Book II

Beginnings

Vol. II

"Hey, hey you, the big bloke in the cap!"

Tolly sighed inwardly, slowly coming to a halt and turning around, finally acknowledging the pestering presence behind him when all other options short of turning invisible had been exhausted. Wearily, exhaling through his nostrils forcibly, Tolly gathers his patience and replies. "Yes, Sebastian?"

Sebastian comes to a quick halt just a few paces away, panting a little and straightening his coat. "Well, I uh, I just wanted to say, you know, thanks for stickin up for me and all back there, the other day, and," Sebastian continued on quickly, as Tolly started to open his mouth to respond, "And you know, I just wanted to say that, I heard about, I mean, I've heard about before you know, I ain't checkin up on ya or anythin, but anyways I know about how you're supportin your ma and all and how ya work all the time, but I just wanted to say that, if you ever needed a friend for anythin, not that I can beat up guys like that glorified floor licking son of a milk maid Matthew like you can, but I can sure give ya some help with school if ya need it, not that you do or anything, but what with you not being there half the time, and like I said, I understand why, I ain't criticizin ya or anythin, but I figure it might be a way I could sorta help you out like you helped me, or if ya just need someone to talk to, cause ya kow, we all need someone to talk to sometimes, then ya know, I got a right good ear, my old man always says that, he says son you've got a right good ear on ya, ain't no need to go around yakking other's ears offa their heads, an' I jus say yes sir, I hear ya sir, and Imma do everythin I can to help that bad habit o' mine sir, and I know that I'm talkin long on ya again, an' I'm sorry and all for that, really I am, but I gotta say what I gotta say, and ye're one hard man to track down for someone as tall as you, ya know, so I jus figure..."

It is at this precise point that our hero, struggling to take in everything that Sebastian is spouting out at him in one, long, surely comma filled sentence (and yet admirably, and perhaps to our hero, alarmingly, with no evident shortage of breath), interjects, putting a hand on the lad's shoulder and saying firmly, "Sebastian, Sebastian listen to me. I appreciate it, really I do. But I get along just fine at school, and I don't have the time outside it to do much else besides work. So thank you kindly for your offer, but you'd be better off looking for friends somewhere else."

Sebastian pauses a moment to take Tolly's words in, a defiant gleam building in his eye. As he sucks in air and opens his surprisingly proportionate mouth to rebut, Tolly cuts him off. "OK, OK. I can see you're just gonna argue with me until you pass out, and seein as how we're already late it'll be better to agree with you then to stand in the street arguing all day. Let's get to class, and if you meet me here in two or three days time, we'll figure something out, ok Sebastian?"

And with that, the two boys embark off to school, Sebastian yammering all the way about this and that, interspersed with quick anecdotes about what his old man has to say about things, as Tolly quietly and as patiently as he can muster half pays attention and wonders what he's gotten himself into.