Written: Monday. November 4, 2019.
Once they were sure that the coast was clear of alien lifeforms trying to take over the world and did not come in peace, the not-so-brave party slowly made their way to Toby’s house. The decision was made through a coin flip. Toby insisted that this was the best way to deal with crossroads situations. It was either they would go to his place, which would be safer because his house was at the back of the village. Or they would go to Drew’s condo, which had video games and snacks, and air conditioning. But lacked the room for at least five people, including two more for his parents. But the coin landed on Heads, and so they went to Toby’s house.
As they arrived, Toby reached inside the gate in order to jammy up the handle so that the gate door would open, but it wouldn’t budge. And then he noticed a metal lock placed in between.
“Dude,” Tom said, while Toby was now trying to make a noise with the chains surrounding the metal lock so as to attract attention towards the potential people inside the house. “don’t you have any keys?”
“They don’t give us keys.” Toby said, as he stopped making chain noises and accepted defeat. “Dammit. I knew this might happen. I mean look at the time. It’s already way past my curfew.”
“Who still has curfew?”
“Me, apparently.”
Then the front door started to make some noise. It was the sound of door locks being unlocked. Toby heard this and raised himself up to see who came to his rescue.
“Finally — wait, no. Why’d they send you out here?”
“What’s the matter, Toby?” Franco asked. “Off on a late night adventure, are we?”
“Just open the gate, man! We’ve got an unconscious girl here who needs to lie down!” Toby replied to his annoying brother.
“Mom told me not to.” Franco playfully replied.
“You’re full of shit, you know that?” Toby kicked the gate.
“I’m confused.” Amanda whispered to Tom. “Does Toby have like a twin or something? They both sound the same way.”
“That’s his brother.” Tom whispered back to Amanda.
“His little brother?”
“Nah, his big brother.”
“He’s sort of small to be Toby’s big brother.”
“I heard that!” Franco yelled.
“Franco, come on!” Toby pleaded. “Open the fuckin’ gate!” He screamed that out so loud that Franco got stunned and actually opened the gate for him. Toby pushed him aside and his friends followed him inside.
When Toby and his friends arrived inside the house, Toby proceeded to take his father’s hand and briefly placed it on his forehead. Then he did the same to his mother. His friends did the same after him. Toby saw his parents face shift from “Where the hell have you been? Do you even know what time it is right now?” to “Oh you have some friends over. How nice!” in a matter of a second.
Drew settled June down by the couch. Upon seeing this, Toby’s mom immediately went to her care. Taking her temperature, seeing if she was still breathing — which she was again, at this point. And then looking towards Toby.
“What happened to her, Toby?” Lily asked.
“She passed away.” Tom replied before Toby could.
“She passed out.” Toby corrected.
“That’s what I said!” Tom looked at Drew, mouthing the words ‘can you believe this guy?’ to him. Amanda is just shaking her head in the corner.
“Anyway,” Toby said, “We were doing this project down by the park which involves a video presentation for this subject of ours. It got dark out, and June took a misstep and landed head-first on the ground. That’s why we went here. Cause it was the closest.”
“You were at the park the whole time? You could’ve went home first to change clothes, Toby.”
“Yeah, but we needed to be wearing our uniforms for the video.” Toby replied.
“Oh, okay.” Lily started walking towards the kitchen, “I’ll make a wet towel for your friend there. Here,” she takes a thermometer from the top of the refrigerator and gives it to Toby. “you take her temperature while I prepare the wet towel. Edmund dear,” she looks at her husband, who seems to be busy watching a local TV show. “Order some pizza for the kids here. They must be starving already.”
“Yes dear,” Edmund replied, “Franco!”
Franco comes down from the second floor. “Yeah, dad?”
“Order some pizza online for our guests. And here’s some money to buy soft drinks from the sari-sari store outside.”
Franco just nods and proceeds to go outside. Edmund returns to watching the TV.
Toby gives Drew the thermometer. “Well, that’s your problem now.”
“Wait, where do you put it?” Drew asked Toby.
“What do you mean, where? You know where!”
“I — dude, if I put it in the wrong place, I swear.”
“Gimme that!” Amanda takes the thermometer from Drew. “You guys have one job.” She proceeds to put the thermometer inside June’s armpit. “There.”
“Guys,” Tom said, “Guys!”
The others looked at him and said in unison, “What?”
“Just wanted to know where the bathroom was.”
“It’s over there.” Toby pointed towards a door near the kitchen. Tom walks toward it.
After a few seconds, the thermometer started beeping. Amanda took it out and checked the temperature. “It’s not that bad. Maybe she just really passed out from all of that running.”
“She doesn’t look the athletic-type, anyway.” Drew said.
“How would you know?” Amanda asked.
“I mean, most girls aren’t in our school.”
“Most girls.” Amanda repeated. “But not all girls.”
“Sure — “
“How’re things coming along?” Lily arrived with the wet towel. “Is her temperature high?”
“No,” Drew replied. “She’s doing fine. Maybe it was just all of that running we did,” then he sees Toby looking at him funny and remembers the lie he had to make. “…for the video project and stuff.”
“Well, it’s probably that. She’ll be fine in the morning.” Lily then puts the wet towel above June’s forehead. “There. That’ll help her for now. I need you to check up on her temperature every once in a while. No need to use the thermometer anymore. Just place the back of your hand on her neck to feel the heat of her skin.”
Drew looked at Toby’s mom. “What?”
“Don’t worry. That’s totally normal.” Lily goes back to the kitchen.
Drew looks at the unconscious June. He just looks at her for quite a while, then proceeds to put the back of his hand on her neck to feel her heat. He does this a few more times afterwards. Amanda is just there, watching.
