Butterfly Wings

Chapter 6

Toby's POV

I got the job at the coffee shop, no one else had applied. I will have to get used to the smell of books, dust, and coffee, though. Michael was waiting for me like he said he would be. 

"So how did it go?" He asked as I got in the car.

"Good. I got the job." I replied swinging the seatbelt over me.

"Wonderful, how much does it pay?"

"8.50 an hour. I will need to start using Chelsea's old car now."

"That's ok. It's good we get some use out of it, it's practically brand new." Michael said as we turned down our street. 

"Yeah, I will give you what I can for insurance."

"Nonsense, I didn't have Chelsea pay until she turned 18."

"I'm not her."

"I know, but I want to treat you both the same." Michael did try to be like a dad, but he tried to hard. We pulled into the drive way and I hopped out before the car even turned off.

"I'm home!" I called into the house.

"Did you get the job?" Donna asked as she came into the foyer.

"Yeah. Bye now." I said as I climbed the stairs to my room.

"Dinner will be done in 10!" Donna said as she walked back into the kitchen. I swung open my bedroom door and put my bag down on the floor. I turned on my TV and watched Girl Code on MTV. Carly was talking about first dates while I did my math homework.

"Hhhhheeeeeyyyy." Chelsea said as she walked into my room.

"What?" I said looking up from my laptop.

"I love what you did to my old room." Chelsea said as she looked around the room. Chelsea had this room 2 years ago, but when Donna cleaned out the spare room, Chelsea took that one. It was pink and frilly with posters of "hot" movie stars or singers, but now it was light purple with gold trim. I put up butterfly stickers up mounted a TV on the wall. Other than little details, the room still had the same furniture in the same spots. As much as I despised her, Chelsea knew how to make things look good.

"That still doesn't answer the question of what do you want."

"Mom wanted me to get you for dinner." She said as she clicked out of my room. I went past her and down the stairs. If I didn't get there first she would have me do the dishes. It was a deal we made back when we were 9 and 13 . She still obeyed it.

"How was your day, Toby?" Donna asked as she put pasta onto my plate.

"Good." I said putting a mouthful into my mouth so I didn't have to talk.

"Can you tell us why the school saw you run into the boys' locker room ON CAMERA." Donna was quick to change the subject. Chelsea spit out her water.

"No."

"You went into the BOYS' locker room?!" Chelsea asked astonished. She never realized how much I had change from 14 to 17. At 14 I was fat and nervous around boys, now I chase them into locker rooms for a pencil.

"Uh duh?" I said picking up my glass of water

"So you did do it?" Donna continued.

"Yes, but only because this boy took my pencil and I had to chase him into the locker room to get it." I stopped there because I wasn't going to tell them what happened inside the locker room.

"Was he cute?" Chelsea asked ignoring the problem.

"I don't know. He just moved here from England."

"So he is cute. Do you like him? What is his name?"

"Ethan." I said with a smile.

"So you do like him!"

"Do not!" I said almost knocking my glass over.

"Wonder if he has a brother." Chelsea said almost to herself. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you still can't go into the locker room." Donna said as Michael sat down. He was always late to dinner. "Catching up on some work" he always said.

"Won't happen again." I said looking down.

"And you can't hang out with him if he is going to get you in trouble."

"Who says I want to hang out with him anyway?"

"Enough." Michael said as he turned to Donna. "She will be using the Chelsea's old car now that she has a job."

"Oh yes. I have celebratory wine for that." Donna said as she got up to get it. 

*********

Dinner was finally over and I went back up into my room. I stripped off my clothes and started the shower. I got in and let the warm water cascade down my body. My dyed hair still bled into the water even after 2 months of having re-dyed it. After shampooing and washing my body, I sat down on the cold porcelain. I let the water pelt on me. Then it all came. I cried and cried and let it all come. Everyday was another battle and no matter how much I tried to be happy, I never was. No one really liked me at school and my family wasn't mine. I was different from them. Chelsea was so perfect. And nothing ever seemed to be right. I felt the water change to cold so I quickly put conditioner in and got out.

********

It was 11:47 before I got into bed. I climbed in and let my body sink into the warm bed. My alarm was set and I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I woke up at 3:24 in the morning and for some reason whenever I wake up that early I feel bummed out and I start thinking. Thinking isn't good for me. I started to think things I shouldn't and at 3 in the morning that's when my deepest thoughts came out. I finally fell back to sleep at 5:12.

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So we found out more about Toby. I had to finish chapter 6 on my iPod and so it took forever, but I got it done. In history my teacher thought I was texting but I was writing on here so I had to explain that to him, it was rather awkward.

-JMAC xoxo