Bad Habit
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That glimmering, pink toenail just looked so tasty. It enticed the teenage boy insanely, bidding him unable to tear his gaze away from the overpowering temptation. He licked his parched lips eagerly. While he was all but ready to bend over and wrap his mouth around the fattest extension to his right foot, Timothy had long since promised himself to bring his -- unhealthy, some might say -- childhood habit to an end this year. But one lick would not hurt, right?
Just one. The great battle between his excited nerves and his determined mind was tearing his little confused heart apart. "Oh!" He squealed a high-pitched squeal in frustration. "One last time!" He decided.
With his mind finally made up, Timothy lowered his torso and lifted his right foot closer to his face. "Flexibility never came in handier!" He chimed, as his nose hovered less than an inch away from his craving. Nostrils tingled at the cherry-scented nail polish painted on his big toe. He parted his lips slowly. A slippery, stimulated tongue lowered from his mouth. Anticipation overfilled his heart; to the point he felt he would explode if he waited any longer! It started out with a few subtle licks, and then his tongue worked faster and faster. The addictive flavour jumped about in his mouth as little kids would jump in a jumping castle at a birthday party. In no time, he managed to get his entire toe to fit into his mouth. "Heaven," he said through a mouthful of toes, excess saliva dripping out the sides.
Meanwhile, a trio of girls arrived at the doorstep of his room. They were identical in every fashion; all brunette, all brown eyed, stood the same height, and wore the same white gowns. Rare, perhaps, but not surprising, seeing as they were born of the same mother merely seconds apart. April, May and June had rushed to their friend's door to remind him that Riven Academy's preliminary assembly was already underway. Normally, they might have considered knocking but there was simply no time to waste! "One! Two! Three!" They counted in chorus and, on 'three', rammed their shoulders into the door simultaneously.
The loud bang of the door being broken off its hinges alarmed Timothy to say the least. The boy, who had still been enjoying his uncanny delicacy, toppled over his chair in shock. He landed with his back on the floor, and his legs contorted painfully. On the plus side perhaps, his foot was still halfway into his mouth.
The triplets gasped in surprise at what they had just barged in on. "Tinklywinkly! What on earth do you think you're doing!?" All three of them pressed their fists against their wastes. Timothy tried to respond, but his tangled position and occupied mouth had only permitted him to mumble something insensible. "How many times have we told you not to finish the cherry nail polish without us!?" They complained indignantly. For his selfish deeds, the girls had the right mind to leave him right where he was. Nevertheless, their kind hearts would not allow them to do such an inconceivable thing, not right at that moment anyway. Maybe after assembly they would think of a suitable punishment. For now, they prayed they could get him untangled quick enough to get to the auditorium before it was all over.
"Girls! Let's get working!" May ordered. She usually played the role of leader amongst the triplets.
"Yes, ma'am!"
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Timothy jammed his neck to one side, trying to force his bones back to their original positions. He grunted at the pain.
"You totally deserve that!" June told him off.
"Yeah! And you owe us another bottle of nail polish!" April added.
May sighed. "C'mon girls. If he hasn't given us the other three hundred and fifty-two bottles he owes us, what makes you he'll give us this one?" The girls' faces saddened at the realisation. This toe-licking habit of his had definitely got out of hand. Too many times had they lost good nail polish to it. But if May knew Timothy, his obsession would only get a lot worse before it got any better.
The only male amongst them, clad in pink tights, painfully popped his shoulder back into place. "You'll get your nail polish after you replace my door! What kind of monstrous behemoths break down my poor door like that?" he sobbed overdramatically. "And I just got a new, adorable, kitty handle too…"
"You just be happy we got you untangled in time. Imagine what would've happened if someone else came to your room!" April pointed out. This was not the first occasion the girls spared him from embarrassment. "It might've been even worse than that one time you were so excited to try on those new pants you just bought, and you ended up getting your zip stuck to your--"
Timothy cut her off with a sigh of despair. "Don't even remind me, April. Zippers are the devil's creation! It took twelve painkillers just to get rid of the pain." He further emphasised his point with a moan. The horrific incident had occurred such a long time ago, but every vivid detail of it had been burned permanently into his memory. He placed a hand over his crotch reassuringly. "It was terrible. You girls are lucky you'll never have to endure something like that."
The triplets giggled all at once. The next few minutes passed in silence as the anxious students walked as fast as they could towards the auditorium. None of them dared to be late for the opening speech. Timothy secretly prayed for some sort of delay in the schedule. He had been so preoccupied that he would have probably forgotten assembly altogether if his three close friends had not reminded him. Right next to shaving his leg and chest hair, he added a mental note to thank the triplets.
Finally, one large entrance to the main hall was moving into view. "Hey, girls! I'll race ya there!" June challenged her sisters, sticking out her tongue playfully.
"You are
so on!" They accepted.
Timothy shook his head, unimpressed, as he watched the girls break into sprints. If it was a race they wanted, it was a race he was going to give them! His slow response granted them a head start. Timothy felt compelled to engage his secret weapon in order to win. Using an open palm, he slapped his right buttocks as hard as he could. The sting, though painful, lasted only a few seconds. While his behaviour would seem queer to the untrained eye, the effect of the smack would make it all worth it in a second. In essence, his one-piece outfit was directly connected to the shoes on his feet. Admittedly, Timothy had no idea how it worked, but whenever he slapped his right buttock, four miniature wheels pushed out from beneath the soles of his special shoes.
Moments later, the girls heard the familiar sound of rollerblades cruising along the ground. They turned around to see a grinning Timothy blazing right towards them. "Ladies first!" He shouted as he sped passed, soaring straight into the auditorium.
Inside the crowded hall, Timothy hauled his skates to a stop. The wheels made a screeching sound against the wooden floor, which he hoped no one noticed. He slapped his right butt cheek once again, this time, to get the wheels to retract into his shoes. Hoping not to cause too much of a stir, Timothy edged towards the closest empty chair he could find. He seated himself smoothly. His right leg swung over his left for more comfort.
"Quite interesting," he said, taking note of the man standing centre stage. It looked like Mr. Barian Wemeren was going to give the speech this year.
What in the hell is he wearing though? Gray? The man had no fashion sense whatsoever. "Dull colours for a dull man, I suppose," he commented to no one in particular. The boy seated next to him had heard his criticism nonetheless. He looked Timothy up and down with an amused smirk on his face.
"Dude, what are you … gay?" He chuckled.
SLAP!
"Some people are
so insensitive," Timothy said casually as he examined his nails and blew gently on the polish. The other boy, red cheek clutched delicately in one hand, scurried off to find a safer place to sit. "Silly seventh year," the senior giggled impishly.
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