THE DRIVE BACK TO TYLER'S HOUSE was cadaverously silent. Tyler understood that Lanie had numerous emotions that were contained and he was worried for her. The way she was picking at her chipping nail polish, how her fingernails dug deep into the skin of her palm; he knew he had to talk to her.
Lanie got out of the car and closed the door quickly, nearly making a beeline into her room, but she was met with the tall figure of Carlos, who she crashed into and nearly fell onto the floor.
"Woah, chica, what's wrong?" Carlos held Lanie's shoulders steadily and studied her eyes, seeing how they were bloodshot, tear stains evident on her cheeks.
"Nothing," Lanie mumbled, "can I go to my room please?"
"No."
Lanie let out a groan of annoyance and in frustration, her second wave of sadness starting to swamp her body. She tried so hard to contain her emotions, but it was really difficult for her right now.
Tyler and Carlos sat on one side of the sofa, while Lanie took her spot right in front of them, their faces looking like they were ready to interrogate Lanie. She licked her lips and bit into the inside of her cheek, the familiar taste of the coppery crimson liquid filling her mouth.
"You going to talk to us about what just happened, Lanes?" Tyler asked, worry laced in his ocean blue eyes.
Lanie's mind was wandering off to her own wonderland, attempting to think of a happier place so she wouldn't break down in front of her brother and his boyfriend. Lifting her head up slowly, Lanie finally looked eye-to-eye between Carlos and Tyler, exhaling a pathetic sigh that visibly showed the couple something was seriously wrong.
"Am I a terrible girlfriend? L-Like am I really that unbearable to the fact where I can be abandoned for another bitch?" Lanie's voice cracked, her tone rising and her frustrations crashing.
Lanie tried so hard to contain her tears, but she couldn't control them. They slipped down her cheeks and she put her hands on her face, feeling embarrassed for this type of vulnerability.
"Woah, Woah, Woah, Lanie, you are the most badass girl I have met in my life. You're gorgeous, smart, and undeniably the sweetest person I have met. If Robby can't see these amazing traits in you, then that's his loss. Fuck him, you can find someone so much better," Carlos said, acquiring a tenuous smile from his sister-in-law figure.
"I agree, Lanie. Robby doesn't deserve you if he can't see that you were the best thing that happened in his life. Boys suck, you don't need them Lanes," Tyler said, in a motivating tone, a small laugh escaping Lanie's lips.
"Um excuse me, your boyfriend is sitting literally right next to you?" Carlos said in a playfully offended tone.
"Yeah, yeah, you're okay, I guess," Tyler mumbled, mocking annoyance.
