For the Love of Netty

S I X

Tom's POV

"Tom and I are dating."

The words slipped out of her mouth with nervousness evident. Stampy and Squid's faces held blank stares for a moment, unreadable. I shifted between my two feet. "Please say something?"

Silence was my only answer.

"Aren't you going to say something? That your happy for us? That you approve?!" I growled angrily. Netty grabbed my arm gently, as if to tell me silently 'calm down, before they yell at us!'

Then the first flicker of emotion filled Squid's face first: shock, confusion, and a hint of anger. "How long have you been dating?" he asked. "Over a month," Netty answered truthfully with confidence. "You've hid it well," Stampy muttered with gritted teeth.

Oh no.

"We have," I answered bluntly, trying to hide my fear. Squid sighed, crossing his arms. "Why didn't you tell us a month ago?" "Because, we didn't want you to break us up," Netty answered with a frown. "We would've done it whether you told us that second or a year later," Stampy said with anger. "I don't want you guys to date."

Squid nodded. "I agree with Stampy." My eyes widened, and I felt Netty release my arm. "Why not? He makes me happy, doesn't that matter?!" "She makes me happy as well!" I defended. But Squid shook his head. "I like the fact that you are close friends. It's nice, but dating? C'mon, Tom, I don't think it'll work out!"

"Netty, Squid's right. It will never work out," Stampy said. "What do you know about love?! You and Melanie always foubt and never agreed on anything, but you still said 'it'll work out'!" He gasped. "We do not mention Melanie ever again! She was a horrible person!" "And I'm not! Neither is Tom, he's the best thing that ever happened to me! Why can't you understand that what happened to you and Melanie won't happen to me and Tom?!"

"Because he's not worthy enough to have you as a girlfriend! You deserve better than him!" I frowned. "Stampy, please. I will take care of your sister, I know I-" Stampy scoffed. "You can barely take care of yourself, let alone my sister." "How do you know that?! I'm a loyal person, and I am worthy of her!"

Squid held Stampy back with a tentacle. "Tom... Stampy's right. What if you don't take care of her? It'll be your fault if she gets hurt under your eyes." "But I can take care of her!" Netty threw herself in between the three of us, tears in her eyes. "Just stop it! You two don't know anything about what Tom does, because you barely speak to him or hang out with him! You don't know what I know, and I know that Tom is a great guy! You can't change that!"

"But I know what we can change," Stampy threatened, a look of pure rage in his eyes. "Oh, and what would that be? You never keep me away from Tom." "But I can kick you out of here. Or Tom." Everyone gasped at Stampy's accusation, and I frowned. "Stampy, you can't kick one of us out of your world! That's ridiculous!"

Even Squid seemed shocked. "Stampy, I don't like them together either, but you can't kick your sister or my brother out of the world." "You can't tell me what to do, Squid. I'm the owner of this world, not you," Stampy snapped, then turned to us. "I don't care if you think you're meant to be, or any of that bull crap, but I won't allow the both of you to stay in the same room, let alone the same world."

Then he closed his eyes, and seemed to think a moment. Then he reopened his eyes and glared at me. "Tom, I've made my decision. Say goodbye to Netty and Squid." He took a deep breath, and said the words I didn't want to hear.

"I am officially kicking you out of Stampy's Lovely World."

Tears filled my eyes as I clasped my hands together. "Stampy, you can't be doing this! What will I do? Where will I go?!" "I don't care, as long as you leave by sunset. Luckily for you, it's around 10 o'clock. You have time to leave, just have it done by sundown."

I sighed, looking down towards the ground. "Alright. I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave." As I began to walk out of the room, Netty grabbed my arm frantically. "Tom, please don't leave! I need you to stay with me, I love you Tom!" I turned around and stared sadly at her, a single tear running down my face. "It's out of my hands, Netty. I'm so sorry it had to come to this."

Then I walked out of Stampy's bedroom, shutting the door behind me.