Tyler couldn't seem to settle his nerves on the short drive to school. He didn't want to be back but he couldn't keep giving his Mom lame excuses and he still didn't want to tell her the truth. He took a calming breath before getting out of his car. He wasn't sure how he expected the day to go. Did other people know about Josh? What if they tried to talk to him about it? He knew that would Surely cause a breakdown that he wasn't prepared for.
He tried to avoid contact with pretty much everyone on his way to the lockers where his friends stood talking. He let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding when his friends greeted him with warm welcomes. "Tyler, you're back!" Ashley's voice stood out the loudest but he still managed to hear Patrick's quiet yet sincere "it's great to have you back." Suddenly all of their warm embraces made his anxiety dissipate and he became less worried about the day ahead.
"Yeah, it's good to be back. I mean, I'm a little nervous but I'll be okay." Tyler said with a smile now apparent on his face. This was probably one of the first times he had smiled since hearing Josh's news.
"Yeah man it's great to see you." Brendon said, giving Tyler a small pat on the shoulder. Tyler felt closer to him since opening up to him and he was happy that he had someone to voice his thoughts to. "Oh the bell's about to ring, we'll see you at lunch right?"
Tyler nodded "Yeah, of course, is it okay if I bring Dallon?" Everyone said something along the lines of "Yeah, that'd be great" or "Oh yeah, he was pretty cool." Tyler nodded mumbling some kind of thanks before leaving.
Tyler's first class was English and he wasn't excited to spend it without Josh. He never really talked to anyone else in the class so he knew he'd probably want to hit his head on the desk at least ten times before the period was over. When he walked in the room it was half full and as he sat down almost every set of tired eyes landed on him. Great, they know. He slouched down in his seat after pulling out a composition book and a pen hoping they'd stop looking at him. He scribbled down a paragraph to answer the daily journal posted on the board near the front but after he finished he still felt a few sets of eyes on him. He knew that this class would feel like an eternity without Josh and he couldn't wait for lunch.
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It seemed like it took forever but lunch finally came around. Tyler and Dallon walked from the class they shared to the secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria where everyone sat already engaged in a conversation Tyler only got to hear the end of. They sat down and greeted the small group. After their greetings were returned they broke off into smaller conversations.
Tyler talked about music with Pete and Patrick, occasionally looking over to see Dallon laughing about something with Brendon. He couldn't fight back the grin after thinking the two would make a nice couple. He didn't know anything about Brendon's sexuality and wasn't even sure if they liked each other but he liked the idea of them being together.
Shortly after their conversation died down Tyler felt his phone buzz and checked it assuming to see a text from one of his family members. But what he received was so much better. It simultaneously caused his heart to swell and his chest to fill with anxiety. It was a text from Josh. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Can we talk later?"
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I had a really tough time writing this chapter so sorry that it's short and that it kind of sucks.
Thanks for reading! Comment, vote and all that jazz if you liked it.