Third Person
The teacher was explaining some war to the class as everyone typed away at their computers, except for Jim. He was dreamily staring at y/n as she worked. Tobby tried getting his attention but quickly gave up with a sigh. " Really," he whispered to himself. " Close your mouth. Your drooling," he whispered to Jim. " No. No, I'm not." He said to him. Y/n looked back to see Jim staring. She blushed then smiled and waved at him. He bushed and nervously waved back, smiling stupidly.
Tobby started typing into his computer quickly. " What are you doing," Jim asked curiously. " Research." He responded plainly. " Hey, look up 'talking amulet'" y/n said, listening in on the conversation now, from the other side of Tobby. " I already did that. All I got were toys. One of them was a plushy." He said back. " Jim, wouldn't you agree." A deep voice asked from beside him, startling him out of staring at y/n again, who had gone back to work.
" Sir!?" He asked nervously. " With Herodidtary's decisions on war, as I described?" The teacher said, taking out a pen and absently popping the lid on and off. " Oh, ah, absolutely," he said cheerfully as Tobby started to whistle, looking away. " Excellent. Which tactic specifically?" The teacher asked. " The, ah,... winning ones?" he said nervously as everyone laughed.
The bell rang and the teacher started yelling out instructions as everyone left. "Jim, may I have a word?" He asked last. Jim nodded as his school bag fell off the desk. They both bent down to pick up the mess as the teacher said, " Jim, you're distracted. You fell asleep between the invasion of Attica and the peace of Nicias, and your attention wandered for the rest of class." " Sorry, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." He apologized. " I know it's just you and your mother and you want to help her..." the teacher was saying. " She's just really tired, Mr Strickler. She's been working double shifts at the clinic." Jim interrupted. " I believe I'm overdue for a conversation with her. Have her call me please." Mr Strictlar said, handing Jim a slip of paper. " Uhh..." Jim started. " And feel free to come by my office if you ever need to talk." The teacher finished. " Ya, I.. I'll do that," Jim responded. " Oh, and Jim, if you fancy miss Nunez, I submit that talking to her about it would be much more effective than staring." Mr Strickler said with a smug look. Jim walked away, smiling with a blush.
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In PE, Tobby was trying to climb the rope but not getting very far. " Almost there. So close." He was saying. " Come on, Tobs." y/n cheered. " You got this." Jim put in as y/n walked off towards her sister. "Soo close," he said as he fell. The coach came up behind them and said, " What is that on my rope? Every student here should be able to climb this rope and ring that bell. I want all of ya to be made of iron. Iron!" He yelled, poking Tobby in the stomach.
Jim looked over at the bleachers and saw y/n sitting with her sister and her friends. They were all laughing at Claire's phone. He went over to try and start a conversation. " Buenas Noches." " You speak Spanish?" Claire asked confused. " Since when?" y/n asked laughing. " Um. Um, uh." Jim tried talking but was distracted by how beautiful he thought y/n's laugh was as he stared at her. " Come on, guys." One of Claire's friends said, waking away.
" Do you like Shakespeare?" The twins asked together. " What?" Jim asked, looking between them. " Do you like Shakespeare?" Claire asked again as y/n giggled. " Shakespeare?" He asked, dreamily looking at y/n again with a blush. " The school play. We're having trouble getting boys to audition. " Claire explains as y/n looks at Jim, smiling expectantly. " o.. oh, Hasta Luego." He said as they left, y/n giving him a small wave and smile before catching up to her sister. He looked back to see the couch still criticizing the stuck Tobby.
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Jim's POV
Me and Tobby sit on the benches in the locker room putting on our shoes, at least I am, Tobby is trying his best. I look over at him as he grunts trying to put his sock on. " So close!" he shouts as he continues trying, almost falling off the bench in the process. " So you talked to her?", Tobby asks as he continues to struggle. He falls off the bench with a grunt, laying upside down as he continues, " Like actually spoke to her? Not just, you know, in your head?"
"I unleashed my Español on her," I answer as I take the amulet out of my bag. "Oh no. You should totally do it." Toby says as he flips back right-side up. " What? the play? I'm not an actor." I answer sarcastically as I stand up, closing my locker. " Come on. You're always saying how you want your life to be more exciting," Tobby answered as he sat back down on the bench, trying to put his sock on again before falling a second time, " right?"
" I don't think Romeo and Juliet is exactly the answer, Tobes. I don't mean just, you know, exciting. I mean... more." I try to explain what I mean as I lean against the lockers in front of Tobby, looking at the amulet again. " I just need to know there's more to life than high school." Out of nowhere I hear clattering from the end of the lockers and see a shadow move away from where we are. Startled, I walk towards where the noise came from.
