Claim My Heart

Chapter 12

 It was good to see him so happy.

I had just gotten what I needed from my locker when I heard a voice behind me. 

"Hey! Aren't you Ty's brother? What are you doing here?" Courtney frowned.

"Tyler has a brother?" Zoe asked, appearing beside Courtney, staring Julian down. 

"He has a name," I muttered. "Julian. And he just joined our school."  

"Oh, that's great! Welcome to AVM high." Courtney gave him a kind smile, which he returned. 

"Where did he transfer from?" Zoe frowned. 

"Mind your own business!" I snapped before slamming my locker shut. 

I pulled Julian along with me and away from them, while he shot me a panicked look, "She looked like she wanted to kill you."

"She can try." 

"I'm pretty sure she will, " he muttered. 

***

At lunch, I walked into the cafeteria and spotted Julian sitting with Tyler and his friends. He waved me over to their table but I shook my head and gave him a small smile, before walking over to where Ash and Avi were waiting for me in a quiet corner at a table facing a window.

When I couldn't help but steal a quick glance at Tyler, I found him already looking at me. His eyes, so deep and swirling with thoughts, they're constantly calculating and seeing right through me. 

Those eyes always saw way too much, stripped me bare, and left me defenseless. I was the first one to look away and break our connection because –like we've already established before– I was a coward.

Every time I looked at him I felt like I was losing a war. Being with him was like living in a cloud, everything was distorted, comfortable, and fuzzy, with no definite edges. 

And when that cloud was taken away from me, it left me cold and vulnerable. 

He had left me once. And I was too scared to go through it again. 

But, I wanted him. I wanted to live in that fucking cloud of happiness again.

Ugh, how was it possible for me to experience so many feelings and still carry on living?

"Neil was asking for you, yesterday. Again," Ash mumbled, halfway through the lunch and I winced. Her words were like a painful punch in the gut.

I wished I knew what to say to Neil. I wished I could somehow unload this heavy weight of guilt that's been sitting on my chest for the past few days and see my best friend again.

I pressed my stinging eyes shut and let out a deep breath. "How is he?"

"Depressed. The doctor told him last night that he won't be able to play for a year or two, at least not like he used to. He is taking it pretty hard." 

"Fuck!" I buried my face in my hands.

"He was asking for you," Ashley said and my face crumpled. "How long are you going to tiptoe around this? Talk to him. He needs you." 

"How can I ever look him in the eye again when I know that I played a part in all of this?" I shook my head and interrupted Avi when he tried to talk, "I know it's not my fault. But he did take the fall for me, willingly or not, I pulled him into my mess." 

I had watched him work so hard every day, for years. I had watched him transform from a chubby round kid to an uber-talented and fit athlete. He had given it his all, and just when he was at the brink of getting the results for all his hard work, a stepping stone for a bright future, it was snatched away from him.

It hurt like a bitch, and I couldn't even imagine what he must be going through. 

Sometimes anger hit me hard, burning its way through me until I was just left there emptier and duller than ever. 

Who the hell gave Max Stone the right to screw with our lives? How does he get away with everything? 

"Uh. . .you're holding that spoon like a knife, V, " Avi mumbled, pulling me out of my thoughts. 

I shook my head and dropped the spoon. "Sorry."

Just then, I heard a familiar laugh ring through the cafeteria, and I turned around to look at Tyler. His laugh was probably one of my favorite sounds in the world. It was like the first glimpse of sun after a thunderstorm; comforting and warm.

Huh. When had I turned into such a poet? I frowned to myself and sighed, sinking into my chair.

Something was different about him. He looked better. Happier. 

"So. . .? I can't wait any longer. Are we going to talk about it or not?" Ash's voice brought my attention back to the table.

"Exactly. I'm surprised that you're so cool about this. I thought you'd be freaking out." Avi cocked his head to the side, studying my face. 

"Wait. What?" I stared at them, confused.

"Wait." He frowned. "You don't know. . ." 

"Know what?" 

"Oh, shit. You really don't know. Have you checked your phone recently?"

"No…" I trailed off warily. 

Ash fumbled with her phone for a few seconds before handing it to me, showing me the latest piece of news that was all over the internet and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I read it, over and over again.

Max Stone was arrested early this morning.