My Best Friend's Other Best Friend

Chapter 65

Tyler's POV:

I walked downstairs to see Oakley standing in the kitchen, eating an apple. She was scrolling through something on her phone, probably Instagram. She was always on there.

"I'm leaving now, if you wanna come with me." I said taking her apple out of her hand and taking a bite.

"Hey!" She yelled. "Why are you leaving so early? We have like twenty minutes until we have to start walking."

We would ride the bus or have Dad take us but, our school is only ten minutes away, walking so, we walk.

Today, I was going to see our mom. I do it all the time and never tell my dad. I always go see her on this day every year because its the day before Oakley and I's birthday.

"I'm stopping somewhere. Do you want to come with me or not?" I asked taking another bite of her apple.

"Where are you going?" My dad asked coming around the corner of the room.

"The store." I rushed out of my mouth. Oakley snatched her apple back out of my hands and continued eating her apple.

"Why do you need to go to the store?" My dad opened the fridge pulling out a bottle of water.

"I need a new notebook." I lied. I felt bad for lying but, I don't know how he would react to me going to see my mom. I don't think that he would be mad but, I also don't know if he would be happy. "So, Oakley? Going with me or not?"

"No, I'm gonna wait here for Fairah. She should be here soon." She kept scrolling through her phone.

"Okay, well, I'm leaving." I grabbed my bookbag and l walked out the door.

I started walking down the sideway and I put my headphones in listening to music. Music  was basically my only escape whenever I wanted or needed to be alone. I think that I get that from my dad because he loves music so much.

I walked through the gate that leads to the cemetery. I instantly wanted to cry because as soon as I approached her grave, her favorite song came on. It was Taking You by my dad's old band.

I took out my headphones and I slipped my phone in my pocket. I looked down at her grave.

Chloe Ray Herron
6/3/2002- 2/4/2032
~Don't dream your life, live your dreams~

I took my bookbag off my shoulder and set it on the ground. I sat beside it, taking out the flowers I had in my bag that I had for her. Every time I come, I bring flowers.

Carnations. Dad always said that they were her favorite.

"Hey mom, I miss you. Dad is doing good, so is Oakley. We started 10th grade yesterday and we have all the same classes which, is a good thing but also a bad thing because I have all my classes with my sister. Like, who wants that." I chuckled. "You've been gone for seven years and honestly, I don't know how Dad has made it without you. I don't know how any of us made it without you. I hope that you're doing okay up in heaven. I hope they are treating you well. I know that you're watching down on us and protecting us but, it's hard without you here."

I looked at the flowers that I gave her. They reminded me so much of her. Well, of what I could remember of her.

"Tomorrow is gonna be our tenth birthday that you have missed. We miss you so much every year. Dad has a family picture of all of us, but Oakley and I were just babies. Oakley is growing up to look just like you."

I looked down at my phone to see the time. 7:35am.

"I've gotta go. School awaits. I love you."

I stood up and slung my bookbag over my shoulder. I walked out of the cemetery and I looked one final time at my mom's grave.

I entered the school building and walked straight to my locker. I saw Oakley placing books into her locker, which was next to mine. I put in the combination 6-24-3.

"Where'd you go this morning?" Oakley said shutting her locker door, looking at me.

"I told you. I went to the store." I looked at her.

"No. You didn't. You lied to Dad at the house and you lied to me, just now." She kept looking at me. She always knew when I was lying. It was like her superpower, that I hated.

"I'm not lying." I grabbed my math book out of my locker.

"You are. I know you are and so do you. It's not good to lie. You never used to lie, what happened?" She walked off. I felt bad for lying.

I walked to my first period and sat behind Oakley in my assigned seat. I got a glare from her.

I tore a piece of paper out of my note book and wrote: I'm sorry for lying, I went to see mom and I don't know how dad would react to me going to see her.

I folded it in half and slipped it onto her desk without the teacher seeing.

I heard her open the paper. I watched as she put her book in her book bag and zip it up. She stood up and put her book bag on and walked out of class without a word. The teacher tried stopping her but, she kept walking.

The teacher looked at me and walked towards my desk.

"Do you know why she just walked out?" He asked me, kind of whispering.

"Yeah, kind of. Can I please go talk to her?" I asked politely.

He shook his head yes and he walked back to his desk. I packed up my stuff and went to go find Oakley. As soon as I exited the room, I saw her. She was standing at her locker with her phone up to her ear, talking to someone.

"Dad is coming to get me." She saw me approaching her.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I want to go home. I'm sick."

"You're not sick."

"Yes I am. Sick of you."

"Oakley and Tyler Herron are needed in the office, you are leaving." The secretary said over the louder speaker.

"That was quick." I said, chuckling.

We got into the car, Oakley sat up front and I sat in the back. We didn't talk to each other the whole car ride. It was mostly Dad asking us questions and we just nodded our head.

We pulled into the driveway and we walked up to the house.

"Why are you all not talking to each other? You were fine this morning." My dad unlocked the front door.

"I'm upset with Tyler." Oakley spoke up.

"You're upset with me? Well, I guess we're even because I'm upset with you." I angrily said.

"What did I ever do to you?" She was furious with me.

"You walked out of class and embarrassed me." I half shouted,

"You what?" My dad was surprised.

"At least I didn't lie and say I was going to the store when in reality I was going to see mom." She shouted.

"What is going on?" My dad shouted.

"What is your problem with our mother?" I looked at Oakley.

"I don't have a problem with her." She broke down into tears. "I miss her. My problem with her is that I miss her."

She ran up to her room as Dad and I kept looking at each other. I saw disappointment written all over his face. But, I knew half of that was for me and half of it was for Oakley.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know how you would have reacted." I said looking at my Dad.

"I'm disappointed. Not that you went to go see your mom. I want you to see your mom, I do. I just wished you didn't think you had to lie about it." He walked off into the kitchen.

I just walked upstairs to my room.