" Something more?" Tobby grunts as he continues to try to get his sock on, seemingly oblivious to the noise. I hear toby yell again, most likely falling, as I peek around the corner towards the showers, too focused to check on him at the moment. " Hello?" I call out, as steam pours out of the doorway, " Anybody in there? Hello?" I slowly creep to the door and peek in the see nothing but steam everywhere. I look on curiously as I think I see a shadowy figure run from one side of the room.
" Got one!" I jump as I hear Tobby yell from the lockers, excited about finally getting his sock on. " Woohoo! finally! success, success!" I laugh as I turn around and start walking back towards Tobby, forgetting about the noise. Not noticing the blue silhouette in the steam as I walk away.
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Y/n's POV
At the end of the day, I walk with Tobby and Jim towards the school entrance. "Good news! My orthodontist said I'm almost done with my braces. Only four more years" Toby says cheerfully. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steve shoving Eli into a locker. "oh, great" I whisper sarcastically under my breath. "hey, nothing to see here", Toby muttered to us. "We can't just let him do that," Jim said, staring at them. "oh yes we can. if he's busy terrorizing him, then he won't be busy terrorizing us" Toby said worriedly. "Jim? Jim!" I called out as Jim walked towards Steve and his group. "Oh, no! " Tobby muttered next to me.
Tobby and I quickly followed Jim as he approached Steve. " Tell me again, dweeb-face. Tell me about the creatures and maybe I'll let you out." I heard Steve say as he elbowed the locker he stuffed Eli in. "Or, you can let him out right now. I mean, you know, it would be nice." Jim rambled nervously as he stopped in front of Steve. I stopped next to my sister and her friends as I glanced nervously back and forth between Steve and Jim.
" Nice would be you minding your own business," Steve said angrily, pointing at Jim as his friends stood around him glaring. " Oh, Hi Jim!" Eli yelled out from inside the locker as Steve punched it. "So where were we? Um... Oh, yeah, ok." Steve continued his conversation with Eli through the locker, "You were telling me about the monsters you saw this morning, with fangs and... What was it again" he growled, punching the locker one more time. " Stone for skin! In the canal!" Eli answered. " Stone for skin? Man, Eli, you've got some imagination." Steve laughs.
I watch nervously as Jim puts his bike down. "Look, Steve, seriously, just let him out," Jim says boldly. Steve stomps up to him and grabs Jim by the strap of his bag, lifting him a bit off the ground and readying a punch. " Or you'll do what?" " Ok, do it. Punch me." Jim answers as everyone around us gasps. Steve laughs as he looks at Jim, " You.. your asking for a beating?" " Yeah. Just go crazy. But In 20 years, you are going to be fat and bald and you'll be working in a muffler shop, and Eli will have a career in software and he'll be a billionaire." Jim yells at Steve as the crowd starts to get more into the fight. I hear Eli from in the locker, " I do like computers."
I start to smile as I hear Tobby start chanting next to me " Let him out! Let him out! Let him out!" Soon the whole crowd joins in the chanting, including me and my sister as I laugh. Steve starts to look around worried as more people start chanting. He starts to get angry and gets ready to punch Jim. Worried I quickly step in and grab Steve's arm. " Stop it, Steve. Just let go and let Eli out." I stand in front of Jim as Steve drops him to glare at me.
"Palchuk, what's going on here?" All three of us jump as the couch rams through the door to know what's going on. " Uh, nothing, sir," Steve says as if he did nothing wrong. " Why aren't you at practice?!" The coach screams at Steve. " I was just helping Eli here. He was stuck." Steve smiles innocently and opens the locker door to show Eli crammed into it in a very uncomfortable position. " Hi, guys!" he says cheerfully and waves.
The coach believes him and doesn't even question anything. " On the double. Now!" he yells at Steve before walking away. After he leaves Steve glares down at Jim behind me, " Friday at noon. You and me. your girlfriend can't protect you forever." he waves his finger back and forth as he walks away saying, " tick-tock, tick-tock." I turn around to Jim and see him blushing like crazy and with a very panicked look. " Jim, that was awesome," I yelled as I hugged him.
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a/n- I finally got another chapter out. I'm sorry I took so long with this one. I've had a lot of personal stuff going on, but I'm so happy to be back to writing again. thank you everyone for your patience and for sticking around. ~~ Pinky-chan