Are you ready for the next chapter? I had fun writing this one, but I was a little rushed so I'm sorry if there are mistakes. As always don't forget to comment your thoughts and predictions!
Untold Futures part 6
Thomas awoke with a start when his alarm went off the next morning. He dragged himself out of bed and to the bathroom. Immediately he remembered all the homework he had left undone. With a groan Thomas rushed to get ready and raced out of the house as fast as he could. Arriving at the school ten minutes early, Thomas found an empty corner to do his homework. Surprisingly all thoughts about Newt had been pushed aside in his brain and he was able to focus. Maybe it was because the thought of not having his work done was stressing him out. Not that he was complaining, it had been a very long night and he didn't want to make it a long day as well.
When the bell rang Thomas sighed and packed up his books. He had only gotten through five math problems, but it was better than nothing. He drudged into class and sat in his usual seat in the middle. Not too close to the front but not too far back either, it was perfect. After the second bell rang Mr. Janson started the class on their warmup. Thomas swallowed nervously when the teacher started checking homework. It had been years since he missed an assignment and he was not happy about starting now.
“Thomas, you only have seven problems done! What happened?” Mr. Janson cried when he got to Thomas.
“Sorry, I wasn't at my best yesterday. I'll have the rest done Monday and it'll never happen again!” Thomas pleaded his case, hoping to get at least a little credit for his work.
“Ok Thomas, show me Monday and I'll give you half credit. I expect more from you, considering the excellent reports from your past teachers!” Mr. Janson eyed Thomas up and down, as if trying to determine if his standards needed to be lowered for the boy, before continuing on. Of course he's talked to my past teachers. The guy probably knows everything about me. Thomas thought, there was no mistaking it, he found the teacher to be a very creepy man. No matter the subject, he always seemed to know more than he should have.
Thomas dreaded the thought of telling all his teachers he hadn't done the work. That left only one possibility. He would have to do his homework during other classes. Thomas was never able to understand how people could be so carefree to not know whether or not they would be able to complete their work during the next day. But now he thought he had a little more understanding. So he took out his English homework and attempted to split his attention between it and the teacher.
When class finished Thomas hurriedly packed his things, hoping to avoid a conversation with Newt. Before he could finish, Newt made it across the room and to him.
“Hey Tommy! Are you ok? You ran off in a hurry last night,” the blond greeted.
“I'm fine now, thanks for asking,” Thomas groaned inwardly. The way he said ‘Tommy’ and how he cared about Thomas. Why couldn't Newt just be that careless jerk Thomas first thought him to be? Wearing leather because he could and not seducing Thomas with it? Thomas couldn't deny his crush, but he could make it go away. I'll avoid him. If I'm never around him I can't crush on him!
“Well that's good news!” Newt smiled.
“I-I gotta get going now. See if I can finish my homework before class starts,” Thomas gave a small smile and ducked out of the classroom before Newt could say anything else.
He went on with his classes, much of which were repetitions of what happened in math. He did however get more work done than he would have expected. When the bell rang, Thomas started thinking of ways to stay away from Newt at lunch. He didn't want to be mean, but he also needed to distance himself from the Brit. By the time Newt approached him at their lockers Thomas was ready.
“I have to go to the library today and study for my history test, so I can't eat lunch with you guys,” he stated.
“Oh ok. Didn't get much studying in last night I take it?” Newt asked, and Thomas got slightly annoyed. His subconscious wanted Newt to be disappointed. Stop it Thomas, him getting sad isn't going to help you!
“No I didn't. I'm just going to say hi to Minho, and then I'll go,” Thomas felt bad for just ditching Minho after the track meet. There was no way he wasn't going to congratulate him in person. Finally they reached the courtyard.
“Thomas! Where'd you run off to last night?” Minho called when he saw them.
“Sorry Min, I wasn't feeling good. But I did see most of your events! You did so well!” He enthused.
“Thanks! And don't sweat it, I'm glad you're feeling better!” Minho reassured Thomas with a smile.
“Well, I have to go now. Didn't get much studying in so I'm off to the library,” He waved goodbye and ran off towards the library. That was good right? I wasn't rude.
