by Rua Hasan
Wait, let me rephrase that: Tyler sat next to me. When I sat down, I laid my backpack on the seat next to mine but he wasn’t ready to give up his act. He scooted my bag, not caring that I was sending lasers at him with my eyes.
Jasmine, Eva and Sydney were eye raping him like usual as they stared at him in awe, while Troy and Matt looked uncomfortable. Rolling my eyes, I gave up and decided to introduce him to the group. Not like he needed it because everyone knew who he was.
It was just the situation would be awkward if I didn’t.
“Guys, you know Tyler,” I said under my breath as Tyler sent the girls a charming smile, making them swoon over him even more.
“So Tyler, are you single?” Jasmine asked with a grin on her face.
I mentally slapped myself.
“Jasmine. You have a boyfriend who’s sitting right next to you!” Troy said while pointing to himself.
Jasmine chuckled and pecked his cheek as she whispered something.
“Actually, I am,” Tyler said with his eyes on me.
Wait, why was he looking at me? Do I have something on my face? Was there another zit? I cringed at the thought. Not that I was disgusted at the thought of having a zit. That was pretty natural. It’s just it wasn’t too pretty when Tyler pointed it out. You know, it wasn’t pretty at all. I mean who does that? Before anyone could say anything else, I crossed my arms under my chest and lifted an eyebrow.
“Tyler, don’t you have some where to be?” I asked, trying to hint that maybe it would be best if he left but I should have known better. I was talking with Tyler Grey after all.
“Nope, not at all.” Tyler took a fry from my tray and shoved it into his mouth, making me gasp. I swatted his hand away when he came back for a second one.
No one takes my fries! Yes, I can take Matt’s, but no one can take mine. Call me selfish, call me greedy. Call me whatever you want, but no one messes with me and my fries.
“Hey! You could have gotten your own!” I said while scooting my tray farther away from him.
“Yea, but I wasn’t hungry. I already had lunch.”
He reached for another fry. I couldn’t stop him in time and had to watch my baby get eaten by the horrible monster in front of me. Okay, I’m exaggerating just a little bit.
“Then why are you eating my fries?” I asked, totally forgetting about the fact that my friends were watching us.
“Because I want to.” He then turned to Matt as if I wasn’t here. I groaned to myself and ran my hand over my face.
Worst lunch ever!
***
I scrolled down the page of the website on my laptop as I searched for any available jobs while listening to some song I didn’t even know the lyrics to. It was some kind of rap that kept repeating the same word: Panda. It caught my attention and when I played it for the first time, I found it quite catchy. I was sitting on my comfy couch in my quiet living room. I was starting to get used to the loneliness but it never goes away. People said that time was supposed to heal, but it didn’t do much healing at all.
Huh! Wasn’t that a song? Hello from the other side! Sorry, just had to do that.
I’ve been home for almost two hours and I was all dressed and ready. I was just waiting for Matt to come pick me up so that he could take me job hunting around the neighborhood. I decided to surf the web to kill some time while I waited. Not too long ago, I was looking through the information for the competition I got from the office. I was wearing a floral dress because of the hot weather and had my hair up in a high ponytail.
The doorbell rang. I closed my laptop, got off the couch, and walked to the front door. I found it quite weird because if it was Matt, he would have just send a text to let me know he was here. I opened the door but closed it back immediately when I saw Tyler.
Great! What did he want now?
Tyler began to press on the doorbell countlessly. I mean nonstop, and it was breaking my eardrums. I put my hands over my ears as I tried to block the noise out but it was no use. Having had enough of his childish behavior, I yanked the door open and glared at him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I hissed.
“Well, who closes the door on their lovely neighbor’s face?” he asked as he pointed to his stupid face.
I wanted to slap that smirk off so badly, but I held my fist back. “Listen, I’m leaving soon and I don’t have time for you. So just tell me what you want.”
I noticed his eyes rake over my body, observing me. I narrowed my eyes and cleared my throat on purpose to grab his attention.
“Oh―yea um can I borrow a screwdriver?” he asked.
I stared at him for a moment.
“Screwdriver?”
He nodded as he stuck his hands into his pocket.
“Uh yea you see . . . my sink broke,” he said then took out one of his hands from his pocket to scratch the back of his neck nervously.
“Your sink broke?” I repeated suspiciously.
“And tell me why you don’t own a screwdriver?” I asked as I crossed my arms under my chest.
“It was stolen,” he explained. “Yea yea stolen,” he said after he chuckled to himself.
“By who?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It was just stolen,” he said while leaning against the door. I lifted an eyebrow and thought about what he just said. It was obvious he wasn’t here for a screwdriver and I just knew it. I’m not that naive.
“Stop asking so many questions and just give me that damn screwdriver, woman.”
I told him to wait at the doorstep while I walked upstairs and opened a closet which had a bunch of things I rarely used. It took me a while to find my dad’s old screwdriver. I went back downstairs and gave him the tool.
“Happy? Now go fix your broken sink or whatever,” I said while I gave him a fake polite smile.
