35

"Oh. That's okay." He crosses his arms over his stomach—he doesn't seem able to stand still for long. "I'd think I'd better be in the house when my folks get back. If they got back and I was just gone, then…yeah."

He keeps on fidgeting, all elbows and shrugging shoulders.

"You saw my parents at the meeting?" he asks eventually.

"Yeah. Just happened to run into them."

Tobias nods a few times, not speaking. You notice him bite—even chew—his bottom lip.

"They must've been talking about me, then."

You're suddenly a little lost for words. You open your mouth as you struggle for a response, but Tobias cuts you off with a shake of his head.

"It's all right," Tobias replies. He seems to finally give up on movement and flops down onto the end of the wall with a sigh. "They've got half the neighborhood giving me pep talks the moment I run into them on the street. They talk about me a lot."

It hits you how simple life in the forest suddenly seems.

You can see Tobias has something on his mind—but you have no idea what to do. Should you…talk to him? Give him some space?

In the end, you move a little closer and end up sitting on the wall beside him. For a few moments, you just look out onto the empty road.