A Friend in Need
Authors Note: Attention Readers! I'm beginning to pick up the pace on my story because I'm actually starting to love the characters more the more I write about them. Each chapter so far has been longer than the former and that's one of the main reasons I update it every few days. But I'm taking more and more time out of my life that wouldn't have been spent doing anything better in order to keep it up. And receiving positive feedback motivates me to publish more! It's going to be so terrific when it's finished. This chapter will be done a little differently beginning in a long monologue. So without further ado, let's get into it! Good luck new friend!
Fluffy's POV
I don't understand what Todd is doing. I mean I know he's very gentle and well behaved but he's also been extremely stressed lately. I can't help but think part of it is my fault for treating him like dirt since I first saw him. But, today we became friends so I think my portion of stress is gone. I sit inside his unzipped backpack and stare at him as he plays his video game. He actually looks pretty happy. I can't imagine what's on his mind but it's probably a lot of things. I don't like this at all because I do feel neglected right now. Todd knew I felt that way earlier and that's when he warmed up to me and feed me his crackers. Those delicious peanut butter crackers! After trying to scare or even scar him, he put our differences aside and fed me. It's a debt I want to repay somehow but I don't know how yet. I really owe him one and it hurts me just thinking about it. After all this time I was mean to him he snapped at me, learnt my feelings, and then comforted me. I feel really guilty for all those evil things I did or tried to do to him. To think I abused this tenderhearted boy all this time, him forgiving me only makes him more innocent and therefore I'm guiltier.
Right now I feel a little neglected because I was trapped in a locker for a night and now I'm being ignored again. The only thing that always makes me happy is my owner Maurecia. But now due to an accident caused by Todd, she's not here. I wish I could visit her in the hospital but I'm not a human. I don't go to hospitals and therefore I don't know the location. It seems a little controversial because the only way I could potentially get there now is if Todd took me there. I could try going home but Jerome isn't very fond of me. He says pets should stay at home but Maurecia insists I join her. I know Jerome won't take me to the hospital with him. But would Todd? Would he go out of his way to make me happy? I really don't deserve anything else from him. But he's a very sweet person, would he do that for me? The more I think about Todd, the more I think about Maurecia, and thinking about Maurecia makes me think of Todd even more. This feels like a paradox I'm uncertain of. I can't hate Todd anymore. He's not the person who took care of me since I was born, but he's someone who'd be willing to in a heartbeat. And that's why I'm with him now. I sit and watch him play his Game Boy. It's nice to see him having some fun, but it's not getting me anywhere. He's not used to me as a friend yet so chances are he doesn't know how to bond with me or know if I can make him happy. It hurts! But even so it hurts because I never gave him a chance. But he gave me a chance and that's all I have. He forgave me and now he's my caretaker, temporarily. But thinking about how he wants to leave the school when the week's over, that hurts me even more. He'll probably wait till Maurecia gets back before he changes schools or at least take me to her house. I hope he knows where to find it though. Kidswatter doesn't remember everyone by their address.
As he plays I think about it some more and realize there's no real way of winning for me. I've warmed up around Todd and now I want to show him I'm sorry. I know he doesn't care if I do that or not but it's still morally fair if I did. And he's right about taking abuse all the time from everyone. I wish sometime he'd do something about it. It could really grant him some respect around here from both Mrs. Jewls and the students. But the other scenario is Maurecia takes me back, Todd transfers back to his old school, and Maurecia is heartbroken for losing him. I mean I think she'll spend more time hugging and being around me but they won't all be happy times. I'll be her comforter when she's sad. It won't be fun consoling a heartbroken girl every day.
Thinking about it more critically, Maurecia has been a lot happier the past year and I've had more fun in that year than ever before! She's always so happy and upbeat and when she's upbeat she's wild! I love wild! She even got me my own pair of skates and allowed me to ride to school on my own wheels. I mean she's been happy for a long time but never this happy. It's probably because of Todd. Todd is the one boy she never stops thinking about no matter what. It's like he was the source to her happiness. The more she saw Todd the happier she seemed to the point where she had to punch him just to release some of the excitement. It's too bad she couldn't find a wall or something to hit instead. But at home she'd be more social with me when she wasn't at school. I guess I did try to absorb too much attention from her to even consider Todd, but he's a loving guy. And I know in a heartbeat Maurecia will forgive Todd once she wakes up. She's more adamant about her feelings than her pain, something Todd lacked for a while.
