Escape

There's No Way You Can Fit 20 Marshmallows in Your Mouth

I grabbed my bag and my phone and headed downstairs. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a banana. I took a granola bar and a juice while eating my banana. I stuffed them into my bag and checked my phone. I had to leave right now or else I would be late. I grabbed my keys and tucked my phone in my pocket. I opened the door only to come face-to-face with Tyler. He had a dark blue shirt with skinny jeans and a pair of black combat boots.

I backed up, not liking being that close to him. "Lynch. What are you doing here?"

He stared at me for a bit before shaking his head. "I was about to knock. I'm here to take you to school."

I furrowed my eyebrows and scoffed. "Why? I can walk to school."

He shrugged. "C'mon, I don't want you passing out on the way to school." I sighed. "And wouldn't you prefer to get a ride to school instead of walking to school."

"I would prefer to take my skateboard," I muttered, and Tyler gave me his best puppy eyes. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "But you'll do for now."

He grinned. "Perfect! Now C'mon, we don't want to be late, do we?"

I shook my head and closed the door behind me. "Since when do you care if you're late or not?" We started walking to his car.

He bowed his head and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't, but you do." He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. He helped me inside when we reached his car. I groaned in pain and took a seat.

"You okay?" He asked, resting his hand on the top of the car. I grunted but nodded. He hesitated before running to his side of the car and climbed in. He studied me, his eyes scanning each one of my features. I smiled and ducked my head, my hair covering my face.

"You seem better. Are you?" He asked and started the engine.

I pushed my hair behind my ear and looked up at him. "Yeah, it still hurts sometimes when I move."

"You're face doesn't look like you got punched repeatedly." He pointed out.

I laughed and shook my head. "The power of concealer can be efficacious."

He flashed his signature smirk and hit the gas pedal. I leaned my head back and watched as the houses and cars zoomed by like a movie playing on fast forward. We drove to school in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was pleasant and quiet.

Tyler parked in front of the school and turned the engine off. The one downside of Tyler's doorless Jeep was that everyone could already see us. Tyler turned the engine off and reached behind him. He pulled his arm back, and he had a leather jacket in his hand. He shrugged it on and looked at me.

"Ready?"

I nodded and stepped out of the car, ducking my head out. I groaned as my feet hit the ground. Tyler came around running and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's just your car is very high." I joked.

He cracked a smile and swung his arm around me. He locked the car, and we started walking towards the entrance. All eyes were on Tyler and me. I ducked my head, not liking all the attention.

"Everyone is staring at us," I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"Let them stare, babe." He said and started rubbing circles on my shoulder to calm me down.

It was helping, but I couldn't help freak out when he called me 'babe'. I mean, babe? What the hell does that mean?

Tyler opened the doors for us, and we walked in. I avoided everyone's stares, but Tyler embraced them. He made sure to lock eyes with every single person in the halls. He was overconfident, and he liked all the attention. I didn't. I had enough attention as Janice. People hardly noticed me unless they were insulting me or looking for a punching bag. People usually ignored me and pretended I was invisible. As we walked further into the school, I neared the boys' place to meet up. Their heads snapped up and held my gaze. I tried to look away, but something kept me captivated. Maybe it was the longing in their eyes or the anger some of them showed. I didn't understand why they were angry. At the corner of my eye, I saw Tyler's hand on my shoulder. I had forgotten his hand was still around me. Wait. Were they angry because Tyler was touching me? That makes no sense. Why would they be mad at that?