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Finally Falling

August 28, 2014
By Bantabulous, Mayslick, Kentucky
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Bantabulous, Mayslick, Kentucky
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Favorite Quote:
"Unfortunately people often get scared or angry when they don't understand something special and unique" -Professor Utonium ; The Powerpuff Girls Movie

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Author's note:

It's just a cheesy romance but has some darker, more personal themes underlying.

 
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Chapter 1



 



 



My eyes fluttered open to the sights of my blank red bedroom wall, sunlight streaming through the wooden shutters, I sat upon my bed, my pale lithe hands being enveloped in the cushy black comforter. I looked around, despite only sitting on my bed majority of the day yesterday, the room was a mess. I felt around for my phone in the sea of covers, once I grasped the warm plastic in my hand, I clicked the lock button, the screen lighting up to reveal I had 4 new text messages and the time was eleven fourty-six in the morning. I groaned inwardly as I opened up my messages screen. 



 



Mom: Wake your ass up! 



 



I rolled my eyes, sending back a quick sarcastic response before moving to the next message. 



 



Reed: Can I copy the math hw?!



 



I rolled my eyes, not responding to my brother's message, opting to let him suffer the consequences of stupidity.



 



Cindy: Wanna meet up later at the movies or something??



 



I shrugged, lifting my free hand to rub my eye as I yawned, simply replying with the standard, I'll ask my parentals.



 



Tyler: Good Morning Sunshine :)



 



One or those stupid grins broke out across my face, he was a doofus sometimes but I wouldn't replace my best friend for the world. I texted him back with a similar message. I pushed myself off of my bed, my shorts hanging from my waist and a T-shirt I had stolen from Tyler hung from my shoulders. 



 



I slipped my phone into my pocket and forced myself to walk forward, opening my door and entering the hallway, where miscellaneous pictures of me and my family scattered the teal wall. I pushed forward until I landed in the combination living room, dining room, kitchen; Where my mom was cooking breakfast.



 



"Bout' time your lard ass got up." She growled.



 



"Says the woman waiting until noon to fix breakfast." I retorted. She sat the frying skillet down, the pancakes sizzling, her dead panned face showing no amusement. She went back to flipping the frying cholesterol induced cakes.



 



"You know, I could just let you starve." She stated, matter-of-factly.



 



"I know, but you love me, so you wouldn't do that." I chuckled and hugged her, the heat from the electrical stovetop radiated warmth in the large room. I let go of her and made my way to the pleather recliner in front of the average-sized TV. My younger sister, Annabelle, was promptly parked in front of the screen, some half-idiotic children's cartoon playing.



 



 



She turned her blonde head and smiled at me, her baby blues sparkling. "Morning Jamie." she giggled before turning back to her show. A smile cracked my face as I plopped into the chair, the cool fabric making goosebumps on the edges of my arms. I yawned, half watching whatever cartoon Anabelle was.



 



          I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to not fall back asleep but too tired to keep fighting. I pulled my knees up to my chest and slowly blinked my eyes open, trying to adjust them. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I externally groaned as I reached into my pocket, having to extend my legs and awkwardly lean before I could even access the loose pocket. I swiped the screen, not even bothering to see who it was from.



 



Tyler: Just waking up huh? Lol Want to join Cindy, Paul, Peyton, and I for a Movie tonight? :) I'll pay for your stuff if ya need.



 



          I smiled slightly, just reading his name on my screen was enough to smile for. I mean I wasn't gay or anything....but he's my best friend, and has been for 7 years. Ask anybody else and they might say that we're dating but there's no romantic feelings between us, even if we do act like a couple. That's not normal but....it's us, and we are unique. I texted back.



 



Me: yeah lol. And sure, let me ask my mom and if you want, I'm not gonna reject that. Lmao xD



 



I pressed send and launched myself to my feet, walking to the dining room table where my mom was setting up breakfast.



 



" Hey Mom can I go to the movies with some friends later?" I looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. She sighed and rolled her eyes.



 



"I guess." She smiled slightly. "Just be back before Midnight, the Johnsons are coming over for brunch tomorrow." I huffed.



 



"Okay mom." I smiled and hugged her once more before jovially trotting back to my room and sitting my phone on my dresser. I opened up one of the antique dresser's drawers, sifting through it's contents. I repeated this process two more times before coming out with a cerulean blue short sleeve and a pair of khaki shorts as well as some underwear. I grabbed my phone off of the dresser' stop and walked into the hall bathroom. 



 



I closed and locked the white door behind me as I entered the small bathroom. I sat my clothes on the sink and began to text Tyler again.



 



Me: Mom said Yes :) Give me a bit to shower and stuff and then I'll be over to your place. *hugs*



 



I sat my phone on the cold faux-granite and pulled my shirt off. I looked at myself in the oversized sink mirror, I wasn't fat but I wasn't skinny either, I had cuddle room as Tyler often called it. The thought of that week we spent camping and had to sleep in the same 1 person tent brought a smile to my face. I returned my attention to my face, which looked very feminine for a guy's my lips were full, my eyes, beautiful, and my hair was longish. It's a wonder I've been single for as long as I've been eligible. I chuckled at my own comment. I stripped off the rest of my clothes and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind me and turning the water on hot.



 



I stood underneath the shower head and let the steaming water fall on top of me as I reached over and grabbed a bar of soap, starting to lather the suds across my acne-spotted body. I closed my eyes and began to hum, I wasn't exactly sure what to but I liked the sound. I sat the bar back down and rinsed off, reaching for the shampoo. I squirt a decent sized amount into my palm and lathered my hair heavily, I massaged my scalp,making sure my hair was nice and clean. 



 



After I rinsed my hair, I threw open the curtain to the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel off of the rack and drying my hair off thoroughly before briskly rubbing my body off. I stood in front of the mirror once more as I dressed, casually checking myself out. I grabbed my deodorant off of the sink and applied it along with a small amount of cologne. I picked up a brush and began styling my  coal black hair as I looked further into the mirror, making sure I looked good; when I was satisfied that I looked and smelled good, I gathered my belonging and headed into the main room once more. I made my way past the kitchen and into the laundry room, where I deposited my towel and wet clothes.



 



I turned on my heels and walked back into the main room where mom was just finishing up breakfast, sitting the plates of buttered pancakes on the table beside the syrup. I took a seat at the round, wooden dinner table and grabbed a plate; Which was soon filled with a couple of pancakes. I smothered the pancakes in thick maple syrup and began devouring bite after delicious bite.



 



"Don't forget to breathe." My mother said dryly, returning to the kitchen to make more.



 



After I took the last bite of food from my plate and ate it, I stood from my seat and walked over to the kitchen sink, depositing my syrupy plate in the sink. I walked past my mom; 



 



"Breakfast was good mom, thank you." I smiled.



 



"You're welcome James." She smiled back, clearly appreciating the manners. I strolled back to the bathroom once more, where my phone still lay. I picked it up and I had 3 messages.



 



Tyler: Okay see you soon Jami :)



 



I smiled and decided not to respond as I would see him sooner rather than later.



 



Peyton: Heyyyyy Jamiiiieeeeeee :D 



 



I chuckled lightly at the text and replied with 



 



Me: EYYYYYYY GUUURRRL



 



The last text was from my brother who once again was asking for homework, and another thing about my brother, he lives with our father, who left our mother 3 years back. I hate the man. I ignore the message and slip the phone into my pocket as I walked back into my room, and sat on the end of my bed, leaning over and picking up my converses. I shoved my feet into either of the black canvas shoes, lacing them up contentedly, I tied em off and stood up.



 



I step out into the hallway again, looking at the photos of Annabelle and I, some of Mom as a child, some of Trent (my brother) , and then there's ripped photos to cut off my father, who has disowned me basically. I sighed and continued my way into the main room. 



 



"I'll see you all later." I smiled at my mom, Kail, and Annabelle. Annie stood and ran over, hugging my waist. 



 



"Bye Jamie!" She beamed up at me and I pet her head.



 



"Seeya Annie." I retuned the smile as she returned to her morning shows. My mother walked over, hugging me. I towered over her, I hugged her back.



 



"See you later." She smiled, re-entering the kitchen and returning to cleaning the kitchen. I exited through the front door and down to the first floor of our apartment complex, my shoes slapping against the concrete stairs as I sped down them. Once I exited the building, I walked over to the alley beside it and retrieved my bike, which was hidden behind the dumpster.



 



I dusted off my bike and hopped on, speeding down the sidewalk and towards Tyler's house across town. I dodged all different types of people as I flew through the concrete forest; fat,skinny, male, female, black, white, Asian,Latin,blonde, brunette, rainbow-haired. But I could care less about who they are, rather I care about how they treat others. I turned the corner and was faced by more and more people,after a near crash, I hopped off my bike and began to walk along side it until I made it outside city limits and out into the suburbs surrounding the city.



