philophobia ≫ ticci toby

four

|maddison's pov|

a small amount of pressure settled on my hip, and my eyes slowly fluttered open. i looked down to find jared curled into a ball on my lap. Lucas's head rested on my shoulder and a quiet snore escaped his mouth that was slightly ajar.

i turned my head, searching for the clock that rested above the stove top in the connecting kitchen. 6:45am. panic rose in my chest, and i shook lucas as lightly as I could without waking up jared.

his eyes opened suddenly; he whirled his head, looking around the room in confusion.

"it's 6:45" i whispered, my voice filled with alarm.

his eyes widened as what I had told him sunk in. "we only have like 15 minutes to get to school." he blurted.

Jared began waking up in my arms. I shot lucas a dirty look for waking Jared up. he hasn't been getting much sleep lately, so it is essential he gets as much as he can. I carried Jared into the twins bedroom and laid him next to jeydon, who was sound asleep. Jared rolled around numerous times before falling back into a deep sleep. I sighed, relieved.

I ambled out of their room, trying my best not to cause one of the floor boards to creak. I successfully made it out. i huffed yet another sigh of relief.

the realization that I now only had 10 minutes to make it school came to mind. i bolted into my room and slipped on ripped jeans and a maroon shirt. I stumbled down to the kitchen while pulling my hair into a messy ponytail. lucas was tapping his foot impatiently at the door.

"you didn't have to wait, idiot. you have a farther ride than me." I told lucas whilst shoving my feet in a pair of beaten down white converse. well, I guess you could call them brown converse. they've been caked in so much dirt and grime that the white fabric was no longer visible.

"whatever, i don't want to ride alone." lucas muttered. he pulled his black hoodie over his head and opened the door, allowing me to step outside first.

there was a slight chill to the air. autumn was setting in. i admired the changing leaves and hopped onto my bike. the breeze caused the leaves to tumble and dance along side our bike tires. the leaves, fiery red, bright orange, dull green. a conglomeration of aromas perfumed the air around us. the tip of my nose was left with an inappreciable tint of pink.

we didn't say much to eachother on our way to school. I just enjoyed having company whether there was conversation or not.

we approached the corner of Blane Avenue and Grove drive. I swiveled my head towards lucas, who looked deep in thought.

"bye, lucas, have fun at school." I mustered a smile and gave him a small wink as he waved. he turned onto grove drive and I continued my way down Blane.

by now, school had started merely 10 minutes ago. still, I peddled on in hopes my homeroom teacher would let my tardiness go.

I approached the school and pulled the bike around to the entrance. I dropped it, cringing as the gears screeched. I sprinted into the school and through the hallways. I dodged a group of boys who seemed to be in the same situation I was.

I halted in front of my homeroom class and cautiously opened the door to reveal a rowdy class and no teacher. I, for the third time this morning, sighed in relief.

"thank god," i mumbled while sliding into my seat in the back of the classroom.

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"Aye, my little midget." I heard Dylan's voice echo through the hallway after homeroom had ended.

I turned slowly and glared in his direction, "shut it, firetruck."

he pouted, defeat written all over his face. he had always hated that nickname. it was given to him in the fifth grade when he was bullied by what seemed like a tough sixth grader at the time. He didn't really care much since the nickname didn't stick, and the boy that had been tormenting him moved away.

"you've got nerve, little girl." he shot back.

"It's called edge," I replied with a straight face. I flipped the hood up to the hoodie that I had stolen from Grayson's locker and crossed my arms over my chest.

"very edgy, I like it." Grayson laughed, walking up behind Dylan and I.

"anyways I have some news," Grayson continued. "tomorrow is the school's junior kickback."

"and?" I asked. Grayson had never been into school events. he always refers to them as a "waste of time."

"we should go for a little bit, it's a bonfire in the woods. and no chaperones." he attempted to persuade us like a spokesperson on an overplayed commercial.

"I'm in, as long as there's free food." Dylan answered after a minute of consideration.

"food will be provided. Mad, you in?" it was now my turn to take the kickback into consideration.

It couldn't be that bad, and if it was I could easily leave. Free food is also a nice touch, if I do say so myself.

"yeah, whatever. I'll go." I decided.

"yes!" Grayson hollered. he picked me up and spun me around.

"someones excited," I giggled after he put me down.

"Nope, no bulge. definitely not excited." Dylan stated causing Grayson's face began turning light red.

"that's for the mom's hair gel comment" Dylan yelled as he began racing down the hallway. gray followed hot on his tracks. there was no doubt in my mind that a wrestling match would soon break out in the hallway once Grayson caught up with Dylan. I lightly laughed and made my way to second block.

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hey guys!!!! it's been hella long since I updated this book omg. I'm so sorry but thank you for 59 reads!! I'm hoping to get back on track with this story and I've been pretty motivated to write more so expect more chapters soon! love you all, thank you to everyone who's reading <3