Date: Sun, 8 May 2011 09:21:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Nick R. Subject: I Think I've Flipped Chapter 6 Disclaimer: First of all, I was above the age of 18 when I wrote this story and I own all rights to this. Any resemblance to actual living persons and places within this story is purely coincidental. If you are underage or it is illegal to view this story in your area, please hit the back button now. This story includes scenes of male teenagers engaged in male/male sex when permitted in the narrative. If you are uncomfortable with this, kindly exit now as well. Anyway, here goes: --- I Think I've Flipped. Chapter 6. (Will's POV) Tyler had a look on his face which seemed to be a combination of concern and anger as he stood holding out the threatening letter I found in my locker. Holy shit, he wasn't supposed to find out about it. "Will! Who the fuck sent you this?!?" Tyler asked as he aggressively inched his way up to me. "I..," I couldn't say anything as I had a momentary stuttering problem. "Well?" he asked, flailing the piece of paper in front of me. "I... I don't know okay?!" I replied as I snatched the paper from his hands and tore it into a million tiny pieces. I tried to throw them into the garbage can under my desk. However, I missed causing them to go everywhere. I cursed myself as I kicked the garbage can causing its contents to go everywhere. This is great just what I needed, a bigger mess to clean up. I was about to kick the garbage can again when I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder. This sudden touch of human contact caused me to abruptly return from my sudden loss of sanity. I looked to my left at his hand and slowly traced it back to Tyler. His blonde hair was a mess as he just stared at me with concern in his hypnotic blue eyes. I let out a huge breath as the frustration slowly dissipated from my body. Who could have guessed Tyler Beaumont would have this effect on me? "Hey, take it easy..." Tyler replied as he slowly let his hand fall back down to his side. "Sorry," I mumbled as I glanced at him. I was still pretty embarrassed about the childish fit I had thrown a few seconds ago. "Will, you don't have to apologize. The one who needs to apologize is whoever sent you that bullshit piece of a paper. When I get my hands on that person, well they're gonna be sorry," Tyler responded as he gestured at the trash below my desk. I gave him a half hearted smile as I made my way to my bed and plopped down. Even though he was standing in my room, it didn't faze me at all. I stared at my ceiling and began to drift into my own private world. I ran my hand through hair in frustration as I tried to figure out who could have possibly sent me that message. To be honest, there were only two names which kept popping into my mind. The first and more obvious one was Scott. Ever since I arrived, he has given me nothing but trouble. The other one would be Dana, Tyler's girlfriend. This could be her way of telling me to back off of her man. At this point, I couldn't figure out which one sent the note. Even if I did, what good would that do? "You okay?" He asked. I stopped staring at the ceiling and found myself staring at him. Tyler was at the foot of my bed, leaning over the railings. He was looking at me with the same expression as before. "I'm fine," I said as I brought myself into a sitting position and never taking my eyes off of Tyler. It was only then I realized how extremely divine he looked at that moment. It could be because of the bright light which seemed to illuminate his silhouette giving him an angelic appearance. However, I quickly realized it was the light from one of my lamps which had him light up from behind. "Will," Tyler called out causing me to pay attention to him, "When did you find the note?" He asked as his voice seemed calmer and gentler. I looked at him, briefly thinking whether or not I should actually share that piece of information with him. After all, he is the reason why I'm in this position in the first place. "I just found it this afternoon during lunchtime. I went to my locker to put my books when I found that note lying inside. I tried looking around to see if anyone suspicious was nearby, but I didn't notice anyone," I replied as Tyler ran his hand through his blonde hair once again as he paced around the room. I raised my eyebrow as I watched him walk around the room, muttering to himself. "Okay Tyler, what on earth are you doing?" I asked him in confusion. Tyler immediately stopped walking and stared at me with a thoughtful expression, "What am I doing?? I'm trying to think of a way to fix this." "Fix this? What's there to fix Tyler?" I asked. "Well of course we have to find whoever sent this to you!" Tyler answered, "Will, what if this isn't some sick practical joke? What if someone is really out to get you?" "Tyler, you're overreacting. This is high school. I'm not gonna die. I can handle myself. Besides, it'd be easier if we just followed the message. I'm not going to bother you, and you're not bothering me. It's a win-win situation," I said. He looked back at me in shock. I saw his face contort to a state of confusion as if he couldn't register what I just said. "Will... We are not going to let this person win okay? I like spending time with you. And I'm gonna keep spending time with you. The hell with that message!" he replied. I think I blushed a little as I thought to myself that Tyler Beaumont liked spending time with me! I was about to respond when a sudden shout interrupted us, "TYLER! WE'RE LEAVING!" "Okay, that's my dad. I better go. Wouldn't want to aggravate him any longer," he announced as he collected his blazer from my desk shaking his head. I stood up and opened the door as I watched Tyler fiddle around on my desk. A few seconds later, he met me at the doorway. "So... uh...I guess I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Tyler asked as he looked down at my face. His hand running through his blonde hair once again, a habit he never seemed to break. Since not being able to find any words, I merely nodded in response. Could you blame me? His face was merely a few inches away from mine. How can you not be speechless? "Okay?" he asked one more time, a smirk creeping on his face. "Okay okay!" I said a bit flustered at what was happening. Tyler laughed in response as he ruffled my hair and bounced out into the hallway. "TYLER!!" his dad bellowed one more time. "ALREADY THERE!!" Tyler shouted back as he ran down our staircase. Once the Beaumonts left, I shut my bedroom door, leaned against it, and sighed. This night was so stressful that it took out all the energy out of me. Fuck, I think I'm ready to call it a night already. I proceeded to my desk to turn off the lamp on top of it when I noticed a slip of paper on my desk. What the hell I thought as I picked it up and read its contents. A smile crept onto my