Our Long Lost Souls

Six

“Hello Brother dear.” The boy said sarcastically.

                “What are you doing here Tyler?” Chis snarled, unconsciously once again shielding Annika.

                “Oh just visiting really, collecting a few possessions and seeing how your ugly mug is now after what? Five years after you abandoned your mother just ‘cos you couldn’t cope?”

Green fire appeared in Chris’s eyes when he snarled so angrily that his step-brother took a step back. “Come back to me and say that when your step-dad beats you because he can, come back to me when you get screamed at because he couldn’t believe his own son at the age of thirteen took drugs!”

                “I did not take drugs! They weren’t even mine, I-I was hiding them for a friend! Do you honestly think I would ruin my life for drugs?! Oh no, Chrissy boy, you and your mother have done that just perfectly thank you. And now my dad is in prison and your screaming at me like a little boy who didn’t get a lollipop.”

Chris chuckled bitterly. “Arrogance isn’t your thing Tyler but I have always wondered who rammed a stick up your arse to get you like this.”

A snort interrupted them both when Annika moved from behind Chis and placed her hand on Chris’s shoulder, glaring straight at Tyler. “Chris, it’s obvious that his head is rammed too far up his own arse for astick to fit.” Tyler stared stupidly at the girl while Chris gaped hysterically at Annika in surprise. Slowly, the sides Chris’s mouth turn upwards before he is laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach. Tyler still stared on. It was a few seconds afterwards when Chris straighten up and wiped a non-existent tear away, when he did, he beamed at her with a goofy smile.

                “Well, you’ve got yourself a spitfire here Chris.” Tyler commented as his eyes roamed Annika. “You wouldn’t happen to be the lass that lives next door would you?”

                “What of it?” she asked warily.

                “You left your sketchbook here. At least I think it’s yours. . . you are Annika Jude are you not?” he said, offering the sketchbook towards her.

                “Oh. I must have left it here the last time I visited Cara.” She replied, taking it and flipping through the pages. “I’ll just go place it upstairs okay?”

Both Chris and Tyler nodded and watched her round the corner and up the stairs. A small smile crept onto Tyler’s face, still looking after Annika. “You know I never meant for you to have a hard childhood.” He confessed, moving his eyes to his shoes when Chris whipped his head around disbelievingly. “I was Jealous of the relationship you had with your mum,” he whispered. “I never had that with my dad and God knows what happened to my mum. I was a jealous and cruel child and you didn’t deserve it. I understand if you no longer want anything to do with me but now I know how wrong I was and I was wondering if you would consider, perhaps, being friends?” Tyler looked towards Chris with an almost hopeful expression. “I mean you don’t have to, it’s just now I realise that I could have had a friend instead of an enemy if I had thought about it at the time.”

Throughout Tyler’s mini speech Chris was silent andutterly flabbergasted. Thoughts ran through his mind. Some of which were repeated like: ‘Does he mean it?’and ‘What the absolute fuck is going on?’. Tyler was silent and Chris realised he was waiting for an answer.

                “I’m not sure if I can trust you or if it will ever get to that but for now I’ll think about it.” Tyler noticeably deflated when Chris hastily added “It’s not a ‘no’ but for now it’s a maybe.” Footsteps stomped on the stairs and Annika rounded the corner. Her eyes flickered between Chris and Tyler, noticing the lack of hostility in the atmosphere. Fortunately, she decided not to mention it. Tyler cleared his throat and muttered something about getting his stuff and tromped upstairs to his old room. When he was out of hearing distance Annika turn on Chris.

                “What happened when I was up stairs?”

                “Uhh, nothing much.”

                “Christopher?” she askes sceptically.

                “Okay fine, Tyler said that he was sorry of how he treated me when we were younger and that now he wants to recollect and be friends.”

                “And what did you say?”

Chris rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked away. “I said that I’d think it over and get back to him about it.”

                “Christopher Noah Rivers! You will not get back to him later, you will get back to him now. If he had enough guts to come here today with an apology thinking that he may get punched then you can accept him as your friend. I’m not expecting you to be best buds now but just let him in.” Chris looked at Annika weirdly until she asked “What?”

                “You sounded a lot like my mum just then. . .”

                “I think Cara would have the same opinions as I on the subject.” Chris simply grunted at the fact when his eyes enlarged. “How do you know my middle name?” he demanded. She smirked back and walked to the kitchen. “Annika?!”

~*~

Half an hour later, three large bags where packed and placed outside of the front door. Chris had shook Tyler’s hand and told him they would try to be friends. When Chris said that Tyler grinned.  Tyler picked up two bags and Chris picked up the other when Annika whacked him on the back of the head and pointed to the other one behind Tyler’s back. Annika stayed in the door as both of them walked to Tyler’s car to place the bags in the boot.

                “So, are you and Annika a thing then?”

Chris nearly dropped the bag. “What?”

                “You’re not together?” Tyler looked surprised. “To me you looked and acted like a couple.”

                “No, no. Friends. We’re just friends.”

                “Then why are you getting defensive about it?” he smirked and his eyes lit up. “You like her.”

                “No, I don’t.”

                “Denial.” He sang as Chris huffed. Tyler’s tone turned serious. “Listen to me Chris, many men would be lucky to have a lass like that. Just don’t let her go. Even if shit goes wrong, stay together and you’ll get over it and be able to move forward.”

                “Okay.” Chris sighs as Tyler gets into his car and rolled down his window.

                “I’ll see you soon.” He waved out of the window and drove off. ‘It would be fitting if the sun was setting.’ He laughed in his mind.