Cat Got Your Tongue?

The next morning me and Tom said in my room just talking. He told me that now that I’ve talked there’s now way that he’s letting me go back to not talking.

“I can’t just randomly start talking to people, Tom! They’ll think that I just didn’t talk to get attention or that I’m only talking now to get attention,” I explained hoping to somehow strike that thought into his head. I can’t believe that he didn’t think of this before.

Then, I think, it finally hit him what I was trying to explain. He gasped, rather obnoxiously too. “Promise me that you won’t tell anyone, Tom.”

“I promise.”

-_-_-_-_-_-

The next day at school we all went our separate ways for our first classes. I sat in chemistry writing down notes as the teacher pulled them up on the overhead. After we finished with notes, she gave us the rest of the class do whatever we wished. And while everyone else got up to talk with their friends I sat back in my seat and checked my phone for any messages from Tom or Oli. There weren’t any.

As the bell rang everyone filed out of the classroom and I made my way toward my English class. One of the two that I had with Tom. As I turned to walk into the classroom I saw Tom down the hall walking and talking with Oli and a few other guys, Matt Kean and Curtis Ward.

I could have sworn that I saw Tom’s eyes light up when he looked at me. But that could have also been y imagination. Just wanting him to like me back. He sped up and left the group, wrapping his arm around my waist when he reached me and leading me towards the group.

“Guys, this is Tori,” Tom said.

They mumbled back a ‘’ello’ then kept going on their way as Tom and I turned down our hallway. As I looked back over my shoulder I saw Oli talking to them and the question in their eyes when they looked my way. There was no doubt in my mind that Oli was telling them about my parents and that Idon’t didn’t talk. Well, at least to them I don’t.

Tom and I walked into English and took our seats in the last row of desks. We stayed quiet until the bell rang and the teacher began to talk.

Today’s assignment was to interview a fellow classmate that you don’t know much about and write a short paragraph summary about how you differ from one another. The teacher glanced at me and I pointed at Tom, asking if it was okay if I worked with him. She smiled and nodded. Mrs. Spencer was the most understanding teacher I had this year.

“The questions don’t matter?” Tyler, the hockey player from the party, asked.

“No, jus’ make sure their appropriate. I would also like ‘bout five.”

Tom looked at me as I got out my notebook. “I’ll go first. What is it that…you want to do when your older?” he asked.

We’ve never talked about his before. And to be truthful, I’ve never though about it much before.

I guess something to do with creative writing or journalism, I wrote.

“Really? I want to do photography. Maybeh we could start a magazine or a newspaper. It’s yeh turn.”

It took me a minute to think of a good question, that wasn’t too personal or embarrassing for him to answer. If you could change one think about yourself, physically or mental, what would it be and why?

“Anythin’?” I nodded. “I guess it would ’ow shy I am. When we moved ’ere I didn’t think that I would make maneh frien’s. But havin’ Ollieh as a brothah makes up for it I guess. I doubt we would’ve met if it wasn’t for my parents pickin’ out the house we ‘ave.”

I wrote down, shyness, on my paper and skipped a line before beginning my answer for the question.

Physical things can’t be changed, unless you go and get plastic surgery or something, but metal things can. If I could changed something about myself I would change how I think about things. If I could convince myself that every time I talk to you or anyone else for that matter, it wasn’t betraying my parents, I think I would be better off.”

My train of though was cut off my Tom’s laugher. At first I was hurt and I looked at him with tears in my eyes. I mean, I just spilled one of my secrets to him and he’s laughing at me? What was that about?

“Oh, Tori, I’m sorry. I’m not laughin’ at yeh. It’s just that with my change and yours someone could tell that we’re both painfully shy. Yet, when we’re around each otha’ we have some of the best conversations. It’s kinda ironic doncha think?” he asked.

I smiled a bit, understanding what he meant. It’s you’re turn, I wrote.

“If yeh could be anywhere in the world, except in rainy as ‘ell Sheffield, where would yeh go?” he asked writing down the question.

That was easy. I’ve dreamed about going here my whole life. Austraila. And back to the US to see my hometown.

“I’d like to go to Australia one day too. I wanna see a kangaroo,” he laughed.

We spent the rest of the class asking each other questions. I’m sure we went way over five, but that would just make the paper easier to write. And it would also hopefully get us a better grade. When the bell rang, Tom and I parted ways. Lunch, which was right after my next hour, would be when I’d see him next.

-_-_-_-_-_-

I sat down in the usual spot we sat in at lunch and looked to the lunch line to see if I could spot Tom or Oli. I did, and they were almost through the line.

Oli was the first to the table. He had a smirk on his face and I could tell he was going to go off on some rant about Tom liking me again.

“’e couldn’t shut up about yeh today. All I ‘eard was Tori this, Tori that. ‘e’s ‘ead ovah ‘ells for yeh love. Just face it,” Oli managed to get out before Tom go to the table, his cheeks were red and he smiled at me.

No sooner than a minute later, Melissa, the girl that was talking to Tom on their first day, had approached our table. She was leaning over and supporting herself with her arms on our table. Her low cut shirt was showing more than I could handle so I turned to Oli and rolled my eyes while she continued to stair at Tom, who looked a little embarrassed.

“So, Tom, I hear from a couple people that you’re single. An’ that you’ve got a little thing for me. How about you come over to meh ‘ouse this weekend and hang out?” she asked smiling at him.

Tom was shocked by her confidence and started to stumble over his words, “Umm, I uhh,” he started but Oli came to the rescue.

“No, Melissa, ‘e will not. As a matter of a fact ‘e’s already made plans with Tori here to go to the movies. So I suggest that you just back up off of ‘im and leave us all the hell alone. If my brotha was interested in yeh at all he would have already made a move,” Oli yelled standing up, lying about me and Tom, and making a bit of a scene.

She was shocked and had her hand over her mouth. By the time I could look at Oli and smile she was already gone. By then everyone else had already gone back to their own business.

“Tom, Tori, come on. We’re leaving for the day,” Oli said grabbing my arm and pulling Tom and I out of the cafeteria and towards the student parking lot.