face. It was Tyler's cell number. - "What do you think of this one Will?" Claire asked as she held up a blue cardigan sweater. Today is Saturday and as promised, I'm here at the town mall shopping with Claire and Dana. Actually, they're the ones doing all the shopping. I, on the other hand, haven't found anything yet. "I like the blue one," I announced as I pointed at the cardigan Claire was holding. "See Dana I told you, this was the better choice!" Claire said as she handed Dana the sweater. "Okay let's try it on!" Dana said as she threw the red cardigan she was holding into the empty chair next to her. They walked to the nearest full length mirror to try them on. Some shopping trip this turned out to be. I haven't done anything except serve as a middleman between the two girl's questionable choices. In case you're wondering, Taylor isn't with us. She cancelled at the last minute. Apparently, there was an emergency in her home which needed her immediate attention. I hope it isn't anything to serious. I watched as they were both admiring the fit of the blue cardigan giggling like little school girls. Women and girls begin to get really crazy when they are shopping for clothes. I'll never understand that. Really. My eyes suddenly lit up when they started to approach me carrying all their clothes with them. "Okay. We're getting it along with the few other things we picked," Dana said as she and Claire were heading to pay for their cargo I would love to know their definition of a few. Are you kidding? Both of them could barely carry the clothes they were buying to the counter for crying out loud. "Are you sure you don't want to buy anything Will?" Claire asked as she laid out her clothes on top of the cashier counter. "Yeah, you haven't bought anything since we got here," Dana said with a pout on her face. "Don't worry about me! I'm good," I said with a smile. "Perfect! We're going to the lingerie section next!" Dana replied as her eyes light up as she pointed to a nearby store in the mall. "Oh no... I draw the line there girls," I said with a horrified look on my face, "I can't help you there." "What? Why not?" Claire asked in confusion. "I'm a guy remember? Lingerie and I don't mix together. Besides, I don't think I'd be comfortable seeing you two in your underwear. I don't want to look at your boobies," I replied with a horrified look upon my face. I heard them laughing as the guy behind the counter gave me a look as well. I am gay and I like penises not breasts. "You know Will," Dana pointed out as she placed her clothes on the counter, "you're the first guy who wouldn't want to accompany girls to a lingerie store." She gave me sly smile after followed by a small giggle. "Oh that's surprising," I said sarcastically before chuckling to myself. The three of us waited patiently for the clothes to be neatly placed into the shopping bags before heading out into the mall. We were heading towards the direction of the lingerie store they wanted to visit. "So what are you going to do while we're busy trying out bras and panties?" Claire asked me as we all stopped in front of the store. "Oh I'm sure I can find something to do," I said. Noticing both of them had skeptical looks on their faces, I re-assured them that I would be perfectly okay. "Well okay then! We'll see you later," Dana said cheerfully as she and Claire proceeded inside the store. "I'll text you once we're done!" Claire hollered as she waved goodbye disappearing inside. I waited until I couldn't see them anymore before turning around. I took a moment to survey the mall. There were a lot of people walking here and there carrying shopping bags. Everyone must have caught the shopping bug today. I began walking down towards the quad looking on both sides of the hall to see which stores were in the mall. It's surprising to see how many of the stores I remember from four years ago are still here. I stopped in front of a video game store I haven't seen before it must be new. I took a moment to survey the contents of the window displays. They do have a broader collection than the all around electronics store at the other end of the mall. Figuring there wasn't really any particular place I really wanted to go, I decided to kill some time inside. "Good day!" the male attendant behind the cash register greeted me as soon as I entered. "Hi," I responded back with a smile. I began walking around the aisles browsing through the stacks of video games on either side of me. This store certainly does have more games than the other one. I ended up stopping at the Playstation 3 shelf. I have some extra cash figured I might as well buy myself a new game. I think I spent about ten to fifteen minutes just pulling games out of the shelves, reading their description, and then putting them back on the rack. Nothing was really getting my attention. I don't want to buy a game I may not end up loving in the end. I mean $80.00 down the drain is a lot of money to waste. Not really finding anything worth buying, I almost turned away when my eyes caught one particular game way high up on the shelf. I quickly grabbed the game and smiled. I couldn't believe my eyes! It's the new Mortal Kombat game in my hands. Okay, this is awesome! I have been waiting for this one ever since it was announced to be released a few months back. Finally, now I- "Well... Well... Fancy meeting you here." I turned around startled with the game still very much in my hands. Tyler was standing in front of me. We seem to have a habit of bumping into each other lately. I am not complaining any chance to see Tyler again in person is one I'd gladly take. Today, he was wearing a striped navy blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, and some white sneakers. Even though he had a grey cardigan on top of his blue polo shirt, I could perfectly make out the muscles on his arms. The cardigan must have thin fabric. I also noticed that he had a white baseball cap bearing the Ridgemont logo "I know," I said. I was still clutching the videogame in my hands. "We keep bumping into each other lately," I added with a chuckle, "What are you doing here? Out to buy something?" "Me? Nah. I'm actually here just to accompany Ja-" "Yo Tye! I got it man!" said a voice behind him. "-son. See?" Tyler said as he pointed at Jason behind him. "Tye. Who are you talking to?" Jason asked as I saw him peek from behind Tyler's back. I noticed he was also wearing the same baseball cap as Tyler. "Oh Will! It's you," Jason said as he stepped from behind Tyler to stand beside him. Jason was wearing a more casual look, just in a black shirt, some shorts and some skater shoes. "Hi Jason," I replied. I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to Jason since he confronted me on the first day of school. Sure we see each other in class and stuff, but we end up just smiling at each other whenever we cross paths. Well if the truth be known, Jason