Stars - Tobjizzle

Chapter 1

I sit on the bench, the cold metal pressed against my thighs. Shivering slightly in the cold, I wipe my eyes with my hand. I look out at the cars driving past in the dark, the people rushing by on the sidewalk across the road from me, the moon sitting high in the sky. Thoughts rush through my head and another tear trickles down my face.

"Hey."

I jump, hearing a voice from beside me.

"Are you okay? Sorry, I don't mean to intrude, I just..." the man trails off.

I smile weakly, "Yeah... uh," I clear my throat lightly, "I'm okay." He nods, smiling kindly.

"I didn't mean to bother you, I just noticed you looked upset and then saw you were reppin' and so I thought I could try to, I don't know, help, or something," he continues awkwardly.

"Repping?" I ask confused. He gestures at my hoodie as he sits down beside me.

"This sweatshirt? I stole it from my brother I didn't know it was," I shrug, "whatever it is,"

"Oh, so you don't... this must seem much creepier than I wanted it to be then," he says. "Sorry I just assumed that since you were wearing the merch you knew who I was." He sticks out his hand, "I'm Tobi, nice to meet you."

"Jade," I say quietly, returning the handshake. I look closely at him for the first time. He wears the same hoodie that I do, a pair of joggers, and a black snapback with "tbjzl" on the front. We sit in silence for a moment before he speaks again.

"I was just on my way to get some coffee, would you like to join me?"

"Yeah, um, I guess." I take a breath to collect myself before standing up. We head down the street to a cafe. As soon as I enter the cafe the warmth envelops me and I feel a bit calmer.

I order a tea from the tired barista before moving aside so Tobi can order. We sit down quietly at a small table towards the back of the cafe, waiting for a few minutes before our drinks are ready. I go up to the counter to collect them, clinging to the warmth the cups provide me.

"So," Tobi says as I sit down, "What's your story?" I take a sip of my sip of my tea before speaking.

"My story?" I say, "You mean why you found me crying on a bench alone a 10 o'clock at night."

He shrugs, "Whatever you want to tell me." I sigh, deciding whether or not to tell him how I ended up there. I look up at the lights above us, trying not to start crying again. He reaches out, squeezing my hand comfortingly before letting go again. I wrap my hands around my mug.

"I--," I swallow, "I had just gotten home from work. It was earlier than usual, 4:00 maybe. I walked into the bedroom, just wanting to collapse." I take a sip of my tea before continuing the story.

"Then I saw them. Brayden," I spit out the name, "And her. Whoever she is she better be gone by the time I get home." I clench my jaw, no longer feeling sad, just angry.

I look up and make eye contact with Tobi, my anger fading a bit.

"Do you want me to come back to your flat with you? See if there's anything I can do to help?" He says. I nod gratefully. We continue to chat for a while before both finishing off our drinks.

"Shall we go?" I sigh. We get up, bus our mugs, and walk out the door, leaving the warmth of the cafe behind.

***

We step out of the lift and I lead him up to my door. I feel for my keys in my pocket and, not finding them, get slightly frantic.

"Fuck."

"Need help?" he says, eyebrows raised.

"I think I forgot my phone and keys when I left," I say, running my fingers through my hair, "I just left quickly and I didn't think about anything, God I'm so stupid." I sigh, covering my face with my hands.

"Hey, it's fine," he says comfortingly, "Do you have someone you can call? You can borrow my phone." I take a breath and nod. He unlocks his phone before passing it to me and I dial Alicia's number.

"Hello?" She answers hesitantly.

"Hey, it's me," I say, relieved she would pick up an unknown number, "Are you home? I locked myself out and you still have my extra key."

"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec."

"Thanks." I hang up and pass Tobi his phone back. The door across the hall opens and Alicia walks out in a pair of joggers and a pajama shirt. She glances at Tobi before pulling me into a quick hug.

"You okay, Jade? You look like shit," she says as a greeting.

"Thanks," I respond sarcastically, "This is Tobi by the way." I gesture towards him quickly. She nods at him before handing me her key. I quickly unlock the door before handing it back to her.

"Call me, yeah?"

I nod, "Yeah. We have a lot to talk about." She smiles and hugs me quickly again before going back into her flat.

I smile weakly at Tobi before gesturing him through the door and then shutting it behind us.

(A/N Ahh first chapter!! Alright it's not my best work but I guess we'll just see how it goes. If you have any feedback or criticism please don't hesitate. Thanks for reading!)