Chapter Text
“Look, I promise you’re going to be fine,” Jeff reassured from his seat beside Todd, “It’s really not that bad, and it’ll be the first time we’ve shared a school in ages!”
“Listen to your brother Todd. I’m sure you’ll do just as well as Jeffrey there,” his mother advised, watching disapprovingly as Todd anxiously chewed his thumbnail.
The scoff that came from his father in the driver's seat caused Todd to shrink in on himself. Catching his eyes in the rearview mirror, he hastily dropped his hand from his mouth, but he knew it was too late. His father had already saw, Todd’s anxious tics was just another of many things that his father disliked about him.
Todd spared a glance at his tension-filled brother, whose hazel eyes were watching his father closely. He subtly shook his head at his brother, but Jeff only looked back at him stubbornly.
It won’t help, Todd tried to convey with his eyes.
You could at least let me try, his brother’s gaze replied.
For years, his parents have favored his older brother over him. It didn’t matter what Todd accomplished, in the eyes of his parents he’ll never measure up to their golden boy. Even if they were to do the exact same thing, Todd would be scolded and lectured while Jeffrey would be praised.
Even now, as they were driven to their boarding school, Todd had already received several lectures about making sure to do well and not embarrass the family name. Meanwhile, Jeff only received reminders of how he could call home anytime, for anything, and how proud they were of him.
If Todd was a better person, he wouldn’t feel the scorching flames of envy smoldering in his chest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t, and even though he loved his brother he couldn’t help wondering what made his parents love his brother and not him.
Was it the physical appearance? Was Todd’s dirty blond hair too different from his brother’s chocolate brown? Were his blue eyes jarring in comparison to the warm hazel tone of Jeffrey’s?
Or was it more about the internal? His introversion compared to his brother’s outgoing friendliness always seems to irk his mother. Not to mention the way his anxiety was always a target for his father’s ridicule.
Even his hobbies were found lacking. When Jeffrey so much as looked at a book, he was applauded for how smart and studious he was regardless of the title, but when Todd read he was only criticized for not spending more time “in the real world”.
Todd was jarred out of his thoughts when the car rolled to a stop in a crowded parking lot. The crowd of people milling about the brick building were enough to make his head spin.
How many people even attend this place? He wondered absentmindedly as he exited the car, fingers starting to drum a nervous pattern on his thigh.
“C’mon Toddy, I’ll show you where to go,” Jeff said cheerfully, rounding the car’s bumper to clap him on the back.
Jostled by the rough touch, Todd sent a halfhearted glare towards his brother before exchanging an awkward hug with his mother and a tense handshake with his father.
“Listen here, I don’t want you up in this school embarrassing your brother. He’s got opportunities you can’t even dream of and I’ll be damned if you screw this up for him,” his father muttered, his painful grip on Todd’s hand too tight to be anything but intentionally.
“I won’t, sir.” Todd dutifully promised, the words tasting like ash on his tongue.
“Todd, buddy, what do you even have in here?” His brother asked, staring at the suitcase he pulled out of the trunk in befuddled fascination.
“Oh.” Todd rushed to grab his luggage, red creeping up his cheeks.
He hastily sent a wide-eyed look to his brother, silently pleading for him to get them out of there. He had packed only the bare essentials into the suitcase to be able to fit as many of his books in it as possible. If his father found out, Todd would get another lecture on his inability to do anything right.
Books have always been a comfort to him, especially poetry. Poetry had the ability to take every scrambled feeling he’s ever had and turn it into something that made sense, something beautiful. Unfortunately, if Todd enjoyed something, his father would almost certainly hate it.
A week before Welton’s term began, his father banned him from bringing any of his books with him. He claimed they would distract him from his studies (ridiculous considering that some of the poetry he read would most likely be a part of the curriculum). This caused certain measures (such as a suspiciously heavy suitcase) to become necessary to smuggle in his forbidden treasures.
His face lighting up in realization, his brother swiveled around to look at their parents, “We’re going to be late for orientation! We’ll go on ahead and see you after.”
A quick glance at Todd’s watch as his brother grabbed his shoulder and began guiding him away from their parents proved him wrong, but he couldn’t help the burst of admiration at how smoothly he lied to them.
A good distance away his brother turned towards him with a knowing smirk, “Seriously, Todd? Hiding books, you do realize that Hell-ton has a library, right?”
“Why do you call it that? I though it wasn’t that bad”
Jeff shrugged at his brother, “It… Welton is just different, and a lot of it is shit… but I think you’ll like it, Bud. ”
Todd’s brows furrowed, trying to figure out what Jeff was trying to say. Too busy pondering over the statement, he didn’t notice the rowdy group of boys heading in the opposite direction. His shoulder collided roughly into the chest of one of them, knocking him down into the grass with a groan.
His collision mate had the nerve to only stumble back a few steps, his face taking on a concerned look as he peered down at Todd’s sprawled form. “Are you ok—”
“Watch it!” His brother spit out, he placed himself between the two as if to shield his brother.
One of the other boys in the group started forward, his other friends grabbing at his jacket to try and keep him back. “Hey! It was an accident, chill out!”
His brother threw a glare his way before turning his back to the group in a complete dismissal, his tone softening as he pulled Todd up, “You alright, Buddy?”
Todd’s face burned as he dusted off his pants, more than aware of the strangers still awkwardly lurking off to the side, “I’m good.”
“You sure?” Jeff raised a skeptical brow, eyeing his scratched up palms in disapproval.
“Yes!” Todd hissed, face turning redder as his eyes cut towards the group still watching him.
His gaze met a pair of surprisingly warm brown eyes. They belonged to the boy who he’d ran into, about a head taller than him and the type of classically handsome that made Todd think of fairy tale princes.
“Sorry, you okay?” the boy silently mouthed at him, his lips slanting into an almost-smile when Todd gave a jerky nod.
Jeff’s concerned eyes narrowed as he followed Todd’s look, “Come on Bud, we still have to get to orientation.”
Todd felt helpless as he trailed after his brother, his head ducking to hide his face from everyone still staring after the scene he just caused with his clumsiness.
“You let me know if anyone bothers you,” His brother’s voice seemed oddly serious, “Promise me, Todd.”
“I-I promise,” Todd’s stutter reappeared, causing him to wince, thanking the stars that his father wasn’t around to hear him.
Jeff’s solemn face melted away as they finally reached the auditorium hall, revealing the sunny smile Todd was used to seeing, “Good, now come on, we need to find your seat!”