 



When I finally made it to Tyler's house his sister, Peyton, answered the door.



 



"JAMMMMIEEEEEEEEEEE!"she squealed, hugging me.



 



"Pey-Pey!" I laughed as she pulled me into the home, leaving my bike discarded on the front porch. This was one of my favorite places to be, at the Thompson's house, with Tyler and Peyton and their family. 



"You ready for this movie tonight?" Peyton asked, letting go of me.



 



"What movie are we going to see?" 



 



"We're gonna go see Devil's Due." Peyton smiled, for some peculiar reason, she always seemed to love those corny Horror movies. 



 



"Awesome. Where's Tyler?" I asked looking around, and then suddenly as if by some god-awful force, I was picked up from behind. I screamed (manly of course. I ain't no wuss.) and struggled, fearing the worst. I heard laughter from not only the party behind me but also Peyton, I calmed down. It was only Tyler.



 



Tyler continued to laugh "You really do scare too easily Jamie." I turned when he sat me down and was blown aback, he looked half-decent for a change, no sweats and ratty shirt, none of that. He was in a pair of nice blue jeans and a red polo. "And ya smell nice today too."



 



I felt a heat rush through me "Hardy-Har!" I chided, playfully glaring at him. "And you don't look like you came out of the trashcan today, did Pey-Pey dress you?" I crossed my arms femininely. 



 



Tyler chuckled, "Nope, I just figured since we were going out-" he turned pink in the face at the realization of his own words "-Out to see a movie!; That I would dress up some. Ya know... For the ladies." He uncomfortably laughed, I swear to god if this was an anime or a manga, there would be the worlds biggest swear drop on his head right now. 



 



"Sureee." I smirked "I'm just gonna pretend you aren't seeing this as a date." I winked at him, toying.



 



"Why don't you both just shut up and make out already." Peyton rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.



 



We both semi-flustered at her words "We're straight sis, and even if we weren't; We're just friends." Tyler spoke.



 



"Yeah." I agreed.



 



"Whatever you all say. Everyone knows you're secretly dating, why don't you just admit it?" She furrowed her brows.



 



"Because there's nothing to admit...right James?" Tyler never called me James, ever since we met in 4th grade, He's always called me Jamie; Unless something was wrong.



 



I choked on air, sounding like a dying whale. "Uh, Yeah." I eyed at Ty.



 



"Whatever, if you all need me, I'll be at Cindy's " Peyton rolled her eyes at us and walked out of the door and across the street to Cindy Palmer's.



 



I turned towards Ty, trying to make myself look as serious as I possibly could. "What's wrong? You never call me James." 



 



He looked at me, his eyes full of confusion and .....hurt strangely enough "Nothing Jamie, I was just trying to prove a point..." He was lying and we both knew it.



 



"Don't you lie to me, we're best friends, you can tell me anything." I stepped closer to him, whatever was plaguing his mind was really eating away at him. He looked away.



 



"It's nothing." He said a bit more sternly time.



 



"Ty...." I spoke softly, taking one more step closer to him. 



 



"I SAID IT'S NOTHING DAMMIT!" He shouted, I jumped back, cringing in my own skin. Tyler never yelled at anyone ever, especially not me. He took a breath and exhaled. "Look I'm sorry for yelling Jamie. But I can handle this one on my own." He still refused to make eye contact with me. 



 



I sighed and spoke meekly, "You know what happened last time you said that.." I suddenly became interested in my shoes.



 



 



4 Years Ago



 



Tyler had been distancing himself from everyone lately; Peyton, Cindy, Michael, Britney, and even Me. Something was wrong but I wasn't sure what so I decided to stop him outside of the school at the end of the day. I walked towards him, the sun beating down my neck in the heat.



 



"Hey Ty! Wait up!" I called out, trotting to keep up with him, he had always been taller than me. He stayed silent the entire time but had slowed down enough for me to walk beside him. We walked in silence for awhile, heading towards the park in an un-communicated decision, I finally broke the silence. " Is something wrong?" 



 



He continued to be silent until I nudged him and looked up at him with pleading eyes. He sighed and looked like he was choking back tears, which was unlike him. "I'm fine Jamie." He forced a smile. 



 



I furrowed my brows together, anybody that knew him, knew something was wrong. "You sure?" 



 



"Yeah, I can handle myself." He still smiled "Let's go swing." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the swings as we entered the park.



 



We swung for an hour or so until we both had to go home, I knew something was wrong still, so later that night I convinced my mom to let me go to his house. When I finally arrived at his house his older brother, Parker, let me in. Said that their parents had taken Peyton to a dance recital and he was watching Tyler, who was in his room. I half sprinted up to Tyler's room to find his door locked. I rapped on the door. 



 



"Ty, unlock the door, it's me. Jamie." I spoke with a high level of concern in my voice. I heard a sniffle and then a drawer close, after another minute painfully ticked by, then door unlocked and opened. Standing behind it was a mess of the Tyler I has left at the park. He was wearing a black hoodie and some basketball shorts. He sniffled again as I stepped into his room and the door shut and locked behind me.



 



"Why are you here James?" He spoke, his voice cracking.



 



"I had a really bad feeling that you were really upset..." I spoke.



 



"Well I'm okay, you can go." 



 



"Something is wrong. Tell me. Please. I want to help." Knowing he was in pain was enough to make me want to break down. "I'm your best friend, you can trust me.



 



Then I saw something that I had never seen before; Tyler was crying. "It's just, Michael, he's been really mean to me lately." Tear after tear escaped from his 12 year old eyes.  "He's been calling me hurtful things that I don't understand, like faggot and cocksucker, but I-I like girls; And I tried to explain that to him but he wouldn't comprehend our friendship with that fact." I felt a fire ignite inside of me, a fire of hatred towards Micheal. I wrapped my arms around Tyler and held him close.



 



"He's just an idiot Ty." I told him, tears falling into hair as the tall boy nuzzled into the top of my head.



 



"Jamie...I thought I could handle him, but I couldn't..." He looked away. 



 



I was puzzled. "What do you mean?" I tilted my head.



 



He slowly lifted his sleeves and winced. I felt my heart completely split in two as I saw the cuts on his wrists, fresh with blood. I rushed into the bathroom and grabbed peroxide and bandages. I had seen my mom do this when my brother did the same thing. I ran back into his room, tears rushing down his face as I sat him on his bed and began to treat his wounds. 



 



"I'm sorry..." He whispered.



 



"Everything is going to be okay Ty, just promise me you won't do this ever again." I looked him in the eyes, his emerald green orbs staring back.



 



"Promise."



 



I held onto Tyler the rest of the night, eventually falling asleep there with him, much to my mother's dismay and worry. When I returned home the following day, I was grounded and questioned, though I didn't dare tell her about the previous night's events without Tyler's permission. Michael left our group, and eventually moved schools, we haven't heard from him since. I glanced over at the pale scars on Tyler's wrists and he caught me looking, hiding them, being ashamed of them.



 



"I know what happened last time, but it's different this time Jamie. I promise." He hugged me from the front this time and I latched around him. I knew something was up, but if it were seriously bad, I think he'd tell me after what happened. 



 



We stood like that for a couple of minutes before he pulled away. "You're still not leaving my sight tonight." I assured him. He smiled at me and I returned the gesture. 



 



"Let's go catch up with Peyton and Cindy, they're probably about ready to leave." Tyler croaked. He cleared his throat as we made our way out of the door and into the warm July evening. We crossed the street, north bothering to look either way as the cars had to slow for us.



 



Once we made it to the Palmer's house across he street, we rang the door bell, Cindy answered the door. She smiled at us "Tyler! James! You all ready?" She cheerfully boasted, her brown eyes gleaming from behind her thick rimmed black glasses that her blonde hair framed.



 



Peyton stepped around from behind her "They'd better be." She chuckled. "Lord knows we gave them enough time."  Cindy giggled, looking at us like she would look at a puppy. 



 



"Yeah we're ready." I rolled my eyes, the girls continued to giggle like they were writing a smutty fanfiction about Tyler and I. 



 



"Good, let's go then." Cindy declared "Who's driving?" 



 



"I will." Tyler answered, turning to leave. I followed him back out and across the street once again to his car, a 2012 Toyota Camry LXE, and stood beside it as we waited on the girls.



 



"Wait up!" Cindy belted, running across the street and jumping in as Tyler unlocked the doors. I climbed in the passenger seat as Peyton hurried across the street and got in behind me. 



 



After everyone buckled up, Tyler backed out of his driveway and headed back towards the city from which I came. We drove in silence for a good portion of the ride until Peyton spoke up. 