So Thomas went along with his plan for the rest of the day. When school ended and he noticed Newt at his locker, he didn't stop to talk like he usually did. Over the weekend each reply to Newt’s texts were short. He was too nice to ignore them completely, but he was still trying to avoid as much communication as possible.
So he did what he always did on weekends, homework. Thomas filled his time with all the work he hadn't completed from Thursday, plus the new projects. He studied for tests well in advance, and read ahead in the book for English. Anything he could do to keep his mind off of Newt.
Monday morning Thomas walked into first period feeling great. He got a good night's sleep, and all of his homework was done perfectly. The one thing he wasn't ready for, was Newt to walk in.
Thomas tried not to stare as Newt entered the classroom at the last second and made his way over to the empty desk in the back of the room. Thomas felt deprived of Newt with his skinny jeans, leather jackets, and perfectly wisped hair. Ugh! I just need more time away from him. That'll do it. Despite his urge to stay and talk after class, Thomas made himself rush out the door before any contact could be made.
After fourth period Thomas took his time in packing up his stuff. His hope was to avoid seeing Newt at their lockers. When Thomas got there he saw the familiar blond leaning against the wall, looking at his phone. He sighed and opened his locker.
“Watcha Tommy! I waited for you!” He greeted in a cheery voice. Thomas’s mind turned, trying to come up with an excuse to leave during lunch again.
“Thanks,” he said simply. Thomas finished exchanging textbooks so they started walking towards their destination in silence.
“Ok, tell me what's bloody going on? I feel like you've been ignoring us ever since Minho’s track meet on Thursday! You keep avoiding me, you barely talk, and your texts are… Well not very bloody good!” Newt sighed glumly.
“Us?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah, Minho and me,” Newt said, fidgeting.
“Oh. I'm sorry Newt. It's just, I, ah. Didn't do good on that history test and it's been bothering me,” Thomas claimed, hoping Newt would buy it. He didn't enjoy lying to Newt, but he also couldn't tell him the truth. At least Newt didn't know that he was being singled out.
“Ok then,” he replied unsurely. “What’d you get on the test?” Thomas swallowed, he was going to recognize the lie.
“A low B,” he whispered.
“Ha! Really? You get this shaken up over a B? That's bonkers!” Newt laughed, the worry and hurt expression washed from his face. Thomas let out a breath. He didn't want Newt to feel bad. I'VE GOT TO STOP THIS! Luckily they had entered the courtyard.
“Hey Minho. Sorry I can't eat with you again. I ah, told Harriet I'd eat with her today. Just came to say hey,” Thomas fibed. Surly Minho would call him out on it.
“Really Thomas? You've never done that before,” Minho gave Thomas a quizzical look, but didn't say anything more. Thomas nodded and walked away to find Harriet. He didn't want to abandon Minho, but it wouldn't be fair to kick Newt out of their lunch group. All he knew was the sooner he could get rid of this crush the sooner he could stop all of this.
•••
Tuesday was a repeat of Monday, except worse. Thomas felt hollow inside, like a part of him had been ripped away. At lunch he didn't even go to his locker, but went straight to the library in an attempt
To keep away from Newt. Noticing his sad look in the hallway later shattered his insides, but he couldn't risk the conversation. He was afraid of what he might say if he ran out of excuses.
After the long day Thomas pulled up at his house and walked next door to the Paige’s. He rang the doorbell and soon Ava answered.
“Thomas, come in, come in! You're just in time, I have to go,” Ava ran about the room, collecting her purse and coat before saying goodbye. Thomas simply put on a smile and sat at his usual seat next to Chuck at the table. He wasn't in the mood for small talk so he just took out his homework and started.
“What’s wrong Thomas?” Chuck suddenly asked after a few moments of silence.
“Why do you just assume something’s wrong?” He questioned.
“Because the only time your face looks like… Well that, is because something's wrong,” Chuck replied matter-of-factly. The kid could really creep Thomas out sometimes.
“Fine, I'm tired of all this lying. Remember the Newt guy I told you about?” Thomas started, letting out a slow breath of air. When Chuck nodded he continued. “It's kind of complicated- well not really. But I like him!”
