Hanging By a Moment

Over the next week I saw Toby around school, and he stopped to talk to me when he did. He fast became my only friend at school, and I was grateful for that. On that Monday morning, I dressed in a pair of leggings, and a long cashmere jumper, paired it with my Ugg boots and then headed to school.

I stepped into the Biology lab just before the bell sounded, and walked over to my seat beside Amber. She didn’t look up, even as I placed my bag on the table next to her. After a moment I heard my name called, and turned around to see Toby tapping the seat next to him, and motioning for me to join him. I nodded, and picked my bag up. Now Amber looked up, and glared at me. I ignored her look and walked towards the back of the classroom.

“Hey,” I smiled as I unloaded my bag onto the desk and settled into the seat. He did a lazy one handed wave, and then watched me root through my bag. Once I’d retrieved everything I needed and dropped my bag onto the floor, Toby spoke.

“Why didn’t you put that in your locker?” He asked, pointing at my bag on the floor.

“Because I was running late and didn’t have time to go to my locker,” I explained and he made an ‘ahh’ sound. I settled into the seat now, and glanced around the room. My eyes locked with Amber, and she glared before turning back, her long hair swishing around as she did so. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“What?” Toby asked and I shook my head in annoyance.

“Amber,” I said, “She keeps glaring at me.” I sighed again, and he raised his eyebrows in confusion, “She likes you, but she’s never going to say anything because she’s a cheerleader and you’re well,” I paused and shrugged apologetically, “you,” I giggled and he gasped.

He shook his head, “That hurts Emma, are you saying I’m not good enough for anyone?” He asked and I shook my head giggling. He leaned closer to me, “Am I good enough for you?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged, “But sadly I’m not good enough for you,” I smirked, and then turned my attention back to the front of the classroom. I could feel his eyes still on me, but I kept my head facing the front.

After a minute or two he whispered, “Do you have a date for homecoming?”

I blinked and turned back to look at him, “No, I wasn’t planning on going,” I whispered.

“Well, now you are going,” He grinned, and then turned his attention back to the lecture about DNA.

**

I have a genius girlfriend. Decided what I’m getting Nick without your help, you useless child! Miss you as always, Woody, our toy box isn’t the same without you (hahaha!) Loooooove Joe :D x

I giggled as I knocked my locker shut, and then slipped my phone the back pocket of my jeans. I jumped as I turned around and cursed under my breath.

Toby chuckled at me as he leaned up against the lockers, “Did I scare you?”

“Just a little,” I snapped, and then stuck my tongue out at him, “Do not sneak up on me!” I frowned and he chuckled again.

“You heading home?”

I raised my eyebrows, glanced at my watch, and then back up at Toby, “Well it’s the end of the day.”

“Walking?”

I made to head down the corridor towards the doors and he followed me, “I think we established at some point in our long getting to know you talks last week that I can’t drive, Toby, so yes I am walking,” I smirked.

“I’ll give you a ride.” He offered. I looked at him to check he was sure, and he smiled and answered my unspoken question, “I’m going that way anyway,” He assured me, “But I do have to stay back about half an hour, if that’s okay?”

I nodded, “Sure, what are you staying back for?” I asked, smiling as he took my bag off of me and slung it over his shoulder before starting to walk away down the corridor.

He waited until I’d caught up with him to answer, “My buddy Tyler and I have connections in the music department,” He said and I giggled, and he raised an eyebrow at me but smirked too, “We’re in there a lot practising, basically, because we’re kind of a two piece band.” He explained and I nodded, “The music teacher, Mr Davies-”

“He’s my tutor!” I interrupted and Toby looked surprised.

“Really? Well then you’ll have already met Tyler,” He said, “Huh.”

I shook my head, “Maybe, but I can’t remember. Sorry, carry on.”

He stopped walking and pushed open a door, holding it open for me to walk past him before following me in. He dropped my bag on the floor against a wall and then sat down on top of one of the very few tables in the room, “So anyway, Davies likes our sound and heard that the dance committee were having trouble getting a band to play; he asked us, we agreed, but by the time he took it up with Amber, they’d already found a band,” He shrugged.

“So you’re practising for?”

“The homecoming dance,” He stated, and chuckled at my confused expression, “Davies is a very persuasive man; he convinced the dance committee to let us play for a little bit so we’re opening the dance and playing a three song set,” He grinned, “It’s not very long but-”

“It’s a start,” I finished for him, “I’ve been there, and whether it’s a big or small gig, it’s the best feeling in the world when you get your first one, right?”

He nodded, “Yeah, damn I always forget you were in a band.”

“It wasn’t really much of a band,” I argued and he rolled his eyes.

As we spoke, the door opened and the brown haired boy from my first day walked in, “Hey it’s you!” I gasped, pointing, “Smiling boy!”

He raised his eyes brows and Toby scoffed, “I think you’ve got him mixed up with someone Emma, my buddy Tyler here doesn’t smile.”

