The Last Move
Author's Note: Attention readers! If the first chapter was interesting enough for your standards, then please prepare yourselves for the next. My ideas for this story are constantly expanding the more I watch the show. And it's time to get another piece of it on the table. I hope you all enjoy and continue reading… though I think it's fair to say this chapter might be a little more unpredictable than most people are used to. Have fun!
Tuesday
Maurecia's POV
I never truly realized how tough Todd is. When I punched him I didn't expect him to crash into the gumball machine. In fact I almost got up to see if he was okay. But he raised his head within two seconds so I knew he was fine. Now seeing how tough he truly is I feel even more attracted to him! But there's no real way to show him that. I could try punching him harder but it seems now I should be a little more careful of my surroundings before I hit him. I cannot wait to see him again today!
"Come here Fluffy." I call to my adorable porcupine. But to my surprise he doesn't come right away.
"Fluffy where are you?" I call again. This time he comes out really slowly. It's almost as if he's sick or hurt. I pick him up slowly and examine him all around.
"Fluffy. Is something wrong?" I ask him. He shakes his head and points downward. I notice he's pointing at my scrapbook with the photos of me and Todd, but he looks a little upset. If I haven't made it clear to him how close I hold Todd in my heart, then I don't know what to do. I've had Fluffy longer than I've known Todd and I see him more hours each day, so I don't know why he's in this mood. I've loved Fluffy since the day I got him and even put up with his prickly quills every time I pet him. Sure my love for Todd grew at a much faster rate than my love for Fluffy's but that doesn't mean I love Todd more. If anything I love both of them equally, though Todd is much easier to handle being around most of the time because he doesn't screech at anyone else near me. Now that I think about it, Fluffy often doesn't screech around anyone except for Todd.
"Is it my book?" I ask. "Does it take up too much space in my bag for you to fit comfortably in?" He nods gleefully.
"Then I'll tell you what." I say grabbing his mini pair of roller skates and helmet. "Today you can skate with me to the school. That way you won't get pushed around in my bag and have to worry about my materials hitting you. Sound fun?" I ask and he eagerly nods and jumps in excitement. He and I both have a taste for extreme sports. I help him put the skates on his feet as he puts on the helmet.
"But first! We need a little breakfast don't you think?" He shows an excited expression. "Okay then let's go!" The two of us took off into the kitchen, only for my dad to greet us.
"Good morning Maurecia. How are you this morning?" He asked me.
"Good morning to you to dad and I feel great!" I tell him. "Can you make me some toast really quickly? Fluffy and I want to be the first ones to get to the school!" Fluffy gives my dad a thumbs up in agreement.
"Are you sure you want to leave this early dear? It's only 6:45 right now." He asks me. I roll my eyes.
"Well daddy. I really need some time to think. That boy I told you about said he might be leaving." I say as my smile fades slightly.
"Oh really." He said sounding slightly disappointed. "Why is he leaving? Does a parent have a new job or is he getting a potential higher learning opportunity?"
"He wants to go back to his old school because Wayside supposedly stresses him out too much. He doesn't like Mrs. Jewls's discipline policies or he doesn't like the way the school is set up." I say. He gives a concerning frown.
"Is there anything you might've done to him that could've impacted his decision to leave?" He asked.
"Well I don't think so." I say. "Every day I find him and punch him on the shoulder. He says he thinks I'm really pretty but doesn't want me as a girlfriend." It sounds more disappointing to say it out loud. He sighs.
"Maurecia, is there any chance you punch him a little too hard or a little too often?" I instantly lock eyes with him.
"Maybe. But it's my way of showing him my love for him. I've done it ever since last year." He sits down and sets his coffee aside.
"Maurecia, I've got some advice for you." He tells me.
"Alright but can you make it quick? Fluffy and I want to scale the stairways!" I say with excitement.
"Well it's kind of serious so if I rush I at least want you to pay attention." He says. I've never taken him more seriously in my life.
"Okay then, take your time." I assure him.
"Before I give you the advice I need to know for sure. Does Todd really mean that much to you?" He asks. I want to tell him no because it seems a little embarrassing to talk about my crush, but I don't want to lie to him.
"Yes daddy. He means a whole lot to me!" I say with excitement. He turns aside for a second.