“Have a nice day,” I said before closing the front door. I then leaned against it and I let a sigh escape my lips. I really can’t go a day without seeing Tyler’s annoying face.
“Thanks Gem!” I heard him shout from the other side of the door before it got all quiet, confirming he was already gone.
I walked slowly to the couch and sat down. I grabbed my phone and saw a text which had just arrived. I opened it to see that it was just Matt telling me that he was already in front of my house. I grabbed my handbag from the counter and exited my house before happily jumping into Matt’s car. A satisfied moan escaped my lips when the air conditioner’s cool breeze hit my face. It was one of the things I loved about his car. Not that my car was any different from his. I just felt like this air conditioner was stronger. I placed my bag in the back seat and put on the seat belt, because remember, kids! Safety first!
“So where to?” I asked as Matt took off down the road.
“I know a bunch of places that might have room for you. So we’re going to check all of them and see what we get.”
I nodded and rested my head against the headrest. I wasn’t going to go home today until I found a job and I didn’t care how long it took. I just hoped it was suitable. My school schedule limited the hours and days I could work. I didn’t really want to become distracted or let my grades drop, so I had to find a job with the right number of hours.
It didn’t take long for us to reach our first destination but it didn’t go well as expected. I didn’t get the job as a cashier at McDonald’s because there were no open positions, so Matt and I drove to a small diner.
Again, there were no positions.
This kept happening until we walked into a small supermarket only three minutes away from my home by car. I crossed my fingers and prayed I would get the job. Thankfully my wish came true. We talked to the owner and she said that the cashier quit just yesterday because he had to move away. I smiled in relief as I walked to Matt’s car. At least I had one problem off my shoulders.
“Want to celebrate tomorrow in finding a job?” Matt asked as he started his car and drove. “ It is Saturday tomorrow.“
<
br /> I thought about it and nodded as my smile grew.
“Yea sure, I could use a day without stress,” I said.
“Great, so how does a museum park with the group sound like?” he asked.
“Awesome!” I squealed as I nodded excitedly.
Matt and I talked about snacks and other stuff for tomorrow. We decided to wake up early, have breakfast at some diner, and head out to start off the day. I was really excited to spend a day with the new friends I’d grown so close to. Having true friends by my side was an amazing feeling.
I was talking about Troy, Jasmine, and the twins. I had known Matt for years and he was the best thing that had ever happened to me. He’d been there since the beginning and had given me a shoulder to cry on, especially after my parents’ death.
Three minutes later, Matt had his car parked outside my house. I gave him a hug and got out. Once inside the house, I walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat. I picked a chocolate bar because, come on! Who wouldn’t?
I was about to walk upstairs to shower and change into something comfortable when the doorbell rang. I walked to the front door and looked through the peephole. I couldn’t stop the groan that escaped my throat. Great! What on earth did he want now?
I debated on whether I should just leave Tyler waiting outside or see what he wanted this time. But knowing him, he would just drive me crazy.
A defeated sigh escaped my lips as I opened the door. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. He was swaying his hand side to side, holding the screwdriver I’d given him earlier. He gave me a cheeky grin and scratched the back of his neck as he looked at me with amusement.
“Can I borrow a hammer?”
Chapter 18
Have you ever waken up feeling so refreshed? I have. With no obstacles in my way, no problems, no stress, and no Tyler, I was feeling pretty good which was almost too good to even be real. I wanted to start the day off with my friends and I know that I wasn’t going to let anything get to me so I shook the feeling off, rolled out of bed, before I accidentally fell to the floor with a thud.
I wanted to make the best of today before school starts and I begin my job of working three times a week for a couple of hours. I skipped into the bathroom, stripped out of my clothes and cringed when I saw the reflection of my hair. I stood still in front of the mirror for a while just checking out my butt. Hey, don’t judge. I’m pretty sure every girl does this. After boosting my self-esteem, I got into the shower and turned on the water, but a yelp of surprise escaped my lips once I felt the cold water hit my skin.
“Cold! Cold! Cold!” I hissed as I backed away from the water for a bit. I waited in the shower butt naked until I felt the water become warm. A satisfied sigh escaped my lips as I got back into the water. I spent most of the time of my shower thinking than actually cleaning, like what would happen if everyone in the world jumped at the same time? Would the earth move or not?
Twenty minutes later, I walked into my closet and picked out a pair of shorts and a white blouse. It didn’t take too long to get changed. Once I was done, I added a layer of mascara and smiled at myself in the mirror.
I walked downstairs to the kitchen. I wasn’t going to eat anything because I wanted to save my stomach for later when Matt and the others have breakfast together, but I couldn’t wait that long because I get really hungry when I wake up so I grabbed a banana and ate it.
Five minutes later, I got a text from Matt saying that he was outside of my house. I grabbed my handbag from the counter and walked right out of the door. I spotted his car parked across the street with someone sitting next to him who I assumed was Troy, whom Matt picked up first. As I was about to cross the street, I stopped when I heard someone calling out my name. I turned around to see a middle-aged lady holding a garden hose while waving at me. She was standing right in front of Tyler’s house watering the plants.
