Work Text:
November 20, 2007, in Oakdale Heights Alabama
Toby was rushing through his house looking for a pair of socks while simultaneously screaming about how he lost his homework. The sun was just rising and lord forbid the Rogers family had a peaceful and quiet morning. With the on-the-go Toby and a fairly distressed college student living under the same roof, the two kids' mother, Connie, would never see a morning where everyone was quietly getting ready for the day. Nope— it was always just pure chaos. And damn, those two kids always made a mess of her house in the morning.
“Tobias, calm the hell down. You’re running like a chicken without a head and stressing the hell out of your mother!” Toby’s father yelled, chasing Toby around the corner of the living room as he searched for his lost homework.
Toby didn’t stop at these words, only giving a little mumble as he threw the couches throw pillows every which way in an attempt to locate where the hell his pre-calculus homework was. At first, he checked his room and in the process made a mess out of the room he was just forced to clean last weekend, but to no avail. It was like it grew wings and flew away. Hell, his own homework was praying for his downfall!
“Oh honey, no need to yell,” pleaded a softer, more feminine voice.
This was Toby and Lyra’s mother. A sweet old fashioned woman who just wanted a peaceful day for once in her life. She gently coaxed her husband softly while patting his shoulder. This usually worked— at least to Toby, it seemed it did. What was the saying? Happy wife happy life? At least Toby’s mother knew how to somewhat calm the guy down. And oh boy was Toby thankful for that. Sometimes he just couldn’t bear to listen to his father.
“But look at him! Tearing apart the house when he should be getting his shoes on and catching the bus. Honey, if I did this in the morning my father would have beaten my ass and sent me to school shoeless,” Toby’s father complained. The man was now just looming over Toby while his mother gently tried to coax him out of the living room and into the kitchen.
“Why don’t we just get you some coffee, hm? Maybe you’ll feel better,” Connie softly asked, giving Toby a look that practically said ‘You should get going before your father gets worse.’ It made Toby feel a little better to know that his mother understood how much of a handful her husband could be.
Toby’s father groaned at this and turned to leave the living room. His mother gave a sympathetic smile before she also turned to follow her husband into the kitchen.
‘Poor ma,’ Toby thought to himself. How does anyone deal with that pain in the ass? At least If anything calmed down a working middle-aged man it would be coffee from his oh-so-loving wife. Toby would have to thank his mama when he got the chance after school.
By this time Toby had given up looking for his homework. Hey, at least he tried to find it. It was better than nothing. Now he was in a rush to find a clean pair of socks so he could slip on his dirty Converse and catch the bus in time. If he missed the bus again his dad would surely give him a good scolding while Lyra complained about not wanting to give her little brother a ride to school again. While Lyra loved his baby brother she didn't exactly enjoy dropping him off on such short notice.
‘But I’ll be late again,’ she would say. That couldn’t have been true though, Toby knew that. Her first class wasn’t til eight in the morning. Toby started school at seven in the morning. That was more than enough time to drop Toby off and then make it to her first class of the day.
Toby quickly picked up a pair of socks near the door. They were a little too small on him so they were probably Lyra’s. Oh well, they would have to work. He flipped open his old and cracked flip phone to check the time. God damn it— it was already 6:40 in the morning. He had five minutes to get out the door and book it to the end of the street. Toby wasn’t a scaredy cat, but he wasn’t looking forward to another fatherly lecture and argument with his older sister if he missed the bus.
“Ma, pops, I’m leaving!” Toby shouted, shoving his feet into his worn-out Converse that he was repeatedly told to retire day after day.
Connie smiled at her son and gave him the usual “Okay sweetheart, have a good day at school. And please, for the love of god, fix that mop of hair on your head.”
Toby knew his mother meant the best but she said that every day. Like, every single day.
And each day Toby would exclaim, “Thanks mama, but my hair is fine!”
It was like a little routine they had going. Toby once found it annoying but had grown used to it by his second year in high school since that's when his mother was really keen on Toby looking presentable. That woman would do anything to keep her baby boy looking as nice and handsome as physically possible.
