her.

Chapter Seven; This Way

I hadn't heard from Shyla in a couple of days. I was starting to get worried. She said she'd be ok, but her saying that just made my nerves worse. Like she was going to do something dangerous or stupid and she was going to convince me that everything was fine. 

Tyler is over here, we were doing some homework. Well, I was. He was talking to me about some girl, I wasn't paying attention. I was more so focused on something more important. One, the homework. Two, Shyla. 

Shyla has been on my mind ever since she told me she was pregnant. She left that morning, without any incidents from my mother, surprisingly. But even though my mother didn't mention it to Shyla, I still got an earful of her complaints. 

She was mad that I had a girl in my room. A loose girl, at that. Her words, not mine. 

I don't see Shyla as they all see her. I see her for who she really is. Or at least that's what I like to think so. 

Before everything went down, she was sweet, funny, carefree, and happy. Now, she seems sad or depressed and down. Sometimes she even seems angry but I'll never take her anger seriously. 

I still see her soft side, the side before she went through all the pain. Before she started suffering. Especially while she was talking to Nick. I could see her breaking her hard shell. Also when she talked about the child growing in her stomach. 

"Stupid!" Tyler yelled. I looked over at him. "You're not listening," he said, his eyes cutting over at me. 

"I'm listening." I said. 

"No, you're not. You're thinking. You got that stupid ass look on your face. Every time you got that stupid ass look on your face, you're thinking about something. What you thinking 'bout?"

"Nothing." I said, attempting to dismiss the subject. He snorted, obviously not buying my lie. 

"You're a liar. A huge liar. I bet you're thinking of your girl." I cut my eyes over at him. 

"I don't have a girl." I said.  

"Yes you do. Her name is... it starts with a S." 

"I don't know who you're talking about." he rolled his eyes. 

"Listen here Liar McGuire, we've been best friends since we were old enough to talk. I know when you're lying, I know when you're mad, I know when you're thinking and I especially, know when you're thinking about a girl." I stared at him with my lips rolled into my mouth. 

"You like her!" he shouted. 

"Shut the fuck up." 

"Damn," he chuckled. "What about her do you like so much?" 

"Shut up." I said pinching the bridge of my nose. 

"She is bad. I don't blame you."

"It's not all about looks, Tyler." I said getting slightly angry. To Tyler, everything is about looks. Most of the girls he messed with were on the pretty side and wore way too much makeup. Whereas with me, the girls I dated were of all looks and races. I don't discriminate. As long as she has a great personality, she was my type. 

"So you do like her?" he asked raising his eyebrows. I sighed, nodding slowly.

"But don't tell her." 

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to ruin our relationship." 

"You're a wuss. So you're never gonna pursue in a relationship with her because you don't want to ruin your relationship? So you'll be fine when she moves on and finds a guy and has his kids?" I shrugged. 

"She's already pregnant." I said nonchalantly. Tyler's eyes widened. 

"She's pregnant!? What? I didn't know y'all had sex already."

"We didn't have sex." 

"Then how..."

"Someone else's kid." Tyler frowned. 

"You like a girl with a kid on the way? Really?" I frowned.

"What's wrong with that?"

"She'll ask you to help take care of it. It isn't even your problems."

"I know she won't because she's independent. And even if she did ask, I would be willing to help her." Tyler stared at me as if he was disgusted. He had a scowl on his face and his eyes were filled with a confused look.

"Yeah, you're whipped and you haven't even fucked her yet."

"Tyler," I warned. I watched as he shook his head. 

"Even though I don't agree with this, I'm going to act happy for you because you're my best friend." 

"Thank you." I said. He nodded before looking back at his homework 

"I have to meet her." he mumbled suddenly. I raised my eyebrow, as he looked back up at me. 

"What?" 

"I have to see as to why you like her. I mean, I've seen her but I never had a conversation with her or anything like that. Like you have. I have to meet her." I nodded.

"She's a great person." he shrugged. 

"I have to see it to believe it." We were silent for a minute, not doing anything much. I know I was thinking about her. Tyler was probably thinking as well. But the Lord only knows what he was thinking about. 

"Invite her over." he said suddenly. I looked up at him. 

"What?"

"Invite her over. I wanna meet the girl my best friend is so smitten about." 

"Nah, she's probably busy." 

"It's Sunday. Jacksters is closed on Sundays and who really does anything on Sundays anyway?" 

"Maybe she doesn't want to come over." 

"Stop making excuses. Call your girl over." 

"I-." I was cut off as my phone rang. I looked over at it, seeing the one name I didn't want to see. Not now, not ever. 

"She still calls you?" Tyler asked as he looked over at my phone. 

"Obviously." I groaned. I let the phone ring out. I looked over at Tyler. 

"You're not going to talk to her?" 

"No." I mumbled. 

"When's the last time you talked to her?" I cut my eyes over at him. 

"I don't know and I honestly don't care." 

"You need to talk to her." 

"For?" 

"What are you talking? For what?" 

"Exactly, what for? Why do I need to talk to her?" 

"Maybe because she is your biological mother." I pursed my lips together. I shook my head. 

"No, thank you." I grumbled looking away. 

"Come on, mane. I'm sure she misses you."

"If she misses me, she wouldn't have left me, all those years ago. And she's not my mother. Heather is more so my mother than she is." 

"You are a wreck." 

"She made me this way."