Monday, May 10, 2004

   Almost Forgot
Sol

part XII

When Simon awoke the next morning, Rena and Von were already gone, off to…wherever the hell they went. Simon shrugged and got ready for class.

As he walked out the door, he took note that Lenny was sleeping in the living room, surrounded by trash as usual. Fran wasn’t even there.

He was lost in thought the entire walk to school. What was he going to do? The situation was so odd it was funny; he had aliens crashing in his room! He hoped they’d leave soon…and let’s not forget that psycho killer alien who has to kill him. Simon sighed; he was actually looking forward to school, for God’s sake! That wasn’t right…

When he arrived at school, he got a pair of books out of his locker for his first two classes. He welcomed the assured monotony that they would bring…

“Simon! Hey, Simon!”

Simon looked up suddenly; it was Her! Susan was calling… He turned around….

She was with another guy. Just by glancing at him, Simon decided that he hated him, although he might have been biased. This interloper was tall, with neat brown hair combed nicely over his completely perfect face. He wore a green polo shirt, and beige slacks. His teeth were perfect and shiny, and he had a gold Rolex on his right wrist. Prep…

“Simon,” Susan said. “I want you to meet Timothy Nathan; he’s new here.”

Simon relaxed a bit; Susan was part of the school’s meet and greet program; she was probably with this punk because she had to be.

“Hello, Simon,” Timothy said cheerfully. “Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.

“Yeah, welcome to...here,” Simon nodded, taking the hand. Timothy’s grip wasn’t just firm; it almost hurt. Jerk.

The bell rang and the crowds in the hall began to disperse. Susan tapped Timothy on the shoulder. “I’ve got to go; my class is a few halls over,” she said. “You know where your first period is?”

Timothy nodded. “Yes, thank you.” He paused. “Susan, are you available for lunch? I’d rather not have to sit alone.”

Susan nodded. “Sure; you can sit with my friends and I.”

“Thank you,” Timothy flashed that annoyingly perfect smile. Simon turned to leave.

“Hold up there, Simon,” Timothy called as Susan walked away. “What’s the rush?”

Simon sighed; this guy couldn’t take a hint. “I’ve got to go to class.”

“Well, if you insist. Do give Lady Rena my regards.”

Simon froze, and an icy chill ran down the back of his neck. “What did you say?”

“Well, I assume Lady Rena has maintained contact. It would be foolish to do otherwise.”

Simon turned around slowly. “I…how do…oh my God…Tybalt?”

Timothy’s eyes flashed bright red for an instant. “The same.”

Simon let out a strange yelp and backed into the wall. Timothy/Tybalt laughed.

“Calm down Simon; if I wanted to kill you right now, I would have.”

Simon was standing on shaking knees. “Why…why not?”

“Why haven’t I killed you? My mission parameters have altered. I am here for strictly observational purposes. Were you to disappear, I might draw unwanted suspicion. This façade is really the ideal situation; I can keep track of you, and what better place to learn about your planet than a school?”

When it became obvious that death wasn’t imminent, Simon regained a bit of his composure. “Listen, Tybalt…you…you stay the hell away from Susan…”
Timothy/Tybalt raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I mean her no harm.”

Simon glared at him. “Just leave her alone!”

Timothy/Tybalt smiled slyly. “I get it; you’re attracted to her, aren’t you?”

“Shut up! I’m warning you, freak…”

An assistant principal turned the corner. “Lewis! What are you doing? Is there a problem here?”

“Timothy” flashed a smile. “Not at all, Sir. See you around, Simon Lewis.”

Great, Simon thought as “Timothy” walked away. Now he knows my last name…could this get any worse?

It was worse, he reminded himself. That freak was hanging out with Susan!

---
At lunch, Simon watched them like a metaphorical hawk. It never occurred to him to go sit with Susan, but he didn’t trust Tybalt, no matter what his frickin’ parameters were.

“Timothy” sat directly next to Susan, which only turned the knife. He said something, and she laughed…this was disgusting.

Simon wanted to go over there and break his face, but knew he couldn’t, for a variety of reasons, ranging from expulsion to horrible death. He didn’t know that this crap would hit him so close to home….

She laughed again, and Simon winced. That’s it, he decided. Right after class, me an’ Rena are gonna’ have a long talk.
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