does the smiling and I do an awkward grin. "Oh! Buying a game are we?" Jason asked as he pointed at the video game I was holding. He was leering a bit forward with his hand on Tyler's shoulders for support. "What'd you get?" Tyler asked. "Uhh... It's the new Mortal Kombat," I said as I handed them the copy for a quick look. As soon as I said those words, both their eyes lit up like Christmas had already arrived. "Oh man! Jason and I were waiting for this to come out!" Tyler exclaimed as he and Jason stared at the case. "Yeah man! How much is-- Oh great $80.00. Should have known," Jason groaned when he saw the price tag. "Sadly I don't have enough cash to buy this right now, which is why I had to settle with a used version of Mass Effect 3," he added as he held it in front of my face. "I told you months ago to save up for this! But no, you just had to buy that ridiculous toy helicopter that you ended up breaking in the end," Tyler replied as he scolded Jason. "Oh shut up man!" Jason replied back as Tyler rolled his eyes in response. I chuckled at their little spat. It was quite amusing seeing these two go at it. I know they didn't mean anything bad about what they said. It was more of a way of showing their affection with one another. "So... where are you heading after this? We're about to head to the food court afterwards for a quick snack. You could join us if you want," Tyler said. "Nah, its fine. Besides, I need to meet the girls in awhile," I answered, a smile plastered on my face. "You sure?" Jason asked me, "listen Will, you don't have to be so careful around me. I'm not going to bite you know." I looked at Jason. I certainly wasn't expecting him to be this so... well... friendly. "It's Tyler you need to worry about though. He hasn't gotten his rabies shot yet," Jason said, looking me straight in the eyes before bursting into a fit of laughter. I did too. Next thing I know, Tyler punches Jason on the right shoulder. "OWWW!!! What the hell was that for?" Jason asked Tyler in surprise. "Just pay for your goddamn game already!" Tyler said as he shoved Jason to the direction of the counter. "Fine! No need to get rough man!" Jason said before sticking out his tongue at his best friend as we watched him proceed to the cashier. I looked at Tyler and asked, "Is he always this-" "Immature and annoying?" Tyler asked as he continued to look at me. "I was about to say animated, but I guess I could agree with your choice of words," I answered back as Tyler and I both looked at Jason. For some reason, he's having a heated discussion with the cashier. "You forgot hot-headed," Tyler pointed out. We saw Jason wave the game in front of the cashier's face like a madman. There was something definitely not right going on over at the counter. "So I see," I replied with a smile. Suddenly, we heard a ring go off. It was my phone. I fished it out of my pocket and opened it up. The girls were finally done with their shopping. I texted them back before facing Tyler again, who was staring at me. "It was the girls. I need to meet them soon," I told him. Tyler put up his hands and said, "Don't let me keep you." I smiled at him before turning my direction at the counter, "I need to buy this first. That is, of course, whether or not Jason kills the man behind the cashier." I looked at Jason and he was still going at it with the cashier. What's going on with those two? The other customers in the store were looking at them too. "Don't worry, let me handle it," Tyler said. Before he did though, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Hey... Uhh... If it's okay with you... I'd really like to come over and hang out." He looked at me with hope brimming in his deep set of blue eyes. I smiled mischievously and asked, "You wanna play Mortal Kombat, don't you?" "If... it's alright... that is," Tyler replied as he was blushing. "Sure. No problem. Come by after dinner tonight. I'll beat your sorry ass once again!" I announced. "Oh... I'm scared!" Tyler said as his hands were over his mouth in mocked fear. I was about to respond when we both heard Jason screaming. "Uhm... I think you'd need to fix that problem first," I said pointing to his best friend. Tyler sighed, "I'll see you tonight, yeah?" "Yup," I answered. "Okay then," Tyler said before finally making his way to Jason, "Jason Harrington! What the hell is going on here??" - "Will!" "WHAT?!" I screamed from behind my bedroom door. My brother Blake was hollering from downstairs. "Tyler's here!" I heard him shout back. Okay, he's here. Earlier during the day, Tyler asked if he can come over and I agreed. I've been on pins and needles since then. Then again, anything involving Tyler would make me nervous. I didn't tell any of my friends that he would be coming over. I know I would never hear the end of it. "I'm coming!" I shouted as I stepped out into the hallway. I did a last minute look over in the hallway's full length mirror. Okay, I was looking good ! Oh fuck, who am I kidding? I look like a dork. I was decked in a white v-neck and dark jeans looking like some wannabe hipster. "I look like a dork," I say out loud, shaking my head in annoyance. "Nah, you look good!" came a familiar voice. I turned around to see Blake and Marco staring at me from on top of the stairway. What's worse is that Tyler was there as well. What the fuck?! I was staring at the three of them with a huge blush on my face. Heck, I think my entire head was crimson red, including my hair. Blake and Marco had smug grins on their faces while Tyler had this embarrassed little smile. He was wearing the same thing he was wearing earlier during the day, except he had no cardigan on. I swear to God I'm gonna kill the twins tonight. "Yeah Marco. I agree with you. How about you Tyler? Do you think Will looks good?" Blake asked, as he turned to face Tyler. "Yeah, Will. You look pretty spiffy," Tyler said gesturing at my outfit. I could hear Marco and Blake snickering behind him. "Well go on then, you kids have fun now!" Marco said before shoving Tyler forward towards me. When Tyler bumped into me, the twins suddenly scampered downstairs, laughing all the way down to the bottom. "They're dead meat!" I said as I gently backed away from Tyler. Tyler laughed causing me to stare at him evilly. "Whoa! I come in peace," Tyler said as he put up his arms in peace. "Well come on," I replied as I stomped my way into my room. Tyler quietly followed me. I swear I could feel him grinning behind me. I was actually looking forward to this evening that was until the twins ruined it for me. Now I'm nervous as hell. "So ready to get you ass whipped in Mortal Kombat?" I asked him desperately to hide my apparent embarrassment and nervousness. I handed him the controller as I bent down to fix the system. "I'm afraid, it's your ass that's going to get whipped," Tyler said as he sat down on my floor waiting for me to finish setting up. Once the