Then it all suddenly hits me! Todd is the one thing that makes her happy all the time, other than me of course. But scaring Todd away has made her a little, less happy. But Todd always tries to be happy around everyone including Maurecia despite the constant pain in his shoulders. But as crazy as I think it is, what if they were in love? I know Maurecia loves Todd but how does he feel? She's super crazy about him and he hardly tries to care about her. But does he really not like Maurecia or is it what I'm hoping it is? I'm hoping him feeling pain and humiliation has trapped him in a void where he doesn't feel love. It's a real shame and part of that void was caused by me, but can it be filled? Can I somehow undo that void? I always scared Todd away because I thought he'd take Maurecia's love for me away. But it actually appears that if otherwise he'd be more confident in his life and he'd be less scared of the other students or his teacher. I've been partially responsible for depriving him of this feeling. But if Todd were in love with Maurecia, it might be too early to say for me. But maybe they'd both be happy and if Maurecia's happy then so am I. She gives up everything for me and Todd gives up everything for everyone else. I think I see it.
If I wanted attention from Maurecia I'd abuse Todd to get it. When Maurecia wants Todd's attention she abuses Todd to get it. But he doesn't abuse anyone or even worry about his own agenda until others are satisfied. Its official, I like Todd a lot. I can't say I love him because I only started liking him today, but he understands the feeling of neglect better than anyone else. He's invisible to everyone until he gets in trouble. I feel like the same thing applies for me. And he knew I felt neglected and did something about it. I didn't deserve his help but he did it anyways. But he really deserves help now. He needs better friends than he has and deserves a far better teacher.
I feel like if I can somehow get Maurecia and Todd together then maybe, just maybe, I could make all three of our lives better. Maurecia will be happy that Todd loves her, Todd won't constantly get hurt or be afraid to be around her and he'd be more confident in this school, but what would I win? It's tough to say right now but somehow... a small part of me thinks I'll be satisfied if it happens but I can't tell why yet. But Todd has done so much for everyone including me. Both me and Maurecia would've died that day if Todd weren't there to save us. I never thanked him for doing it either. … I never thought I'd say it but, I actually kind of want them to be together now. The fact that Todd carried her down thirty floors shows a lot of compassion. And I know Maurecia can change her ways. With a little time she'll lose the need to punch Todd and they can be friends again. I feel like I need to do something about it! I poke my head out of the bag.
"Todd!" I shout. He turns towards me, pausing his game.
"What do you want Fluffy?" He whispers. I then remember he can't understand my voice. I think he wants me to be a secret kept from the other students, and honestly so do I. I try my best to communicate with him. I tap my head a few times.
"You have a headache?" I make an intellectual gesture. "You've been thinking?" I nod. I need some way to satisfy him since satisfaction seems to be the one thing he never has. But in order to do so I need to pay attention to what stresses him. I point at him.
"You've been thinking about me?" He asks and I nod. "But why?" I smile and point at his chest. "You think I have a nice shirt?" I shake my head and try pointing more specifically on the left side of his chest. "What, did I spill something on myself?" He asks and I roll my eyes. I make a fist and motion it expanding then shrinking. "My heart?" I nod. "What about my heart?" He asks. I then put both fists together then separate them. "Is my heart broken?" I nod. "I don't think so. Why does it concern you?" I think I'm on the right track.
I put my fingers over my eyes. "Am I hiding something?" I face palm. This might be difficult. I walk in place and bump into an invisible wall. "Am I blind?" He asks. I hold a finger out and nod. Then I point to my own heart to see if he makes the connection. "I'm not blind and I can see you." I face palm again. Then I point at him, his eyes, and his heart. "Am I blind about my feelings?" I grin and give him a thumbs up. "No. I know when I'm happy or sad." But does he know how to feel love? That's what I'm trying to ask him.
