Chapter 12 #2
“No, I called him to deal with Ty since he’s the one he got drunk with,” I said lightly, praying there was nothing incriminating in the messages. If I didn’t open them now, it would look suspicious.
Slash: Call me back.
Slash: Donovan, I’m sorry for snapping. Ty’s not replying to me either. Is he okay?
“What did he snap at you about?” Caden asked, looking at me.
“He was just being a big scary crew leader with an attitude,” I said dryly, opening the message from Josie.
Josie: It’s really hard not to be a helicopter guardian when you keep doing the opposite of what you said you would. Did something happen at school? You know you can come to me about it, right? Check in with me soon so I know you’re okay.
“I spoke to Mom already,” Caden stated before I could send a text to her. “I told her Ty was having a bad day so you drove him home.”
“She was okay with that?”
“She’s pretty big on us not driving when we’re struggling. A lot of accidents happen when you’re not focused,” he pointed out, my fingers hovering over the keys while I thought of a response.
“Does she know he gets like this?”
“Some of it. If she knew any of us were doing coke, she'd kick our asses.”
I thought about it for a second before typing my response.
Rory: Hey, sorry. I got Ty home to bed and we both fell asleep. I really didn’t want him driving, he’d had a couple of drinks.
I got dressed and pocketed the phone before following Caden downstairs, and Josie had replied by the time I’d sat down at the kitchen counter.
Josie: Caden said he was having a bad day.
You tell him he can come here and stay if he wants to.
I’ve contacted the school and they’ve emailed you both your missed work.
If you’re staying with him tonight, maybe try and study together.
He’s a smart boy when he’s got someone to help him understand the questions, so he can help you if you get stuck on finding answers.
Might do him some good to focus on something else for a while.
Rory: Will do.
Josie: If either of you need me, call. I can be there within ten minutes.
I sent her a thumbs up, and Caden looked at me like I’d personally offended him.
“Okay, I know you’re new at being one of the cool kids, but don’t use that thing. Like, ever.”
“It’s quicker than typing okay. What’s wrong with it?” I asked with a frown, and he groaned.
“It’s what old people use, and it’s the quickest way to piss someone off. Text it to Skeet or Slash, I dare you.”
“Slash wouldn’t be getting one. I’d use the middle finger emoji instead,” I said with a smile, eyeing him as he started helping himself to Tyler’s cupboards.
The guys always looked so comfortable at each other’s houses, and I watched as Caden hesitated before pulling some bread out, holding it up into the light better to see it was covered in mold.
“When did he do groceries last?” he sighed, putting the ruined bread in the trash before rummaging again. “He’s literally got nothing to eat.”
“I’ll take him shopping and cook him some dinner,” I offered.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll order food.”
“Caden,” I sighed, standing and walking over to him. “I’m used to not having access to things like that, so it’s really not a hassle. I’ve got him. Is Luke at home?”
“Yeah. He didn’t have a great day. He left an hour early without telling us.”
“Can you do me a favor? Look after Luke for me. I’ll stay with Ty and make sure he eats and sleeps. If I’m here, I can’t keep an eye on Luke though.”
“Ty can be difficult when he gets like this. He’ll hit a low for a few hours, then act like a kid on sugar and bounce off the walls all night, wanting to burn shit or cause trouble,” he said carefully, but I shrugged.
“I can handle it. I’ll take him grocery shopping and he can help me cook dinner. Maybe some one-on-one time would do him some good. Your mom suggested studying together, so we can just hang out at home. I won’t take him to the Heights to start fires this time.”
“Okay,” he murmured, turning to face me and pulling me close for a kiss.
I missed him. It felt like we really didn’t spend a lot of time together, and it made me feel guilty for not balancing my time with them all properly.
“If Luke needs me, bring him here or I’ll bring Ty to you. Please,” I said softly, and he nodded.
“That works. Jense will hopefully stick around too, so we’ve got him. Make sure my boy’s okay,” he said seriously, his eyes flicking to the stairs as Tyler stumbled down them, his eyes bloodshot. His hair was damp, so he must have had a quick shower like Caden said he would.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Tyler muttered, opening the fridge with a scowl. “Where’s all the damn food in this place?”
