Eleven O'Clock Number

MUSICAL #1: THE WIZARD OF OZ

01: JESUS, SEND DOWN A LIGHTNING BOLT TO DESTROY TOBY'S DVD PLAYER

« there's no place like home. »

        IT'S A few more days until Toby and Allison even talk about starting work on the project, or talk at all, actually, because Toby always hangs around with Daniel (predictably), and Daniel's a person Allison really would rather avoid.

        (Toby's also a person she would tend to avoid, but she's slowly come to accept there's no running away from her fate now.)

        Unsurprisingly, it's Toby who broaches the subject.

        "Allison!" He bounds up to her, interrupting Lydia's early morning rant on how Honors Pre Calc isn't even vaguely challenging and is in fact limiting to people who actually excel at the subject. Allison isn't sure what she'll dislike more; a conversation filled with Toby Martin's blindingly bright smiles, or another five minutes spent listening to her best friend talk about Mr. Lewis' ineptness as a math teacher.

        "Hi, Toby," she sighs, mentally noting that "despondent resignation" has become a very regular look on her lately.

        "Hey!" he returns with considerably more enthusiasm. He takes the opportunity to also shoot a smile at Lydia, who gives him a slightly more tepid one in response, then quickly sends Allison a look that clearly communicates is this guy for real?. Allison herself can only nod in response, almost sadly.

        "Whoa, I love your shoes!" Toby, oblivious to Allison and Lydia's silent exchange, is seemingly transfixed by the latter's crimson high heels. Lydia is unable to stop the look of content that almost always spreads over her face at being complimented on her appearance - but the satisfaction quickly fades to make way for something else as she regards Toby with a gaze that seems to be at once mildly curious and entirely apathetic.

        "Are you gay?" she asks abruptly, in much the same tone one would use to comment on the weather.

        "Lydia," Allison hisses, going pink with secondhand embarrassment. Toby, however, seems unperturbed.

        "Nope," he replies, still smiling widely. "I'm actually completely straight. I mean, I think. Although," he adds as an afterthought, "I do get asked about it a lot. With that thing about theatre people and how their sexuality is fluid and stuff. It's cool, though. As far as I'm aware, I'm straight as a lance," he jokes.

        Allison rolls her eyes at his feeble (and completely unfunny) attempt at humor, but Lydia, surprisingly, laughs.

        "Still, I mean - getting straight guys complimenting you on your shoes..." Lydia trails off with a shrug and a genuine smile that Allison is pretty sure she's only seen approximately twice in the past four years.

        "Actually," Allison isn't sure she likes the look of the eager gleam in Toby's eye. "I was gonna say - they totally remind me of Dorothy's shoes!"

        Allison can't even do anything but stare at Toby open-mouthed. She honestly thought there's a limit to how much of a dork a guy can be, but here Toby Martin is, proving her more and more wrong each and every day.

        Lydia, to her credit, recovers with commendable speed, enough to manage a weak: "Dorothy?"

        Toby nods, and Allison is forcibly reminded once again of a puppy. "From The Wizard of Oz!" he says brightly. "Hey, Allison -" he turns to look at her - "that should totally be the one we watch first! Are you free tonight?"