 



"So who's ready to either laugh our asses off at a cheesy horror movie or s*** our pants in terror and have nightmares for a week?" I laughed a bit at her question.



 



"Me!" The remaining three of us chimed in, laughing, it felt good to laugh, to feel happy and full of life. Once we had arrived at the overcrowded cinema and Tyler parked in bum-screwed Egypt, we walked a good ways to the ticket booth. Where, as promised, Tyler paid for my ticket.



 



We made it inside without much of resistance, other than the huge line to get in the door. we waited in line on popcorn and drinks and candy and got inside our theater just in time for trailers. We all scavenged the room for four seats together, and eventually found some. Right up in the front row.



 



"Did anyone remember the neck pillows?" Peyton joked, whispering in the darkened room



 



"Or the icy hot for afterwards?" Tyler added. I laughed silently and sat I between the siblings, Cindy on Peyton's other side. The first scene started and I turned my attention to the film. 



Chapter 2



 



 



After leaving the theater, both terrified and with headaches from looking up at the large screen, we decided to get ice cream. We walked across the parking lot to the local ice cream shoppe, The Icy Cone, and each ordered a soft serve; Each of us getting a different flavor.  We sat at a table near the door and awkwardly sat there as we licked our frozen treats.



 



"Hey Cindy, mind if I crash at your place tonight? I don't want to sleep alone after seeing that movie, or sleep at all for that matter." Peyton laughed.



 



Cindy shrugged "Sure, just as long as you don't murder me or perform demonic rituals at 3am!" She chided, causing everyone to laugh, including the people at the table beside us, making the room awkward once more.



 



"No Promises." Peyton spoke after a bit and grinned evilly.



 



"Well, I don't want to be alone tonight either, I know I'm supposed to be a strong guy but that s*** scared the hell out of me to be completely honest!" Tyler confessed as he at the last bit if his ice cream. 



 



"Wanna stay at my place?" I asked him, hoping he'd say yes because I was not able to stay at his.



 



"I'd love to." He smiled at me, running his fingers through his hair. Across the table, the girls giggled and I rolled my eyes. 



 



" For the last time, there is nothing romantic between Tyler and I." I groaned.



 



"Yet." Peyton snickered, she made eye contact with her brother, who hung his head in return. I blew it off as some sort of blackmail between the siblings and went back to angrily eating my ice cream cone.



 



"It's kind of obvious that there is something there." Cindy gestured to both Tyler and I with her ice cream cone.



 



"Yeah, just like there's something obvious between you girls." I tried to retort.



" you obviously haven't accounted for the last time my growler dripped all over Reed's wood." Cindy flaunted with her ice cream as she said all over, dropping it on the floor. "S***." She furrowed her brows.



 



"Serves you right for talking about your sexual adventures with my brother!" I taunted. Cindy glared at me as she got up and grabbed some napkins to clean it up.



 



After we all finished, we made our way back out to Tyler's car and piled in, me sitting in the backseat with Tyler, due to the fact that he was letting Peyton drive. She backed out of the parking spot, I wasn't comfortable with her driving, but it was Tyler's car after all. We made it back into traffic smoothly but there was a traffic jam and Peyton was getting frustrated.



 



"THE LIGHT IS GREEN! THAT MEANS GET YOUR OLD ASS UP OUT OF MY DAMN WAY AND GO!" She shouted angrily, gripping the steering wheel. I stifled my laughter but apparently not well enough as she turned and glared at me. She finally got to move and refocused on the road.



 



I felt Tyler's eyes on me so I turned my head to meet them. "Can we talk later?" His eyes were full of anxiety and fear. I nodded, mentally preparing for the shitstorm that would happen when we are finally alone. Peyton pulled a hard right and sped out of the city.



 



"NOW THATS HOW YOU DRIVE DUMBASS!" She screamed as she began to slow down, feeling the speeding ticket already coming. She exerted air frustratedly. "How the hell do you stay calm when you drive Ty?!" She cranked the air conditioning on full blast.



 



"I dunno but are you all hot and flustered now Pey?" Tyler snickered. I lost it then, I busted out laughing. Peyton stomped on the breaks, sending me hurtling into the back of her seat, Cindy almost flying into the windshield and cause Tyler to smash into Cindy's seat. 



 



"Uhm, OW!" I shouted. "What the hell?!" I sat back against the backseat, adjusting my seatbelt 



 



"Well don't be an ass and it won't happen." She smugly grinned at me through the rear-view mirror and continued to drive until she pulled into the drive way outside of her brick house. "We're back bitches. See you tomorrow." She got out and tossed Tyler the keys.



 



"Yea, see ya later ya hoes!" Cindy giggled, pulling Peyton behind her as the sprinted to her house across the street.



 



I stepped out, rubbing the back of my head, which was throbbing due to hitting the back of a car seat at about 50 miles per hour.



 



"You okay James?" Tyler looked at me with concern.



 



"Yeah." I smiled "just sore after being rammed into a chair ya know." I joked. "We should ride our bikes back to my place, to avoid anymore Thompson road rage, you got clothes at my place anyways." I giggled. Wait, did I just giggle?



 



Tyler smiled back "Hey! I'm not that bad about it! But yeah, Just give me a minute to grab some stuff."  He began to walk inside "Hey. Come inside Jamie, I don't want to leave you alone out here." He flashed yet another cheesy grin at me, his white teeth shining even in the dark. I rolled my eyes and found myself smiling as I walked towards the Thompson household once again.



 



Once inside, I sat in one of the many soft, suede chairs in the room as I waited on Ty to finish getting minimal things he needed. I looked around , it was filled with so many memories. My parents and I used to live in this same exact neighborhood, next door to be exact, but when my parents got divorced my mom didn't have the money to keep the house, so we had to move into an apartment in the city. Happy Tears rushed forward as memories of little versions of my friends and I ran around the house, inside and out, we were handfuls. Hell, we still are.



 



"You almost done in there Ty?" I called out, ready to get back to my house. I pulled out my phone, 10:54 , if this boy dosen't hurry up I'll be as dead as a chicken in a slaughter house when I get home.



 



"Almost, but could you come here? I've, Uhm, run into a bit of a situation..." He trailed off. Jesus Christ, leave this boy alone for two minutes and he'd burn his own house down with an xbox. I stood from the chair and walked to the sound of Tyler's voice, what I found would later cause me to question everything.



 



Tyler was standing there in nothing but a pair of loose fitting boxers, the kind where if you tilted your head the wrong way, you'd get more than you bargained for. And even more mortifying, on both of our behaves, was the fact that he had a pair of jeans stuck around his legs.



 



"I swear these fit last week..." He sounded panicked. "My thighs must have become the size Africa in that time. " It was true, Tyler hadn't exactly been eating healthy lately or exercising for that matter, and it was starting to show, he had noticeable pudge where there used to be a flat stomach and he was bigger from the waist down; Not that it looked bad on him though. I hung my head and shook it from left to right as I felt my face turn into molten lava.



 



"And why exactly were you changing clothes?" I questioned.



 



"Because." He grunted as he jumped, trying to force the pants up. "I wanted to be more comfortable at your house, those pants I was wearing at the theater were about to burst." He whined. 



 



"Just wear some sweats Hun. " I chuckled. "Now why do you need my help?"



 



"The pants are, er, stuck..." Now it was Tyler's turn to blush.



 



I felt my eyes slightly bulge out of their sockets as I tried not to laugh hysterically. 



 



"Don't laugh! Get over here and help me!" He squeaked.



 



I smirked  as I walked over and gripped the side of the jeans and attempted to pull down the jeans constricting my buddy's blood flow. I groaned, these weren't coming down without a struggle. I got on my knees and regretted it at the realization of the mistake I had made when I noticed I was at eye level with Tyler's crotch. I looked back down, trying to hastily get the pants down. 



 



"Heh, I could get used to this position." I could just feel Ty winking at me, my face warmed up even more, if it warmed up anymore I was pretty sure I would be burned.



 



"Shuddup..." I muttered as I yanked as hard as I physically good, they moved down some. "Ya know you could jump when I tug, might get out of the pants faster." 



 



"Oh so you want me to take my pants off?" He announced loudly, snickering. "Okay." He brought his legs closer together and relaxed them, I tugged one final time and they came down a hell of a lot easier. I glared up at him.



 



"So you're telling me, this could've been avoided?" I growled.



 



"Yup but I love being half naked around you." He winked down at me and thrusted his crotch at me, and I could've swore, I felt something hit me. I rolled my eyes and pretended not to be emotionally scarred as I stood up



 



"Just get some comfy clothes on you fatass." My words dripped with annoyance. He smacked his flab.



 



"Look I know I'm not exactly as fit as I used to be but that's no reason to be calling names!" He looked at me, half offended.



