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It was a quiet morning in the Wilson house. There was no hustle and bustle of people getting dressed, or even the smell of breakfast being cooked. The house was just silent, and that’s how Tobias liked it.
Tobias stood at the mirror, adjusting his sweatband for the millionth time that morning. He just had to be presentable for his fellow classmates. There was nothing particularly special about today, but Tobias felt the need to look his best. He gave his armbands once last tug, turning away from the mirror. He clicked his tongue, pointing finger guns at his reflection.
“Looking good.” Tobias said with a wink. It didn’t really matter if he believed it or not, but it was at least good to try. Tobias left his room, wandering down the hallway. Distantly, he could hear his mother downstairs, tapping at her phone. From the sound of it, his dad had already left for work. Tobias let out a sigh of relief. That was once less thing to worry about.
He made it downstairs, peering into the kitchen. His mother, Jackie, sat at the table, tapping away at her phone. In front of her was a mug, presumably containing tea.
“I’m leaving.” Tobias announced, waving to his mother.
“Harold is going to drive you today.” Jackie informed, not looking up from her phone. Tobias froze, his teeth gritting.
“Really?”
“Mhm! He’s already waiting in the car. He wanted to have a talk with you.” She added.
Great, this was just great. Despite not being near his dad yet, he could already feel the sweat beginning to drip down his brow. Why couldn’t his dad be normal, and just talk to him at home? Or even better, send him a letter? What kind of parent needed to trap their kid just to talk with them?
Tobias suppressed a grumble, exiting his house. Sure enough, Harold was sitting in the car. The car trembled with the thrum of the engine. How long had he been out here? Tobias took a grounding breath, swiftly walking to the car. The faster he got this over with, the better.
“Morning.” Tobias muttered, clicking on his seatbelt. Harold only hummed in response, peeling away from the house. It was like Harold had been waiting for this moment; just to get Tobias alone.
Harold's grip on the steering wheel was firm, and his expression was unreadable. Tobias could feel the anxiety rising from the pit of his stomach. Why couldn’t he just get this over with? It was like Harold was waiting for Tobias to break and admit something. But what?
“I heard you’re friends with that Watterson kid. Gumball, right?” Harold broke the silence, barely glancing away from the road. Tobias’ hands tightened around his seatbelt. He never asked about Tobias’ school life. What game was this old man playing?
“Yeah, why?” He tried to conceal the trembling in his voice. Harold tsked, leaning further back into his seat.
“You don’t think he’s really your friend, do you?”
Tobias blinked in surprise.
“I…yes?” Tobias answered, it sounding more like a question than a statement. Harold scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Tobias, you can’t be that gullible. You’re a Wilson. And people only want Wilson's for one thing.” Harold explained. Tobias furrowed his brows. What was he talking about?
“What?”
“Money? We’re rich, Tobias. That’s what everyone wants from us. Not holding hands and frolicking through flowers.” Harold half laughed. Tobias arched a brow. Were they rich? Sure, there house was nice, but it wasn’t a mansion. Besides, his mom didn’t even have a job. They didn’t have any butlers or maids; Tobias basically did everything. They were middle class at best.“Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m right.” Harold scoffed. Tobias’ speedily looked out the window. He hadn’t even realized he was staring, let alone making a face.
There was no way he was right. Gumball loved him…right? He thought back to every interaction he had with him. Well, he seemed happy around him, didn’t they? Sure, every time they went out, he paid for the majority of things, but that was different. He got the biggest allowance.
“Gumball likes me.” Tobias said harshly. Harold rolled his eyes, glancing as Tobias. He was sure that if they weren’t driving, Harold would stare him down.
“Then test him on it. Make him prove it.” He spat. Tobias furrowed his brows.
“How would I do that?” Tobias asked. Harold shrugged.
“You’re a Wilson. Flaunt your money around. See who comes flocking to your wealth.”
Tobias hummed, looking back out the window. That plan was dumb. Well, he wanted to say it was dumb, but there was a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if Harold was right? He did have more than Gumball. What if he was…
Tobias quickly shook his head. No, Harold was wrong. He was always wrong. Tobias couldn’t think of a single time he was right.
The car jerked to a halt, lurching Tobias forward. He peeked out the window, gazing at the school. Oh, thank god, they were here. Tobias was ready to go to school, and scrub this conversation from his memory.
“Remember, make the right choice.” Harold reminded. Tobias glanced at Harold again, before hopping out the car. Gumball liked him; he knew it.
Tobias sat in class, twiddling with a pencil. Gumball liked him; he had to. Harold was wrong about his friends. He liked, no, loved him for who he was. It wasn’t just the money, it couldn’t be. Gumball did like him…right? Not just out of convenience, but out of genuine friendship.
His attention turned to Gumball and Darwin. They sat in front of him, chattering away. Tobias pursed his lips. Maybe he could just talk to them, and they’d reassure him. But wouldn’t that come off as desperate? Tobias wasn’t desperate, just curious.
“It sucks that dad broke the computer. How am I meant to watch videos now?” Gumball complained with an eye roll. Tobias’ ears perked up. On any other occasion, he would never listen to his dads' advice, but it wouldn’t hurt to try at least once.
