Written: Friday. September 6, 2019.
The meteor shower had stopped when Toby arrived at his house. He had to stand tiptoed in order to reach the gate handle. When the gate was finally opened, Toby’s arm was a bit worn out; nothing a few stretches won’t fix. And then he entered the house.
His mother, Lily, was preparing dinner. His brother was nowhere to be found in the living room. Which meant that he was either still on the road, stuck in gridlock traffic, or wasn’t even gonna be home tonight because he might be out with his college friends, drinking. Or, he’s already upstairs, playing video games on the computer.
Toby didn’t ask his mom to find out. He went straight up into their bedroom — since he and his brother still shared the same room — and found nobody sitting by the chair. He produced a quick sigh of relief, headed towards the computer, and opened the modem.
“I need to use the computer tonight!” said a voice coming from the door.
Toby jumped at the sudden presence of his brother, “Franco!” he said.
“I was just taking a dump.” Franco pointed towards the second floor comfort room they had in the house, which was near their bedroom. “Had to get home fast, or else I would’ve — anyway, I’m using the PC tonight.”
“You always get to use the PC!”
“Yeah, but this time, I really need to use it. I have a prelim exam tomorrow. And I haven’t studied for it yet.”
“Why can’t you study on your phone? Or at least look through your notes!”
“That’s cause I don’t have any notes, dumb shit! Now get out of there!”
Toby was starting to go red in the face. He was still sitting in front of the computer. When the monitor opened up, Toby clicked the “Power off” option on the menu, and went down stairs. Franco didn’t mind, he was still half-dressed with his school uniform, so he had time to change clothes before having to reboot the computer again.
“Why does he get to use the computer all the time and not me?” Toby asked his mother, in a loud voice, just so his brother could also hear. Somehow, he could hear a mild laugh coming from upstairs.
“Now, Toby,” Lily said, “your brother has a lot of studying to do tonight if he wants to pass his subjects.”
“Yeah…” Toby started unpacking his backpack. “Why can’t he just pass his classes like he used to when he was in high school?”
“That’s cause — “ Lily started, but was cut short when she saw Toby’s lunchbox that she had prepared for him. “Oh, did you like your lunch today, Toby?”
“Yeah, I did. It was delicious!”
“Gotta say, I’ve been getting slow these days. Sorry for being a bit late awhile ago.”
It was true, Toby’s mom was getting a bit slow when it came to bringing his lunch for him. Today, she came ten minutes after the bell had rang. Toby had already gotten a few flights up heading back to their classroom. But then he saw the small image of his mom just having arrived at GATE A. So he ran down stairs just to get his lunch. When he got to his classroom, his teacher allowed him to eat inside the room while the afternoon class started. His classmates looked at his direction. Not really looking at him, but trying to gaze upon his lunch. Toby saw his close friends looking at him, seeming to tell him telepathically for a few bites. Just a little? And Toby would communicate with them in the same way. Not a chance! As he proceeded to bite down his warm lunch.
“I mean, it’s alright, mom.” Toby gave her his lunchbox, so that she could add it to the dishes. “The guards and the teachers seem to have gotten used to it, anyway.” Toby smiled at his mom.
“Still. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Toby smiled. His mother was getting old. He and his brother were born when their parents were in their thirties. So there’s really a huge age gap to deal with at times. Toby doesn’t mind it, though it’s gotten them into several fights over not understanding each other’s sides; each other’s point of view. Sometimes, if not always, it’s what keeps them from being too close to one other; the wall of different but equally strong and rational perspectives brought by their eras.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, mom.”
“Oh yeah, right!”
“He’s never late.” Drew had said.
“Don’t worry,” Toby had just arrived inside the classroom. “maybe he just did an all-nighter last night. He might not even show up today.”
“It’s been three days since we haven’t heard from the dude.” Drew was pacing.
“He is never late. He is never this late.”
“Drew, chill out man. Honestly, I should be the one who’s worrying like you are right now. And you should be the one who’s all chill.” Toby sat on his chair, “Come to think of it: It is quite strange of him not to have messaged us on the weekend…”
“Right?” Drew managed to sit himself down. Though he kept tapping his right foot on the floor, “What do you think happened?”
“Well, if we look at the evidence, Tom’s girlfriend is here,” Toby and Drew looked straight towards Tom’s girlfriend, who was also their classmate. Toby waved at her, and Drew made a salute. The girl just looked at them like they were a bunch of monkeys playing with their bananas. Neither of them disagreed with her reaction, so they both looked away at the same time, “so that would mean she’s his ex-girlfriend now. We both know how Tom’s relationships go. They might have split up last Friday, and that he’s still recovering from it at home…Now that doesn’t make sense either. He rarely takes three days to recover. It only took about 38 hours from the last chick.”
Toby and Drew looked at another one of their classmates. She was the ‘last chick’ Toby was referring to. Drew waved at her, and Toby saluted. She gave them the same expression as the other girl.
“Yeah,” Drew said, “we gotta stop looking at them whenever we talk about them.”
“Agreed.” Toby and Drew shook on it.
“Boys! Boys! Boys!” a loud and familiar voice came from behind them. They looked at where the voice came from, and saw their friend Tom standing by the door. He was wearing a different bag than what he usually wore. A bigger bag. “Do I have something to show you!”
As he sat near his two friends, Tom slowly opened his bag. Toby and Drew peaked inside it. There wasn’t really anything strange inside the bag that would explain Tom’s level of enthusiasm today. There were a few notebooks, a lunchbox, and a silver-colored, circular, metallic object at the center of it all. Tom took it out, just enough that it didn’t leave his bag, so that others won’t see what the three of them were going on about in their little space.
“What the hell is that?”
“No idea.”