Once they were sure that the coast was clear of alien lifeforms trying to take over the world and did not come in peace, the not-so-brave party slowly made their way to Toby’s house. The decision was made through a coin flip. Toby insisted that this was the best way to deal with crossroads situations. It was either they would go to his place, which would be safer because his house was at the back of the village. Or they would go to Drew’s condo, which had video games and snacks, and air conditioning. But lacked the room for at least five people, including two more for his parents. But the coin landed on Heads, and so they went to Toby’s house.
As they arrived, Toby reached inside the gate in order to jammy up the handle so that the gate door would open, but it wouldn’t budge. And then he noticed a metal lock placed in between.
“Dude,” Tom said, while Toby was now trying to make a noise with the chains surrounding the metal lock so as to attract attention towards the potential people inside the house. “don’t you have any keys?”
“They don’t give us keys.” Toby said, as he stopped making chain noises and accepted defeat. “Dammit. I knew this might happen. I mean look at the time. It’s already way past my curfew.”
“Who still has curfew?”
“Me, apparently.”
Then the front door started to make some noise. It was the sound of door locks being unlocked. Toby heard this and raised himself up to see who came to his rescue.
“Finally — wait, no. Why’d they send you out here?”
“What’s the matter, Toby?” Franco asked. “Off on a late night adventure, are we?”
“Just open the gate, man! We’ve got an unconscious girl here who needs to lie down!” Toby replied to his annoying brother.
“Mom told me not to.” Franco playfully replied.
“You’re full of shit, you know that?” Toby kicked the gate.
“I’m confused.” Amanda whispered to Tom. “Does Toby have like a twin or something? They both sound the same way.”
“That’s his brother.” Tom whispered back to Amanda.
“His little brother?”
“Nah, his big brother.”
“He’s sort of small to be Toby’s big brother.”
“I heard that!” Franco yelled.
“Franco, come on!” Toby pleaded. “Open the fuckin’ gate!” He screamed that out so loud that Franco got stunned and actually opened the gate for him. Toby pushed him aside and his friends followed him inside.
When Toby and his friends arrived inside the house, Toby proceeded to take his father’s hand and briefly placed it on his forehead. Then he did the same to his mother. His friends did the same after him. Toby saw his parents face shift from “Where the hell have you been? Do you even know what time it is right now?” to “Oh you have some friends over. How nice!” in a matter of a second.
Drew settled June down by the couch. Upon seeing this, Toby’s mom immediately went to her care. Taking her temperature, seeing if she was still breathing — which she was again, at this point. And then looking towards Toby.
“What happened to her, Toby?” Lily asked.
“She passed away.” Tom replied before Toby could.
“She passed out.” Toby corrected.
“That’s what I said!” Tom looked at Drew, mouthing the words ‘can you believe this guy?’ to him. Amanda is just shaking her head in the corner.
“Anyway,” Toby said, “We were doing this project down by the park which involves a video presentation for this subject of ours. It got dark out, and June took a misstep and landed head-first on the ground. That’s why we went here. Cause it was the closest.”
“You were at the park the whole time? You could’ve went home first to change clothes, Toby.”
“Yeah, but we needed to be wearing our uniforms for the video.” Toby replied.
“Oh, okay.” Lily started walking towards the kitchen, “I’ll make a wet towel for your friend there. Here,” she takes a thermometer from the top of the refrigerator and gives it to Toby. “you take her temperature while I prepare the wet towel. Edmund dear,” she looks at her husband, who seems to be busy watching a local TV show. “Order some pizza for the kids here. They must be starving already.”
“Yes dear,” Edmund replied, “Franco!”
Franco comes down from the second floor. “Yeah, dad?”
“Order some pizza online for our guests. And here’s some money to buy soft drinks from the sari-sari store outside.”
Franco just nods and proceeds to go outside. Edmund returns to watching the TV.
Toby gives Drew the thermometer. “Well, that’s your problem now.”
“Wait, where do you put it?” Drew asked Toby.
“What do you mean, where? You know where!”
“I — dude, if I put it in the wrong place, I swear.”
“Gimme that!” Amanda takes the thermometer from Drew. “You guys have one job.” She proceeds to put the thermometer inside June’s armpit. “There.”
“Guys,” Tom said, “Guys!”
The others looked at him and said in unison, “What?”
“Just wanted to know where the bathroom was.”
“It’s over there.” Toby pointed towards a door near the kitchen. Tom walks toward it.
After a few seconds, the thermometer started beeping. Amanda took it out and checked the temperature. “It’s not that bad. Maybe she just really passed out from all of that running.”
“She doesn’t look the athletic-type, anyway.” Drew said.
“How would you know?” Amanda asked.
“I mean, most girls aren’t in our school.”
“Most girls.” Amanda repeated. “But not all girls.”
“Sure — “
“How’re things coming along?” Lily arrived with the wet towel. “Is her temperature high?”
“No,” Drew replied. “She’s doing fine. Maybe it was just all of that running we did,” then he sees Toby looking at him funny and remembers the lie he had to make. “…for the video project and stuff.”
“Well, it’s probably that. She’ll be fine in the morning.” Lily then puts the wet towel above June’s forehead. “There. That’ll help her for now. I need you to check up on her temperature every once in a while. No need to use the thermometer anymore. Just place the back of your hand on her neck to feel the heat of her skin.”
Drew looked at Toby’s mom. “What?”
“Don’t worry. That’s totally normal.” Lily goes back to the kitchen.
Drew looks at the unconscious June. He just looks at her for quite a while, then proceeds to put the back of his hand on her neck to feel her heat. He does this a few more times afterwards. Amanda is just there, watching.
End of Chapter.
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