Existential

Chapter 9

"Who were you with?" She spat and I avert my gaze from her piercing eyes. Her black hair whips around her face as a sudden gust of wind comes through. She pulls us inside and slams the door behind us. "I'm not gonna ask you again."
"A-a friend. Just a friend." I reply and she let's go of my arm.
"I'm getting your father. Stay here," she threatens and turns on her heel to get to the basement. Once I hear her close the door behind her to the stairs leading down I bolt for the stairs. I rush up them and run to my room door. I shake the handle and realize I had left it locked. I look around quickly before rushing over to the window of the loft. I open it and climb out onto the balcony. I close the window behind me and rush down the veins that crawl up the stucco wall. My parents won't remember seeing me tomorrow anyways. I can hear them yelling my name from inside the house but I bolt over the fence when the porch light flips on. I scramble to run in the rocks behind our fence line before I reach pavement. My feet thump rapidly on the ground as I fumble to get my phone out of my pocket. I grasp onto the metal frame before finally taking it from my pocket. I slow my run as I punch in Tyler's number and get closer to his house.
Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring
"Are you alright Alice?" His voice comes over the phone. I sigh in relief before explaining I need him to open his front door. "Okay okay. I did that now what?"
"Just stay on the line until I get there." I tell him and finally pass the back of his house. I cut through the side of his house where there's an empty expanse. I spot Tyler's lean figure in the porch light and practically sprint to his stairs. I step on the light blue boards and jump into Tyler's arms. I bury my face in his chest as my breaths come out heavy and fast. He steps backwards into his house while still keeping me in his arms. I smile and I hear him close the door behind us as we finally enter his house. I step away from him while still breathing a bit heavy but happy I got away from my parents.
"Alice! What happened to your arm?" He shouts and grabs lightly onto my wrist. He turns on the overhead light as he examines the finger shaped bruises on my lower arm. I stare at his brunette hair to try and not stare at my arm as well. He sighs before letting my arm drop to my side. He turns on his heel and I follow him through the dimly lit hallway. He leads us back to the bathroom and I sit on the counter as I did this morning. His shaking fingers pull out the mint paste again and he unscrews the top to it. Tyler dabs his fingers into the mixture and then brings it to my arm. He places his fingers in the same area as where my mother's hands were and I flinch. His eyes snap up to mine with his eyebrows scrunched together. Sympathy shows through his face and I divert my gaze. I've never let someone see me like this before. He places the paste on and instead takes a gauze out of the cupboard and wraps it around the paste. I feel it seep into my skin and I suck in a breath. The mint is slightly painful for some reason. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah Tyler. Thanks for helping me," I say and I can feel tears bubble up in my waterline. I'm not even sure why I'm so upset, I'm not even that hurt either. I wrap my arms around Tyler's neck and pull him into me. He places his arms tightly around my waist and rocks us back and forth. My tears slide over my cheeks and onto the bare skin of Tyler's shoulder. I silently sob and clench my fists at the base of Tyler's neck. Why does my life have to be so difficult all the time? Something is always wrong, no matter what. All good things are then replaced with bad eventually.
"Let's get you in bed," Tyler suggests and pulls my limp body off the counter. My feet hit the flooring and I detach my arms from around his neck. I step an inch or two from Tyler as I rub my eyes with the back of my hands. Once I finish with that I look up at Tyler with blurry vision. He grabs gently onto my hand and leads us out of the bathroom. I hit the light switch as we leave and provides us to be in total darkness. Tyler stops us in the middle of the hallway and I try to see his face in the darkness. I just can't seem to see it without any light.
"Tyler are you okay?" I ask him.
"Oh yeah sorry. I was thinking," he apologizes then keeps on leading us to his room. I hear him swing open a door and suddenly the area is flooded with light. I blink rapidly as my eyes adjust before Tyler finally gets us into the room. I let go of his hand and walk over to his bed. I collapse onto the covers and rest my head on the blue fabric. Tyler smiles at me from his place near the door. "Don't you need some clothes to sleep in?" He asks me, I groan and nod my head. He shuffles over to his closet and brings out a white V-neck and a pair of dark grey sweats. He tosses them over to me as I slump in his bed. I hesitantly grab the fabric and lazily wave Tyler dismissively. He smirks before turning and leaving the room. I don't get out of the bed until he closes the door behind him. I take my clothes off and place the clothing Tyler loans me on. They smell a bit like him and lavender detergent. I shuffle over to the door and open it. I lean on the door frame as I look over Tyler. His eyes stare at the wall and I take the opportunity to examine his lean body. Basketball really does well for him. I cough and Tyler snaps his eyes to me. I see him lick his lips suddenly and stifle a laugh. It is really obvious he's interested in me.
"Let's get you in bed shall we?" He asks me and his voice sounds strained as he pushes past me into the room. I close the door and Tyler stands three feet from me. I almost forget why I'm here as I check Tyler out again. "Are you going to keep staring or are we going to sleep?" Tyler's voice snaps my concentration.
"Oh uh yeah. Let's do that," I say and walk past Tyler. I get into his bed and crawl under the covers. I hear him snap the light off along with the accompanying darkness. The bed shifts under his weight then I feel Tyler's side pressed against me. I take no time to wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his chest. He places an arm around my back and his hand rests on my waist. The peacefulness of this one area lulls me into the welcoming arms of sleep.
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