game was loaded and we started, I sat a few feet away from him. I couldn't help but stare at him and his body. His tree trunk legs were tucked under one another in an indian style. I couldn't help but admire them. They were extremely toned with a light dusting of blonde hair. His arms were built too with a few of his muscles flexing because he was gripping the controller a bit too hard. We played the game for a good hour. To my surprise, Tyler was actually good at this game much better than his run-in with Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 last night. I think I've only managed to win like 7 games out of the 20 games we played. Although we were having a great time, it was clear to me that I was getting my ass kicked. "Ownage!" Tyler shouted as he won yet another game. "I concede!" I mutter as I dropped the controller onto the floor. "Hey don't sweat it Will. You creamed my ass in the game last night. I think this makes us even," Tyler laughed as he dropped the controller as well. I couldn't help but think of something dirty as he said creamed his ass. I guess this is way too much information. "So... What do you want to do now?" I asked him as he stretched out unto the floor. When he finished stretching out, I caught a glimpse of his abs that peeked through his shirt. More dirty thoughts kept running through my mind. Goddamn. "I don't know... what do you want to do?" he asked me, finally going back to a sitting position. "Well we could watch a movie or listen to music if you don't want to play video games anymore," I answered. "I am not watching a movie with you anymore. Not after last night!" he told me. I laughed remembering how he cried during the Land Before Time movie. I will never forget that moment as long as I live. "Well, okay, I guess we'll just listen to music now," I said as I got up and proceeded to my laptop on top of my desk. "Speaking of music," Tyler began, "I brought you something," as he handed me a small CD. "What's this?" I asked him burrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "It's a mix CD. I made it this afternoon. A small token of gratitude for letting me come over," he said as I caught him blush as he turned away. "Well.. Let's hear it then," I said as I popped the CD into my computer. It took awhile for it load but when it did, my eyes lit up. "Hey Tyler! This is good! Thanks!" I said to him causing him to smile in appreciation. I'm not kidding, it was really good! I was to busy bopping my head up and down to notice Tyler walking around my room looking at my stuff. "Hey Will... where'd you get this trophy?" I heard Tyler ask from across the room. I turned around and found him under my trophy shelf. He was holding a silver trophy in his hand. "Oh! That's a trophy I got back in LA when I was a runner up in the tennis tournament." "You played tennis in your school in LA?" Tyler asked, a bit surprised. "Yes Tyler, I wasn't the same geek that I was when I left here," I laughed. Tyler didn't. However, he was staring at me with a serious look on his face. He put back the trophy on the shelf and absent mindedly just stared at the rest of the smaller trophies. Something was definitely wrong; I could feel it in the air. "Okay... what's wrong?" I asked as I stepped closer to him. When he noticed me coming closer, he suddenly took a step away from me. "Tyler, what's wrong?" I asked once again this time a little more gravely. "I dunno... It's just I can't help but remember of what I did to you back then..." Tyler said as he sat down on my window seat. He looked at me with a bit of worry in his blue eyes. "Tyler," I said as I walked up to him and sat beside him, "I'm fine. Don't beat yourself up over what happened. It was four years ago. I've learned how to forget it and you should too. Like I said before, I forgive you." He looked at my eyes and continued doing so for a few more seconds. It was pretty unnerving to tell you the truth. "It's just... I still can't help but feel that miserable about it," he said as he buried his face into his hands. I watched him sulk for a minute or so before I punched his shoulder. "Ouch!" Tyler cried out in pain. "What the hell was that for?!" he asked me alarmed and quite pissed. "Ok... here's the deal. Every time you mention about the incident, I'm going to give you a punch. That way you're bound to never bring it up again," I said with a huff. "But..." Tyler started. I raised my fist ready to punch him again when he suddenly blurted out, "Okay! Okay! I get it!" "Good!" I said smugly. It took a few minutes but Tyler managed to put out a smile. My insides are beginning to melt. God, I swear I'm such a girl. We stayed at the window seat just talking to one another. He told me what had happened in school after I left. He also opened up to me about his family and what's going on with them. I was also surprised when he opened up to me about his father. He was telling me how strained it was between them on my part, I mentioned to him what LA was like. I also told him what happened to me there. At one point, he was bold enough to ask me if I had a boyfriend there. This completely took me by surprise. However, for some reason, I was compelled by some divine force to share my relationship status with him. We continued talking about videogames, TV shows, and even sports. We were so busy talking with each other when Tyler's phone suddenly rang. "Sorry. I gotta get this," Tyler apologetically said to me. "Hey... no problem," I said as I let him read the text message. "Man!" Tyler said in frustration. "Anything wrong?" I asked him. Tyler placed his cellphone back in his pockets and answered, "It was Dana. She told me to come over to her house. Apparently, it's an emergency." "Well don't keep her waiting!" I said with a smile as I got up and opened my door for him. "I'm sorry for bailing out so early," he said as he stood up and proceeded to the door. "Tyler, she's your girlfriend. If she says it's an emergency than most likely it is. There is no need to apologize to me for that," I said as I accompanied him downstairs and on to the front porch. "I'll see you again Tye," I said as I opened the front door and he stepped outside. Before he could make it down our porch steps, he stopped and turned around. There was a huge grin on his face. "What?" I asked. Tyler continued on grinning like a little schoolboy and said, "Do you realize you just called me Tye? You haven't called me that since the third grade!" "I did? I'm sorry, I didn't notice. Won't happen again," I said. "Hey don't be! I don't mind you calling me Tye again. In fact, I like it very much," he replied as his grin was still on his face. "Oh... Okay then," I announced as the, blood rushed through my cheeks once again. "Well I'll see you soon Will!" Tyler said, waving at me as he was laughing once again. "Sure thing," I replied back with a wave of my own as I watched Tyler cross the street and get