“Rory’s taking you to get groceries. I need to head home,” Caden announced, and Tyler looked at him with confusion.
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you, obviously,” he huffed, walking over to hug him. Tyler tensed, looking irritated, but he slowly relaxed his muscles and hugged him back.
“I’m okay,” he said quietly.
“No, you’re not.” Caden stepped back, studying his face. “You’re getting in your own head again, bro.”
I let them talk while I started looking through the fridge and cupboards, making a grocery list on my phone. He needed literally everything, and I had no idea what he really liked, so I put some ideas down to suggest to him.
I didn’t realize Caden had left until arms wrapped around me from behind and Tyler kissed my neck. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going shopping so I can cook you dinner. Then, we’re going to study together because Josie said so,” I replied brightly, turning in his arms to find him frowning. “What?”
“We’ll just get pizza.”
“You can’t live on pizza, Ty.”
“It’s worked so far.”
“You need proper food. It’s good for you,” I scolded, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. “And I think you’d actually like to help me cook dinner.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he humored me as I grabbed his keys and told him he was being my passenger princess for the day.
Tyler
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done groceries. Usually, I ordered a few things and they showed up on my doorstep.
Rory grabbed a cart and wandered through the aisles, not fighting me when I offered to push the cart instead.
She tossed in random things like instant noodles and canned soup, giving me a knowing look when I eyed it.
“This shit kept me alive for half my life. Trust me, it’s handy to have.”
“You ate soup out of a can?”
“I know, horrific, but I survived,” she joked, finding snacks and soda before turning her attention to the meat aisle. “Ty, I have a confession to make.”
“Oh?” I said curiously, leaning against the cart.
“I can’t cook. So when I said I’d cook dinner with you, I meant we’d figure it out together,” she said as she scrunched her nose. It was cute, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her. “What? You can’t cook either.”
“If you don’t know how to cook but you didn’t have the money for takeout, what the hell did you eat?
” I knew I’d said the wrong thing when the emotions vanished from her face and she shrugged, her eyes flicking to the instant noodles in the cart before looking down an aisle as if she was looking for something.
I’d been joking, kind of, but it was obvious those quick and easy things she’d been putting in the cart for me were probably her entire diet since I doubted Max ever cooked for her.
I took her hand and pulled her along towards the meat fridges, scanning the products before grabbing a few beef steaks.
She eyed me but didn’t say anything as I steered her back towards the fresh produce sections to pick out some vegetables, having no idea what I was actually going to do with all of it.
We could look online for a recipe when we got back to my place, but one way or another, we were cooking that damn meal together.
She tried to pay for some at the checkout but I quickly paid while she was counting bills. If it was in cash, that meant it was her personal money, not what Josie had given her.
We took our haul out to the car and I let her drive again because I liked watching her drive. Especially my car.
She could have whatever she wanted of mine. Everything I owned was hers now too.
This obsession was becoming dangerous because—
I couldn’t think of her leaving. I just couldn’t.
“I love you,” I blurted out, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she glanced over at me.
“I love you too.”
Something calmed inside of me at how easily she said it back. No second-guessing, no hesitation, nothing.
“Can you promise me something?” I asked.
“I can try, depending what it is,” she said carefully, her attention on the road ahead. I could feel the anxiety washing off her as she waited for my question.
“If you decide to leave, whether it’s to live with your mom or just to get out of Ashburn, tell me so I can come with you,” I replied, her face turning to look at me.
“You’d leave Ashburn?”
“In a heartbeat. I hate it here, and I only stay because there’s been no reason to leave. If you wanted to go, I’d have my reason.”
She was quiet for a moment as she thought about it, her voice full of confusion when she replied. “What about the guys? Josie? Your house?”
“I doubt the guys would let you leave without them, but if they didn’t want to leave, I can still see or call them whenever I want.
Josie would want regular contact anyway, and my house?
Hell, I’d take a match to it without a second thought.
It’s just a house, one that doesn’t hold a single good memory. Home is wherever you go.”
She became so tense that I thought she was going to break her knuckles on the steering wheel, and when we arrived back at my place and she still hadn’t spoken, I knew I’d said too much.
I used to suffocate my parents with this kind of shit when I was a kid, so maybe that was why they stopped coming home? Had I just fucked things up with Rory too?