I point back at his heart. "What is this about my feelings you want to know?" I then act as Maurecia fainting from her emotions. "Is that Maurecia?" I shrug. I wanted to imitate just any person in love but Maurecia was the only one I've actually seen so it was my only option. I point at him then make Maurecia's love-struck face. "Am I in love with Maurecia?" He asks and I flinch. I was about to shake my head but I'm more interested to know if he's got an answer for that.
"Well… part of me thinks I am." My eyes widen. "But I know you don't want that in the slightest so I'll stay out of your way." He turns back to his Game Boy. I face palm at that to. Now he doesn't want to get in my way with Maurecia? I appreciate he's taking my usual opinion into account but my opinion isn't the only one that matters here. I do think I'll spend less time with Maurecia if they're in love, but I've always gotten my way in the past and it seems like Todd never gets his way. Furthermore he doesn't fight to get his way. I mean he yelled at Mrs. Jewls the other day but he still ended up on the kindergarten bus. And believe me! I don't want to deal with kindergarteners today and Todd's my ride!
I stare at Mrs. Jewls, growling subtly. She's the worst teacher in the world and it's not hard to see. Formerly I was okay with Todd leaving early since it would limit the time he had with Maurecia each day. But today Maurecia isn't here. And now that she's in the hospital I know Todd has a lot on his mind. Frankly so do I, but it's hard to look at my thoughts knowing Todd is unsatisfied and isn't doing anything to get the closure he deserves. I never stopped to think of Todd feeling neglected because I was too concerned about myself. But he understands that feeling far more than I do.
After a while the whole class, minus Maurecia, shows up and they're all in what appears to be a good mood. But why are they so happy? They're a bunch of idiots who don't even try to earn a grade or make themselves smarter. They just know Mrs. Jewls will give them an A for no reason without even bothering to see what they've done. If Todd wants an A he actually earns it. He probably doesn't need to earn it but he shows effort. He doesn't copy anyone else's answers, he doesn't sketch a photo, read a rulebook, or stay asleep during the school day. He doesn't dress like an elf or stand on his head either. My god I'm surrounded by idiots! And to think the only student I hated was the only completely sane one. I kinda want to stab each person in this room with a quill just to see if they're smart enough to react to the pain.
"Okay class it's wonderful to see you all." Mrs. Jewls says cheerfully. "Now before we begin our reading assignment, are there any questions?" I see the nerdy girl raise her hand. "Yes Dana?"
"Why does Todd have his name on the discipline list this early?" She asked. *Good question.* I think. *Wait until you hear the idiotic reason why.*
"Well Dana, Todd brought in a skateboard today." She says. So Todd can't bring in a skateboard but the tall blonde girl can bring in a life sized bike that she drives at a speed most motorcyclists are lucky to get to? And she drives it inside the school. Not just outside of it. Mrs. Jewls continues. "And he said his reasoning for doing it was so he wouldn't need to ride the kindergarten bus anymore." I hear Todd sigh.
The sad look on his face is truly heartbreaking. I mean it's usually not a big deal for him because he seems used to sadness. But this time the sadness is a result of Maurecia's injury, neglect from the other students, and being the target of Mrs. Jewls's issues. It's not really surprising to see why he wants to leave this school. I poke my head out of the bag, growling somewhat audibly. It's no longer than a second that Todd spots me and flinches.
"Fluffy get back in the bag!" He whispers sternly. I poke back into the bag as he leans over to try to close it. After I'm out of sight I hear some more talking.
"Todd!" Mrs. Jewls abruptly says. "Who are you talking to?" She asks him. Todd began sweating and looking around. I feel both scared and sorry for him.
"Nothing Mrs. Jewls." He says as he grabs a pencil. "I was just trying to find a pencil and I was having a hard time finding it. That's the reason I was talking to myself." He smiles widely trying to look innocent.
"Todd if you didn't already have one out that means you're unprepared." She writes a checkmark next to his name.
"Come on Mrs. Jewls!" He says sadly.
"No talking!" She holds the chalk close to his name to intimidate him. He closes his mouth and holds his head down. "Good now pay attention." She says.