into his truck. I stayed at the front door waiting for his red truck to disappear down the road. When I couldn't see it anymore, I went back inside. While I was locking the front door, I couldn't help but smile. You know what? I think everything is going to turn out all right. But first, I need to have a 'talk' with my brothers. *** (Tyler's POV) I stared at Will as anger danced in my eyes. This couldn't be happening to him could it? I can't believe someone actually threatened Will? Who the fuck do they think they are?" "Will! Who the fuck sent you this?!" I asked once again as I stepped closer to him. He told me he didn't know as he suddenly grabbed the piece of paper from me and tore it to shreds. He then dropped it inside his garbage can. However, once he noticed he missed, he kicked the can down causing the contents to spill. I grabbed his shoulder and he stopped. I realized that getting angry at Will wouldn't solve anything. It wasn't his fault to begin with and I felt horrible losing my temper in front of him. When I confronted him, I noticed the look of surprise on his face. It was scary to see the expression of fear in his eyes. I never want to see that again. Once I calmed myself down, I decided to try once again to retrieve some answers or at the very least some clues on who could have done this. Will explained to me that he received the letter during lunch today. Is it a coincidence that the message arrived on the same day that I was having dinner with him and his family? I wished it was, but something in the back of my mind was hinting that this could have been planned. The only person I could think of pulling out this stunt was Scott, but then again, this was Scott we're talking about. Why would he want to protect me from Will when he despises me as much as the brunette? I don't even want to think that it was Dana. Will even suggested at one point that it would be easier that we just follow the message. I think I blew my top again. There is no way I'm gonna let some bully push Will around. After what happened four years ago, I vowed myself to never let that happen again. It didn't take long before I needed to go home. My dad was hollering for me and I knew better than to make him wait. Before I walked out, I took a moment to write down my cellular number on Will's desk. A guy can hope cant he? "So... uh...I guess I'll talk to you soon, okay?" I asked Will before leaving. He didn't say anything. He only nodded. I find it cute when Will ends up speechless. It's an adorable quirk. I wanted him to understand that nothing is going to stop me from seeing him. After all, he is a friend. So I asked him once again, "Okay?" "Okay okay!" Will said, a bit flustered. I laughed liking how I'm making him uncomfortable. "TYLER!!" my dad bellowed. Crap, he's going to lose his top. "ALREADY THERE!!" I shouted out loud as I raced down the stairs like a madman. When I got downstairs, I found Mr. and Mrs. Lakewood at the front door. My family was already at the front porch waiting for me. "Tyler! It's about time you got down!" Mr. Lakewood laughed as he saw me come across from the corner. "Sorry, here now!" I said huffing as I basically galloped down all the way here. I saw my dad looking at me and he was shaking his head in annoyance. He will definitely give me an earful later. "Well... we had a very pleasant evening!" my mom said as I stepped outside to join them. I turned around to bid the Lakewoods farewell. "Oh. It was nothing at all! We should do it again!" Mrs. Lakewood said. "Yes. This time it'll be in our home," my mother offered. I saw my dad look at her momentarily. This can only mean one thing, he doesn't like the idea. What the hell is his problem? "Oh sure no problem," Mr. Lakewood said with a hearty laugh. "Well, we'll see you soon then. Goodnight!" my dad said putting a smile on his face before turning around and walking across the street. "Goodnight Beaumonts!" Mr. Lakewood bellowed as watched get off his lawn before closing the front door. On the way back, my mom and dad were up front, talking to each other. I could tell from the fact they were whispering, there was a problem. My mother was wagging her finger at my dad. I guess she was upset about his behavior the entire night. My sister Emily followed suit typing in her cellular phone oblivious at what was going on around her. I made up the rear. Once we got inside our home, my dad immediately stormed upstairs to the master bedroom and slammed the door. My mother, sister, and I were still downstairs. "What's his problem?" Emily asked my mom. "It's your father being himself again," my mother answered shaking her head in disapproval of my dad's behavior. Yeah, my dad could be a real jackass most of the time. "I'm going to talk to him. Would you kids mind locking the doors and turning out the lights down here?" my mother asked us. "Sure mom, we got it. You go on ahead," I said as I waved my mom away. She gave us a quick kiss on the foreheads before heading up to their bedroom. "So... what did you do the entire night?" my sister asked me once mom was upstairs. "What do you mean?" I asked her as I began locking up the front door. "What did you do in Will's room?" she asked. "Nothing much really! We just played video games... that's all," I said as I ended locking the front door with a click. I turned around and found her waiting for me by the stairs with her fingers hovering over the light switch. "Why? What did you do?" I asked walking up the staircase. "Oh nothing much. Just listened to the twins play music. They're pretty good," she said as she switched off the lights downstairs. "Yeah, I heard them vaguely in Will's room. They did sound a bit decent from what I can tell," I said as I proceeded to my room. "Yes... they are," my sister said as she opened her bedroom door. Her room was closer to the stairs than mine. She just stared at me as I opened my door. "What?" I asked her, unnerved by the fact that she was staring at me. It was creepy. "Oh nothing," she said as she stood staring at me. "Good night," And with that she went inside her room. "Freak," I muttered as I got inside my room. I swiftly got out of my clothes and slipped in into the bed in just my boxers. I'm kinda too tired to take a bath tonight. I think I'll just do that in the morning. I made my way to my bed and laid down. A few minutes later, I fell asleep. - "So... how'd your night go?" "Jason, I already told you. It went fine!" I said exasperated at having to repeat myself. It was Saturday and we were at the mall. I was accompanying Jason to buy a new video game. Frankly speaking, we were both bored at the games Jason has in his collection. I eventually prodded him into buying a new one. He didn't have a lot of cash at the moment so we had to settle into buying a used version today. At least this way, we would have something new to play. "You know, you could help me out with the cash. After