Toby’s father didn’t so much as turn around to see his son off, too focused on the sports game replays from last night. He always watched the television in the morning. It became his own routine. Nobody even attempted to stop the man for fear that he would snap and go on a rant about how interesting the game replays were. Once Toby tried to change the channel to watch the news with his mother and it was like World War Three broke out. Lord forbid they ask the man to pay attention to his own son. Or do anything that required peeling his eyes off the television screen. What if Toby left for school and never came back? He wouldn’t have even said goodbye for the last time.
Toby scurried to grab his bag once his shoes were laced on and he zoomed out the door like he had to run for his very life. Considering he might have missed the bus if he didn't hurry, it was very much like life or death in his humble opinion. On the way out he bumped his shoulder on the side of the door when he left which Lyra saw as she was coming down from her room. While Toby was closing the door he heard a faint ‘that looked like it hurt’ come from Lyra before he slammed the door shut and started sprinting up the street to where his bus stop was.
He was breathing heavily, looked fairly disheveled, and was also trying to keep his hair in place while he ran. He looked stupid— real stupid. One hand was on the strap of his backpack while another hand was holding his bangs in place. He hadn’t even noticed his book bag was open. God, that would be embarrassing if someone pointed it out. That being said, Toby wasn’t even aware it was open himself.
When he eventually made it to the bus stop with only a minute or two to spare he was met with a few of his friends. One of them was named Jeffery while the other one was named Natalie. However, they usually went by their shortened names which were Jeff and Nat. It was just easier that way.
Jeff was a friend Toby had met in freshmen year when Jeff was considered a lunatic for the ear-to-ear scars across his face. Something to do with when he was in middle school. Spent a few years in the crazy house because of it. He always said that was in the past and was none of anyone’s business. And who was Toby to ask? He sure wouldn’t want to explain how he accidentally chewed a hole in his cheek. Those were stories for another time.
The second person, Nat, was a childhood friend of Toby’s. When his family had just moved into their neighborhood they had met because Nat’s mother wanted to welcome the Rogers family. Maybe it was just an Alabama thing. People here always seemed to know their neighbors like they knew the back of their hand. It was kinda of a stupid thing Toby thought, but at least he made a friend out of it. Hell— they even dated in middle school. But once again, that’s a story for another time. It was way too complicated for anyone’s own good.
“Dude, I was just starting to think you wouldn’t show!” Jeff exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Toby’s neck when he came close enough. His messy, dyed black hair, caught on the zipper of Toby’s open backpack which Jeff was quick to point out was open.
Toby laughed and playfully pushed him off while zipping up his book bag. “Sorry, I was looking for my homework and couldn’t find it.”
“That’s what they all say,” Nat cut in. “Hey, no shame in admitting you forgot to do it last night,” she continued, looking up from her flip phone that she was using to text their friends Nina and Jack.
“No, no, I swear I actually did the work! Besides, last time I forgot to do the homework Misses Williams gave me an earful,” Toby said, motioning his hands all over the place in an overly dramatic way.
Before the group of high schoolers had time to bicker any longer the long awaited bus was seen pulling onto their street. It stopped suddenly and the bus driver motioned for the three kids to get on. Jeeze, way to rush someone. Toby remembered the first day of school when the bus driver came late and dropped them off at school after the first bell. Seriously, it was a hell of an explanation to give teachers when they asked why he was twenty minutes late. No amount of ‘I couldn’t find my class’ could help any of the people who were also on his bus. Plus, The truth was a hard sell too. Teachers usually expected bus drivers to be punctual. It wasn’t until the office called to inform teachers about a late bus that they were off the hook.
The bus ride to school went as it usually did. Nat took her usual seat in the back of the bus next to Nina while Jeff and Toby sat together near the front. Toby even caught a glimpse of Kate sitting parallel to Nina and Nat which wasn’t often. However, that was only because Kate's mom usually drove her.