"Well actually… would you rather talk to your mother about this?" He asked me. She's often asleep until 8:00 on average. I didn't want to disturb her or wait that long.
"No dad I'm okay. Please continue."
"Well sweetie, I think I should start by asking why you like Todd so much. Can you tell me why?" He asks. I hope he's prepared for a monologue.
"He's extremely cute! He's very gentle and often eager to be around you. He's the smartest kid in our school and gets an A on every test Mrs. Jewls gives us, which is impressive because he gets sent home at noon almost every day. And he-" My dad cuts me off.
"Whoa, hold on a second. He gets in a lot of trouble?" He asks.
"Well he's still not used to Mrs. Jewls usual standards, like no asking or answering questions, forgetting something he never had a chance to receive, reading blueprints, and many more things. But even so he's so hot! I can't even describe to you how I feel when he's around me. And he's super tough! He's gone through many injuries and they never seem to bother him. He's never came in with a cast or anything. I admire every quality he has dad! And I always have!" He seemed kind of impressed.
"Wow Maurecia. I've never seen you seem so affectionate before. Do you really care about Todd that much?" He asks.
"Yes daddy! He's like my whole world in the largest building I've been in. I don't want him to leave and I'd do anything to keep him at the school!" He smiled.
"Darling, I can tell you like him a lot, and that's a good thing to love someone dearly, even cuter at your age."
"Uh huh." I respond.
"But Maurecia, I think he might be scared of you." My smile disappears.
"What? Why would you say that?" I ask.
"Maybe he doesn't like it when you punch him." Before I could open my mouth he continued. "Does anyone else at your school punch people they like?" He asks. I feel speechless.
"Well… no. But a lot of people probably don't have someone they're attracted to yet. It's my way of showing Todd how strong I am."
"But maybe he doesn't want that. It's not natural to hurt people you love. Your mother never punched me before we officially got together." He says.
"I know that. But it's the only thing I know how to do. If I stop punching him now I still don't think he'd stay at the school. It's probably too late." He nods.
"Well sweetie, it sounds like you got yourself into this." I had to respond.
"He can't leave daddy! I'll be too heartbroken if I come to school next week and he's not there!" I said worryingly.
"But maybe you can open your heart to him a safer way. Have you ever hugged him before?" He asked.
"No I haven't. I'm not used to hugging people." I said. "Won't that overwhelm him anyways?"
"Maybe but I bet if you gave him a hug instead of punching him he'd feel a little safer around you and who knows? Maybe he'll have some feelings for you he didn't know he had." He said and he sounded wise.
"I don't know. I've never made direct contact with him before. Except for punching or carrying him, and one time we held hands!" I said excitingly.
"Well darling I promise you Todd's probably made up his mind already. I'm saying this might be a way to change his mind. If you warm up to him in another way I'd be surprised if he was still so negative next week when he's gone." I wish I'd heard this a long time ago. I give him a determined grimace.
"You're right dad! You're absolutely right! I'll hug him the first time I see him today!" I'm feeling so excited about the possibilities.
"That's my girl." He says proudly. "Be careful on the stairs please." He says as I grab a piece of toast and slather peanut butter across it.
"I will!" I say as I hand the spoon to Fluffy and he licks it clean. The vet tells me to give him leaves and clovers but he loves peanut butter. It's his favorite food.
"I love you." He says as I head out the door.
"I love you to dad!" I shout back as I skate down the porch stairs with Fluffy following me. "Come Fluffy! Let's get to school!"
By the time we get to the thirtieth floor I unzip my backpack and open my locker. It's only 7:30 but I like getting there before anyone else. It's kind of a habit.
"Okay Fluffy get in." He looks reluctant to enter the bag. "Come on please? I just want to skate around the building for a while and I can't catch you every time you go down a flight. Your quills are too sharp."
He sighs. I can tell he seems a little disappointed. He looks like Todd when I tried getting him to hold my hand. For a long time I've wanted Todd and Fluffy to get to know each other. It'd be my dream for my best friend and potential boyfriend to be close to one another. But Fluffy's behavior gets so negative around Todd. I never do anything about it though because I don't want Fluffy to think I'm choosing Todd over him, but I also don't want Todd to be afraid of him either. It's tough to get people to like each other sometimes. But I'm not giving up hope yet.