all, you'll technically play it also," Jason said with a serious look on his face. "I could, but it's not like I'm going to be there 24/7," I told him causing him to scowl. I've gotten used to him bumming money from me to satisfy his video game cravings and I learned early on to say no. If I didn't, I would never see the money ever again. In case you haven't, I don't own a video game system. Yup, not even the handheld ones! I guess my dad didn't really want me to get stuck and be overly dependent on technology as some kids these days. He's always pushing me to do play sports. That explains my love for football. Ever since I could remember, my dad has always taken me outside and played the sport. I'm the quarterback of the Ridgemont football team. Not bad, if I do say so myself. "Fine... So, what game did you and your new neighbor play?" Jason asked. I was surprised to see how eager he is to know how my time with Will went. Is this his way of showing that he fully supports me being friends with Will? I sure hope so. "We played Marvel Vs. Capcom 3," I said as we entered a new wing in the mall. Not much farther to go. "Dude! Are you serious!? When we checked it out last week, it wasn't even here yet?" Jason asked in shock and envy. "Yup. Apparently he got it in LA before leaving," I said. "Damn. Lucky shit," Jason muttered. I stopped, stared at him angrily. Did he just call Will a piece of shit? He better- "Sorry! Sorry! I just got caught up in the moment!" Jason apologized when he noticed my expression. We walked a little further while Jason kept chattering nonstop. He was talking about how lucky Will was that he has MVC3, how lucky I was for playing it, and how unlucky he was that he didn't have enough money to buy it. He then kept going on and on about some other things. Frankly speaking, I wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying anymore. There was something else on my mind. "Hey Jace," I interrupted. "Yeah?" he asked me. "Did you see anyone suspicious over at Will's locker yesterday during lunch?" "What? No. Why?" he asked all of a sudden. "Oh nothing..." I said. I noticed he had a worried expression on his face, "look, forget it. It's not important." "Tye, what's wrong? Did anything happen to Will?" Jason asked me. "No, no. Come on. Let's go," I said as I started walking just a tad bit faster. Jason had to hustle to keep up. "Tye... Come on. This is me you're talking to," he said once he finally caught up to me and my pace. "Look, it's nothing. Forget it," I said, worried that I might expose Will's little threatening message. The last thing I want is to have the whole school know about this. I wouldn't want to humiliate Will again. "Tye," Jason said as he stopped in front of me. He had a grave, serious look on his face. "Promise you'll keep this to yourself?" I asked him knowing he wouldn't stop pestering me about this. It was Jason after all. I trust him with my life and I know he wouldn't break a promise he made with me. "Tye, this is me you're talking to. Of course I'll keep a promise! Now spill!" Jason ordered. "Fine," I said. I looked around us and found a small empty bench by the quad. I took Jason there and explained to him about Will's little locker message. I had to stop explaining for a few moments whenever I saw someone from school. Better safe than sorry, right? The last thing I really need is to for someone to overhear this conversation. "Dude, did Will get physically harmed?" Jason asked me once I finished explaining everything. "No. He just got it today. I'm just worried that someone might be out to get him after this. I... I don't know really. There's something really off with this message," I said. "Does Will have any idea who could have sent it?" he asked me. "He didn't tell me. But given what happened recently, the only person I could think of is--" "Scott," Jason interrupted, "who else could it be? He pushed Will in the hallway on the first day of school for crying out loud! He's the only one who holds a grudge on Will." "That's what I was thinking too, but the message written on the paper threw me in a loop. Why would he say for Will to leave me alone? I mean why protect me? Scott and I hate each other's guts," I pointed out. "Tye, you're looking way into this. There's no other person I could think of. I mean, it certainly couldn't be Will's friends," Jason said. I buried my face in my hands stressed out over this whole cryptic piece of shit. There was a few seconds of silence before I started off mumbling, "You don't think it's..." "Who?" Jason asked me. I looked straight at him and said, "Dana?" That took Jason with surprise. His eyes seemed to pop out of his sockets over what I was suggesting. I mean clearly Dana would never do something like that. She's way too nice for that. But given the circumstances, I couldn't help but think that way. "TYE!" Jason hissed, "are you fucking crazy?! This is Dana we're talking about! Possibly the nicest girl in school! You'd think she's capable of doing something like this?" I sighed before answering, "I don't know... Honestly, I don't know anymore..." "Tyler, this is Dana we're talking about. You're girlfriend Dana!" Jason said, this time with more emotion in his voice. "I know! I know! I'm just going over my options," I said. "Your girlfriend shouldn't be even on that list right now," Jason scolded me. "Alright already! I get your point!" I angrily replied. I'm losing my temper here a bit. "I hope so," he said before staring at the other direction. We kept this silence treatment for a few more minutes. I think he was just waiting for me to let off some steam because after awhile he asked me, "So... What's Will going to do about this?" "I don't know. We haven't really talked about it," I said, just staring ahead of me, focusing on nothing in particular. A few moments of silence again. "Are you planning on doing something about this?" Jason asked again. "I want to know who sent that message that's for sure. I just... don't know how to make that happen," I answered. "Well, I'll ask around if anyone saw someone slip a piece of paper in Will's locker," Jason said before adding, "don't worry. I'm going to keep this as discreet as possible and make sure no one knows about that little piece of message." "Okay. Just... be careful. I don't want Will knowing about this," I warned Jason. "Yes, yes. I got it," he said. "Good." And then silence once again. "Okay then, let's go on to the video game store already!" Jason said as he stood up from the bench. - I woke up from a beeping sound in my room. I clumsily reached out to my bedside table and tried finding my cellphone. In the process of doing so, I managed to knock down a few things onto the floor. Crap. Once I got a hold of it, I opened it up. If this was Jason, I'll make sure to kill him tomorrow. He already caused me a headache at his run-in with the cashier at the mall; I don't need another