Bitter Treats (BxB Romance, In Progress)

2: Bitter Beginning

4 years earlier

"Mom? I'm home!" Tyler kicked off his shoes and dropped his soccer-gear-filled bag on the floor.

No response.

He was late, and it concerned him. His mom needed him at home in the evenings. Of course, she'd never told him that but he knew she'd be overwhelmed by now from childcare and house duties. And when his mom became overwhelmed, there was a risk she'd turn to drinking.

So Tyler always headed straight home after soccer practice, ready to assist his mom in whatever way she needed. Always, except for today. Because he'd stayed behind to talk to Luke Maroney.

But maybe he'd stayed too long.

"Mom!" he called out again.

No response, but he could hear something. A muted wailing that hit him right in the heart. It was the cry of his little sister.

Perhaps Emmie was sick and his mother was too busy trying to soothe the child to answer. Surely, such a situation would require her full attention. Maybe she hadn't even noticed Tyler was late.

Having shed his jacket on the floor--because who could be bothered with hangers?--Tyler took the stairs in a few steps, soon finding himself on the upper floor. "Mom?" he inquired, walking up the hallway toward Emmie's room.

Still no reply. But the cry of the child grew louder.

Opening the door, he was met by a distraught one-year-old, standing in her crib and crying her lungs out. Emmie's dark tight curls were plastered to her forehead and her arms rose toward her brother.

Tyler sped to the child's rescue, scoping her into his embrace. "Hi there, little one," he whispered, placing a kiss upon her messy hair. "Are you all alone here?"

On account of being barely a year old, Emmie didn't answer. She kept crying, although the all-out wailing had turned into more of a muted trill. Tyler rocked the child back and forth in his arms, trying to calm the poor thing.

Where was his mom? Sure, she wasn't always the most reliable mother, often missing his soccer games and coming home way later than she'd told him. She even left Tyler all alone at home overnight sometimes--when she worked nighttime auditing and Emmie was with a babysitter--but he was fifteen and he could handle it. Even if the darkness scared him when it seemed to cave in on him in the lonely early morning hours. But Emmie was a baby. Babies couldn't be left alone. Even Tyler knew that.

With Emmie in his arms, Tyler looked through room after room, scared to find his mother passed out somewhere. He had started to see the wine bottles piling up in the kitchen cabinet lately, even if she tried to hide them from him. Considering how little else was stored in those cabinets though, the bottles were hard to miss. But Darlene Caster was nowhere to be found.

All out of options, Tyler sat down in the living room, bouncing his little sister on his knee. Emmie looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face, and stopped crying. Instead, she shone up in a bright smile. "Tah!" she exclaimed. "Tah!!"

"I'm here," he mumbled. "I won't leave you. Are you hungry? There may be some formula in the kitchen."

His stomach was growling as well, but that wasn't as important. Balancing his sister on one hip, he made his way to the kitchen. The cabinets were almost empty but he did manage to scrunch up enough formula powder to warm a bottle for the little one in his arms.

Hours went by as he fed, played with, and cuddled his little sister. Still no mom. Tyler tried to call her repeatedly but it appeared her phone was turned off.

Maybe if he'd returned home earlier, he could have stopped his mom from leaving. But the allure of talking to Luke Maroney had been too strong. Tyler had been unlocking his bike when he'd run into Luke, the sole male cheerleader in the school. Shallow words about flips and kicks had soon turned into a long conversation about nothing and everything, sitting under the school bleachers.

Tyler wasn't attracted to Luke. That's not why the conversation had captured him. What had pulled him to stay was rather the opportunity for a brief respite from pretending he was someone he wasn't. Because while Tyler wasn't attracted to Luke specifically, he was attracted to certain boys. And he definitely wasn't attracted to girls. He knew that. And Luke was the same. That's what connected them beneath the bleachers.

But now he regretted the decision to indulge in his inner turmoil instead of focusing on his mom's chaotic whims.

While Emmie was busy watching Paw Patrol--he'd heard children shouldn't have too much screentime but he figured it was fine in this situation-- Tyler managed to rummage through the kitchen in the hunt for something to eat for himself. He found an apple, some Cheerios, and a lollipop. Certainly not enough to feed a teenage boy but it was something.

Putting the food on a plate, to make it appear more like dinner and less like left-over snacks, he sat down next to his sister. The sound of the brave cartoon dogs performing rescue missions on the TV formed a comforting backdrop as he devoured every last crumb, ending with the lollipop for dessert.

Having had his hunger somewhat sated, Tyler leaned back. Looking away from the TV and out the window, he noticed that it was almost dark outside. The prospect of spending the whole night alone with his little sister was looming. There was of course still a chance that his mom would show up eventually, with a slew of excuses in tow, but there was no assurance of that happening.

And even if his mom did appear, she had still left a baby alone for who knew how long? Could Tyler really trust his mother to take care of Emmie in the future? Just the thought of coming home to find Emmie being hurt in some way made his chest constrict. He hugged his little sister, who was babbling away to her show, to dull the sensation.

These weren't things a teenager should have to consider by himself. He was just a child himself, even if he rarely wanted to admit that. He needed a trustworthy adult to solve this for him.

So he picked up his phone. This time, he didn't call his mother. Even if she would pick up this time, he questioned if he could actually trust her to handle things.

"Tyler?" His uncle Kevin answered right away. Tears watered Tyler's eyes upon hearing the familiar voice. He wasn't alone, and his uncle would be able to help him handle everything.

"Hi, Uncle Kevin, sorry to bother you," Tyler started, patting his sister's hair while he talked.

"You're not bothering me, Tyler. Is something the matter?"

"Well..." Tyler hesitated about what to say. His mother would blame him if this situation got her in trouble somehow. And he had a feeling that leaving a baby alone for hours could get someone in trouble. But perhaps his mother should be in trouble. "I don't know where my mom is. She wasn't home when I came from school and she's still not here. It's only me and my sister, and I don't know--" His voice faltered as Emmie grabbed his finger tight.

Sudden fear hit him. Emmie had another father than him. If Social Services got involved, perhaps they would be separated. Uncle Kevin, his late father's brother, and his aunt Donna would perhaps take him in, but would they really want to take care of a baby that wasn't even related to them?

But the important thing was that Emmie was safe. Even if she wasn't with Tyler.

"Just hang tight, Tyler," Kevin replied. Tyler heard him talk to someone beside him, probably his wife. A muffled message about Darlene leaving the kids all by themselves. "We'll be there shortly and help you get this sorted. Is there anything you need?"

"Maybe something to eat," Tyler replied, suddenly noticing his stomach growling again. The few snacks he'd found hadn't helped much. "Emmie had formula but I couldn't find much to eat."

"Of course, we'll bring you some food, son. Just take care of your sister and we'll be there shortly, alright?"

Tyler nodded and made a low affirmative noise as tears fell upon his sister's wispy curls.

"We'll be alright, Emmie," he said after hanging up the phone, hugging the child tight. "Uncle Kevin and Aunt Donna will come and help us. We won't have to be alone in the dark."

Author's Note: So this is the planned concept for the story: chapters of Tyler's and Robin's romance interlaced with chapters from Tyler's previous struggles. Hopefully, it will work and make sense!

If you've read SLB, you will probably be aware of most of the events taking place in the past, but in this story you will actually see them play out on the page, providing additional background to why Tyler may act in certain ways later.