"Please Fluffy. I promise I'll be back when I'm done. I won't forget to pick you up." He suddenly smiles in an adorable way then hops into the bag. "Thanks Fluffy!" I put my bag in the locker then close it. "I'll see you in an hour." I then take off and rev down the stairs at full force. I can't wait until Todd arrives! I'm finally ready to welcome him with open arms.
Todd's POV
Its 7:30 and I'm on my way to school. I'm still very pissed off at everyone involved in getting me in trouble and mostly angry at Maurecia! No matter how clear I try to make it she punches me over and over in the same spot! And yesterday she did it when I least expected it! What is her problem? Does she actually want to fight with me? I've never had a physical fight with anyone in my life because I didn't want to get hurt. But I always knew the key to winning wasn't about who was stronger or more durable, it's about whoever makes the last move. And I'm sick and tired of frequent pain in my shoulder. I will not let Maurecia make the last move. Every time I see her today I'm going to avoid her to the best of my ability. She can't hit me if she can't find me. It's usually 'you can run but you can't hide.' But I can't run from her. Those rollerblades give her supersonic speed. She is able to get down all the stairs within five minutes. So I feel hiding is my best bet.
I finally make it to the school and in a distance I see Maurecia skating around the schoolyard. I move swiftly and quietly to avoid catching her attention. And to my surprise she doesn't see me enter the building. As I start heading up the stairs I see Louis walk down.
"Hey Todd what's up?" He asks. I sigh.
"Nothing good Louis." I say honestly.
"Bummer. Why's that?" He asks me.
"I've decided I'm going back to my old school next week." He looked disappointed. "I'm just not very happy here. I had a few standards I thought people could follow but they failed pretty miserably."
"Have you ever had to retake a test?"
"Only when I had to leave the test early to catch the Kindergarten bus. Retaking it should've never happened considering I got an A on my first try. Reassessments are for those who fail the first time." Louis raises an eyebrow.
"Does anyone else ever need to reassess?" He asks.
"I've never seen them have to." Which is ridiculous since Joe doesn't know math, Sharie sleeps through the entire class period, John writes all his answers upside down, and Myron copies Dana's answers on probably every test he takes. "But I don't think Mrs. Jewls grades them anyways. She only grades mine." I may be making assumptions but as far as I know nobody in her class has an F.
"So you don't want to give anyone another chance at meeting the standard?"
"No because the standards were easy and understandable. I asked Dana for a little defense and she rats me out, I ask Mrs. Jewls to be fair about punishments and she disciplines me for not participating, and I ask Maurecia to stop punching me and she only does it harder." Louis pats my shoulder.
"Well Todd if you're going to leave then I understand. It's just not fun being the only normal person at Wayside. You're not weird at all." He says and I smile at that. He's a generous person at any time he can be.
"Thanks Louis. But I first need to finish this week. And I need a head start before Maurecia finds me. Bye." I say as I start running up the stairs. He only waves as I get out of his sight. I make my way to the fifteenth floor when I hear wheels behind me.
"Oh yeah!" I hear Maurecia shout as she revs into my view. I turn to the kitchen door and knock repeatedly. To my surprise the door slams open and I'm knocked against the wall. Mrs. Mush steps out but doesn't notice me.
"Who makes noise?" She calls out as Maurecia rolls to the top and I hold my breath. I don't want her to see me any time out of the classroom.
"Hi Mrs. Mush." I hear her say. "Have you seen Todd yet? I really need to see him."
"Todd? Hm… I think so!" She exclaims. "He came into the kitchen a little while ago." I feel fortunate that Mrs. Mush is somewhat insane.
"Is he still here?" She asks. "I've been waiting all morning to find him! I have something for him." She says excitedly. I frown. I know what she's trying to do. She always comes towards me in an innocent manner and then punches my shoulder. I seriously don't know why she thinks that's normal, but there's not much I can do about it. I have no control over her willpower. Mrs. Mush continues.
"Yes I believe he is. Come in." She enters the kitchen and the door closes.
"Well now's my chance." I say inaudibly. I continue sprinting up the stairs until I get to the thirtieth floor. I see I got there before most of my classmates. Stephen walks by me and unexpectedly stops.
"Hey Todd, it's nice to see you." He says. I found it odd because Stephen doesn't usually talk to me.
