The conversation with T.J. had left Toby with the very distinct need to go out and get some air. There was plenty of yard to run around in, but he needed to get away from the house. He wasn’t running from his problems – if they could be described as such – he just needed some space from it all. The ride on T.J.’s bike to the park was nice and gave his mind plenty of time to wander. That he would have been devastated if anything had happened to Emyli (specifically her dying) was never a question; what bothered him was the extent he realized he felt for her. Toby could dress it up any way he wanted or make excuses for the way he treated Emyli, but that didn’t change the fact that the last time he felt so strongly about someone, it had ended horribly. On that thought, Toby reached into his pocket and grabbed a pill. He had no idea what it was, which was a disturbingly common occurrence. In his mind, there wasn’t really anything to worry about. The number of bad trips he had almost equaled the number of good, and overdosing would take a lot of effort on his part to achieve. By the time he reached the park, the buzz of the Xanax had already worn off; it said a lot about his drug use that he could tell what the pill was by what it did to him. He pulled a blunt out of the tiny pocket on the front of his shirt. His mind was beginning to still after a few short puffs, and the only debate he was having was whether to shift in the parking lot or wait a little while longer. The half-smoked joint still pinched between his fingers ultimately made the decision for him.
When it came to women, Toby was never the type to stalk or creep on a girl. Sure, he was a lot more lewd than others, but that came from his general “give no shits” attitude. The worst that could happen was that a girl could turn him down, and he firmly believed that he had already experienced the worst rejection life had to offer. Had it been any other day, Toby might have left the red-head he spotted walking down the path alone, but today he felt like the extra push to prove to himself that Emyli was nothing more than a really good friend. With the joint held between his lips, he jogged toward the girl, hoping to meet her far enough down the path that she would have no choice but to talk to him while she walked to her car. Since the wind was blowing from behind, he didn’t catch the distinct familiar smell until he was practically on top of her. He’d been around the block a fair share of times, but it wasn’t often that he caught the scent of a were-rodent that wasn’t one of his siblings.
When Toby reached the girl, he pulled alongside her – matching her pace so that they were walking together. He didn’t say anything at first or do anything at all other than silently smoke. A few seconds passed that way, long enough that he guessed she was just about to ask him what the hell he was doing. “Beautiful day isn’t it?” He looked over the red-head with a wide smile. “Perfect day to go out and meet gorgeous ladies.” A wink was added to punctuate the remark.