Don’t Let Go

13. Tyler

13

Tyler

I ducked into the bathroom once the lunch bell rang and hid in a stall covered in years of graffiti in various colors and handwriting. I stood in the middle of the stall to keep from having my clothes rub against whatever could be lingering on the walls and grabbed my phone from my back pocket, tapping on messages with Iris. I needed to reach out to someone who knew me and loved me.

Hey, babe. Call me when you can. I need to hear a friendly voice.

I sent a text to Quincy, too.

Hey, man. South Ridge is a shithole just like we thought. What’s going on without me?

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and left the stall. I rested my hands on the counter, leaning forward toward the mirror. My legs shook, my head pounded, and my stomach felt sick.

When I looked at my reflection, the similarities I shared with my father stared back. It felt like I was looking at him. If only I could talk to him one more time. Tell him how I truly felt. Instead, I was haunted by memories.

“Fuck me,” I muttered, turning on the sink. I splashed cold water on my face and tried to calm down.

The bell rang, mocking me. I didn’t know I was in there that long. Looks like I missed out on lunch. I ripped off a piece of paper towel, drying my face. Whatever, only three periods left until I left this hellhole and went back to “my room” in Rory’s house.

I slipped into math class and snagged a desk in the back. A couple of rows in front of me, two guys pounded fists and talked about the upcoming basketball game. They weren’t too tall, and they didn’t seem to have the right build for the sport. Maybe that was why I never thought of this school when it came to games; they were one of those teams you beat right away and forgot about.

Their talk of plays made my headache worse. I grabbed my textbook and pencil from my backpack, forcing myself to focus on something else.

A sweet laugh drew my attention from the kid and kite on the textbook's cover. The laugh belonged to Rory. She smiled and pushed a girl with blonde hair with blue streaks as they walked to their desks in the third row. Rory sat her bag on her desk and brushed her hair behind one ear. A sparkling earring shined in the sunlight streaming in through the windows before she turned her head. She locked eyes with me, and in a flash, her joy vanished.

Rory briefly waved, giving me a sorrowful smirk. The friend tilted her head and glanced in my direction. Her friend leaned in to whisper something to Rory. She grabbed her friend’s wrist, but the friend twisted free and headed in my direction.

“Hey,” she said, her hazel eyes burned bright. I sat down and looked past her to Rory, who looked horrified that her best friend was speaking to me.

“What’s up?” I asked, flipping through the textbook and praying she would leave me alone.

“Just checking out the guy living with my best friend. Making sure you’re not a freak or a serial killer.”

I scoffed, “You can tell that just by a small interaction? Does the FBI know about you?”

She inspected her perfectly pink manicured fingernails. “The stuff I know that the FBI doesn’t could fill a book.”

The way she said it sent a chill down my spine. “Okay…”

She offered me her right hand, and we shook hands like we were business partners. She didn’t let go but instead held me hostage for a moment. “You can tell a lot by a man with how he shakes a hand. I’m Chloe, by the way.”

“Tyler… and do I pass your test?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t give away how she was making me nervous.

She nodded. “Yes. You did and — ”

Rory grabbed Chloe’s shoulder, sinking her fingers into Chloe’s collarbone. If it hurt, Chloe didn’t show it. “Let’s go,” Rory muttered between clenched teeth.

Chloe waved off Rory. “Okay, I’m right behind you.”

Rory sat at her desk and made a show of grabbing her textbook and notebook from her backpack.

Chloe leaned in closer. Her lavender perfume tickled my nose. “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of you. Just know I approve…”

What the hell did that mean?

Before I could ask, Chloe wandered off to be with Rory. They whispered to each other and I sank back into my chair.

Finally, the teacher came in and closed the door. He grabbed a black marker and wrote a formula on the whiteboard.

Luckily, math and I got along fine, but this teacher treated us like we were dumb as rocks, walking us through every step like we couldn’t figure out a simple problem. I finished the assignment twenty minutes early and checked my answers twice. My brain was numb with boredom. I hated how high school kept us caged until the bell freed us. College was such a better setup. You finished your work and left. How I longed for that, and now, so close to graduation, my future was up in the air.

When the bell finally rang, everyone rushed for the door at once, creating a traffic jam. I waited by my desk until it got less crowded. Rory remained by her desk as well, packing her things.

“Hey,” I said, shifting my backpack on my shoulder.

“Hey. You finding your way around, okay?” She looked at me with those siren-green eyes, stealing my breath for a second.

“Yeah. So far.”

She walked toward the door, and I followed. “Good. I’m glad. I’m sorry about Chloe. She can be intense sometimes.”

“It’s cool. She seems like a good friend.”

Once we stepped into the hall, I smacked into someone hard as stone. He gave me the look of death. I saw him earlier with Rory. Fuck. He was her asshole boyfriend.

He poked me in the chest. Bad move.

“Watch where you’re going. Don’t wanna have to mess you up.”