 



"I was joking with you, besides it's not like you look bad!" I crossed my arms as he picked up some sweats off of his floor and pulled them on.



 



"So you think I look good?" He made a perverted face and wiggled his eyebrows at me, causing me to chuckle



 



"Sure Ty. You look good." I smiled, a joking tone in my voice.



 



He smiled, pulling a loose fitting shirt over his head and slipping his arms into the sleeves. He reached over and grabbed his phone, along with its charger. "Well thanks Jamie." He smiled. "You look good too." He headed towards the door that exited into the hallway. "Now let's go, before it gets too late." 



 



I smiled and followed him out of the door "Where are your parents anyways?" I questioned, we hadn't run into them all night.



 



"Mom is on a business trip and Dad went fishing with his friends, left me in charge." Tyler replied, turning the lights off in his house as we left through the front door.



 



I laughed "He left you in charge? After the time where you flooded the house because you forgot to turn the bath water off?"



 



"HEY! We don't talk about that!" The words he spoke were covered in embarrassment. "Besides, that was last year, I've matured."



 



"Tyler, growing hair other places than your head, is not maturing." I teased as I grabbed my bike, nearly invisible in the darkness. 



 



"Whatever." He brushed me off, turning the corner of his house and grabbing his own bike from behind a thorn bush.



 



I laughed as we both mounted our bikes and began speedily peddling towards the city limits. We rode in silence, mostly because Tyler was huffing and puffing before we even got to the limits but also because I didn't even feel like talking, my mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. With the movie still fresh in my mind, everything and everyone that moved was trying to kill me.



 



By the time we had actually made it to the city limits, I could of swore that Tyler was going to pass out, I mean we had been going pretty damn fast but still, Jesus. We hopped off our bikes and began to walk beside them so he could catch his breath. The city had enough lights to where we could see everything, but it was still dark enough to make it all eerie, so we walked pretty close together.



 



"You gonna be okay Ty?" I looked over at him, walking beside his Yellow bike.



 



"Yeah." He slightly huffed, "Just a bit out of breath."  Flashing a weak smile, he used one of his hands to fix his hair. We traveled back to my a apartment building and ducked into the alley beside it, hiding our bikes behind the black dumpster in it, making sure they were concealed before starting up the stairs.



 



Once at the top, Tyler huffed "How the hell do you do that twice a day?" He was doubled over with his hands on his knees. "You used to be able too before your summer laziness hit." I poked at him and smiled as I turned to face my front door. I rapped at the cold metal, hoping my mom was still up. The door slowly opened and my mother stood there in her robe, her hair pulled into a messy bun and her make-up off.



 



"I should kill you for waking me up James, It's 11:45!." She droned, opening the door completely and letting us in, 15 minutes before I was supposed to be home,



 



"Nice to see you Ms. King, you look lovely tonight." Tyler smiled politely.



 



"yeah, yeah. Nice to see you too Tyler." My mom waved us off and went towards her and Annabelle's room "Goodnight Boys." She entered the room and closed the door behind her. I locked the front door behind us and walked with Ty into the main room. 



 



"You hungry man?" I asked, heading towards the fridge. 



 



"Nah, I'm gonna try to shed this gut." He slapped his midsection.



 



"Whatever you say Tyler, I know you're hungry." I grabbed a couple of cokes anyways and handed him one. 



 



Tyler looked away but smiled when I handed him the coke. "Thanks Man." He opened the coke and the carbonation fizzed away as he slurped a drink and sat the can on one of the end tables. " So what do you want to do?" 



 



I shrugged "Not much TO do." I plopped down on the couch, pulling my knees to my chest, Tyler sat beside me. I looked over at him, remembering he wanted to talk earlier. "Hey, what did you want to talk about?"



 



His face turned into a tomato as he sheepishly tried to hide in his shirt. "I have something to tell you but will you promise not to freak out and yell at me?" 



 



My facial expression softened, the poor guy was terrified shitless about admitting whatever it was. "Tyler, when have I ever gone completely ape on you?"



 



He shrugged. "You never have but there's a first time for everything." 



 



I smiled softly, placing a hand on his knee. "I Promise." 



 



He shifted uncomfortably, as if contemplating whether to tell me or not still. "Well, first things first, I'm Gay." He fell silent and looked to me, petrified.



 



I smiled. "Figured as much Ty." I rubbed his leg and scooted closer to him, in case he started crying. "You said first, so there must be more, continue?"



 



"And...I'm dating Michael Back..." My heart stopped. Michael? The same son of a b**** that led him to cut himself on the first day of summer after 6th grade?



 



"What?!" I coughed, my eyes protruding from my face. He shrunk back some, looking ashamed. "I mean it's not like I'm gonna try to break you all up but, are you sure this is a smart decision? I mean, you remember what he caused right?"



 



He nodded his head.  "It's time you learned the full story of what happened on that day." His voice was dry with anxiety, though he wasn't shaking or anything. "The day before I began to distance myself, I figured out I was gay when Paul Sanders and I kissed behind the school, I felt electricity course through my veins and for once I felt really happy. But, Michael saw me and flipped out on me. Told me how wrong it was and that I was a faggot and I was just a waste of space. I started to cry." He paused, tears forming in his eyes. "Paul ran away, leaving me there alone with Michael. Michael said that if I ever told anyone that I was a fag, everyone would hate me." Tears rushed down his cheeks and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. "Said that I was lucky he didn't run and warn everyone that Tyler Thompson was a Homo...After that, I got quiet and that's when the distancing started. Things were starting to be okay again after that but Michael started bothering me again and he wouldn't leave me alone. He made me do things to him,sexual things, and he said that if I didn't do them, he would tell everyone about me. And that continued until he moved away, he would stop me in the halls and after school and even during class, I was so scared I was going to be caught. And we almost did, that was the day you stopped me after school, I was so embarrassed, ashamed really. And you made me forget for awhile but when I got home, he was waiting on me. Said that we had some unfinished business, he made me lie to Parker about having a project to do and he got me alone in my bed room. And, and." He fell extremely silent, he shook violently, tears pouring from his eyes. I continued to hold him, trying not to cry myself. "He raped me." He whispered. "He left right before you got there, and I couldn't tell anyone for fear of everyone finding out I was Gay." He shrunk into my arms.



 



By that time, Tyler was heaving and sniffling; I held him close, not daring to let go. "I-I'm so sorry Ty." I fell silent, continuing to hold him, he was much stronger a person than he led on to be. "But now it's time to explain why on earth you're dating him after all of this." 



 



"He's changed, he's come out as bisexual. He apologized to me." His face lit up slightly. "Apologized for everything, He was so sweet, took me out to dinner and everything." He smiled slightly at the memory. "So I decided to give him a second chance. It's been a couple of weeks now, I've been meaning to tell you. It's just, I wasn't sure how you'd react, I thought you'd hate me."



 



"First things first, Tyler Logan Thompson, I could never ever hate you. Secondly, I'm not exactly thrilled you're dating Michael, but if he is making you happy it's okay, just be careful. " I smiled, and squeezed him. "But he hurts you again, I can and will kick his ass." I heard him laugh sharply, he looked up at me and smiled and nuzzled into me. 



 



"You're the best Jamie, and I will be careful. I promise." He let go and I moved back to give him some space. "I couldn't ask for a better best friend."



 



"Neither could I Ty. Neither could I." The room fell into a peaceful silence, until I spoke up. "So who else knows?" I quizzed.



 



"You and Peyton. My parents would disown me if they knew, I don't know who Michael has told, but I really hope it's only people he really trusts. " I could tell potential situations were swirling in his head, most probably not so good. I was astonished how fast he changed when the entire truth came out, I smiled, and if Michael really had changed and he was making Tyler happy, then I was happy too.



 



"Want to head into my room and see if we can't find a board game to play?" I smiled, he stood up dramatically like a spaniard.



 



" ¡Sì! " he dropped his voice a couple of octaves and did his best Spanish accent, which was still pretty awful. I laughed and stood, carrying my unopened drink back to my room, Tyler doing the same.



 



Once safely inside my room, I sat my drink atop the dresser, getting on my hands and knees beside my bed, pulling out a couple of board games out from under it; Monopoly, Jenga, and Candyland. 



 



"Well, which one do you want to play tonight?" I looked up at him from the floor, sitting with my knees to my chest. He got on the carpeted ground as well, sitting Indian-Style.



 



"Hmm, Jenga!" He proclaimed, pushing the other two back underneath the bed.



 



" Fine, but you're setting it up!" I ordered.



Chapter 3



 



Tyler and I played board games all night, well, at least until we both passed out on my floor. We woke up the next morning to the sounds of Annabelle running around. 