“I'm not seeing the problem here. What's so bad about that?” Chuck asked.
“Because… Because I'm not supposed to like him! I've only known him for like two weeks! Plus we’re the complete opposite of each other! I'm me, and, and he's laid back, and cool, and doesn't care about grades. He apparently skips second period all the time-” Thomas rambled until Chuck cut him off.
“Dude, calm down. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see anything wrong with it. They say opposites attract you know. Give him a chance!” Chuck proclaimed.
“First of all, that's with science not people! Also, it's not that simple. I can't just avoid my friend for a week and then ask him out! Not that I even would ask him,” He reasoned.
“Fine then, wait awhile. But you can't just keep ignoring him, it's not going to do any good,” the boy suggested.
“Well...” Thomas started, but he couldn't think of any good arguments. “When did you get all wise?”
“I don't know. But you should ask him out. You'd be so much cooler dating Newt!” Chuck declared excitedly.
“And here we go!” Thomas laughed, and he felt good. It was liberating to get that off his chest. And although he knew he should be nervous he was calm.
•••
The next day Thomas was tentative about avoid Newt. He had a small conversation with him after math class, but still kept some distance.
When they met at lunch, Newt seemed to be watching for Thomas to say he had to go for one lame reason or another. It wasn't until the shorter boy sat down next to Minho on their bench that Newt relaxed.
Oddly enough Thomas trusted what Chuck told him to do. Kids were always able to stuff away all the drama and focus on what should be accomplished. He wasn't even fazed by that fact his crush was a boy. World peace? Ok, stop having wars. Of course that's easier said than done, but it's better to fail trying than to not try at all, right?
Thomas found himself diving into conversations with Newt as if his life depended on it. Lapping up everything and anything he could to fill his system. He was a little ashamed of being so needy, but he couldn't help it. Once he got passed the denial all he really wanted was to be around Newt.
The second chess club meeting was that afternoon, and Thomas half expected Newt to ditch. He wasn't that good at it, and Thomas certainly hadn't helped encourage him by ignoring him. To his surprise, when he got to his locker, Newt was there waiting for him.
“You ready to play some chess Tommy?” He greeted happily.
“Uh, yeah. Are you though? Today's the last day they're going to hold your hand and walk you through the basics ya know. You better pay close attention!” Thomas offered with a laugh.
“Yeah, but you're still going to help me right? That is if you're still free to come over tomorrow?” Newt asked casually. Thomas’s heart fluttered as if Newt has just asked him on a date, although he knew he wasn't. All Newt wanted was to hang out with his friend and learn chess.
“Ye-yeah I'm free,” he answered blankly. By this time the two boys had reached room 250.
“Oh good, you're here Thomas! Now we can get started,” Albert said, giving Thomas a look that said don't be late again.
“Sorry Alby. So, we're doing the same thing as last week right?” He asked, taking his place in the front. He couldn't remember exactly how he became a leader of the club, it sort of just happened.
“Yeah we are,” Harriet told him. “Ok everyone, we're going to have you get in the same groups as last week. We'll spend one more day teaching you the basics and then move on from there!” She told the group of students sitting around the room. Everyone got up and moved to their corner, including Thomas, Harriet, and Albert.
Thomas found that his group had reduced from three people to only two people. “Looks like we lost Beth!” She reminded me of Gally anyway. Thomas started teaching Zart and Jeff, all the while keeping an eye on Newt. He knew there was nothing to be jealous of, Newt had openly said he was gay. Plus he wasn't even Harriet's type. All the same, he couldn't help wanting to keep them apart.
Somehow Thomas was able to make it through the hour without doing anything regrettable. “So, how'd you do this time?” He asked Newt on their way to the parking lot.
“A little better than last time. I still need a lot of help though!” He laughed in response.
“Well I'll come over tomorrow and we'll see where you're at. It can't be that bad!” Thomas joked.
•••
Thursday was a lot like Wednesday. He went along with his plan of not avoiding Newt. He made it through the school day without embarrassing himself, and now he only had to make it through a few hours at Newt's house. Surprisingly, Newt never asked him what happened over the past few days.
