How could I do that to him? He must think I’m some sort of heartless monster.
I start hashing out a text, unsure of what I want to say. Nothing seems good enough. Do I ask him to forgive me? Do I take it all back and tell him I’ll give it a shot? Nothing seems right, or even enough. What can I possibly say to take away his pain?
It takes me only a second to realize that I can’t. Nothing but time will heal these wounds so I send him the one and only thing that could make it just a little bit easier.
Brylee – I’m sorry…
I wait ten minutes and then another and before I know it, an hour passes and nothing has come through. I know Tyson more than anything and I don’t doubt he’s staring at my message, more awake than he’s ever cared to be. With every fiber of my body, I know that he’s seen that text and the fact that he’s chosen not to reply speaks volumes. He wasn’t kidding, he really is done with me.
Tomorrow morning couldn’t come sooner. I’ve never wanted to get on a plane and be further away in my life.
Chapter 10
Tyson
“Yo, dude,” Puck’s voice rings throughout my house as I hear what sounds like a fucking stampede coming in through my front door. “Where the fuck are ya?”
I groan as I sink lower into the couch. Is it too much to ask to just be alone? “Downstairs,” I grumble, feeling bad for wishing he’d fuck off. I hear Puck noisily making his way through my home as he heads for the stairs and I wonder how the hell one guy could be so damn loud.
Puck hits the stairs and rumbles down them, making me look back over my huge fucking couch to check that he didn’t just fall down them, only as I take him in, it’s not Puck’s face that I see, it’s Maxen’s.
What the fuck? I could have sworn it was Puck shouting at me from the front door. I’m just about to question him when Jesse steps in behind him quickly followed by Jackson, Nate, and then finally Puck.
The boys stride forward and make themselves at home in my basement. I fucking love it down here. Two years ago, my parents let me convert it into the ultimate man cave in an effort to keep me home more. It didn’t work in the slightest but I did end up with a fucking epic space down here.
“What’s going on, Ty?” Jesse asks, dropping down on the couch beside me and propping his feet up on the coffee table as Jackson helps himself to the beers in my bar fridge. “Where the fuck have you been? You haven’t been to school in a week and I know you’re not fucking sick.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Been busy,” I grumble, keeping my eyes trained on the T.V.
I feel his stare pierce into me as the boys get comfortable. It takes me all of two seconds to realize that this is some sort of intervention. They’re not fucking stupid. It’s been a week since Bry told me to fuck off and got on a plane and it’s been a week that I’ve been holed up at home, avoiding these motherfuckers at all costs.
“That’s fucking bullshit,” Nate says from across the room. “Be real with us. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
All eyes fall on me as Maxen leans back on the couch and rests his arm along the back. “Is this because Brylee’s gone back to college? What the hell happened there? You realize that you can just pick up the phone and call her if you’re missing her?”
I look around at my friends who are all still watching me. Every single one of them is happy with their girls. They’ve never known this kind of ache, they’ve never had to. Puck just had to look at Courtney and he had her, Jackson worked for a few weeks to prove he wasn’t an asshole and got his girl. Maxen had Brooke, fucked it up and is trying to get her back. Jesse had Kaylah hooked after one night, and Nate? Well, he might be the only one who could relate even just a bit. He somehow managed to convince the chick he’d been tormenting for years to fall in love with him, but it didn’t happen overnight, he had to put the work in and I’m sure some of those hurdles weren’t easy to get over. Yet not one of them had to deal with this.
“Fuck off. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell the group, wondering how far I could get before one of these fuckers tackles me to the floor and forces me to spill my guts.
Everyone seems to look to Jesse for guidance. After all, he’s been my best friend for years, but even now he’s at a loss and that’s not something that happens often. He nudges me with his elbow, forcing me to look over at him. “What’s going on, Tyson? We’re here to help.”