I'll Wait For You (ON-HOLD)

Chapter 3. (Natalie ^)

When Amelia finally parked into the students' section of the parking lot I grabbed ahold of my bag around my shoulder and gripped onto my coffee before opening the door and making my way into the school. I didn't say anything. I kept my mouth shut and my face neutral. Even though I was screaming bloody murder on the inside at Tyler.

Just what the hell happened to him while in those few hours we were apart?

I had half a mind to take Amelia's keys and drive to the hospital to see him, but I knew my mom. She would have my ass handed to me if I ever skipped school without a valid reason. Mom was a straight-A student in high school so she had high expectation for me as well.

The thing that shocked me though, was the fact that she never really did anything with those grades or those scholarships she was given those years back. She was mother of two with a husband of roughly fifteen years, and she was the owner of her very own gym now. The pay income wasn't much, but it still helped us out fairly well. Dad worked as a mechanic. My grandpa taught him a few things and it turned out, he had a passion for cars and loved fixing them. So he became one.

But even so, my mother could've been some grand lawyer or something with her grades. Sometimes, I thought that she had given up everything for my dad, because when I was snooping through her things the day I found the picture and the James guy, I also found around six scholarships that she was given. She could've had the chance to go to any college she wanted, and she never went to college at all. The only reason she has the gym is because my dad managed it all since he finished his Bachelor's in Business and Management.

Yet, he became a mechanic right after that. He never used his degree for anything else. Mom became a stay-at-home mom and I always wondered if she wanted something more than the life she has currently. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she wanted to be some sort of FBI agent. She would've been a kick-ass one with her skills in the ring.

I smiled, remembering the hours we spent together in the ring when she still had her 'dojo.' She taught me absolutely everything. Whenever I would fall down she would rush to my side and tell me that everything was going to be alright because I had Walker in my blood. Within a few short months I became almost better than her when she was my age.

"Maria!"

I rolled my eyes at the sound of my best friend, Natalie, as she came running to my side with a mocha frappe in her hand from McDonald's.

"What?" I replied, taking another casual sip of my coffee.

"Okay, absolutely everyone is talking about it! But I know you don't listen to drama and shit like that, but this about him so I would assume you knew but obviously you're really calm and knowing you, you wouldn't be calm if you heard what-"

"Spit it out already!" I cut her off with a sharp glare. The only thing that ever really bugged me about Natalie was her constant need to talk/ Don't get me wrong, the girl makes me smile and laugh like no other, but if there's one thing she could settle down a notch, it would be her talking.

She didn't seem the least bit offended with my little outburst. "Tyler got beat up last night and is now in the hospital. There's so many rumours floating about. Like, there's this one girl who told me that he was jumped by a gang because he did something to them. And these guys said that he probably got pissed drunk and then pissed some people off and got beat up. Also, there's-"

I had to stop her again. "I heard!" I placed my hand over her mouth and gave her a pointed glance. "Amelia already told me. I'll visit him today and find out what the hell happened." Even I didn't know why I was handling this with such a placid nature. On the inside. I knew I was seething with rage. but I wasn't quite sure who I was angry at more. Tyler and the fact that he didn't think to tell. Or the person or people who put him in the hospital.

Natalie gave me an odd look, sipping on her frape. "Oh," she frowned, a dejected look on her face.

A small smirk tugged at the corners of my lips and I slung an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Natty," I grinned at the nickname her current boyfriend, Branden, gave her within the first week they began dating. Everyone else called her Natalie, Nat, or Leigh. So, he picked out his own original nickname so he could be different. I always teased her for it.

She sent me a cold glare. "Shut it, Mimi," she emphasized, smirking in triumph at my own glare. Gosh, did I hate that three-year old nickname. A chuckle escaped her salmon colored lips as she took another sip of her drink. "Come on. We need to get to class."

* * *

It was lunch when I finally decided to take out my phone and turn it on. And it was lunch that I realized how absolutely stupid I felt.

I completely forgot about the message from last night, and I had another one at 8:06 in the morning. Both of them were from the one person I was wondering about the entire day so far.

(2) Messages: From: The Awesome Boss

10:31PM

From: The Awesome Boss

I need your help.

8:06AM

From: The Awesome Boss

I'm sorry.

I felt my heart constrict in my chest as guilt swarmed me. A regretful frown made its way to my face and I so could've facepalmed myself right there! Here I was, pissed off at Tyler for not telling me sooner. when he tried to contact me last night. I felt like the worst best friend in the world at the moment. A loud groan left my lips as I gripped my phone and typed in a frantic response.

To: The Awesome Boss

I'm so very sorry! I didn't answer last night because I thought it was someone else and I didn't want to answer anyone's message. I turned off my phone and didn't turn it on until I got to lunch. I'm so sorry. I'll come and visit you right after school!

I sat back with a defeated sigh. I had some making up to do. Maybe if I came with a carton of Cookie Crunch ice cream and a cheesy get-well card that would make up for it.

I chuckled out loud, and Natallie shot me a 'are-you-crazy' look. I bit the inside of my cheek and gave her a grin. To which she narrowed her eyes at me, before going back to the conversation her and Brandon were just having.

Yeah... guess I was going to make another stop before visiting the boy.