 



"S***!" I scream whispered, scrambling to my feet, ignoring the fact that I was sore from sleeping on the floor. I silently swung my door, poking my head into the hall. Dammit. The Johnsons were here, mom was NOT going to be happy. I closed my door as quietly as I could.



 



"What the hell is going on?" Tyler croaked, his voice hoarse. I shushed him.



 



            "Mom invited the Johnsons over for brunch and I wasn't up to help her get ready." I explained, pulling clothes out of my dresser to change into quickly.



 



"And here I am with nothing to wear." Tyler griped. I turned my head back and tossed him his clothes he had left behind. "Gee thanks, let's hope these fit." He chuckled, stripping off his shirt.



 



I gulped, doing the same. If those don't fit, we are all screwed. I reached over for my fresh shirt when I noticed Ty staring at me. I winked "See something you like?" I teased, sexually grinding into the air, trying desperately to flex my insignificant muscles.



 



"Maybe." He blushed, smirking. Hold up, he was serious? I felt my cheeks warm up, I tossed my shirt off and refused to make eye contact with him. He slipped the shirt on, which to my relief still fit. 



 



I unbuttoned my pants and swiftly yanked them down before changing into some grey shorts I grabbed. Tyler did the same, except he had some issues with the pants. He struggled to button them, desperately sucking in his newly found extra weight. I chuckled lightly. 



 



" Need some help Ty? " I rolled my eyes, smiling with amusement. Ty furrowed his brow and stuck out his lip, pouting.



 



"Quit making fun Jamie." He crossed his arms, the button still not reaching, his spongebob underwear being displayed.



 



"I'm not, I'm actually offering to help cover up your awesome spongebob underpants." I winked, walking behind him and taking hold of both parts of the button, pulling them as close together as humanly possible. I could feel Tyler sucking it in, he sucked so hard he backed up into me, causing me to fall on my bed and him to land on top of me. I blushed hard, and as did he.



 



"I. I. Uhm. I'm sorry." He hung his head, scrambling off of me.



 



"It's fine." I stood, brushing myself off. "But at least your pants buttoned." I noted.



 



  Tyler puffed. "I feel like if I took a drink of water, the button would fly off and soar over seas, nailing the queen in the eye." If I had been drinking water, I would've had a spot take. I doubled over, laughing as quietly as I could.



I shook my head, "If you pop your jeans open and hurt someone, I'm gonna hurt you." I joked.



 



"I'll try not to be a pig, but if we eat I'm unbuttoning these." I said with the up-most importance.



 



I laughed as I grabbed a stick of deodorant off of the top of my dresser, rolling it on under my shirt. "Okay Ty." I cautiously opened the door and stepped out into the hall, Tyler right behind, closing my door behind us. We walked out into the living room where my mother was sitting at the dining room table with Mr. Johnson and 2 of his daughters; Courtney and Alissa, his other younger daughter, Reilly, was playing with Annie. 



 



Mom looked over at us "James! Tyler! So nice of you to finally join us, we were just about to eat." She smiled, trying to appear chill, but by the look in her eyes, she was pissed off.



 



Tyler and I sat down across from Courtney and Alissa, with the adults making up either if the heads of the table. The two girls couldn't look less alike, well they could, but they were pretty darn close. Alissa had flaming red hair, where as Courtney's was dark black, like mine; The only similarity they shared was their skin color.



 



My mother stood up and traveled into the kitchen, grabbing the food, and bringing it back to the table piece by piece. Soon the table was full of Chocolate Chip Waffles, Syrup, Honey, Sausage, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Butter. I looked over at Tyler, he looked about as comfortable as a fat kid in gym, I chuckled as plates were sat down and a gallon of orange juice was passed around to pour into a glass.



 



I grabbed a couple of waffles and about half a scoop of eggs accompanied by a strip of bacon. I reached over for the syrup and noticed Tyler unbuttoning his pants, Jesus Christ, could he not contain himself for one meal? I nudged him in the arm as I pulled back the syrup and shot him a look telling him to watch it. He looked like a puppy, his eyes full of misplaced hurt. I gingerly poured syrup on my waffles, grabbing a fork and digging in. Ty had gotten similar to what I had but kept looking at the food as if he wanted to just inhale it. I rolled my eyes, his appetite was catching up with his body.



 



After Brunch, my mother suggested that Ty,Alissa,Courtney, and I go out to the park. I complied and the four of us left out of the front door,leaving the small children and adults behind. The park wasn't that far of a walk from the apartment building but Tyler seemed to be struggling with his jeans. I whispered low enough just for him to hear "You going to be okay?" I looked him dead in the eyes.



 



"Yeah." He nodded, trying not to look uncomfortable.



 



"So, are you all a couple or...?" Alissa finally spoke.



 



I stopped in my tracks and turned around, "No we are not a couple." I dryly stated, turning back on my heels, walking faster than I had before. Tyler quickened his pace to keep up, furrowing his brow at me. I was just tired of everyone assuming we were a couple, I was straight, at least I think I am. 



 



"Well no need to get your panties in a wad." I heard Alissa mutter, Courtney snickered. I stopped dead in my tracks, clenching my fists. "What are you gonna yell at me now?" She laughed, sarcasm fell from her words like rain from the sky during a monsoon. I felt Tyler put his hand on my shoulder, in attempt to calm me. "Awh, look court, they're having a moment!" That was it. 



 



"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, causing the people on the street to become silent and stop, looking for the source of the voice. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME OR MY LIFE SO BACK OFF YOU STUPID LITTLE PUBE!" Venom dripped from my words, I felt the rage that had been building in my chest release with every word. Everyone's mouths dropped to the ground, shocked that I had snapped like that. 



 



"Well someone is on shark week." She chided. 



 



I bit my tongue, my teeth digging in, blood spilling in my mouth. I walked off, weaving through the crowd, I could hear Tyler calling for me from behind.



 



"JAMES! JAMES! COME HERE!" His voice was upset, but I didn't have the balls to turn around and face Alissa and Courtney, so I paused and waited for him to catch up. He pulled me into a café, named by yet another coffee pun, it smelled like cheap, watery coffee and frozen cookies. "What the hell was that?" He pointed in the general direction of where we were.



 



"I finally snapped okay?" I crossed my arms and huffed. Tyler stood and furrowed his brow. "I'm just tired of people assuming we are in a relationship and I'm tired of being teased about it!"



 



Tyler let go of me and straightened up, his face with an expressionless look "So the idea of being in a relationship with me is so god awful that you can't stand people even asking?" I remained silent, I didn't want to answer that question, he was with Michael, I didn't want to be some home-wrecker just by being his friend. "Okay, I'll see you sometime. Bye James." I felt my heart snap and shatter into a thousand pieces as I heard the door to the shoppe close, I stayed motionless, trying not to cry. What had I just done? 



 



Minutes passed, then hours, I was sure Tyler was gonna come back in here. He always comes back after we fight. I didn't want to go home, Mom would chew my a new ass for fighting with Alissa, who had probably gone back and told her everything in her perspective, with Courtney to back her. I slumped down in one of the chairs, Tyler wasn't coming back, not this time. And I couldn't go home. One of the workers came up to me, he appeared to be Native American.



 



"Hey Buddy, I know you and your little friend had a fight but, I'm about to close up shop. You should go home and call him..." His voice sounded like gravel, I shook my head and looked up at him.



 



"Oh Yeah. Sorry sir." I stood up as his words processed in my brain. I began walking towards the door, pulling it open "You have a good night." I ran out, I couldn't handle human contact right now. I looked left and right, wondering which way to go, the sun had long set but I didn't care. I decided to head towards the park, maybe I could clear my head there. 



 



I blended into the crowd of weirdos that walked the streets at night, it was getting cold and I cursed myself for not dressing warmer this morning. I looked around me, there were definitely illegal acts going on around me, but I kept my head down and kept walking towards the city park. The sidewalk beneath me was lit by the dim yellow streetlights, my black canvas shoes blending into the shadows for the most part. I turned the corner and a voice called out to me.



 



My heart skipped a beat at the thought of it being Tyler but I looked around only to find an old beggar, who was shaking a tin cup at me "Spare change sir?" I felt my pockets, trying to find something to give the man, I felt a couple of quarters in my pocket. I dug them out of their fabric prison and dropped them into the cup. The old man smiled, the teeth in his mouth long gone and the clothes he wore, tattered and torn in many places. I smiled back.



 



"I wish I had more to give you Sir but I'm just a kid." I looked away.



 



"Well what's a kid like you doing out at an hour like this?" He responded, his voice had an ancient, wise tone to it.



 



"I got into a fight with my friends, and I can't bring myself to face them, so I'm just walking I guess." I knelt next the man, becoming eye level with him.