The meteor shower had stopped when Toby arrived at his house. He had to stand tiptoed in order to reach the gate handle. When the gate was finally opened, Toby’s arm was a bit worn out; nothing a few stretches won’t fix. And then he entered the house.
His mother, Lily, was preparing dinner. His brother was nowhere to be found in the living room. Which meant that he was either still on the road, stuck in gridlock traffic, or wasn’t even gonna be home tonight because he might be out with his college friends, drinking. Or, he’s already upstairs, playing video games on the computer.
Toby didn’t ask his mom to find out. He went straight up into their bedroom — since he and his brother still shared the same room — and found nobody sitting by the chair. He produced a quick sigh of relief, headed towards the computer, and opened the modem.
“I need to use the computer tonight!” said a voice coming from the door.
Toby jumped at the sudden presence of his brother, “Franco!” he said.
“I was just taking a dump.” Franco pointed towards the second floor comfort room they had in the house, which was near their bedroom. “Had to get home fast, or else I would’ve — anyway, I’m using the PC tonight.”
“You always get to use the PC!”
“Yeah, but this time, I really need to use it. I have a prelim exam tomorrow. And I haven’t studied for it yet.”
“Why can’t you study on your phone? Or at least look through your notes!”
“That’s cause I don’t have any notes, dumb shit! Now get out of there!”
Toby was starting to go red in the face. He was still sitting in front of the computer. When the monitor opened up, Toby clicked the “Power off” option on the menu, and went down stairs. Franco didn’t mind, he was still half-dressed with his school uniform, so he had time to change clothes before having to reboot the computer again.
“Why does he get to use the computer all the time and not me?” Toby asked his mother, in a loud voice, just so his brother could also hear. Somehow, he could hear a mild laugh coming from upstairs.
“Now, Toby,” Lily said, “your brother has a lot of studying to do tonight if he wants to pass his subjects.”
“Yeah…” Toby started unpacking his backpack. “Why can’t he just pass his classes like he used to when he was in high school?”
“That’s cause — “ Lily started, but was cut short when she saw Toby’s lunchbox that she had prepared for him. “Oh, did you like your lunch today, Toby?”
“Yeah, I did. It was delicious!”
“Gotta say, I’ve been getting slow these days. Sorry for being a bit late awhile ago.”
It was true, Toby’s mom was getting a bit slow when it came to bringing his lunch for him. Today, she came ten minutes after the bell had rang. Toby had already gotten a few flights up heading back to their classroom. But then he saw the small image of his mom just having arrived at GATE A. So he ran down stairs just to get his lunch. When he got to his classroom, his teacher allowed him to eat inside the room while the afternoon class started. His classmates looked at his direction. Not really looking at him, but trying to gaze upon his lunch. Toby saw his close friends looking at him, seeming to tell him telepathically for a few bites. Just a little? And Toby would communicate with them in the same way. Not a chance! As he proceeded to bite down his warm lunch.
“I mean, it’s alright, mom.” Toby gave her his lunchbox, so that she could add it to the dishes. “The guards and the teachers seem to have gotten used to it, anyway.” Toby smiled at his mom.
“Still. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Toby smiled. His mother was getting old. He and his brother were born when their parents were in their thirties. So there’s really a huge age gap to deal with at times. Toby doesn’t mind it, though it’s gotten them into several fights over not understanding each other’s sides; each other’s point of view. Sometimes, if not always, it’s what keeps them from being too close to one other; the wall of different but equally strong and rational perspectives brought by their eras.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, mom.”
“Oh yeah, right!”
* * *
“He’s never late.” Drew had said.
“Don’t worry,” Toby had just arrived inside the classroom. “maybe he just did an all-nighter last night. He might not even show up today.”
“It’s been three days since we haven’t heard from the dude.” Drew was pacing.
“He is never late. He is never this late.”
“Drew, chill out man. Honestly, I should be the one who’s worrying like you are right now. And you should be the one who’s all chill.” Toby sat on his chair, “Come to think of it: It is quite strange of him not to have messaged us on the weekend…”
“Right?” Drew managed to sit himself down. Though he kept tapping his right foot on the floor, “What do you think happened?”
“Well, if we look at the evidence, Tom’s girlfriend is here,” Toby and Drew looked straight towards Tom’s girlfriend, who was also their classmate. Toby waved at her, and Drew made a salute. The girl just looked at them like they were a bunch of monkeys playing with their bananas. Neither of them disagreed with her reaction, so they both looked away at the same time, “so that would mean she’s his ex-girlfriend now. We both know how Tom’s relationships go. They might have split up last Friday, and that he’s still recovering from it at home…Now that doesn’t make sense either. He rarely takes three days to recover. It only took about 38 hours from the last chick.”
Toby and Drew looked at another one of their classmates. She was the ‘last chick’ Toby was referring to. Drew waved at her, and Toby saluted. She gave them the same expression as the other girl.
“Yeah,” Drew said, “we gotta stop looking at them whenever we talk about them.”
“Agreed.” Toby and Drew shook on it.
“Boys! Boys! Boys!” a loud and familiar voice came from behind them. They looked at where the voice came from, and saw their friend Tom standing by the door. He was wearing a different bag than what he usually wore. A bigger bag. “Do I have something to show you!”
As he sat near his two friends, Tom slowly opened his bag. Toby and Drew peaked inside it. There wasn’t really anything strange inside the bag that would explain Tom’s level of enthusiasm today. There were a few notebooks, a lunchbox, and a silver-colored, circular, metallic object at the center of it all. Tom took it out, just enough that it didn’t leave his bag, so that others won’t see what the three of them were going on about in their little space.
“What the hell is that?”
“No idea.”
End of Chapter
* * *
* * *
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