Paper Planes: Chapter Two
Tobias is still in his pajamas when Zeke finds him the next morning.
He lets himself in with the spare key hidden under the potted plant on the porch after two minutes of knocking and no answer.
"Tobias, we're late." Zeke shouts into the large, eerily silent house. He's still standing on the Persian rug in front of the door. He kicks off his shoes and slowly pads down the marble hallway. He hears quiet mumbling drift from the kitchen and is soon faced with a pitiful scene. "Tobias?"
His friend doesn't say anything, just grumbles angrily as he scrubs harshly at the pure white counter top of the kitchen island. Zeke stares at the sheep on Tobias's pajama pants. The same pajama pants Nita got him this last Christmas as a cute joke. He shakes his head and sighs. A stool from the island clatters to the ground.
"Tobias, we're late." He repeats and his friend continues scrubbing. "It's the first day of school-" Scrubbing continues. "We have a student council meeting in fifteen minutes... Is any of this ringing a bell?"
Finally, Tobias lifts his head and makes eye contact with his best friend. It's a little unnerving and Zeke tries not to look away from his friend's crazy-eyes.
"We had sex on this island!"
Zeke says nothing. Tobias squeezes the sponge in his hand and soapy bubbles ooze out onto the counter.
"Sex." He yells at his friend. "Sex. On this island. I eat food on this island!"
"I'm aware." Zeke replies slowly, at a loss for words.
"It needs to be sanitized!" He shouts again. Zeke looks at the sheep on the pajama pants again and then back up at his friend.
Zeke regards the clock on the stove. "We have school."
"But, this needs to be sanitized."
"We need to go to school."
Silence again. The boys stare at each other. Tobias loosens his grip on the sponge and steps away from the island. He walks over to his friend and envelopes him into a hug.
Zeke pats his bare shoulder tenderly. "I know, buddy." He says soothingly.
"It's just so hard." Tobias's reply is muffled in his best friend's shoulder.
"I know, buddy." Zeke repeats. "You'll survive, though."
The room stinks of cheap coffee and gas station food, making Tobias's head throb. He reaches up to rub his temples as everyone begins to talk at once. Food wrappers crumble obnoxiously and someone burps. Laughter.
Zeke taps his shoulder and Tobias turns his stiff neck towards him, looking at his 'you good?' expression. He nods and turns back to staring at the woodgrain on table in front of him.
"I don't know why we're worrying about homecoming already." Zeke inserts into the conversation, his voice climbing louder than everyone else's. "It's the first day of school and right now we need to worry about keeping the waters calm. Our job is to help out as many little, confused freshman as we can." A quiet, polite laughter passes over the room before it quiets down again.
"It doesn't hurt to plan ahead." Someone mumbles and Zeke ignores the comment. The last thing he wants to do this early in the morning is discuss a theme for the dance more than two months away.
"We're Student Council." He reminds the people in the room. "Everyone is relying on us to make everything about the first day easier. So, everybody get a name tag and go find some kid to help."
Everyone grumbles and reaches over to the pile of badges in the middle of the long, conference table teachers use for meetings.
"Why doesn't the Student Body President give us his input?" Lauren Woodson says crisply, smoothing her name tag onto her shirt, right above her heart. She's the kind of girl that you mistake for a teacher most of the time. She lives in pencil skirts and colorful blouses and her feet are probably permanently raised, like a Barbie doll's, due to wearing heels everyday of her life. Everyone in Council likes to joke about how she probably came out of the womb in a pantsuit.
Tobias sighs and lifts his head from his hand. "I could care less about the theme for homecoming right now, to be honest-"
"Not," Lauren snaps. "about homecoming. What's your problem today?"
"I don't have a problem." Tobias says calmly.
"Bullshit, Tobias." Lauren replies. "You're letting your little henchman do all the talking. We know what happened with Nita last night, it's not something that stays silent in a high school."
Tobias sits up straight, his back and neck stiff and aching. "That's none of your business." He places his hands flat on the table in front of him to stop them from shaking. His name tag lays forgotten in the middle. How easily a name can get a reaction.
"Get over it. It happens." She says harshly, her voice firm and it sends a feeling down his back, like a nail is being hammered into his spine. He tries not to flinch. "You can't let a silly, little relationship effect your position in this school. You're Student Body President and you can't fucking throw away a job like that for a stupid girl that doesn't matter."
"Don't talk about her that way." Tobias hisses and shoots from the comfy, leather chair. Zeke makes a grab for his arm, but is shaken off as Tobias walks out of the silent room with rigid posture.
The door of the conference room slams shut, making the dry erase board on one wall quiver. Nobody moves.
"Harsh, Lauren." Zeke whispers, sliding his eyes from the table to her face. She's red, the flush of her skin matching the color of her blouse.
"Somebody needs to tell him." She shrugs, lowering her eyes.
"And, I'm not a henchman!"
She cheated on him.
The thought hadn't fully entered his mind and been comprehended until now, after defending her honor in the conference room.
She cheated on him with a team mate. He lifted with Peter Hayes every other day of the summer holidays and didn't think once about how that kid had been fucking his girlfriend behind his back, and for however long, he didn't feel like trying to figure that out.