 



"A boy like you shouldn't be out in this part of town at night, it's quite dangerous. " He noted, sending red flags shooting up in my mind.



 



"I know, but it's better than facing my problems, I was pretty mean to them." I added, looking around for a safe exit.



 



"If they're truly your friends, they'll be always be there, no matter the situation." 



 



I let the words sink in, the truth behind them slower than the processing in my brain. "That's true. Thank You." I smiled at him again, standing. "It means a lot, especially since you don't know me."



 



The old man nodded, still smiling. "The people with nothing often have the most to give." I looked over at the street sign. He's on the corner of Conch and Rose street, I'll have to tell mom.



 



I nodded at him. "You have a nice night sir and best of luck to you."



 



"Thank you, and you too James." I froze.



 



"How do you know my name?"



 



"I know a lot of things." He smirked. "Have a Good one." I walked away, well sprinted more or less back in the direction of my apartment, sprinting past drug dealers and crack heads and empty shops and stores, my shoes slapping against the street. How did that old man know my name? What else did he know about me?



 



I passed the coffee shoppe where my night walk started and I slowed, looking around again, the lights seemed brighter in this part of town, as if it were safer. I looked for Tyler, for my mom, for anyone. They were all asleep, who was I kidding, nobody would be out here looking for me. No matter how many times my mother said her kids were the most important thing in the world, her money, always came first. I looked in the shoppe window, memories of the day's events drowning me in guilt and sorrow. I felt tears rush forward in my eyes, I tried to will them back but the pushed through, the teardrops rolling down my cheeks. How could I have been so STUPID! I let Tyler walk out of that door, and I might have lost him forever. I placed my back in the brick wall of the exterior of the coffee shoppe and sat down, pulling my knees to my chest.



 



I sobbed for what felt like hours, nobody ever came over to check on me, nobody ever looked at me as far I could tell, my silent screams and blubbering going unnoticed. My eyes burned and my lungs felt heavy, my nose was running, the air surrounding me was frigid enough for snow. I looked about my surroundings, it was probably eleven at night or later. Great, yet another reason for my mom to yell at me. I collected myself; patting my eyes dry, wiping my nose and fixing my hair. I forced myself to my feet and I began to make my way, slowly, back to the apartment. The old man still lingering in the back of my mind, the worker, Tyler, Alissa, my mom, everything. My mind was swirling a million miles a minute and I hated it, I wanted it to stop. All the lights hurt my eyes and the cold had caused my cheeks to turn red and my nose to  become a ice pop. The goosebumps that littered my body, literally everywhere.



 



I stopped, this was the place, Anderson Apartment Complex, we were on the top floor of the building. I trudged inside the unheated foyer and headed up the stairs once again, but going at a slower pace this time. I noticed things like a brick missing on the second floor, or carvings into the other bricks, a chalk drawing of a flower or a flyer for an improv acting class; Things I didn't notice before. I stepped up the last flight of stairs and came face to face with my floor, I took a few ominous, indecisive steps down the hall. Coming up to my apartment door, 506. I took a deep breath and went to open the door, it was locked. I pulled my hand away from the icy, golden tinted handle and knocked on the door; Kail, my mother, answered it. She looked like the most pissed off, yet relieved, person on the planet. I held my hands up in defense.



 



"Now before you yell at me and make things worse, I'm just fine, Tyler and I had a falling out after I snapped at Alissa for teasing me and-" she cut me off with her words.



 



"You and Tyler?" She seemed shocked and empathetic. "Oh honey I'm so sorry what happened?" She hugged me, pulling me inside the heated room. "Oh honey you're freezing! I'll grab you a blanket." What? She was being nice. It wasn't like I expected or was used to. She sat me on the couch and left to grab a blanket. She came back in a minute later with a large, deep green, woolen quilt and wrapped it around me, sitting beside me on the couch. "Now, tell me what happened."



 



I relayed the day's events to her as my body finally started to warm up again, the blanket working surprisingly well. When I reached the part about me waiting in the coffee shop for Tyler to return, I choked up, tears trying to claw out of my eyes once more, I blinked them back as I continued to relive the day. My mom sat by my side the entire time, just hugging me and rubbing my arms. 



 



"I just, I don't know what to do now." I looked to her, hoping she'd say something that would help me.



 



"Well honey, all you can really do is just wait it out, things will work themselves out eventually." She squeezed me tight. "In the meantime, why don't you hang out with someone else? I'm sure you have other friends." She stood up, leaving me alone on the couch. "I've got to get to bed honey, I've got work in the morning. Good night, I love you." She walked away and entered the room she shared with Annabelle.



 



"Love you too. " I spoke softly, staring at the floor. I guess it had been awhile since I had hung out with Britney, I could call her in the morning. I looked at the clock that hung on the wall, it was a little past midnight. I sighed, forcing myself to my feet as I trudged into my bedroom, ignoring the thirst and the hunger that battled inside of me. I turned the main room light off and entered my bedroom, memories of last night and this morning flooding back. Tyler filled the room even if he wasn't in it.



 



I threw myself on my bed, picking my phone up off the mattress. 7 texts and 4 voicemails. I stretched up and turned my ceiling fan's light off, plunging into darkness, only penetrated an LED phone screen.



 



7 New Texts



 



Peyton: What's wrong with Tyler? He's locked himself in his room.



 



Peyton: James, please answer, something is seriously wrong with him. What happened out there?



 



Peyton: What's going on? He won't talk to me!



 



Peyton: Why aren't you responding to my messages?



 



Peyton: ...please



 



Tyler: Can we talk? Please?



 



I sighed. They had both called and left voicemails as well, 3 from Peyton, 1 from Tyler. I called my voicemail and the pleasant woman's voice spoke to me



 



"1st unheard message."



 



Peyton's voice came through the speaker, it was shaky and scared "James, something's wrong with Tyler, he came home crying,  he won't talk to me and now he's locked himself in his room. Please answer, come over, something!" She left 2 other similar messages, the others more teary than the first.



 



 



The lady's voice came through again. " Last unheard message."



 



Tyler's voice came through this time, it was strained and full of tears. "James, please answer, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for over reacting like that, I don't know what I was thing. I just, I don't want to lose you. Please, call me back soon." Tears brushed from my eyes at the sound of his voice, so vulnerable, so hurt. He had used a double sided blade when he left me in that coffee shop, he hurt himself too. I know I shouldn't just go crawling back to him, that he's the one that hurt me. But, there's this part of me, that wants nothing more than to be able to have my best friend at my side again, relationship rumors and all. Because, having Tyler in my life with all the up and downs, is better than not having him at all.



 



I hung up and texted both Peyton and Tyler.



 



Me: I'm Fine. I'll be over later. Hang in there. x 



 



I pressed send and stared into the bleakness as I dropped my phone beside me on the bed. I felt my phone vibrate and I pulled it back up to my face, the lock screen read



 



1 New Messege: Tyler



 



I opened the screen and the message read:



 



Tyler: Good. I'm okay now too. I'll see you later Jamie. x



 



 



I smiled slightly and locked the screen, choosing not to reply. I closed my eyes and faded into a nightmare that would permanently stain my memory forever.



 



I was in Tyler's house, but no one was to be seen. "Tyler? Peyton?" I began walking around, looking around my surroundings, nobody replied. I began to descent their hall, trying to find someone. That's when I heard it, the world's most blood curdling scream to top any horror movie ever.  I sprinted in the general direction of the noise, I found myself in Tyler's room, someone was in the bed. My heart pounded in my chest as I creeped over to the bed, as I went to pull the blanket off of the individual in the bed, the door slammed behind me, causing me to scream. The person in the bed had rocketed up, their neck tied with a noose. 



 



It was Tyler, his dead eyes staring right back at me. Another scream escaped my throat as I fell on the ground. No, no way, Tyler wasn't dead. He was Alive. I felt tears rush forward in my throat, I clenched them back. I blinked my eyes open, hoping for everything to go away. Tyler was still there, the noose still around his neck. My heart did flips in my chest, this wasn't real. It couldn't be real. I shook my head, desperately trying to wake up.



 



I gasped loudly, bolting out of my bed, sweat traveling down my back and neck. I tried to even my breathing but only to fail, my breathing came in sharp inhales and forced exhales. I shot my hand overtop of my phone and texted Tyler



 



Me: Tyler Please Answer.



 



I waited for what felt like an eternity, pacing my room, but in all actuality was only a couple of minutes. When my phone vibrated, my heart fluttered. I unlocked my screen without looking.



 



Tyler: Hey Jamie. What's wrong? :(



 



A rush of relief washed over me, it was only a nightmare, he was alive. I smiled. I replied. with an urgency.



 



Me: Nothing, I was just worried about you. I'll be over later. 