bitchfest from him. To my surprise, it was from an unknown number. I sat up to read it. It read: "You still coming over? - Will" Wait a minute, what time is it? I glanced at my glow-in-the-dark clock on top of my door. What? It's already 8:30pm?! Shit. I guess my nap took longer than I expected. I need to hurry up and change. "Be there in 15 minutes!" I replied to him. I was busy putting on the clothes I wore earlier today when I received another message. While I was putting on my shirt, I read it. "Okay :)" It said. I let out a brief smile. I never knew Will was the type to use emoticons. After putting on my shirt, I quickly spayed a few sprays of cologne before I headed out my room and bolted down the stairs. "Whoa there cowboy!" my mom said as she came out of the kitchen, "what are you in a hurry for? Going somewhere?" I noticed she still had her apron on. My guess is she's baking right now. "I'm heading over to Will's. He invited me over. Is that okay?" I asked. "Oh sure. Go on ahead!" my mother said and waved her hand at me. "Thanks!" I replied as I bolted out the door and into the street. Lakewood residence here I come! - "Ouch!" I cried out in pain, "what the hell was that for? Will just punched me on the fucking shoulder! He looked dead straight in my eyes and replied, "Ok, here's the deal. Every time you mention about the incident, I'm going to give you a punch. That way, you're bound to never bring it up again." "But-" I started but then he raised his fist up, ready to punch me again. "Okay! Okay! I get it!" I said hastily. "Good!" he said smugly. I looked at him and his overly triumphant, smug expression and I couldn't help but smile. I was in Will's home, or more specifically, on his window seat in his bedroom. We just finished playing his new video game. To his surprise, I won 90% of all the games we played. I never really told Will this, but I was a master when it comes to the Mortal Kombat series. No one has ever beaten me in that game. I only lost tonight because I let Will win. Of course I didn't tell him that. Wouldn't want to deflate his ego entirely. Now, we're sitting on his window seat, enjoying some down time. I looked out his window and stared at my house across the street. I never noticed how little it changed over the years. I guess that's a good thing right? I didn't get to ask Will what he thought of our house as he asked me a question first. "So... Tyler... What happened in school while I was gone? I want to know if there was anything interesting like fights? Romances? Any earth shattering news worthy to gossip about?" I heard him ask. I looked back at him and found a genuine curious look on his face. I crunched my eyebrows, thinking of something good and juicy to share. "Hmm... Oh remember Helen Wilson?" I asked him. "Oh you mean that squeaky clean, goody goody two shoes? She ratted me out when I put bubblegum under my desk in 6th grade! How could I forget?" he scoffed. "Well she slept with one of our math professors," I said bluntly. "WHAAATTT!?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Will screamed in surprise. I laughed, "Totally serious man. She had to drop out when the school learned about their little affair." "What happened to the teacher??" he asked a little too eagerly. "Him? ... As far as I can remember, he's in prison now," I explained. "Wow. This is big stuff. I can't believe it," he muttered quietly. "I know," I laughed again, "but other than that, nothing else came close. It's just the same boring thing day in day out here over Ridgemont. Nothing really exciting happens here remember?" "Hey at least you're the quarterback of the football team. That's exciting!" Will pointed out with a smile on his face. "Well I do take pride in that!" I laughed. "I bet your parents are proud of you. Especially your dad! Isn't he a big football fan?" Will asked. My laughter died down, and instead was replaced with a frown on my face. Will must have noticed it because he asked me if anything was wrong. "Err... yeah I'm fine," I scoffed. "Problems with your dad?" he asked. I looked at Will to say that it wasn't his business but I saw a sincere, genuine smile on his face. His smile told me that he wasn't forcing me to open up, but he was available to listen to whatever I had to say. "It's just... he expects so much outta me, I guess it kinda stresses me out often. Sometimes I make mistakes in playing games, and he'd go over the deep end with me. He's always pushing me harder and harder I feel like I'm going to burn out one of these days," I explained to Will. I haven't shared my feelings about my dad with anyone. In fact, I never would have with anyone. But Will picked up on it and was the first person to ask me about it. I guess I just had to take this opportunity to share my feelings instead of keeping it myself. "I'm sure he does that out of love," Will reassured me. I'm not really sure if he said that because he meant it or because he wanted to cheer me up. Could he do those things because he loved me? Well for some reason, I find that hard to digest. Early on in my childhood, I've always had a strained relationship with my father. I don't know why, but I couldn't really talk to him like a normal son talks to his father. And that's been bugging me all this time. "Sure... it's perfectly fine to have your dad breathing down on you. I'm sure you go through the same thing," I say rolling my eyes. "Err... I'm not a star quarterback so I no not really," Will sheepishly said. I couldn't really find a way to respond to that. There was this awkward moment of silence, as usual. Will was busy looking outside the window, I on the other hand, was staring at the posters on Will's ceiling. "So," I said, wanting to break off the tension, "tell me all about LA!" Will looked back at me and asked, "What exactly do you want me to talk about?" "I don't know. Like what did you do and stuff! Where'd you study? Had any boyfriends?" I asked as I raised my leg and propped my chin onto my knee. "Well... If you must know... We stayed over at West Beverly. I studied at West Bev High until we decided to come back. Well, LA is technically sunnier than Ridgemont that's for sure. And the rain isn't that heavy," he explained. "Met any cute guys there?" I asked with a smile. "Why are you asking?" he asked with a perplexed look. "I don't know. We're getting to know each other here. I've told you about my father, the least you could do is spill some secrets, and the only thing I really know about you is you're gay so..." "Well, I did have a few boyfriends here and there. LA is certainly more open to gay people than around here that's for sure," he replied. "Have you done... you know?" I asked, prodding a bit more information. Hey, I'm kinda curious how gay people date or something. "Tyler, we are not discussing that," he said with a laugh. "Fine. Fine. You prude," I said with a huff. "Do you want me to ask you