I knew it was a bad idea to bring Tyler to the game. Ever since we have gotten here, we have received nothing but stares and whispers. Whether it was because Tyler actually bothered to leave the house or because I was with Tyler, I didn't know. By the time we got here, the game had started already. We would have been on time had Tyler not insisted we stopped for a bite to eat. He made a valiant effort on eating slowly, as if he relished in the fact that he was keeping me away from the game. Although, I didn't say anything about it. I wasn't a huge fan of lacrosse or sports for that matter, so even though I would never admit it to anyone, I was thankful Tyler was with me. Otherwise, the lacrosse game would have been very boring without any company.
We sat in the middle row of the bleachers and I found myself regretting not ordering a hot chocolate or a coffee to go to keep me warm. It was freezing outside and my autumn jacket was simply not doing the trick. Every once in awhile, I'd look at Tyler's coffee in his hand but never dared to ask for a sip, knowing the answer would be a no. I sighed and continued watching the game, even though I had absolutely no idea what was happening. A whistle sounded for halftime and all the players broke off of the field. As Brody ran towards our team's bench, he looked through the crowd and spotted me. He flashed me a grin and I gave him a small wave.
Tyler noticed who I was waving to and pulled the attention towards him instead. "You look freezing, why don't you have some of my coffee to keep you warm and I'll go see if I have a blanket in my car."
"Thank you," I said, shooting him a grateful smile as I took his coffee and had a sip.
Tyler just smiled and speed off to his car, meanwhile, Brody looked dumbfounded that Tyler was here. Not giving me anymore smiles or waves, he went with the rest of his team back into the locker room.
The second half of the game began and Tyler just made it back in time. He had a large red flannel blanket in one hand and a bag of something in the other. As he sat down, he wrapped the blanket around the both of us. "This should do the trick."
I clung to the warmth, although, I was unsure what was warming me up the most; Tyler, who now sat incredibly close in order to keep the blanket around the two of us or the blanket itself. Regardless, I was simply thankful that I didn't have to freeze to death and I sincerely hoped Brody didn't take our closeness the wrong way. I made a mental note to talk to him about it after the game.
Breaking me from my thoughts and from the game, Tyler opened the white paper bag and pulled out a powdered mini donut, handing it to me. "I saw these at the vendor stand and I thought you and I could split the bag."
"I love mini donuts," I moaned as I took it from his hand and took a small bite, meanwhile he was able to plop a whole one in his mouth no problem. As the powder melt on my mouth and the warmth of the donut hit me, I moaned again. "These are literally little teeny tiny tastes of Heaven."
Tyler chuckled and looked at me with an amused expression. "Glad you like them, Sweetness."
"I don't just like them," I countered, finishing my first donut. "I love them."
He chuckled again and I suddenly felt myself feeling very happy. I don't know why, maybe it's the excitement of the game or the donuts or Tyler's laugh that I hadn't heard in such a long time, but I was happy. And it feel like such a relief, knowing I could have moments of happiness, no matter how brief, even after the death of my brother.
Tyler stopped laughing and studied me carefully as I zoned off, watching the game. I wasn't really watching the game, I was lost in my own thoughts, but I could feel his gaze on me so I turned to face him.
He arched a brow. "What are you thinking about?"
"I was just thinking about how I haven't felt this way in a long time," I answered.
"What are you feeling?" Tyler questioned sincerely, his expression the most serious I had seen all night.
I smiled at him, a big, genuine smile. "Happy."
Tyler's expression softened and maybe it was the lighting or the cold, but I could have sworn a blush rose to his cheeks. He stared at me some more and I stared right back. He leaned forward and brought a hand up to my lips and his thumb gently glided across them. His hand smelt like a mixture of sugar and tobacco and I felt as though I did not want to move, not even slightly as his hand touched my face. "You had some sugar still on your lips."
"Oh," I replied stupidly, pulling back slightly as his hand dropped.
We were silent the rest of the game.
"Are you fucking kidding me, Juliet?" Brody barked out.
We were standing in the parking lot by his car, the game was over and almost everyone had cleared out. Tyler was in the parking lot across the street, his back towards us as he was having another cigarette. After the game, I tracked down Brody to talk to him, but evidently was not going too well. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave him alone."
Brody rolled his eyes and let out a big sigh. "He's a big boy, Juliet. I'm sure he can spend a night alone."
"I get that," I said, trying to reason with him. "But he was in a mood for the past little while and I wanted to make sure he was okay and then he wanted to do something with me but I said I was going to your game and then he decided to tag along."
His jaw clenched and his hands were in fists. "Oh, I know he's been in a mood for the past two bloody weeks because that's all you can talk about is Tyler."
I stepped back, annoyed that he was making such a big deal over this. Brody and I weren't even a couple, we weren't official, we were just going to Homecoming together. If we were together, I'd understand why he'd be upset that I brought another guy to his game, friend or not. "Why are you so angry? We just started talking and hanging out like two weeks ago and you're acting like I'm the Whore of freaking Babylon. I'm sorry I brought him to the game, but I'm not sorry I was there for a friend who clearly needed someone."
"Jesus Christ, Juliet," Brody snapped. "If you don't see how much that guy has a thing for you, you're even stupider than I thought."
I jerked back as if I had been hit. "Excuse me, what the actual hell is that supposed to mean?"
Brody let out a vicious laugh. "Come on, like you said, we just started talking two weeks ago. Did you really expect that I was secretly pining after you all these years and didn't say anything?"
I took another step back, feeling like an idiot for falling for his charm and kindness so quickly. "I d-didn't t-think anything like that, I just thought maybe you actually liked me."
"Please," Brody rolled his eyes. "Everyone outside of your little friend group knows that you're an easy target. Just ask Blake, it took you, what? Less than a month before you slept with him?"
My heart sank to my stomach. Of course Blake would tell the whole world about that. But I would not apologize for my past. As much as he hurt me and apparently spread my information to the whole school, Blake was my first love and yes, I probably should have waited longer than a month, but I was young and in love. At that time, I thought Blake and I were meant to be. It didn't make me an easy target, not only because I hadn't slept with anyone since but because it was none of anyone's business who and when I had slept with someone.
Not bothering to respond, I turned on my heel and walked to Tyler's car.
As I walked away and out of Brody's view, tears began to spring to my eyes. Not only did the whole school think I was easy, but Brody was simply using me to get some - it made me sick. Now, I had no date to Homecoming and the first guy since Blake that showed interest in me, hurt me, not physically, but emotionally. And that was enough for me to conclude, I never wanted to date again.
I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes before I approached Tyler and cover up my hurting with a smile. "Ready to go?"
Tyler faced me and dropped the cigarette he had been smoking on the ground. He looked at me, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said, shooing off the question. "I'm fine."
"Bullshit," Tyler growled and grabbed me on both my arms, studying my face. "You've been crying. What did he do to you?"
Feeling defeated, I placed my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me, hesitantly. I stayed there for a moment and then sighed. "It's nothing worth talking about, just take me home."