It hurt to bite back my laugh. He’d mess me up? I’d love to see his scrawny ass try.

Rory wedged herself between us. She had a hand on each of our chests. “Boys. Not here.”

“Just giving him a warning since he’s new and all.” He put an arm around her hips, pulling her away. “Let’s go, amore.”

She peeled away from him. “I can’t. I need to help in the office. You know that.”

He shook his head. “Right. I’ll see you later then… for that meeting , right?”

She scratched at her inner wrist, making the red welt angrier. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

“Good.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss that was a little too aggressive. He looked like he was eating her face.

Her eyes darted to mine, then away. She put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him away. “See you then.”

She walked past me and mumbled, “Walk away. Now.”

I moved away from her tool of a boyfriend and went to my locker. I tossed in my math book and reached for my science book when I heard my name coming from behind me. Three girls whispered and stared at me, the new animal in the zoo.

Screw this.

I slammed my locker shut and spun the dial. Skipping the rest of the day wouldn’t hurt anyone. I jogged down the hallway and pushed too hard on the exit door. It banged against the brick wall before slamming closed.

When I reached my car, I found my driver’s door had been spray-painted with a red X.

I clenched my jaw and tried not to have a meltdown in the parking lot. I got in my car and brought it to life. Before I put it in gear, my phone rang.

I answered with a bite. “What?”

“Dude. It’s Quincy. What’s up? You sound worse than I thought.”

I exhaled. Finally, someone to talk to again who listened. “Sorry, man. My head’s all crazy. I thought it was hard enough dealing with my dad being gone, but South Ridge is an entirely different planet.”

Quincy let out a breath. “Damn, that sucks, man. I wish I knew how to help.”

I rested my forehead on the steering wheel. “It’s fine. How’s the team doing without me?”

He was silent for a moment before groaning. “Dude, practice was horrible. You were the glue. If we don’t shape up soon, we’re toast.”

“Shit. All that hard work out the window.” I sat up, pushing the back of my head into the headrest as if I’d sink into the leather and disappear. “How’s Iris? I texted her earlier, but she hasn’t replied.”

“I saw her this morning. She seems alright, I guess. I know Mr. Brooks had a test today so maybe she’s focused on that right now?” His voice sounded strained like it always did when he lied.

I laughed; it sounded broken like my whole life was now. “Yeah. Of course. We both know how much studying history is important to her.”

Laughter and talking filled the background. “Dude, I don’t know what to say. Call her later. The boys are here, and we’re going to work on strategy. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Cool. Bye.” I hung up, tossing my phone into the passenger’s seat.

A knock on my window scared the crap out of me. I looked over and saw Rory standing there.

I rolled down my window. “Geez, you came out of nowhere.”

“Where are you going?” She glared at me like a prison guard, crossing her arms across her chest. “I don’t know when your other school ended, but here we’re still in class.”

I unlocked the car and nodded toward the seat next to me. “Get in. You’re drawing attention standing out there like that.”

She rolled her eyes but walked around and got in. “So, what happened to make you ditch? Please don’t tell me it was Paolo. He’s just a bully.”

“It wasn’t him. It was… everything. I don’t belong here. My girlfriend isn’t texting me back. I want to complain to someone who knows me, but they’re either too busy or dead.”

Rory squeezed her eyes shut, making her forehead crinkle. I wanted to run my thumb over her skin and smooth it. “I know that feeling well, I’m afraid.” She sank back into the chair. “Do you see your papà when you close your eyes?”

“Yeah. I’m blocking it out. I kinda had a slight meltdown in the bathroom during lunch.”

“So that’s where you were.” She put a hand on mine. I was squeezing the steering wheel as tightly as I could and didn’t realize it. “I looked for you. My friend, Chloe, wanted to meet you…”

I dropped my hands onto my lap. Her fingers brushed my face. They were cool to the touch. “Isn’t sorrow a strange feeling? We feel it deeply, yet we don’t think we can express it to others. We always have masks on. We’re all actors on a stage.” She pulled her hair over to one side, twisting it as if she was going to do something with it, but she just toyed with the ends, staring off into the distance.

I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel. “Yes. I can’t be here right now, but I don’t know where else to go.”

She nodded. “I’ll make up a story of you being ill if someone asks what happened to you. While you’re gone, I’d get your door looked at.” Rory opened the passenger’s side door and put her right leg out. “Don’t lose who you are behind the mask you put on.”

I traced the logo in the middle of my steering wheel with my finger. “Is that advice from experience?”

She looked me dead in the eye. “Your head would spin around with the number of masks I wear. See ya.” Before I could say anything, she was gone, running back into the building.

Rory was right. I needed to get my mind in the right headspace and get my car to the body shop. I had this gut-wrenching feeling Rory had a dark secret. Why did she need to wear so many masks? Why was she with that asshat Paolo anyway? Why was Iris not texting me back? Why did my father die so suddenly? Why was he eating seafood? Why was I drowning in so many unanswered questions?