Jeff rambled to Toby about the usual the entire way to school. Grades, teachers, how he was annoyed about his mother comparing him to his older brother, and the list goes on. Toby was sort of maybe listening to what his friend was spewing out. Well, he usually listened, but today he just wasn’t. He was in his own world just staring out the window. He enjoyed the soft breeze from having the windows slightly cracked open, the view of the orange trees passing by, and the background noise coming from both Jeffery and his schoolmates chatting the morning away. It was a totally peaceful and fine morning.
After a twenty-five-minute drive to the school, the bus finally stopped. The bus was just about to be late but luckily for all the students riding it they just managed to step into the school before the bell rang. They maybe had about five minutes til the first bell. Thank god, that saved Toby the embarrassment of walking into class last and having all his classmates stare him down. Toby remembers doing that on the first day and it was embarrassing, to say the least. Toby was also fairly relieved it wasn’t academic week so he could get some leniency from his shop teacher if he was magically late.
Speaking of shop and academic week, Toby’s favorite days were when he was in shop week. In short, Toby went to a different type of school called a Vocational school, or sometimes just called a trade school. It was honestly just a fancy term for a school where you learn a type of career every other week for that entire week straight. Well, you’d have your math course regardless, but you get the gist of it. When Toby was a freshman he found it cool so he asked his parents to help him enroll. Turns out it was the right choice because he absolutely loved his trade. Which by the way happened to be electrical.
Toby hopped off the bus as soon as he could, accidentally leaving his friend Jeff in the dust. Thankfully, Jeff didn’t mean to mind. He was talking with his other friend Jack anyway. Toby always knew they were close so he could easily slip away while they chatted before class. How close were they? Well, Toby sometimes thought they were a couple of some sort. He found it almost funny to think about.
Toby walked into school and immediately made a beeline for his shop's classroom on the second floor. When you go to a big trade school you do have to speed walk to get anywhere on time. Seriously, if you walked at a normal pace it would probably take you a whole five minutes to get anywhere on the second floor. That’s not even mentioning the fact the school had three whole floors. When Toby made it to the staircase and quickly rushed up them, being determined to get to his class and not be the last one to enter. While rushing up the stairs Toby hadn’t even noticed his shoelaces were untied and accidentally almost fell down the stairs tripping over them. Hell, his Converse we’re praying on his downfall too.
When Toby first entered he was met with a few of his classmates in their usual seats and his instructor talking with another student. But wait, Toby didn’t recognize this student. Could it be a transferring student? No— it couldn’t be. Nobody was supposed to change their shop past the second term of sophomore year. It was too late even for juniors to do it now. So exactly who was this guy? Toby’s curiosity was suddenly piqued.
The guy his shop teacher was talking to seemed like your average guy. He was slightly taller than Toby. Maybe around five foot and eight inches. Just average height. It wasn’t anything special. He wore medium-wash jeans and a white shirt with a red flannel over it.
While Toby moved to take his seat near the front he took his time really examining the mysterious student before the guy noticed what Toby was doing. He was wearing some thick-toed work boots and a work belt with some screwdrivers and a hammer attached to it. This meant that he was in one of the construction trades. Maybe he was in plumbing? No— he looked too clean of grime. What about masonry? No— what would someone in masonry be doing in the electrical classroom? Maybe he was in carpentry. That seemed like the only logical thing to Toby. It made sense since they built houses and electrical students installed heating and cooling into the houses they build. Just overall a lot of wiring. Toby had also heard that sometimes they would send over some carpentry students so they could plan projects better.
As soon as Toby got comfortable in his seat and was about to open his cracked-screen flip phone to text Jeff that he was sorry for dipping he was interrupted by the mention of his name. Toby perked up at this and looked up from his phone to see who was talking about him. However, he didn’t have to look around much because when he lifted his gaze he saw his shop instructor looking at him and then at that random guy Toby first saw when he walked in.
“Tim, this is Tobias— I mean, Toby... He’s actually one of my best students. Real good with his hands despite his… disabilities,” He said.