He imagined a future day, when they were dating, and looking back at these first moments. Newt would laugh at how Thomas had acted when he found out the reason. Thomas would laugh too and they would-
“Tommy! Earth to bloody Tommy!” Thomas was pulled from his daydream by a hand waving in his face.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” Thomas asked, embarrassed to be daydreaming about Newt while standing right in front of Newt.
“I asked if you remember the way to my apartment, because I have to drive my motorcycle,” he clarified.
“Um, yeah I think so. I'll just follow you,” Thomas coughed. He left him at the edge of the parking lot to go find his car before Newt could notice his blush. Since when did I start thinking we would ever be a couple?
finally they pulled into the parking lot of Newt’s apartment building, and met at the door. He watched as the blond stomped out a cigarette before opening the door to the apartment building.
“Does your mom know you smoke? Because simply putting it out isn't going to hide the smell,” Thomas said matter-of-factly. There was another reason that Thomas shouldn’t like Newt. But it makes no difference how I feel.
“Yeah she does. She's not happy about it, but she can't stop me… Sorry about the smell,” he replied.
Newt led the way through the lobby, up the stairs, and to the third door on the left. Thomas took special note of the use of stairs instead of the elevator. Newt unlocked the door and they were immediately greeted with a hot burst of air.
“Mum! What's with the heat?” Newt exclaimed, and closed the door behind them. Newt's mom was in the kitchen, wearing a frilly apron.
“Hi boys! Sorry, I was just trying to do some cooking and well, I burnt some stuff. So that's why it's hot. It really throws a spanner in the works of my dinner plan though,” she laughed. Thomas noticed pans on the stove top, filled with food that was burned to a crisp.
“She means like a curveball,” Newt whispered in Thomas’s ear and he was immediately thankful for the translation. They sat down on the couch, and Newt cleared away space on the coffee table for the chess board.
Thomas rolled up his sleeves in an attempt to fend off the heat. Newt however slipped off his leather jacket to reveal a white shortsleeve tee shirt underneath. Thomas held his breath as he absorbed Newt’s bare arms for the first time, noticing every curve of his muscles. Quickly he turned away and focused on the chessboard before he could be accused of staring.
“Ok, so I want you to set up the board this time,” Thomas said, wanting to get right to work. Impressively, Newt was able to set up the game without any help from Thomas. “Great! So can you remember what each piece does?”
“That's where my memory fails me!” The Brit sighed.
“No worries, I'll just explain it again. Make sure you're listening,” Thomas offered.
“Sorry to interrupt boys, but I made you a snack!” Newt’s mom said, approaching them with a plate full of cheese and crackers.
“Oh, thank you Ms.-” Thomas paused. He had no idea if Newt's mom still used his dad’s last name or not. Or if Newt did for that matter. It seemed too personal a question to ask.
“You can call me Helen!” She gave him a reassuring smile, and went back to the kitchen. “Oh and Newt, I got called into work so I have to leave soon. You'll have to find your own dinner I'm afraid.”
“Ok, thanks mum!” Newt called, and returned his attention to Thomas. He started explaining the abilities of each chess piece just like he did last week, and got lost in the magic of the game. He was so focused that he almost didn't notice when their hands or arms brushed each other. Or feel Newt’s gaze on him as if he were only half paying attention and half just watching Thomas. But that was only his imagination, right?
“Ok I think I've got it,” Newt said after Thomas finished. “Hey, what's the deal with this Albert guy. Or Alby? Whatever his name is!”
“Oh, yeah. Alby’s the only senior in the club. He can be pretty strict, but once you get to know him it's a big softy. Do not call him Alby though. Harriet and I came up with the nickname last year and he hates when people he barely knows call him that!” Thomas explained.
“Oh so you're all high and mighty because you get to call him Alby?” Newt joked.
“Stop it, you know what I mean!” Thomas laughed. He loved hanging out with Newt and being able to laugh with him. It just felt right to him. Thomas was extremely grateful to Newt for not giving up on him after the way Thomas acted the past week.