"Hi Stephen." I say in a confused tone. "It's nice to see you to?" I guess. He grins in a creepy way trying to match his jack-o-lantern. I really don't see him as anything more than a ginger Toon Link, but he's usually pretty kind.
"Well, have a nice day." He says walking away. I go to my locker and deposit some of my books. Then I hear another voice that came from below.
"Hi Todd." I turn to see a pair of legs. I look down to identify John standing on his arms. I guess that's how he gets around places.
"Hello John. What brings you here?" I ask him. He looks to the side looking kind of nervous.
"Well, I wanted to ask you something." He says. I guess I can trust him because despite being upside down he's probably the most normal person in the grade.
"Sure what is it?"
"What was with that outburst? I was actually kind of scared you'd lost your mind." He tells me. I guess it's understandable to think that.
"Well John I don't think I'm staying much longer. I thought considering Mrs. Jewls's pathetic policies and Maurecia hitting me, again, I'd be happier at my old school."
"Oh. Well good luck with that." He says as he continues crawling away. I suppose he's a little concerned. I don't know why people are saying hi to me though since I'm usually invisible to the class until I'm disciplined. Then suddenly I hear wheels… large wheels. I move to the side as Jenny revs at high speed past me.
"WHOO-WE!" She cries in excitement. I roll my eyes and continue packing my supplies. Then to be expected, she drives back. "Hey Brother Todd!" I turn around and respond.
"Hello Jenny?" I say semi-reluctantly. Jenny is practically a less abusive Maurecia. But I'm officially more afraid of her now because she once hit the top of my head with her front tire. She continues.
"I gotta say. I was truly surprised to see you get angry at Mrs. Jewls! It's about time you showed some real bravery around here. You're not just a wimpy little nerd anymore." I flinch at that last sentence and my unamused frown comes back.
"Jenny since when was I a wimpy little nerd?" I ask.
"Ever since you showed up at the school you've been taking punishments without doing anything about them. And you're always letting Sister Mau pound your shoulders! But yesterday you yelled at Mrs. J with what sounded like a pretty serious rant. If you keep that up she'll be too afraid of you to send you home on that baby bus. Don't you think?" I don't think that'd be the case but whatever.
"Maybe so?" I say slowly. "But I'm leaving this school after this week ends so that won't be necessary." I tell her. She looks a little sad.
"But Brother Todd, won't you miss us?" She asks.
"A little but I won't miss getting hurt and humiliated day by day." I answer.
"Well whatever happens Todd, Sister Mau is storming the school trying to find you. You should look for her." Why so I can get punched? Jenny and Maurecia are close friends and I'm almost 100% sure this is some sort of trap. I glare at her.
"No Jenny I won't." I pick up my bag and close my locker. "And I don't need you to assist Maurecia in abusing me."
"But Todd she-" I had to stop her right there.
"I don't want to hear it." I said while walking away. As I get further down the hall I see the same imbecile I see every day.
"Hey Todd!" He says. I'm really not in the mood to see him today.
"What do you want Myron?" I ask unamused. He drops a bunch of papers into my hands.
"Here are the homework assignments Mrs. Jewls gave the class after you went home on the Kindergarten bus." I look closely and notice his name is on each one.
"It'll be a cold day in hell before I do your homework assignments for you." I shove them back into his arms. "Do your own homework you dumbass!" I yell at him. He makes an offended face.
"Excuse me Todd. That's no way to speak to your future class president!" He pouts. I roll my eyes.
"I thought I made it clear to you that no one wants you to be class president except for yourself. But maybe I didn't so take it from me now." Myron's face turns dark red.
"Okay Todd you're going down!" He attempts to slap me but I grabbed him by his arm and weighed down his shoulder. "Owie! Please stop that!" He whines desperately. I let go of him.
"Myron I'm leaving the school after this week is over so I suggest you don't get into any fights with me. Got it?" He nods with a scared expression. "Good. Now please don't bother me again." I said.
"Okay." He runs into the classroom sobbing pathetically. I don't usually get vigorous but Myron getting his ass kicked is long overdue. He needs to realize life isn't all about him. I then see Dana walk by. I'm not super excited to see her either.
"Todd I wanted to apologize for ratting you out." She says. I just shake my head.
"Sorry Dana but I'm not forgiving you." I say sternly. She suddenly looks sad.
"But why?" She asks me. "Isn't that what friends are for?"