 



I locked my phone and sat on my bed, a serenity falling over me, I could finally breathe again. Today was the day, Tyler and I had to finally confront and discuss this relationship rumors about us, something  had to be done. And my gut instinct said it was going to be hell these next couple of days, I wanted to think everything was going to be okay. I stood again and gathered my clothes for the day before  I walked into the bathroom to get ready for the events I was about to endure.

The author's comments:
Sorry this took so long! I had some stuff come up and I lost my creative will for a while :( Much Love! X

Chapter 4

I peddled towards the city limit, heading to the Thompson's once more, I slowly completed rotations, taking my sweet time getting there. I wasn't ready for the confrontation, or any of the effects afterwards. I looked around the city; groups of friends chilled on the corner, mothers dragging their children behind them as they traveled
from shop to shop, men and women in business suits walked with their noses turned to the sky, homeless families sat beside the alleyways begging for a morsel or two. I turned my head away at this sight, thinking of the old man from last night. How exactly did he know me?

I turned the corner, my tires screeching silently, I looked up and a vibrant green sing hung overhead. It read; You are now exiting Downtown Riverdale. Come Again! There was a picture of a smiling bunny rabbit next to it, I shook my head, then city was anything but happy. My wheels bumped against every small pebble on the road as I followed the street all the way to Tyler and Peyton's subdivision, Lilac Farms, I will never understood why the suburb was named the way it was but I wasn't going to question it. I passed the sign, made up of river-worn rockslabs and cement with the iron letters welded to the ground in front of it.

I passed one cookie-cutter house after the other, making my way down to the Thompson residence on Oak street. I pulled up to the corner that turned into the road I was coming for. What if I'm not ready for everything to change? Oh who am I kidding, everything already did change. I looked down both sides of the road before turning the corner and heading to my the house where Tyler and I would sort things out, once and for all.

I pulled in front of their house, parking my bike in their yard. I stepped up to the door, my heart trying to pound out of my chest, my breathing quickened, I wasn't ready. I raised my hand up, about to knock when Peyton opened the door,

"Jamie! Tyler said you were coming, there's someone here that wants to see you." She smiled and beckoned me inside. I tilted my head in confusion, the way Tyler talked we would be having a heart to heart. I stepped inside and the sight I saw took me aback. Michael Back was cuddling with Tyler, I tried to conceal my surprise.

"James!" Michael smiled, standing up, Tyler not far behind him. He pulled me into a hug, which squished me. He was at least 6 foot and was at least two hundred pounds of muscle, the guy looked like damn god. I eventually hugged back, still in shock, my arms not even reaching around him. And good lord, did the boy smell good! "It's been too long little bro!" He flashed a white-ass smile as he let go.

"Uh yeah, it's good to see you too." I nodded, backing up to where Peyton stood. I looked over to her. "Pey-Pey could I talk to you in private please?" I said as I pulled her into the kitchen. "What the hell is this shit?!" I scream whispered.

"What do you mean?"

" I mean Micheal, why is he here, the only reason I came over here was to talk things out with Tyler, not be hugged by the guy who almost broke him!" I furrowed my brows angrily.

"Well he just kind of showed up, and then Tyler got all happy, more so than usual. Started talking about you two reconnecting and it being just like the old days." Peyton trailed off. What? Just like the old days? NEWS FLASH! THEY'RE OVER! It's the old days for a reason. I crossed my arms. "C'mon Jamie, Tyler is so happy." She paused, "At least pretend."

"Whatever, and only for Tyler. I am not doing this for Michael or his huge ass ego." I dropped my arms, and smiled for effect as I forced myself to walk back into the living room where I was tackled by a flying Ty.

"JAMIIIIIEEEE" he giggled, smile like a doofus, we fell the floor with him laying on top of me. I laughed.

"Get off of me you oaf!" I smiled as he stood, and extended a hand to help me up. I took it, and then I felt something I hadn't felt before, a spark. Suddenly,my world changed and everything made sense. It had been Tyler, it always had been, he had always been mine, I just never realized it. In that moment, I knew I wasn't straight but I want sure what I was. I decided to call myself 'Tyler-sexual' for the moment being. I stood and smiled at Tyler "You're an idiot." I shook my head in fake disdain.

"But he's my idiot." Michael smiled and pulled Tyler into a hug, kissing his forehead. I felt a sudden surge of jealousy pulse through my body, outwardly I tried not to show it. Inwardly, I was attacking Michael with the fury of 5 million gods armed with bazookas and katanas, I cleared my throat and shuffled back towards Peyton once more.

"Well Michael, how did you and Tyler get together?" I tried to sound interested, though I would prefer to bash Michael's skull in with a lamp and throw his body in the sewer.

Michael smiles, still holding onto Tyler. "Well Tyler was at Happy Burger and I ran into him, and apologized for the unforgivable things I had said and done and long story short, he's my everything now." LIES! The only thing this Neanderthal cared about was the his appearance!

I smiled on the outside, " That's nice. I'm glad everything is all good again, maybe we could go do something as a group sometime."

"I'd love that Jamie!" Tyler smiled exuberantly, Michael flinched at the sound of the amount of emotion that Ty put my nickname. I actually smiled this time, my teeth beginning to peak out from behind my pink lips. "I'll go call Britney!" He giggled running off into his room with Peyton to go call our old friend. This left only Michael and I.

"So James, you and Ty are pretty close huh?" He crossed his arms threateningly, looking down upon me. I felt whatever smidge of courage I had shrivel inside of me and die as I looked up at the near seven foot beast of a man.

" yeah, he's my best friend. My mother already thinks of him as a son, it's kind of funny actually." I smiled thinking of his interactions with Kail.

"Well they need to stop, Tyler is MY Boyfriend and I plan on that not changing for awhile." He snarled "And you will NEVER have him, that I will make sure of." He glared down at me, and shoved me causing me to fall to the ground, I luckily was able to catch myself on the carpeted floor before my head hit the ground. I winced at the burn on my palms as I stood up quickly, dusting myself off. Mentally I was pissed off and hurt but outwardly I was panicked, trying to appear okay so there wasn't some big fight. Tyler was happy, and that's all that mattered.

Tyler and Peyton ran out of the room, both bewildered. "What was that?" Tyler looked around looking for the purpose of the noise. I looked to Michael who looked like he was ready to rip my heart out and throw it to a pack of underfed wolves.

"I fell." I lied easily. "You know me, I'm probably the clumsiest person alive." I laughed trying to sound genuine.

"Oh okay!" Tyler smiled. "Britney said she'd meet us at the park tomorrow and we could go to Baskin Robbins or something."

"Sounds like a plan!" I returned the gesture as he skipped back to his room. I shook my head, smiling stupidly. I looked back up and noticed Peyton looking at me strangely.

"James and I are going for a walk Michael, take care of Tyler." Peyton grabbed my wrist and drug me outside the house. "You didn't fall so what the hell happened?" Shit. She knew. "Did Michael hurt you?" She looked furious, I shrunk inside.

"Maybe..." I whispered, looking away.

"What?!" She shouted.

"He only shoved me cause he doesn't want me to steal Tyler away." I studied the paved road beneath my feet as we walked. "Don't tell. He's making Tyler so happy." I sighed. Peyton crossed her arms under her chest.

"I can't stand the fact that he's back now, he hasn't changed a bit, he's always been such a bully." She scowled.

"What happened to 'Tyler got so Happy, more than usual' ? " I sneered.

"That was before he pushed you down. He was fine being sweet to my brother, but when you hurt on of my best friend, that's a line crossed. He's over in my world. " she vented. "He's just a GOSH DAMN BULLY!" She yelled loudly, causing a couple of neighborhood dogs to bark.

"Well that's no reason to stop him from making Tyler happy." I sighed trying not to look as defeated as I was. "He's doing a better job than I probably could."

"Wait. Repeat that last part." Her voice carried with an intensity.

I sighed. "He's doing a better job than I probably could."

"You have feelings for Tyler don't you?!?" She smiled, gasping louder than a revived human.

I felt my face burn with a bright red blush. "Y-Yes." I spat out, confessing. She squeaked loudly.

"I TOLD YOU!" She continued to squeak, laughing semi-controllably. Once she had caught her breath I spoke up.

"Just don't tell anyone else, I don't want to be a home-wrecking whore, besides Michael seems to be making Tyler happy. And no matter how much I hate Mike, Tyler's happiness ranks above all else." I blabbered, emotions building a brick house in my chest.

I looked to Peyton, to meet an upset face; She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. "You'd make an amazing boyfriend to him James. He will see it eventually. I promise." She smiled as she pulled away.

"But I swear if he lays a finger on Ty, I'm gonna beat his ass in, I don't care." I shook my head at the thought of Michael hurting Tyler. I felt rage rising from my core from just the idea of him hurting my Ty.