I didn’t recognize her, but I assumed she was Tyler’s mother with the resemblance of their eye color and hair. I smiled politely and walked over to her. Yes, I hated her son, but she never did anything to me so why should I have anything against her? As I got closer, I noticed the wrinkles on her face. She was probably in her mid-forties. I’m not sure why but she looked really happy to see me because the smile on her face only grew even more when I was only a couple of steps away from her. I felt her arms wrap around me embracing me in a hug. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her and patted her back.
What else could I do? I barely knew this woman.
“Oh, honey!” she said. “You’re so beautiful! I’m so glad you’re back. Trust me, I’ve been planning to pay you a visit but I’ve been so busy with work. My, my! You have changed so much.”
She patted my shoulder and I just smiled at her while putting a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“Oh-uh . . . thank you, Mrs. Grey,” I said shifting my weight to my other foot.
“Nonsense, darling. You can call me Emma.”
“So, how’ve you been?”
“I’m fine. How are you? I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said bringing up the subject about my parents. I felt my smile drop within seconds at the thought of them.
“It’s okay, Emma. Things have changed but I’ve been able to handle it.”
She nodded her head. I looked behind me to see Matt still engaged in a conversation with Troy so I turned back to look at Emma, but before I could part my lips to say anything else, she asked me a question I wasn’t expecting.
“So, how’s Tyler treating you?”
I stared at her for a moment. What was I supposed to tell her? That her son has been bullying me for years? Or that now he’s just trying to bug me and drive me nuts? Or that he made me give him my whole tool box yesterday? Okay, fine. I only gave him a hammer and a screwdriver, but I felt like I should have so that I could get him off my back. I thought maybe I should just make a run for it and act like I never saw her, but I know I would look like a lunatic, so I just answered her questions. Not honestly, but the answer she would have wanted to hear.
“Tyler hasn’t been a pain in the ass lately,” I said but regretted it once I saw the look of confusion on her face. Okay bad idea.
“Uh–I mean, Tyler has been nothing but a sweetheart.”
Emma lifted an eyebrow.
“Really?” she asked in amusement but I could tell she believed me. Well . . . I think.
“Yeah, he has always been helping me out for our school project and saying such kind words.” I lied again.
That sounded like the opposite of him.
“Oh, well I’m very glad that’s the case then. Wouldn’t want him to get into trouble now, would we?” she asked.
“So, how’s your sink?”
There was a moment of silence.
“My sink?” Emma repeated as she lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah . . . your broken sink; the one Tyler was trying to fix yesterday,” I said, but she shook her head.
“I think you must be talking about something else, my dear. There was no broken sink.”
I was left dumbfounded at what she said. I stared at her for a moment not knowing what to say. So Tyler wasn’t fixing anything from the very beginning? Why, that little rascal! He’d been playing me all along! Even when I think he’s acting mature and all grown up he’s still messing with me. Did he like to make me feel so stupid? Or did he just need the screwdriver so that someone could unscrew his head and place his brain back? Because, right now, I was starting to doubt that he even had one. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Matt calling me from behind. I turned around and gave him a smile then signaled him to wait. I turned back around to face Emma.
“Oh, right! Sorry, I was talking about someone else,” I said, looking at the time on my phone.
“Well, it was nice seeing you Emma, but I really have to go.”
“I’m so happy I was able to talk to you. Have a nice day.”
I turned around and walked across the street to Matt’s car. I then
got into the back seat and sighed once I felt the cold air of the air conditioner hit my skin. I greeted both guys then placed my bag next to me. One of the benefits of being in the back of the car alone is that I could relax and put all my things next to me since no one is using that spot. I was that one person who hated to be squeezed in a small spot with a bunch of sweating people. Maybe because I was an energetic person or Tyler once shoved me into the janitor’s closet in the fifth grade and I ended up being stuck in there for hours!
“So which diner are we headed to?” Troy asked Matt.
“Denies. Jasmine and the twins are already on their way,” Matt answered.
I laid my head on the window and saw the trees pass by as the car moved faster. My house became only speck on a drawing not too later as we drove farther and farther, but it didn’t go unnoticed when Tyler walked out of his house and hugged his mom. Yes, I saw it only a second before we disappeared, but the sight of that somehow made my heart clench reminding me of the mysterious night when I saw Tyler walking into the old abandoned building and helping someone in need. It felt weird to know that Tyler had a side like that, but how come I never saw it toward me? Why was he always teasing me, but was so serious when he’s around others?
I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts and leaned in towards Matt. The car was too quiet so I decided to turn on the radio. It took me a minute to find the right song which was ‘679’ by Fetty Wap, but my annoying little brain kept telling me to switch channels just in case there was something better but guess what? I listened to it. After a while of not finding something better, I went back to the channel ‘679’ that was playing, but a frustrated groan escaped my lips when I heard it finish.
“You know what! You find a song Troy because if I keep trying then I’m going to explode!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not all over my new car,” Matt shouted playfully but I just punched his shoulder.