Tobias rubs his tired eyes with the heels of his palms and puts his head in his hands, balancing on his knees. Kids bustle around him and fill the atmosphere with chatter, trying to enjoy their last few minutes of freedom before the school year starts. He hears the squeals of girls reuniting with their friends and can hear the deep male laughter as guys talk about their summer.
He suddenly remembers the start of the last school year, his junior year. They all thought they were at the top of the world, so close to their last year. Waiting outside on the school steps before the first bell rang, signaling the start of classes. He probably had his arm slung around Nita, laughing with Zeke and a couple other team mates. Nita was probably wearing something provocative and designer, with her leather backpack slung over one shoulder. She once told him that her mom still takes her shopping for a first day of school outfit every year. Tobias thought that was sweet. Nita thought it was lame.
Now, what was he doing?
Sure, he was on the front steps, like usual, but Zeke was nowhere to be found and Nita was probably still at home, getting dolled up so she could make her usual big entrance. But, this year, she wouldn't step out of his '69 Corvette Stingray and walk up the long driveway towards the school hanging off his arm. She'll strut up alone, or with her new toy, Peter Hayes, his stupid, shiny hair glittering in the morning sun.
Just the thought of how different everything already seems this year startles him.
"Excuse me, can you help me?" A familiar, feminine voice inquires above him. "I'm a little lost."
Tobias looks up at the noise and is instantly flashed back to a blurry picture of last night. He finds himself staring up at the girl with the sharp face and he squints at the sun behind her, making a halo-looking haze surround her. She looks like a painting of an angel, but instead of a delicate smile, the painter gave her a deadly smirk fit for the devil.
"Hello?" She waves a hand in front of his face and he blinks, watching her face take on an amused expression. "You go here, right?"
He starts to remember his duties as Student Body President and stands up, dusting off his pants out of habit. He towers over her by almost a foot and she has to crane her neck to look him in the eye. The twist of her mouth and the fire that enters her eyes makes him assume she doesn't like being looked down upon. Unfortunately, though, someone that short will have to deal with it.
"Tobias Eaton, Student Body President." He holds out a hand and she grins. He realizes how silly he must look, announcing himself in such a formal way. He can feel himself heat up.
"I just need some help, navigating myself through this school." The girl says, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. He notices the multiple piercings stuck in her ear and the little, silver hoops glint in the light. " It's very large."
"Best in the city." He smiles proudly and she raises an eyebrow slightly. His smile drops a bit in embarrassment. Why is he such a dork? He's the fucking star quarterback and he's melting with humiliation right in front of some band geek. He clears his throat. "So, do you want the tour?"
"That'd be great, thank you." He can't help but be surprised by her polite attitude this morning. This is the same girl that swore him out last night while he was down in the parking lot.
The thought leaves his mind as she starts up the cement stairs, towards the open, large front doors. She moves fast, despite her tiny legs, and he takes the steps two at a time to catch up with her.
They walk side-by-side for a while as he points out random little artifacts of the school and important rooms, meanwhile, his eyes search her every couple of seconds, trying to figure her out. He's good at reading people, at finding out their personality by just what they wear, his first impression of them, how their eyes light up at certain things.
But, he can't seem to understand her. Her jeans are ripped, but not pre-ripped, like she's trying too hard. They look like she fell down so much in them, they just started to become distressed. Her leather jacket seems a little heavy for the summer weather, but she doesn't seem to be uncomfortable. To Tobias, she doesn't seem to be anything. Her eyes don't light up at certain things, her clothes don't really hint at what she's like as a person, or what she enjoys to do that he doesn't know already. And her attitude is so all-over-the-place that he doesn't know what she's normally like.
He just doesn't know and that, for some reason, unnerves him.
"So, the cafeteria is obviously this giant room filled with tables and chairs." He points out, leading her through the big, bright room. Sun filters through the skylights and the one wall made completely out of windows exhibits the courtyard and the teenagers lounging around. Fluffy, white clouds float high above. He turns to look at her, but she doesn't notice. She looks at the big windows and watches the kids on the other side of the glass with a disdainful, little smile.
She can feel his eyes on her and she turns to look up at him. He grins politely and turns his head forward. "So, are you new here?"
"Mhhmmm..." Her stormy eyes lower to the clean, white titles. Freshly scrubbed for a new school year, soon to be tarnished by dirty shoes and messy kids. "I guess you could say that."
His eyebrows furrow at her cunning smirk and vague words, but he lets it go. Why does it matter? "Where did you move here f-"
"Tobias!" A voice shouts from behind and Zeke comes running, slapping him on the shoulder. The pair stops and her eyes widen at the tan boy. Zeke looks at the blonde, confused, but looks away and back at his friend. "Class starts in five minutes, we need to get to Matthew's. You know how she is about punctuality." His nose scrunches up at the word and the girl stifles a laugh and he watches her bow her head and grin at the ground.
"I'll be there soon, I'm just showing a new student around." Tobias waves his friend away and continues walking, and the blonde follows close behind. Zeke jogs to catch up to his fast pace.
