At The Library, chapter 4
Pip climbed out of the bunk underneath and made her way up to the top. Tim seemed a little pale, but this could have been about what he was going to say to her. As she made her way up he started to unbutton his shirt.
‘Oh sorry, I didn’t know’, she said nervously making her way down the bunk frame.
‘No, no, come up. I want you to see something’, he explained to her, reaching over to pull her back up. Pip made herself comfortable next to him, watching closely what he did.
‘Can you see the scars?’, he asked her, showing her his back as he lowered his shirt. Her eyes widened and for a moment pain and ache ran through them. She looked closely at what remained of the scaring which seemed to have been left of as a result of a fight.
‘Yeah, there’s a heap. Are they all because of the same reason?’, she asked him, pulling his shirt up so that she didn’t have to see them anymore. Tim started to button up his shirt again as he nodded.
‘They called me the whipping boy. Used to get me a few times a week. Eventually, it got to much and well I turned to hurting myself and well after that I dropped out’, he explained to her, as his eyes became teary.
‘I’m sorry, if your going to get worked up about it, we wont talk about it anymore’, she told him, rubbing his shoulder. He smiled and decided to keep the conversation up as this was the first girl he had spoken to in ages.
‘So, do you ahh, like......enjoy school?’, he asked her. Pip shook her head and looked back at him.
‘I’m like the toy they swing around and make fun off’, she told him, ‘Shoved into lockers like every second day. Get called names, and stuff but guess I want to finish school, so I’ll have to put up with it.
‘You do anything bad, like habits?’, he asked her intrigued with what she was saying.
‘I used to cut. Did pot for a while. Drank, but I didn’t see it as a problem’, she told him, sitting with her back to the wall. Tim put his arm around her and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. She pulled up her sleeves and showed him a few of the scars she had.
‘You shouldn’t have done that. Well I shouldn’t talk, I do the same’, he told her. Pip started to shut her eyes and started to get comfortable.
‘No, I’ve well kinda stopped’, she told him pulling her sleeves down. Tim rubbed his eyes and took his contacts out, exposing bright blue eyes.
‘Wow, you wear contacts?’, Pip asked enquiringly, looking into Tim’s eyes. He dropped his head.
‘Yeah, they make me wear them and dye my hair so I look like them’, he told her, ‘I don’t want to look like them, I don’t want to be them. I just want to be me’, he finished telling her.
‘Well then be yourself. What’s so wrong with it?’, Pip asked him. Small delicate tears started to come to his eyes. He bit his lip and then shifted in his seat again.
‘I cant. People don’t want to know me when I’m me and well not even when I’m this’, he told her. He turned his music off and the two sat in silence.
‘Tim, you don’t have to be like them’, Pip told him trying to get him to understand that he was perfectly fine the way he was.
‘No, I cant be. Billie and Joey are like perfect. I’m not. People hang with them. Girls talk to them. You’re the only girl who’s spoken to me apart from my mum. I’ve never even been kissed before’, he told her.
‘What’s so wrong about that?’, she asked him. She rubbed his back gently again to calm him down as he had worked himself up over this.
‘Its just, their perfect. Perfect as perfect can be’, he said, lying down so that he could stare up at the ceiling. Pip looked over him.
‘You are perfect, in your own way’, she told him. He looked up at her and tried to smile.
‘Wait here, I’m going to go try wash this dye out’, he told her, getting off the bunk and walking to the bathroom.
-A few hours later-
‘Well, what do you think?’, he said, walking back into the bedroom. Pip was still sitting on the top bunk listening to Tim’s music.
‘And…so…you’ll leave and take me away from here….’, she sang. He pulled the earphones from her.
‘What do you think’, he asked. Shaking his head around a little.
‘OMG, you look so mad’, she told him, messing around with his hair. He had managed to wash out most of the black, leaving his natural colour come out which was a hazel brown.
‘Really?’, he asked her wanting and honest opinion. Pip smiled and nodded again.
‘Your hair is like sweet as and your eyes, totally suit you’, she told him, helping him climb back onto the bunk. She sat with him for a while hoping that what he just did would get his self-esteem lifted.
‘Well…. I’m Tim Armstrong…16 years old…. And I am not a boy, but a man’, he said jokingly.
‘And your perfect the way you are’, she told him, giving him a hug.
‘Awe thanks’, he told her hugging her back, ‘And, I’ve decided…’. Pip looked up at him hoping for good news. He looked down at her and smiled.
‘I’ve decided I’m going to start school up again with you’, he told her.
‘No way are you serious?’, Pip asked curiously. Tim nodded, and she hugged him again.
‘Awe, that’s so cool. I’m so happy for you’, she told him. She leaned back on to him and they listened to more music together, while they talked about what was going to happen tomorrow.
‘So yeah, I guess it’s going to happen then’, he told her, ‘Pip, Pip’, he said trying to get a reply from her. It was no use she had fallen asleep against him, lightly. He put his arm around her to keep her upright and slowly too started to fall asleep, with her.
-The Next Day-
‘Pip wake up’, Tim said shaking her softly. Pip started to open her eyes and rubbed them gently.