I glare intensely. I mean I'm sure part of his stressed is caused by having to scale a thirty story building each day, getting punched by Maurecia, and getting sent home early for things that aren't reasonable. Plus there are more factors such as eating Mrs. Mush's disgusting food or hearing his address on the intercom instead of his name. And furthermore going home early means he needs to walk thirty flights a second time and that's too much for average students any day. But the kindergarten bus is a headache waiting to happen! Don't get me wrong, I played a large role in his daily level of stress by shrieking at him, but that's only because I hardly knew him and thought he was a threat to my bond with Maurecia. Mrs. Jewls has had him for a year and a half now and he's extremely responsible, caring, respectful, trustworthy, and selfless. And I guarantee she knows that. What threat does he oppose to her? Is she afraid that since he's the only normal student that he'll somehow challenge her power? She abuses it anyways. I stay silent for the rest of the hour enraged and spiteful. When we get to the lunch room he hides me in his lunchbox.
"Okay Fluffy let's eat." He says as he sits down. I want to come out so the two of us can have a conversation or at least a one sided conversation but I manage to remain silent inside the box.
"Sandwich please." He says. I think he doesn't want to risk poking his hands on my quills. I reach out and hand him his sandwich. He unwraps the sandwich and begins consuming it. "Cheese stick." He says while holding out his hand. I hand him the string cheese. I watch as he peels it into smaller pieces. He hums audibly indicating he enjoys it. "Hide!" He suddenly says as I slide into the box. The nerdy girl came in and sat down next to Todd.
"Hey Todd." She greets him. "Are you enjoying your day so far?" I roll my eyes.
"Yeah Dana." *Really Todd?* I think to myself. "I'm actually in a pretty good mood today." I don't know how he avoids the anger. He's already 2/3 of the way to that toddler bus and he doesn't even show a little anger. Whenever Todd was around Maurecia I didn't care who saw, I released that anger! And right now I feel Todd won't show it. But he was willing to scream and swear the other day. What could Dana be up to?
"Did you have any positive events?" She asks him. The only positive was me becoming his friend. But neither of us want anyone else to know about that.
"Not really Dana. But I heard Maurecia is recovering slowly in the hospital." I raise an eyebrow. He didn't tell me about that. I mean I know it was early and we didn't get a lot of talking time, but I think he'd make Maurecia's condition a priority.
"Oh well that's good." Dana says. "I can't help but wonder if Fluffy is okay." My eyes widen and I think Todd flinched. "Do you think anyone found him?" Todd begins sweating a little.
"I don't really know." He says nervously. "Maybe he's still in her locker." Dana gets into her analytical tone.
"Actually her locker was open and her bag was on the ground." I flinch. "And her scrapbook wasn't in its place either!" Okay, that he took with him. "But what worries me is Fluffy could just be roaming the building right now." Todd tries hard to keep me hidden.
"Is that really a problem? He's a smart porcupine and I'm sure he can take care of himself." I feel flattered that he believes that. "Besides he's usually able to find places on his own." He's completely right about that.
"Todd. I'm worried about Fluffy for your sake." I guess I can't argue with that. "If he's roaming the building randomly he might come for you." I frown. "He's never been around you without growling or looking ready to shred you to pieces." That's true but prior to today I'd actually never even touched him. I'm not that viral in general, I just prepare to get viral for defensive purposes.
"I'm not afraid of Fluffy." He says. "I'm used to his intimidating shriek." She sighs.
"How do you think he'll respond when he learns what happened to Maurecia?" I roll my eyes. "Intracranial Hemorrhage isn't a condition to not fear. Especially when it's uncertain when the person will wake up." I flinch at that. I kick the side of the lunchbox to signal Todd to get us away from here. "Todd did your lunchbox just move?" She asks. Todd picks the box up and stands up.
"You know what Dana? Why don't we discuss this later?" He asks.
"But we still have so much to go over." She says. I don't think Todd wants to be overwhelmed with statistics.
"Not right now Dana!" He says as he runs out of the cafeteria. He unzips the top of the box and I poke my head out. "Okay I don't think I can keep this up." I raise an eyebrow. "Can I tell her?" I really don't think Dana can keep secrets.