about you and Dana?" he rebutted with a smirk. "Okay, okay. You got me. I'm gonna stop now," I said a bit too defensively. "Good," Will smugly said. I scowled in mock frustration as Will laughed. "So... How long have you played video games?" Will asked me. "Well, ever since I learned how to hold a controller," I replied with a laugh, "But I don't have any gaming systems in my house. My dad was never a big fan. Usually, I just hop over to Jason's place to play." "Well now, you have me also to play with," Will said, "wait... that sounded wrong." And then he laughed. "Damn right it did!" I said with a laugh as I lightly punched his chest which earned an "Oomph!" from Will. Will rubbed the spot where I punched him. Hmm... I guess I overdid that quite a bit. "Did I hurt you?" I asked in concern. "Don't worry. I'll pay you back for that," Will said. "Oooh... I'm scared," I said in mock fear, "OWW!!! HEY!?" Out of the blue, Will punched me on my shoulder once again. Damn. I forgot his punches do hurt. "Told you so," Will said as he raised up his right fist in emphasis. "That wasn't fair! My punch was light compared to yours. Yours hurt!" I moaned in pain. "Tyler, there's nothing fair in the world. Best you learn that now than later on," he said. I stuck out my tongue at him in response, which caused him to roll his eyes. "So if you don't have any game systems, what do you usually do at home?" he asked me. I was busy rubbing my shoulder to ease the pain off when I responded, "I usually surf the net for new music. Watch some tv. I like watching a lot of CSIs and Criminal Minds." "Ugh. Crime shows. I hate crime shows," Will replied in disdain. "Well, what do you watch?" I asked, curious. "Reality tv! And lots of it!" Will answered with a huge smile causing me scoff in disagreement. "Reality tv is the pits of television. They're so vulgarly cheap and tacky," I pointed out. "Exactly! That is what makes them even more exciting!" Will laughed. I shook my head amused at his adoring love for reality tv shows. Frankly, I'm not a big fan. There's nothing real when there's a camera following you around. I spotted some more trophies on top of Will's bed. From the looks of it, they're more tennis trophies. "Did you play tennis back in LA?" I asked him as I pointed out to the various numbers of trophies. "Oh yeah. I was in the varsity team back then," Will proudly said as he got up and got the shiniest and biggest trophy on the shelf. He showed it to me. "William Lakewood. 1st place. Regional champion," I read out loud, "Wow! You won Regional's?" Will just beamed a really wide smile. "Do you plan on joining the team in Ridgemont?" I asked him. "I haven't really thought about that yet," Will quietly said as he sat down beside me. From the looks of it, I think he already thought about it and he decided he didn't want to join. Hey, if Will got all those trophies then he must be really good at it. "Why not? You should totally go for it! I know the captain of the team pretty well. He's a good guy. You shouldn't really let your talent go to waste Will," I explained to him, as I carefully placed the trophy near the window pane. Will was quiet for a while, possibly thinking. "I'll think about it," he said after a couple of minutes. Good. I know he'll be a good addition! "Good! I'll give a talk to Teddy, the captain when you're ready!" I said. Will was about to respond when my phone suddenly rang. "Sorry. I gotta get this," I said. "Hey no problem," Will replied as he let me read the message. It was from Dana and it read, "Come by my house tonight. It's an emergency." - When I approached Dana's house, I saw her sitting all alone on the front porch. She was staring at the sky as I parked my truck in front of their mailbox. I got down and when she saw me approaching her, she stood up. "Hey Dana," I said as I leaned in for a kiss. She tilted her head, leaving me to kiss her cheek instead of her lips. That was odd. I looked down at her face and found a serious, but sad expression present. "Dana, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked as I tried hugging her. She squirmed out of my grasp as she looked at me and started crying. Tears were rolling down her face. What the hell is going on? "Dana, baby, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I asked, not knowing if I should come up to her and hug her again. I was taken aback by this. She just started crying all of a sudden for crying out loud. "Tyler... I think," she said, in between sobs, "we should break up." What... the.... fuck. Where did that come from? "What? Why?" I asked her, shock registering on my face. What just happened? Dana wanted to break up with me? This was so sudden. I looked back to see if I did anything wrong, if I did something to hurt her, and if I neglected her in a way, but I couldn't think of any. In my mind, we were the perfect couple. We never really fought. Why the hell does Dana want to break up with me? "Dana, what did I do? Please tell me and I'll fix it. Did I do something to offend you? Did I hurt you in any way? Did you fall out of love with me? Did you-" "Tyler!" she sharply said when she interrupted my tirade of questions. "What?" I asked, pain stricken in my eyes. I couldn't understand. "I'm moving.... Tyler, I'm moving away," she said, tears falling down her face. TBC *** Okay, I am not going to deny it. This chapter took such a long time to do. And for that, I'm sorry. I recently had to attend some personal things in the last couple of weeks. Let's see, I had graduation practices, college clearances, and VISA applications to attend to pretty much every week. On top of that, I had a falling out with a friend that sent me to a depressed state for a good week or two. In short, I wasn't able to write as much as I wanted to. Anyways, after a long absence, I'm hoping you guys really like chapter 6. What do you think about Dana's bombshell at the end of the chapter? E-mail me at flipped100@yahoo.com. I'd really like to hear your thoughts, criticism, and comments on this and anything else you want to share regarding the storyline. I try my very best to answer each e-mail. As for the next chapter, it will be out in June. Yes, you heard me correctly. lol. The reason why it's going to take me that much time is because I will be having a much needed vacation for the rest of May, so I won't have the luxury of carrying my ultra heavy, ultra outdated laptop with me. But don't worry, because chapter 7 will be the best one yet, I think. It's going to be the longest chapter so far, so there's bound to be lots of surprises for you. Once again, I'd like to thank Tim for his editing powers as well as checking up on me over the last couple of weeks to start writing. LOL. Also, I have a music blog. In case you're into indie music or just want to hear something different and not mainstream, do check it out. It is called: the-indie-project.tumblr.com Cheers. Nick