‘Just a few more minutes’, she told him, cuddling into him a little more. He smiled but new it was wrong to keep this going…
‘Oh sorry, I didn’t know’, she said nervously making her way down the bunk frame.
‘No, no, come up. I want you to see something’, he explained to her, reaching over to pull her back up. Pip made herself comfortable next to him, watching closely what he did.
‘Can you see the scars?’, he asked her, showing her his back as he lowered his shirt. Her eyes widened and for a moment pain and ache ran through them. She looked closely at what remained of the scaring which seemed to have been left of as a result of a fight.
‘Yeah, there’s a heap. Are they all because of the same reason?’, she asked him, pulling his shirt up so that she didn’t have to see them anymore. Tim started to button up his shirt again as he nodded.
‘They called me the whipping boy. Used to get me a few times a week. Eventually, it got to much and well I turned to hurting myself and well after that I dropped out’, he explained to her, as his eyes became teary.
‘I’m sorry, if your going to get worked up about it, we wont talk about it anymore’, she told him, rubbing his shoulder. He smiled and decided to keep the conversation up as this was the first girl he had spoken to in ages.
‘So, do you ahh, like......enjoy school?’, he asked her. Pip shook her head and looked back at him.
‘I’m like the toy they swing around and make fun off’, she told him, ‘Shoved into lockers like every second day. Get called names, and stuff but guess I want to finish school, so I’ll have to put up with it.
‘You do anything bad, like habits?’, he asked her intrigued with what she was saying.
‘I used to cut. Did pot for a while. Drank, but I didn’t see it as a problem’, she told him, sitting with her back to the wall. Tim put his arm around her and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. She pulled up her sleeves and showed him a few of the scars she had.
‘You shouldn’t have done that. Well I shouldn’t talk, I do the same’, he told her. Pip started to shut her eyes and started to get comfortable.
‘No, I’ve well kinda stopped’, she told him pulling her sleeves down. Tim rubbed his eyes and took his contacts out, exposing bright blue eyes.
‘Wow, you wear contacts?’, Pip asked enquiringly, looking into Tim’s eyes. He dropped his head.
‘Yeah, they make me wear them and dye my hair so I look like them’, he told her, ‘I don’t want to look like them, I don’t want to be them. I just want to be me’, he finished telling her.
‘Well then be yourself. What’s so wrong with it?’, Pip asked him. Small delicate tears started to come to his eyes. He bit his lip and then shifted in his seat again.
‘I cant. People don’t want to know me when I’m me and well not even when I’m this’, he told her. He turned his music off and the two sat in silence.
‘Tim, you don’t have to be like them’, Pip told him trying to get him to understand that he was perfectly fine the way he was.
‘No, I cant be. Billie and Joey are like perfect. I’m not. People hang with them. Girls talk to them. You’re the only girl who’s spoken to me apart from my mum. I’ve never even been kissed before’, he told her.
‘What’s so wrong about that?’, she asked him. She rubbed his back gently again to calm him down as he had worked himself up over this.
‘Its just, their perfect. Perfect as perfect can be’, he said, lying down so that he could stare up at the ceiling. Pip looked over him.
‘You are perfect, in your own way’, she told him. He looked up at her and tried to smile.
‘Wait here, I’m going to go try wash this dye out’, he told her, getting off the bunk and walking to the bathroom.
-A few hours later-
‘Well, what do you think?’, he said, walking back into the bedroom. Pip was still sitting on the top bunk listening to Tim’s music.
‘And…so…you’ll leave and take me away from here….’, she sang. He pulled the earphones from her.
‘What do you think’, he asked. Shaking his head around a little.
‘OMG, you look so mad’, she told him, messing around with his hair. He had managed to wash out most of the black, leaving his natural colour come out which was a hazel brown.
‘Really?’, he asked her wanting and honest opinion. Pip smiled and nodded again.
‘Your hair is like sweet as and your eyes, totally suit you’, she told him, helping him climb back onto the bunk. She sat with him for a while hoping that what he just did would get his self-esteem lifted.
‘Well…. I’m Tim Armstrong…16 years old…. And I am not a boy, but a man’, he said jokingly.
‘And your perfect the way you are’, she told him, giving him a hug.
‘Awe thanks’, he told her hugging her back, ‘And, I’ve decided…’. Pip looked up at him hoping for good news. He looked down at her and smiled.
‘I’ve decided I’m going to start school up again with you’, he told her.
‘No way are you serious?’, Pip asked curiously. Tim nodded, and she hugged him again.
‘Awe, that’s so cool. I’m so happy for you’, she told him. She leaned back on to him and they listened to more music together, while they talked about what was going to happen tomorrow.
‘So yeah, I guess it’s going to happen then’, he told her, ‘Pip, Pip’, he said trying to get a reply from her. It was no use she had fallen asleep against him, lightly. He put his arm around her to keep her upright and slowly too started to fall asleep, with her.
-The Next Day-
‘Pip wake up’, Tim said shaking her softly. Pip started to open her eyes and rubbed them gently.
‘Just a few more minutes’, she told him, cuddling into him a little more. He smiled but new it was wrong to keep this going…
