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an invitation, and then an unvitation
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Tommy is... still alive. They have a class on Shakespeare together, and they have Intro to Lab together, and they have Geometry together, so Toby will notice if he disappears. It's a comfort.

 

(Tommy has always been skinny but he looks emaciated. He hasn't been sleeping well; he's got dark bags under his eyes, and sometimes he starts nodding off in class before startling awake. He stopped checking for mals before sitting down sometime in January, or maybe February, long enough that it's become part of Toby's routine to get to class early and make sure Tommy's seat is safe.

Somehow, the scariest part is that he's quiet. He talks slowly, at a normal volume, every once in a while--in group projects he lets other people talk instead--and Toby wants to ask what did Clay do to you but he can't, not if he doesn't want things to get worse.)

 

Tommy's still alive, and Clay graduates in three months. He's survived four months already. It's--well, it's not looking great. But there's a chance. Maybe. (Probably not.)

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And on April 1, Clay and Tommy approach Toby in the library. 

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Blink. Blink. "Hello, can I help you?"

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Tommy looks up at Clay; Clay smiles and nudges him encouragingly. "I wanted to invite you to, uh, my party, I guess. 'Cause Easter's coming up and so's my birthday, you know, and Clay said I could see everyone for it. Um, you can, you can hang out with Tampa the whole day if you want, this Saturday, I got permission, and sit with us at meals and shit, and then after dinner I'm having a party at the snack bar, I saved up tokens for it. You can invite the whole study group, as many people as you want. And if it goes well, Clay might-- we might get to talk more again."

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"Really? That's-- that's great news! That's great, thank you!"

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"You're welcome." Invitation delivered successfully, Clay starts to walk off.

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"Oh, um--bye! See you Saturday!"

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"See you Saturday!"

 

As far as Toby's concerned, Saturday can't come fast enough. He can't sit still, can't focus on his homework, but it barely matters because on Saturday he can talk to Tommy again. He convinces Jack Manifold to wake up early on Saturday so that he can head to the library as soon as curfew ends; when the day finally arrives, it feels like he can't walk fast enough.

Tampa's room is fairly small and quiet, this early in the morning; it's easy to spot Clay. He gives a sort of half-wave.

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Clay heads over. "Toby? What? Why are--why are you here?"

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"--Today's Tommy's party, sir."

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"What?" And then Clay stops, and then Clay starts laughing. "Oh, right, that--I forgot about that.

Did you not realize--Toby, it was an April Fools' joke. Tommy doesn't want you to, to sit with him. He definitely doesn't want to have a, a party with you. You left him. You haven't talked to him in four months. He doesn't want anything to do with you."

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"...What?"

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"You heard me. Now get out, you're not supposed to be in here."

 

Clay waits five minutes until after Toby's left to head out himself. It's a little later than he normally picks Tommy up, but not by that much. He probably won't even notice, but if he does, it's barely remarkable.

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