Love's Never Too Late

Chapter 5

School passes in a blur, I'm fairly certain I get shoved into the wall at one point but I'm too elated to notice or even care. The art teacher pulls me aside during one lesson and I say all the things I'm expected to, " I'm sorry, " " It wont happen again, " " I understand, " and all that jazz. Time passes at a surprisingly fast velocity when I'm not dreading every second of every day, it's actually incredible.

The bell rings deafeningly and I grasp my bag, throwing it over my shoulder, and I'm out the door quicker than the speed of light. I jog down the corridors and out the large doors and only then do I slow down. I scurry over to a deserted bench and wait agitatedly for Tommy to come out so we can do something, together.

Eventually, I spot the mop of jagged hair in the crowd. My face lights up with glee and I speed walk up to him, I peck his cheek lightly before he even notices I'm there.

" Oh, hi, " he blushes a bright shade of crimson and grins stupidly and I grin happily.

" It's absolutely boiling, wanna go down to the park and cool off at the pond? " he inquires and his face goes a more relaxed shade of peach.

" Sure, " I shrug and take his hand in mine and we walk to the park slowly. He wasn't kidding, it's absolutely boiling and I might just drown in my own sweat and the humidity, it's disgusting.

" Did you know that the railway tracks are bending right now? " he stares off with his eyes looking upwards in deep thought.

" Really? How come? " I look at him in curiosity, I am very interested in things but it's just really difficult to concentrate.

" Heat waves like this make the tracks bend, " he smiles and looks back at me, " pretty cool, right? "

" That's actually really cool, things expand when they're hot I think, " I briefly remember learning that a couple years ago in a science, I can't quite remember which one. It's an odd feeling to know that metal can bend without human interaction, that's pretty interesting.

" I-if you're looking for i-intelligent talk... I probably can't give it t-to you. I-I'm not very smart... " I sigh deeply and look at the scorching pavement as we walk along.

" There's no such thing as not being smart, just things that prevent us from becoming smart, " I look back up and a kind smile shines at me and I smile back.

" So, tell me, what prevents you from being intelligent? Maybe I can help out," he asks and I'm slightly astounded, no one's ever wanted to help me get better at school.

" I-I just can't concentrate. I'll look at the page and I'll s-see the letters or numbers for a fraction of a-a second and then i-it'll go fu-fuzzy, like if you squint your eyes at a l-light source and it spreads out i-in little lines. I take information in b-but it just, l-leaves so quickly? I honestly d-don't know what I'm doing wr-wrong... " I bite my lip, I've never been so honest with somebody before and I'm suddenly terrified that he'll react negatively and will call me stupid and ignorant just like Mr McInnish...

" Oh, you could be dyslexic. I can help you study if you want, I'll be like your personal free tutor, " he grins as we take a gentle right turn into the park and suddenly we're off the streets and surrounded by lush grass and stunning trees.

" You'd really do that? " It's a lot to take in that someone would do that, for someone like me. I must be the most boring human ever and he's voluntarily going to spend a few hours with me a week to attempt to make me less idiotic. I'm beaming so brightly I'm surprised the tress aren't being set on fire around me.

" Gladly! Let's sit down, " he sits by the edge of the pond and takes off his honestly basic black trainers, but they don't look basic to me.

I sit down next to him and take off my shoes as well, the sole is coming away from the fabric at the tip but I don't mind. I slip off my black socks that have a hole around my big toe, probably because my toenails are just incredulously sharp. I can see the scars from when my mum, if she even deserves that title, placed drawing pins just outside my bedroom door and masked them underneath the carpet. It's safe to say that was a rather painful experience.

I hear a sigh of relief and look over at Tommy as he dips his feet into the cool water and he leans back with a look of satisfaction on his face.

" Put your feet in, it's so refreshing oh my god, " he lies back against the grass and shuts his eyes gently with a small smile on his face, it makes me smile too.

I nervously dip my toes into the murky water and instantly make the exact same sound I hear just seconds earlier.

" Oh my god, you weren't k-kidding, " I chuckle as I'm filled with relaxation and I lean back too. I place my bad under my head as a makeshift pillow and have my knees bent over the pond so the water comes up just underneath my kneecaps.

I feel incredibly at peace, this feeling might even beat stargazing. The coolness spreads throughout my body and I feel as if I'm floating across the sea in a small boat, completely alone with no problems. Just me, the sky and the fish. The grass around me must've been freshly mowed because it gives off a great smell, but it's a fresh smell that my nose takes in eagerly.

I must have dozed off as a wake to a gentle nudge against my shoulder and my eyelashes seem to stick to each other as I welcome in light.

" You fell asleep, " he giggles, " you moved about a lot in your sleep, it was funny."

I smile a little and sit up and rub my eyes, " So, there's an ice cream truck, I'm gonna get some. You want anything? "

" Um, surprise me, " I reply and he extends from his squat position and walks majestically away from me, his arms move by his sides like he owns the place and it doesn't match his personality at all, but in a comedic way.

I turn round to face the pond and I see some kids playing about in it and I smile gently. We all want to be older until we realise how blissful it was to be clueless and happy, it's a sad experience to go through.

Thud

I quickly turn round and see Tommy just a few metres away from me lying sprawled out on the ground. The tranquility is instantly gone and replaced by a tight feeling in my chest, worry.

" T-Tommy? " I say nervously and scramble to my feet and go over next to him. His eyes are completely shut and his lips aren't moving, if this is a prank I'm going to kill him.

" T-Tommy? " I shake his shoulder slightly hard, " Come on, this isn't funny. "

He doesn't budge.

Breathing heavier and faster now, I place my ear in front of his mouth and with horror I've never known before, I realise he's not breathing.

(( Well shit's really going down now. What do you think happened to Tommy?

I'm really proud of how well this is going, more views would be nice but oh well, at least I'm writing a decently long story for once. I even have all chapters up to chapter 8 prewritten!

I've decided that I'm going to be posting new chapters every Saturday starting next week.

Anyways, as always, tell me if I made any grammatical mistakes or spelling errors!))