Saving Toby Read Online Free PDF

me.
    “Don’t be fresh,” Mrs. Faye warned her son.
    “Hey, look at her, she’s beautiful,” he pointed at me and
grinned. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
    I felt embarrassed by the attention, but I forced myself to
smile at his comment. He kissed his mother on the cheek and told her he’d be
home by ten.
    “Wait. I need to talk to you,” Mrs. Faye called to Toby as
he started to leave. He halted waiting for her to go on, but she looked to me.
“Honey, could you give us a moment alone?”
    “Of course,” I nodded and left the room. I pulled the door
closed behind me. I didn’t mean to listen in on their conversation, but the
door was thin.
    “Those boys,” Mrs. Faye said. I imagined her shaking her
head. “Promise me things will be different while you’re home this time.” This
time ? Had he been away? At the sound of Mrs. Faye’s pleading voice, I felt
fiercely protective of her. I wouldn’t be able to tolerate him if he upset her.
    Toby chuckled. “Okay, Mom. I promise, I promise. I’ll keep
it on the down-low, Scout’s honor.”
    I rolled my eyes at the thought of Toby as a scout and
jumped back when the door swung open, catching me by surprise.
    “I guess you heard. I’ve been properly chastised, so you can
go back in now, but be careful,” he cautioned, making a show to be formal as he
held the door for me. “She takes no prisoners.” He made a slicing motion across
his neck.
    “Oh, go on, get out of here,” Mrs. Faye laughed, apparently
in a better mood. “And behave yourself!”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he saluted her and turned to me. “See ya
later,” he said, and very casually flicked a lock of my hair as he walked by.
    Stunned by his boldness, I stared after him as he proceeded
to shuffle down the stairs, whistling.

4. Toby
     
    Ray Rudack hadn’t changed much since high school. He was
still smaller than Devlin and I. Still the sidekick, our comic relief. We
pushed him around and teased him for years, and he took it all without
complaint. He stuttered when he was nervous and had no other friends. He was
also still a freaking mess. Hair hung in his eyes, his breath stank, and the
nasty sweatpants he had on looked like he’d been wearing them for days.
    Through most of high school, I’d spent a lot of time at the
Rudacks’ house, mostly to avoid home. And Al Junior. It was a place where no
one cared what you smoked, how long you stayed, or if your family was messed
up.
    We were hanging out in Ray’s kitchen, the same now as then,
having a few beers. Leaning against the sink, I looked around. The wall above
the stove was yellow with oily residue, the sink had a few dirty dishes in it,
and trash overflowed the container. Ray and Dev pushed aside a cheap-looking,
plastic flower basket and sat at the table with their stash and rolling papers
spread out on the pitted surface. The scent of a burning blunt blew in from the
den. Ray’s younger brother and a few friends were hanging out much like we had
a few years ago.
    Nothing ever changed.
    We heard a crash from the other room, followed by laughter.
Ray leapt out of his chair to investigate, yelling, “Little shit, you’d
b-b-better fix that!”
    “Ah, the familiar sounds of brotherly love,” I drawled. Dev
snorted.
    The back door opened, and Mrs. Rudack came in. Despite the
cool night, she had on a tight, open-neck shirt that made it hard not to notice
her perky, surgically enhanced boobs. She was clearly coming in from her own
little party out back.
    “Tobeee,” she crooned, pulling me into a hug. “I’ve missed
you.”
    Dev and I both agreed. She was a MILF. Her body was tight
for her age, though her face was wrecked from years of drinking and hard-core
partying—she made us guys look like amateurs.
    “Hello, Mrs. Rudack.” The hug lasted a few awkward moments
longer than it should have. I drew away from her.
    “Please call me Diane—I’m not married anymore.” She wagged a
finger and smiled at me.