"Tobias, I don't think that's a-"
"Zeke, I'm almost done, okay? Just hold Matthew off until I get there." Tobias says. "She can deal with it."
"Yes, I'm sure she can, but Tobias," Zeke rushes his words as they leave the cafeteria and hustle through the corridor crowded with kids rushing to find their first class. "This isn't a new-"
The blonde, surprisingly, interrupts the boy and waves a piece of paper around. "I just need to find C214 and then I'll be fine from there."
Tobias nods and leads the way. Kids break into a path for them to get through when they see Tobias Eaton walking down the hall. "I'll meet you in Matthew's." Tobias calls back to Zeke and the tan boy disappears in the mass.
"All the 200 rooms are on the second floor." He explains to her and he looks down to find her nodding absentmindedly.
They don't talk after that. What would there be to talk about? She doesn't know him, he doesn't know her. Hell, he doesn't even know her name! And, that's how it's supposed to be. Football players are in a completely different universe than band geeks and it'll be like that forever and he won't try to defy the decade-long rules.
Tobias Eaton will never consider breaking the rules. He's a good boy. He'll follow the stereotype placed on him. He'll be the star quarterback that runs for prom king and he'll find another girlfriend that's good enough and popular enough for him. He'll sit at the usual lunch table claimed by the team and get great grades in all his classes.
His life is the routine he's built for himself since freshman year and so far, it's worked out as planned-
Except it hasn't, has it? His girlfriend cheated on and by the end of the week, he'll be the laughingstock of the school due to it.
Those thoughts leave his head as a hand pats him on the back. He turns.
"Hey, Eaton, welcome back." Matt, a team mate, calls to him over the roar of the noise. "You ready for that game Friday?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Tobias grins. Finally, he's starting to feel normal again. He's in his kingdom and everything will turn out great. "You better be, too, or you'll be running laps at practice."
"Yes, chief." The boy laughs and waves him away.
Tobias earns more pats on the backs, high fives, and catcalls as he travels through the maze of hallways, navigating the large staircase to take them to the second floor. He forgot about the little blonde more and more each time he was stopped and when he looks down, he finds her already looking up at him, grinning.
"So, you're a hot commodity around here?" She asks, turning forward and climbing the steps when they get to them. She's good a dodging kids as they pass, he notices. She seems to go unnoticed by other people. Not once as anybody stopped her to say hi, but those must be the consequences of transferring to a new school. He starts to feel bad for stopping to talk to so many people when she has nobody. He wonders if she would have anywhere to sit at lunch and if she would sit with him if he offered. He can't picture this little girl sitting at a table filled with football players and cheerleaders, though. Plus, he doesn't even know if she's in his lunch... she doesn't look like a senior, she looks more like a sophomore to him.
"Nah, I just know a lot of people." He dismisses her comment, slightly embarrassed. "Well, here we are. C214."
"Thank you," She looks him in the eyes again, with that intense fire that's always there. He's starting to get used to it, now. "I'll, uh, see you around."
"Sure, definitely." He smiles at the blonde and opens the door for her. Right away, he notices her stance change. She stands straighter, more confidently, and her gracious smile turns to a cunning smirk. It reminds him of the expression he saw last night. Your worst fucking nightmare.
He shakes his head at the memory and looks up front to the younger teacher standing in front of the whiteboard. French 4. The blonde is a senior.
The bell rang two minutes ago and green marker is already covering the board in a language he doesn't understand. He quit taking Spanish after the required two years of a language.
"I've got a new student here, Madame Blende." Tobias announces from the doorway of the French room and the blonde girl automatically ducks her head and takes a seat at a back table. She drops a few folders and notebooks on the desk in front of her and looks at her hands in her lap.
Madame squints her eyes at the little blonde in the back row. "That's not a new student, Tobias. I'm sorry you wasted your time" The teacher says, her French accent heavy. Her attitude was calm and her smile was breezy when he walked in, he'd heard about what a cool teacher she is, but now her lips are puckered like she bit into a lemon. She reaches into her desk and takes out a yellow slip. "Detention already, Beatrice?"
"I'm trying to break a personal record." The girl, Beatrice, replies. Her shit-eating grin is back.
The teacher waves the yellow slip in the air. "After class."
Tobias is still absolutely confused, though, so he opens and closes his mouth in the middle of the doorway, trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. "Wait... so, you're not a new student?"
Beatrice cranes her neck to look at him from her chair. "Uh, no. Sorry?" Tobias doesn't think she looks like a 'Beatrice'. Her face is sharp and hallowed, her eyes are a sky right before the rain starts, and her blonde hair is like a halo. He thinks she looks like a rebel angel plotting against heaven with her devious facial expressions. No, she certainly does not look like a 'Beatrice'.
He leaves when she turns back into her seat and puts her cheek down on the table, looking at him with a tiny grin, silently sending him a message saying you'll never figure me out, but have fun trying.
A/N: Oh my god, guys, the reviews are fucking insane! 8 reviews? Thank you soooo much! And so many follows I can't even wrap my head around it.
I missed all of you so much:)
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-Scorpiius, the one and only