genius, just stop talking.

"Probably a good thing." She responded, turning back to her phone and moving to put her earphones back in.

"What's your name?" I asked quickly.

She froze, then slowly put the earphones back down.

"What's YOUR name? I'll write it on the seat for you so we can avoid having this conversation in future."

I ignored her attitude.

"Teddy, my names Teddy, or Ted...I mean whatever, it's short for Theodore - Grey, I'm named after my grandfather, I know it's weird..."

Dude...oh my god shut up.

She stared at me for a second, pulled a permanent marker out of the front of her bag and pulled off the cap.

"What are you doing?!" I asked in alarm.

She ignored me, and proceeded to write TEDDY GREY in big letters onto the back of her seat.

"There," She said as she finished, "now everyone will know not to sit here." She smiled at me cheerfully.

I just stared open mouthed at what she had done...that was graffiti...on school property...that was MY name...Oh shit.

The bus pulled up at school, and everyone started filing out.

"See you around Teddy, " She smirked at me, as she swung her bag over her shoulder. She tossed the marker onto my lap as she passed.

I picked it up and stared at it. What the hell am I going to do?!

"Hey!" The bus driver yelled suddenly. I looked up to see that I was the only one left on the bus.

He got up and stormed down the aisle towards me. "A girl said she saw you write something on one of the seats!"

He reached me in about three strides. He glanced at my shocked face, then at the pen and then at the writing on the seat across from me.

I could almost hear his blood start boiling.

"RIGHT. COME WITH ME!" He shouted, grabbing my back pack pointing for me to go a head of him.

"I didn't d-"

"Save it punk." The bus driver snapped, "I caught you red handed."

I got up and started to make my way off the bus.

"Seriously it wasn't m-"

"Yeah? Well you can tell the principal all about it how it WASN'T you." He grumbled as he followed me off the bus and towards the front doors of the school.

Well...Shit.

XxXxXx

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