“Psh, my daddy makes enough money to pay that off.” Tobias scoffed. He held back the feeling of disgust creeping to his face. Who even says that? They’re middle class at best. Still, Tobias leaned back in his seat, as if he had made the most brilliant point in the world.
Gumball arched a brow, gazing at Tobias.
“That’s cool, man.” Gumball responded. He turned back to Darwin, continuing his conversation. Tobias sunk down into his seat, drumming his fingers across the desk. Gumball said that was cool. It was cool. Is that what made him cool? Having money?
Tobias held back a grimace, leaning into his hand. There had to be more to that to this.
From first period to lunch was uneventful. He and Gumball didn’t have any together classes today, much to Tobias’ dismay. The conversation from that morning had been playing through his mind all day. Did Gumball just care about his money?
Tobias walked through the cafeteria, drumming his fingers against his tray. His eyes wandered to Gumball, who stood a few spots behind him. He chatted away with Darwin.
An idea popped in his head. What if he offered to pay for Gumball’s lunch? If Gumball loved him for who he was, then he’d reject the offer. It was a perfect plan. Tobias wandered to the back of the line, standing next to Gumball.
“Hey, buddy!” Tobias greeted. “Want me to pay for your lunch? I am made of money.”
It was a perfect set up! Now, all Gumball would have to say was-
“Yeah, sure!” Gumball beamed. He elbowed Darwin. “See, I told you people would appreciate me.”
Tobias held back a frown. He said yes? What happened to being humble? Well, he couldn’t back out now, could he? Tobias reached under his headband, pulling out a crisp 20 dollar bill. He practically tossed it at Gumball.
“Don’t spend it all at once.” Tobias joked. Unfortunately, his tone didn’t come off as joking. More…condescending. Tobias rushed away, cringing to himself
He chose a lunch table far from everyone else, pushed in a corner. From how today was going, he wanted to be alone.
Tobias poked his fork through his food, his brow furrowed. Today felt odd, and he hated it. No one had commented on his change. Did anyone really know him? Did they really think he was a stuck up jerk? He looked back down at his food. God, he wasn’t even hungry.
“Hey man!” Banana Joe greeted, plopping down next to Tobias. It was a bit relieving seeing a friend.
“Hi, Joe." Tobias half waved. Banana Joe was practically a ball of energy, excitedly shuffling closer to Tobias.
“After school, can I come over? I wanna play that new Gelda game you got.”
Tobias opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. Was Joe in on it too? Did he only want Tobias for what he had? Of course, why didn’t he see it sooner? Joe was always over. Tobias shook his head.
No, Joe was his friend. Still, looking at Banana Joe gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He could practically hear his dads voice telling him this friendship was wrong.
“Not today, Joe.”
The rest of the day was uneventful, if not lonely. The day had long been over, and Tobias wandered out the school. Everything just felt empty. If his friends only wanted him for his stuff, then they weren’t really his friends, were they?
Gumball and Darwin stood at the bottom of the steps, idly chatting. Tobias chewed his lip, staring at the duo. He at least had to try. He wanted to believe that Gumball would be there for him; he really did. One more test would do it, he was sure of it.
He needed to go somewhere mundane, somewhere where no money was included. Just somewhere where Gumball could appreciate him for him.
“Hey, Gumball!” Tobias called, waving his arm wildly. “Wanna hang out at my place?”
Gumball waved his hand, barely giving it a second thought.
“Nah, I’m going to the mall. You can come if you want.”
Tobias’ heart practically stopped in his chest. Gumball was practically begging Tobias for his money at this point. The mall? Oh, please. They’d have to spend money there.
Tobias opened his mouth to respond, but the sharp sound of a car honking caught his attention. Harold sat in the car, honking the horn again. For the first time, Tobias was actually glad that he was here to pick him up.
Wordlessly, Tobias ran to the car. The faster he got out of this situation, the better. He climbed into the car, slamming the door shut. In an instant, Harold pulled off from the school.
“How was school?” Harold asked, wasting no time. Tobias froze, curling his fingers against the seatbelt.
“It was…fine.” He half muttered. Harold chuckled, as if he had caught Tobias in a lie.
“Oh, please. He only wanted you for money, didn’t he?” Harold pointed out. Tobias bit his lip, averting his gaze. He couldn’t even bring himself to to say it. Harold only laughed harder, smacking his hand against the wheel.
“I told you! This is why you always listen to me.” He chastised. Tobias shrunk into his seat.
“I’m…I’m sorry.” Tobias muttered. Harold shot a glare at Tobias.
“A Wilson is never sorry.” Harold spat. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He tossed it onto Tobias’ lap. “Handle this the Wilson way. Spend as much as you want.”
Tobias stared at the leather wallet, his eyes big. Was he really allowed to do this? He looked back at Harold, who glanced at Tobias smugly.
“And a Wilson never second guesses.”
Right…right. Tobias was a Wilson. He didn’t have friends, and that was ok. He had money. His dad had money, and he was happy. Tobias wanted to be happy too.
Tobias looked at his dad. Maybe he should try to me more like Harold.