"No!" I shout. I know the attitude I used is enough for Todd to know what I said. He sighs.
"You're not really easy to hide you know?" My standard frown turns into a sad one. I really want to help Todd out but first we need to communicate and make a plan. If he hides me in the box most of the day I won't have time to make any moves. I do have some plans that could ease Todd's stress consistency.
"Look Fluffy. I want to protect you, but right now I'm struggling to protect myself." We make direct eye contact. He brings his index finger and thumb close to each other. "I'm this close to being sent home on the kindergarten bus. Please don't disturb me during the next class period okay?" I give him a thumbs up, but I'm secretly crossing my fingers behind my prickly back. "Thank you. Now let's go." He says as he carries me back up to the thirtieth floor.
I don't want to lie to Todd, but right now he's not taking that initiative he had two days ago when he was blamed for stupid things. If she wants to send him home on the kindergarten bus, then she'll have to walk down thirty floors just to ensure he gets on the bus. Todd and I both know that's not gonna happen but Todd doesn't seem to notice that. My best interest is to either get Todd in trouble again and make sure he uses the skateboard, or resort to violence. Todd was willing to resort to violence yesterday and that's why Maurecia is in the hospital right now, but he won't use violence against the teacher? I know he could go to juvie for that but she's a horrible teacher who doesn't grade tests seriously and abuses her power. But maybe Todd can't do anything back to her? Yeah it doesn't look like he can. But he's still a desperate student hoping for better treatment from the people in Wayside. Why can't Mrs. Jewls at least sympathize for him? … No! I'm tired of feeling sorry for him! The more sympathy I give him means nothing. He only gets sadder and sadder as the day goes on and no one else seems to care! He needs my help, and I need to redeem myself for being such an asshole to him in the past. We finally get to the top floor.
"We should take this with us to." He says while picking up Maurecia's backpack. It's nice he's willing to carry her items on top of his own. He's a really hard worker and he needs closure. He's earned the closure but he hasn't received it yet.
At about 11:30 everyone is reading a book and I'm still in the bag, sketching a plan out for Todd I hope he's willing to read. I drew an image of Todd using the skateboard after being dismissed. If he thinks analytically then this could be his get out of jail free card. If he just uses the skateboard anyways then she can't do anything about it. She won't walk downstairs with him so what does he have to lose? He's not Dana, he doesn't obsess over rules. After I'm done I poke my head out quietly.
"Psst!" Todd turns toward me.
"What?" He whispers. I hand him the paper while winking. He takes the paper and looks it over. "Fluffy I can't use my skateboard." I shrug, hold my hand out forward, and then point at him. "What does that mean?" He asks.
"What's stopping you?" I say hoping he can read my lips.
"What?" I repeat my question and this time he seems to pick it up. "I guess I don't know. But I don't want to take any risks." Suddenly I pop back into the bag as I see a shadow.
"Todd." It was Mrs. Jewls. "Why aren't you reading your book?" She asks. Todd looked at a loss for words.
"Well I… had an inspiration and drew this sketch!" He said holding up his paper. The French girl turns over and gives him a thumbs up. Mrs. Jewls raises an eyebrow.
"Can I please see what you've drawn?" Don't do it Todd! I mentally know it won't do him any good if he loses the plan before he understands what it represents.
"Well Mrs. Jewls, I'd rather keep this one for myself." He says defending the drawing.
"You just showed Bebe the picture so why can't I see?" She asks. I growl again at the thought of where this is going.
"Can we just forget that I did this?" He asks. I hear a little desperation in his voice. My frown returns to my face. *Just let him slide Mrs. Jewls.* I think to myself.
"Give me that!" She takes the image out of his hands. "What? Todd! Were you planning on waiting for the bus to leave and then ride your skateboard home?" I face palm since there's really no way Todd can talk his way out of this.
"I was thinking about it." He mumbles. She makes her way to the chalkboard. I feel a hot spike go into my foot, and I really want to show this imbecile what that feels like! She circles Todd's name.
"Todd, I told you that you cannot use the skateboard to go home and now I think I'll need to micromanage you to the kindergarten bus from now on!" She says infuriated. Todd sighs.