Toby’s eye twitched at this and that twitch wasn’t from his Tourette’s. He wasn’t disabled. He was the farthest possible thing from being disabled. Not to offend actual disabled people, but he wasn’t exactly a brain-dead vegetable. He hated when people made it sound like he was with his very being. He was handicapped but not disabled. He was still able to do anything that anyone else could do. The only difference was that his CIPA and Tourette’s made this slightly harder.
God— it got on his nerves when people used language that made him feel belittled.
“Nice to meet you, Tim,” Toby managed to force out, trying to hide his disdain from when his shop instructor introduced him by saying he was disabled. He was so mad he hadn’t even stuttered once. Maybe his Tourette’s and stutter were on his side this morning.
Tim looked at the sitting boy and took him in. Tim was always one for first impressions. How you presented yourself shows a lot about you. Tim had heard countless times that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover alone. However, when you’re surrounded by people they'll always base you on how you present yourself. Then, and only then, will they take a look at your personality. That was something his mama always said too.
And from what Tim could see Toby looked… messy to say the least. However, it was an interesting way. He had messy brown curls, a multicolored green and grey hoodie with a blue hood, dark wash jeans with patches scattered around, and beat-up Converse that had literal duct tape holding them together. One of his most memorable features was a large patch covering the one side of his face where his cheek was. He was messy, yet it attracted Tim in a way. He looked so out of place considering the rest of the juniors in electrical. Everyone else looked as basic as a teen could be in 2007. Yet, that made the electrical student stand out in a good way. Or at least to Tim, it was in a good way.
“Nice to meet you too, Toby. It’s ni—“ Tim started before he was quickly cut off by the other boy.
“Nice to meet you too, I guess,” Toby interrupted, giving the most deadpanned look he could muster up this early in the morning. Way to ruin someone's mood, Mister Fortunato. Toby was having a pretty good morning before his teacher just went and fucked him over.
“Oh yeah, my pleasure,” Tim said, now looking a bit dejected. He didn't even know why this kid was in his mood and directed it at him. Well, maybe it was how Mister Fortunato introduced him. But that being said that wasn’t exactly Tim’s fault.
“Hm. Why are yo-you even he—“ Toby started before this time his instructor cut Toby off.
By this time the first bell had rung and the students were starting to file in one by one. Toby hadn’t even noticed it but the room was quickly filled with overworked electrical students who were making idle chit-chat while they waited for their instructor to start talking. This one girl that Toby usually sat next to, Toby could’ve sworn her name was Sam or something like that, was even listening to Tim and his conversation without him picking up on it.
“Students, students, let’s settle down,” their instructor began, motioning with his hands for everyone to quiet down and take a seat. Toby sat there in the same position dumbfounded. “Here with me, I have a student from carpentry. His name’s Timothy and he’s a senior that was sent over to help with our next project. Why don’t you all give him a warm welcome?”
Tim gave a slight wave and looked around the room at the crowd of judging electrical students. Tim had just moved from up north a few years ago and he was quickly accustomed to how southern folks greeted new people. Some of them seemed indifferent and some were very obviously not excited to be working with a senior from another shop. A few of the girls were also whispering something about Tim. He saw this but couldn’t quite tell if their words were positive or negative. However, for his own sake, he assumed they were positive words. Then Tim looked over at the boy who he was briefly talking to beforehand. He looked indifferent, maybe a little cranky, to say the least. Not fully judgemental though, so that was a good thing.
“What made your teacher send you over? Are you the best around in carpentry?” One of Toby’s classmates shouted out, leaning forward to prop her arms on the desk so she could lean her head on them.
“Uh I guess you could say tha—“ Tim tried to answer, however, he was shortly caught off by a quiet voice he was slowly starting to get familiar with.
“I doubt it, he doesn’t lo-look like anything spa-special,” Toby mumbled, arms folded over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
Tim’s eye twitched at this. ‘It’s fine Tim, don’t let this raise your blood pressure,’ he told himself over and over again. God— we’re all juniors this judgemental? And for what? Tim had just barely introduced himself. You know what, Toby was probably just in a bad mood from what Mister Fortunato said. That’s what Tim told himself. He shouldn’t take it personally.
Tim let out a shallow sigh. This would definitely be a long few days for him.