Butterfly Wings

Chapter 7

Toby's POV

I pulled up to school and parked in the back. It was a hike to the front of the school, but I made it before the morning song.

"I heard about that stunt you pulled in the locker room." Ashely with her arms folded. I turned to look at her.

"Yeah, what about it ?" I asked mocking her stance. She quickly put hef arms to her sides.

"Just lay off Ethan."

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" I said making a mock pout face.

"Many things. Maybe show some pictures or Parker could." She said with a devilish smile. I dropped my face and stared blankly.

"Uh, well-" I started.

"'Uh, well' what?" She mocked as she and her puppy dogs followed her to home room. I just stood there dumb founded until Mr.Grey called me into class a few minutes later.

*******

"Hey, do you need a ride to work?" Ethan asked me as we walked down the hallway to English.

"No, I'm using my sister's old car." I said looking up and saw Ashely down the hallway. I walked ahead into Mr.Collins' class.

"Hey," Ethan said as he caught up to me.

"Just stop, ok." I sat down in my desk and started my work. He stood there for a moment longer and then walked to his seat.

**********

I made it to my first day of work a little late, but the owner wasn't there. My first day and I had to do it all by myself. Because I had just come from school I had to change into my uniform. I didn't know where the employee bathroom was so I walked over to one of the book cases and started to get change there. I knew hardly anyone came to this coffee shop anyway. As I pulled off my shirt I heard the bell on the door ring.

"Shit." I said under my breath.

"Hello?" Asked a British accent.

"Motherfucker." I said as I tried to gather my clothes. I heard him coming through the aisle.

He came behind the book case. "Oh shit." he said as he turned around. I pulled my work shirt on and started to pull on my pants.

"So what you follow me to work now?"

"I did drive you here yesterday." Ethan said as he aimlessly walked around.

"It's creepy."

"But seductive!" He called from the antique shop.

"More like stalkerish."

"It's not stalking if you want it." he said as I came into the shop.

"And how do you know I want it?" I said as he turned to face me.

"Because you never said to stop." he said with a smirk and a wink. I glared at him.

"Well, what do you want."

"I told you, your name. You still never gave me it."

"It's Toby." I said turning on the coffee maker.

"Toby? Huh, not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" I said with an edge in my voice.

"I don't know." He said running his hand over a tea cup.

"So what can I get you?" I said as I pulled down a cup.

"Nothing, just wanted to talk to you." He said as he pulled his hand back at sat at the bar. "When do you get done?"

"6." I said as I wiped the bar down.

"So tell me about yourself."

"What is there to know?"

"Anything."

"I don't really talk to people about myself."

"Well, you just did." He said smiling. I gave him a smirk. "How 'bout I go first?"

"Whatever, still not going to tell you anything."

"I am a bastard child."

"A what?" I said rinsing the rag.

"A bastard child is a baby born out of wedlock. My parents weren't married when they had me. My father was on a business trip in England and had an affair with my mother. He came back here and 9 months later I came."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I lived there with my mother, but she is getting ill and the bloody government sent me here with my father."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your problem. And hey, I got to meet you."

"Stop flirting."

"Who says I am?" He said playing with his lip ring. I rolled my eyes as I took a duster to the antiques. Something about his openness made me feel safe to talk to him. 

"I was put into the system at 6 years old. I was taken from my mother and at 8 I was adopted by the Jaspers, Donna and Michael."

"Oh, what about your father, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I never met him. My mother told me he ran out on us. I was a bastard child, too, I guess. My mother had me at 17." He nodded in understanding. I walked back behind the bar and made a quick iced tea for him. "Here." I said as I put it on the counter.

"Thanks." He said taking a sip. "Mmm, better than mother's." I laughed showing him the box mix. "Why are you so afraid of Ashley?"

"I am not!" I said making myself a glass. 

"You seemed to be this afternoon during English. Right before we walked in, I saw her as you looked up and you ran inside." He took another sip. "Then you kind of ignored me." The way he said it with such hurt and pain made me feel really guilty.

"Ok, I am. But she just..." I didn't know how to say it. 

"She what?" He said prompting.

"See I can't tell you without going back into my past." I said grabbing the broom.

"You can trust me." He said spinning the stool to face me on the floor.

"It's not that I don't, it's I don't like to talk about it." I said as I focused on the dirt I was pushing around the floor.

"Your afraid of who you were."

"Maybe." I said not denying it. He was quiet after that. The overhead bell on the door jingled and I hurried behind the counter. Ethan got up and walked into the library section of the coffee shop. I dealt with the customer who ordered this really complicated drink that I think after 3 tries, I still messed it up. After the lady left I walked over to him. He was reading "Where the Sidewalk Ends" 

"I just don't understand poetry." He said closing the book with a loud snap. He placed it on the side table next to the plush chair he was sitting on. 

"Neither do I." I said as I went back into the coffee shop and began doing the dishes. 

"So, any questions for me?" He asked as he picked up a towel and dried the newly clean dishes I laid down. 

"Nope." I said. 

"No one will stop asking, so I'm glad you don't want to ask." He said as he fake pouted.

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This chapter was getting kind of long and I wanted to have more for the next chapter so I'm going to end it here and put chapter 8 up soon. Good news is I got a working laptop so I can write faster for you guys. So let me get that up for you guys!

-JMAC