"Yes but they have each other's backs and don't tattle unless it's critical." She pulls out her rulebook.
"But the rules say in a scenario where you're taking blame for a situation someone else got you in you need to tell the adult who's truly responsible." I face palm.
"But the adult is an idiot! And frankly I'm not sure we're actually friends." I say raising my voice a little.
"We're not friends?" She looks pretty sad. "How can you say that? After I welcomed you to Wayside, helped you become a better student, helped you prepare for winter, and became a member of your science club!" She suddenly became angry. I'm ready to give her some soul crushing memories.
"Yeah. You also forced me to be next to Maurecia and pull her ponytail."
"But that was so you two could be happy."
"And used me as your so called 'best friend' to make Myron jealous."
"I felt left out and didn't want you to feel that way."
"And spread gossip about me and Jenny to the entire school."
"Okay that was an accident!"
"And now you don't take a potentially small punishment just to give me some support." I say.
"Well excuse me Todd! You haven't done a lot for me either." Is she for real? I saved her life three days after I joined the school. Besides Myron helped me get Jenny off my back, drove the kindergarteners away, and stopped Le Chef from taking Wayside School for himself. I hate to admit it but Myron has accidentally done more for me than Dana ever had. Plus he turned off the trash compactor after it almost killed me… and Maurecia almost kissed me.
"Just remember Dana, if it weren't for me you, and the rest of Mrs. Jewls class would've died the day we discovered the trash compactor. And who would've killed you? Myron. Someone you assist in all sorts of things that make him think he's better than everyone else." She frowns. "It's not your job to stroke his ego."
"Fine Todd. I understand." She says defeated. "I agree completely. And I'm sorry. Just know that I will miss you when you don't enter the classroom next week. But know you're not only affecting me, but the rest of the class as well. We consider you part of us, kind of like a family." I'm hit pretty hard by that sentence but I manage to keep the tears back. I make eye contact with her completely.
"I'm not convinced." I say exceeding the pressure. A single tear falls out of her right eye.
"Well Todd. That's your choice. And I'm sorry I convinced the other students to try to treat you nicer this morning." My glare disappeared. "I hope you have fun at your old school." She turned around and walked into the classroom. I felt a little sad after she left. She actually tried to get the others on my side? That's why a few of them greeted me? It's going to be a little harder to say goodbye to this school now but then I remember it'll be harder for me to stay here then it will to leave. Suddenly a voice calls me from below.
"Hey Todd!" Goddammit! I think to myself as I hear Maurecia getting closer. I'm standing in the middle of the hallway in plain sight. There's no place to hide anymore so I can't do it… no! Not today. I'm very, very, very sick of her fisting me! Without turning around I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I feel this isn't going to end well but I'm way too pissed off to care. I'm done putting up with her.
*Today is my day! * I tell myself. Maurecia gets closer and closer and I feel time is slowing down around us. My eyes are still closed because I don't want to see this. With precise timing she approaches me, I turn around, and a punch is thrown… by me. I feel my solid locked fist slam against her forehead.
"OW!" I hear her scream as a small satisfied grin appears on my face. But only a few seconds later it goes away. "WHOA!" I hear her scream as the sound of frequent bumping echoes. I didn't expect to hear that last part and I open my eyes. Maurecia is no longer in my sight. And it wasn't until I hear a loud crash that I had any clue.
"Maurecia?" I call out quietly but I don't receive a response. I slowly walk forward until I see her at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh no!" I can't contain that phrase. She is lying unconscious on the floor and her helmet is all dented. I forgot she had roller blades until after it happened. The next thing I know, the entire class came out of the room. They all gasp when they see Maurecia lying there. Myron is the first to respond.
"Run everyone! Todd has gone mad!" Then they all panic and run back into the room. Mrs. Jewls came out looking very disappointed.
"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed when she saw her student lying there. "Well Todd what do you have to say for yourself?" She asks. I couldn't say anything.
"I didn't mean to hurt her that much." I muttered. "Let me guess, the Kindergarten bus?" She shakes her head.
"No Todd. Go to the principal's office right now and think about what you've done!" Fair enough. It's going to be a long walk down but that'll give me more time.
Author's Note: …Okay that's the end of the second Chapter and I feel this one was way more eye opening than the first one. But it's still far from over. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and goodnight.