"We had better get back to the house before he tries to fool around with Tyler." Peyton slightly laughed and we turned around began heading back to the house, our shoes nearly as silent as we were in the return home. We were about 20 feet from the house when I hear Tyler shout.

"I SAID NO MICHAEL! AND THAT MEANS NO!" My mind didn't even comprehend what was happening but all I knew was Tyler needed me, I busted through the door. (Note to self: tell Mrs. Thompson we couldn't open the door and offer to help pay for new door. ) Tyler was no where to be seen but I heard Michael retort.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID! I GOTTA HIDE THIS NOW!" I stayed silent, there were several shuffles until I head a door close. I stepped around the corner, unsure what to expect. Still no sign of Tyler. I stood in front of Tyler's door, images of my nightmare contorting my mind,my heart was in my throat trying to beat it's way out. I shakily grabbed the handle and opened the door just enough to see inside. What I saw made me black out.


When my eyes finally opened again, I was surrounded by a strange warmth, I groaned up
Nader my breath from the pain in my head. I saw bare arms wrapped around me and I could feel a heart beat pulsing from under my head, the soothing sound reversing it's intended use, I was petrified, who's arms was I in? I tilted my head up slightly, only to find Tyler snoozing away. Shit. Where was Michael? I shifted slightly, trying to take my weight off of his arm underneath of me.

He mumbled in his sleep "James..." I froze at the sound of my name, was he dreaming about me? "Don't Go." His voice, even in his sleep, sounded restricted with emotion. Like he could burst out in tears even if his body wasn't actively functioning. "Love you..." A final heavy breath escaped his lips before his breathing returned to normal.

Wait. Did he just say he loves me? But, he's with Michael, he couldn't love me; Could he?
I felt a pressure sit in my chest, an uncertainty, my eyes darted around the dark green room. I slowly began to move his arm off of me. He mumbled some intelligible words and shifted in his sleep, causing me to tense up and freeze yet again. I heard him groan and I looked up to see his eyes fluttering open.

"Oh, Hey Jamie." He Smiled, " You finally woke up." I returned the smile.

"Yeah." I rubbed my head, " How long was I out?"

" 6 hours. I called your mom, you're staying here tonight." He hadn't let go yet, not that I minded. " I wasn't about to let the lo-" he paused. "Best friend I could ask for go home after passing out and not be able to make sure he's okay." He smiled. I felt a smile break across my face, my head still throbbed from god knows what but I was with Tyler.

"So how exactly did I black out, the last thing I remember is busting your door in...." I trailed off.

Tyler laughed, his smile widening to show off his white teeth. " Well you got to the room of my door and then Michael heard a thunk, we open the door and you managed to dent the drywall with your head and your eyes had rolled back to your brain. It was quite scary." He squeezed me close.

"Sorry." I apologized, smiling cheekily. " Any idea why I passed out?" Tyler fell silent. I waited for a reply, a reply I knew wouldn't come without coaxing him. "Tyler. Why did I pass out?" I sounded more urgent this time.

"We have no clue..." I could tell he was lying, his wasn't looking at me, instead he was looking at the dark painted wall.

"Lies. You're lying. Look me dead in the eyes and tell me you don't know..." I pleaded.

He looked me in the eyes, with initial terror hiding behind his irises, I saw the fear fade and it was replaced with stone. I lost him. I wasn't getting anything out of him. "We don't know James."

Dammit. What is he hiding from me? Was it because of Michael? I stared him dead in the eyes. "Positive?" I felt my heart drop.

"Positive." And there was the crash. He lied to me, he straight up lied to me. What else has he lied about?

"Okay..." I broke the eye contact with him and felt my heart convulse telling me that I was, unfortunately, still alive.

"Everything okay?" A tone of concern rang in his voice.

"Yeah." I lied back, trying not to sound as hurt as I was.

"Don't lie to me James."

"Why? You already lied to me. An eye for an eye. Ever hear of it?" I scowled, the arms that once held me left and the coldness of the room crept into my skin. I felt goosebumps prick my skin as Tyler sat up and tossed his legs over the bed, his head hanging. I sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, okay? You ran in and Michael was trying to have me..." A bright red blush bursted across his face, like a bright red cherry, "He was trying to get me to...."

"Suck his d?" I guessed the end of his sentence. He flushed a red brighter than I had ever seen before, brighter than a thousand cherry blossoms in spring. He nodded slowly, full of embarrassment. "And...did you?" He shook his head a violent no

"I told him 'No' and he got really angry," He looked down at the ground, " and he almost forced me too. I told him I didn't want to do anything unless we were married," tears filled his eyes and I slinked an arm around him, holding him close and he bent down into the crook of my neck. "He-he said 'Why not? It's not like yo-you could get p-pregnant." He began to shake as he sobbed. The hatred for Michael burned harder in my stomach.

"I will kill that son of a bitch if he ever tried anything like that again. I'll confront him about it next time I see him." Pure hate poured from my words and I held Tyler protectively close, he froze and began to shake harder.

"Pl-please don't!" He pleaded, "It's not a big deal, he didn't hurt me that bad." He stopped shaking and I tensed up. "Where the hell did he hurt you and how did he do it?" He sat up and pulled his shirt off revealing his soft body; It had a large nasty bruise on his left shoulder, which would've been facing the wall when we were laying down. My body shook with rage at the thought.

"WHERE THE FREAK IS HE?" I rattles with a burning hell fire towards Michael. Tyler began to sob once more and he clung to me. I tried to calm down as I held onto him.

"Please don't hurt him. He said he'd never do it again." He sobbed and sobbed, holding onto me tightly. I sighed and felt all emotions leave my body.

" I won't. I promise. But If he ever hurts you again I won't hesitate to hurt him back. Nobody hurts you and gets away with it on my watch." I spoke solemnly.

"It won't. He promised..." He spoke softly. I felt him sink into me, pure vulnerability radiated from him. I laid back, even though it felt like I was being stabbed thousands of times in the back of the head, Tyler needed me in this moment. And all I could do is be there for him, no matter how much pain I was in. I closed my eyes and tried to will the pain away, .

We laid there, with him in my arms, for what felt like endless hours; And to be honest, I didn't want it to ever end, it felt right, like he was made for me and I for him. He eventually fell asleep, the steady rise and fall of his chest soothing against my own. Hell would raise when he awoke but I didn't care because for now, in our little forever, things were okay. I opened my eyes, my eyes traveling his white popcorn ceiling examining it's every bump.

He stirred in his sleep, causing my body to tense up, I closed my yes and pretended to sleep in case he woke up, he tossed and turned but eventually went back to rest. I slowly peeked my eyes open and glanced at his alarm clock; It read 1:35 am. I sighed, damn, it was going to be a long day. I heard someone laugh outside and I furrowed my brow, who the f--k was outside laughing like a maniac at one thirty in the morning?!

I slowly lifted Tyler off of me and crept out of his room, I stopped for a second and looked at the hole in his wall I had created with my head, I felt it throb again, it had definitely knotted on the back of crown. I grimaced and continued to walk outside stopping at the front door, which had been fixed and replaced in it's frame almost perfectly. I slowly opened the door and pulled out my phone to use in the dark suburb. I stepped outside and turned the assistive light on my phone on. I looked around, waving my light around to find a group of kid, presumably pre-teens wearing a deep dark crimson red.

"Oh look. A wannabe gang." I mused aloud "what are you going to do, steal a stuffed animal? Stomp a flower? " I faked fear, pretending to cower, they turned their bodies towards me, it was a bunch of white pre-teens as I assumed,"soooooooooo tough." I teased and laughed, they all pulled out wooden sticks and began to charge at me with them. I shouted out for help and they froze, dropping their sticks and running away as the neighborhood house windows began to light up. I snuck back inside and closed the door as mothers, fathers and the elderly stumbled out of their houses looking for whomever had shouted.

I turned around to see Peyton who had one hand on her hip and the look of death on her face and Tyler who I had woke up and had the look of pure panic plastered on his face.

"And what the hell was that?" Peyton jabbed at me with annoyance.

"Yeah Jamie, you scared me shitless." Tyler breathed, trying to catch his breath.

"There were some little white boys in pink hoodies trying to be a bunch of hardasses." I stated matter-of-factly and crossed my arms across my chest.

"You're lucky I don't murder you. I was SLEEPING." Peyton growled.

" I'm just glad you're okay. " Tyler smiled. God he was a goof, which made me smile. Peyton grumbled angrily under her breath and returned to her deathly dark room.

"Can we just go back to sleep and forget this happened?" I raised an eyebrow, a smile still spread across my face.

"Sure, as long as we can cuddle." I felt a blush flash across my face as we crept back into his room.

 
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