Tyler glared at him and then turned back to me and smiled, “You’re in my homeroom.” He confirmed my thoughts, “its Emma, right?” I nodded, “Nice to see you again,”

“Enough of the chit chat!” Toby demanded, sliding off of the desk he was perched on. “So anyway, we play a three song set and then I’m yours for the rest of the night,” He grinned and tapped my nose, before walking towards what I assumed was the instrument cupboard. He returned with a microphone and a stand, passed them to Tyler who began to set them up, and disappeared again. Moments later he reappeared carrying a black, fender strat guitar. I let out a whistle and he smirked. “She’s a beauty right?”

“Too right,”

“I said Davies was persuasive?” He shook his head, smirking, “He has nothing on my skills; it took me a while to get them to agree to buy this. And the best part is that no one else is allowed to use it without special written consent from one of the music teachers,” He explained, smiled, and then turned away to set it up with the amp.

I turned away from them, glancing up at the walls, each with a different colour paper on it with bits of plain paper pinned up around it. You could tell this wasn’t so much a classroom, but more of a practise studio. As my eyes wandered, I paused to read a few of the sheets pinned up; one of them was titled Shy Girl by TNT.

I spluttered a laugh, and the boys looked over me questioningly, “Who names a band TNT?” I asked and they glanced at each other.

“T,” Toby pointed to himself, and then at Tyler, “and T would,” He said and I bit my lip.

“And I love it!” I corrected myself causing them both to chuckle as I flushed red with embarrassment.

Toby shook his head and smirked, “Forget it, it is pretty lame,” He shrugged, “I’ll tell you what; if you can tell me which band we’re covering, you can rename the band to anything you want,” He said, and before I could respond, he picked his guitar up, and jogged over to the microphone stand, “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!” He winked at me and then turned his attention to his guitar before picking up with the vocals, “Went out with the guys and before my eyes, there was this girl she looked so fine, and she blew my mind, and I wish that she was mine, and I said 'hey wait up cause I'm off to speak to her.” As he sang and played the guitar, Tyler kept up the drum beat behind him.

I couldn’t stand still, and found myself dancing on the spot causing Toby to smile and watch me for a few seconds, but he didn’t slip up on his guitar playing once. “She looked incredible just turned seventeen,” He sang, stepping away from Tyler and his drum kit and stepped closer to me, “I guess my friends were right, she's out of my league,” He shrugged, getting even closer. I felt my cheeks heat up and I stopped dancing, “So what am I to do?” He smirked, and I good feel his heavy breathing on my forehead now, and he was so close that it was hard to believe he could still manage to play the guitar at all, “She's too good to be true.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “One, two, three, four,” and then he stepped away from me and jogged back over to where Tyler was playing to pick up on the guitar solo.

I let out a breath that I hadn’t realised I was holding, and turned to watch Tyler instead, using all the strength that I could not to look at Toby. “But 3 days later, went round to see her, but she was with another guy; and I said 'fine' but I never asked her why, but since then loneliness has been a friend of mine.” As Toby continued to sing I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

I pulled it out; Nick calling. I felt a grin stretch across my face, and Toby’s voice and Tyler’s drumming faded into the background. I darted towards the door and out into the deserted corridor.

“Hey,” I said when I answered.

“Hey,” Nick replied, and then fell silent.

I frowned, “What’s up?”

He sighed, “Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice,” He stated and I felt my cheeks flush and my stomach jolt, “I miss you,”

“I miss you too,” I sighed, “But I promise I’m going to come and visit soon, and you’re coming up near Christmas right?”

“Right,” He agreed, “But it’s not the same,” He paused, and then his voice sounded more cheerful, “What are you doing anyway?”

“I’m just waiting for a ride home,” I explained, “Toby and Tyler are practising because their band is opening the homecoming dance so I’ve been watching that. What about you?”

He chuckled to himself at something, and then went on to explain, “Trying to stop myself from smashing my guitar,” I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to carry on, “Poppy came into music today when I was writing a song and she said it was the prettiest guitar she’d ever seen; funny how she never noticed it when we were together,” He sighed and I felt my stomach knot with jealousy, “She’s a bitch,” He commented; I relaxed a little, “I gotta go anyway, Mrs Forcer will be back any minute,”

I giggled at him and heard him laugh on the other end, “You’re calling me in class?”

“Yeah!” He answered, “We’re an hour behind you and I’ve still got another half hour of school to sit through without you. Shit,” He cursed, “She’s here, bye!”

When he hung up, I stuffed my phone into my pocket and retreated back into the room I’d just left from. Toby and Tyler were packing up their equipment and so I waited by the door for them. When they were done they headed past me out of the door and then Toby turned back to ask, “Are you ready to go?”

I nodded, “Where’s the nearest guitar store around here?” I asked, “I need to buy Nick a birthday present.” They both started talking among themselves about which was the best guitar store, and when they finished I butted in with, “It was a British band; the song you were playing, right?”

Tyler nodded, “Yeah, but which?” He smirked. I shrugged, “Ah, you failure!” I laughed and stepped out of the front door of the school as Toby held it open for me. Tyler stepped past me and muttered, “it’s McFly. I always hated the name TNT; please pick something good?” I let out a loud laugh, and caused Tyler to join in too. Toby raised his eyebrows.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, and I waved my hands around through my laughter, trying to calm myself down but just making myself and Tyler laugh more. “Anyone?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” I managed to say finally, and then followed him to his car.