"Can you believe this Fluffy?" He turns to his bag. "Fluffy?" I hear him say nervously, but there's no going back. I'm already halfway across the classroom floor before he faces forward nervously. He gasps as he sees me on the floor but I give him a thumbs up so he knows I have a plan. I hear another familiar voice gasp and I turn around to see the blue haired boy standing on his head like usual. I remove a quill and signal him to stay quiet. He gulps but I don't see him nod. I know he's on his head but I'd still like some confirmation! I walk towards him slowly.
"Please don't hurt me!" He shouts out loud. I grin with satisfaction then walk further.
"John." Mrs. Jewls steps forward as I jump behind her. "Who are you talking to?" He looks pretty scared.
"Nothing Mrs. Jewls. I wasn't talking to anyone." She frowns.
"Then why'd you proceed to freak out?" She asked him. I notice Todd speaks up.
"Mrs. Jewls. I'm sure John didn't intend to say that out loud. He might've-" She cuts him off.
"You stay out of this Todd." She says vigorously to him. "John, if you're going to talk during reading time then I'll have to put your name on the discipline list." She doesn't notice me standing right behind her when she grabs her chalk. John turns around towards Todd.
"Thanks Todd." He says as Todd gives him a thumbs up. But before Mrs. Jewls can start writing John's name down, I shove my quill into her right ankle with full force.
"OUCH!" She screams in pain and I notice Todd stands up and sees me. "Ow!" She falls on her bottom and pulls the quill out. "Ow that hurt!" Dana gets up.
"Are you alright Mrs. Jewls?" She asks. Then the next thing I know, the rest of the class dropped their books and stood up.
"I think I'm alright I just- OW!" I shove another one into the front of her foot. The students gasp. As she is about to get off the floor I jump onto her lap and hold another quill out. "Oh my goodness!" She screams in fear. I chuckle evilly and stab her in the stomach. "OW!" She yelps again. The entire class gasps at the sight of their teacher in pain but unfortunately for her, they're all too scared to touch me. I'm hoping Todd knows this is his cue.
"Get off me!" She cries. The chubby boy steps forward. "Help me Myron!" She shouts desperately.
"As future class president, I will bravely remove Fluffy from your shirt." As he moves closer I hold the quill up and shriek. "Oh my god!" He freaks out. "Maybe next time!" He runs behind Dana whimpering in fear. I climb up her shirt until I'm right below her neck.
"No! Don't hurt me! Please!" She desperately cries but I can only ignore her. I growl at her and hold the quill close to her throat. Todd gets up and walks over to us.
"Fluffy what are you doing?" He asks looking freaked out as well. It's nice to see him finally seeing me at my potential violent capability. But he overpowered me once and now's the time to do it again.
"Todd! Do something!" Mrs. Jewls cries in fear. I turn back around and grab her below the neck. "Please." At this point I see tears in her eyes. Nothing is more satisfying to me than turning the tables on this teacher. I swing the quill behind my head, looking prepared to stab her neck. She closes her eyes tightly, but luckily in time Todd grabs me by the sides.
"Gotcha!" He says. Mrs. Jewls opens her eyes and everyone is staring at Todd. "You and I need to have a very serious talk my friend!" He talks down to me. Mrs. Jewls gets up.
"Please take him away." She says. Todd grins lightly.
"I would but the bus driver of the kindergarten bus doesn't allow pets. I can't take him with me." He says. Suddenly his face lightens up as Mrs. Jewls grabs the eraser and removes his name from the discipline list.
"Well Todd, you'll just need to use your skateboard." She says and Todd smiles.
"Okay then." He grabs both backpacks. "I'll see you all again tomorrow." He then walks out of the room while carrying me. "What was that all about Fluffy?" I just wink at him. "You… planned that?" I nod. He chuckles, I chuckle back, and then he pulls me into his chest and hugs me. "Thanks pal." I snuggle into his arms. I'm glad I could finally help him gain the respect he needed from his teacher. He's so happy now and it's all because of me!
Author's Note: Well there you have it. Fluffy and Todd are friends now! This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I cannot wait to upload more. Thanks for reading and goodnight!