Dancing With Danger ➵Tyrus (COMPLETE)

6

It's been a month since the fiasco with Buffy went down and I went out with TJ. Andi has been busy with Amber, Marty's been hanging out with Buffy, Jonah's been with Walker as much as possible, and Buffy herself hasn't said a word to me. To be fair, I've been busying myself with work, school, and hangouts with TJ. Everytime we hang out, it feels more and more date-like and I kind of love it. I have to keep reminding myself that TJ has a wild streak; he rides a motorcycle and has a tattoo and probably smokes weed with that biker clique of his. I know TJ's so much more than his reputation, but I imagine my parents would flip out if I told them about hanging out with him the way I do...so I don't say a word.

It's when Amber gets to work on Friday evening that everything starts to change in rapid motion. She greets me as she steps in the coffee shop, solemnly handing me a letter before she begins tying her apron. When I inquire about what the letter is, she simply shrugs and says "TJ". I give her a questioning look, knowing full-well TJ could have just texted me. I hungrily open the letter anyway, my eyes scanning the page for any sign of bad news.

[ Cyrus Goodman,

I've had a lot of fun hanging out with and getting to know you these past few weeks. I hope that you're enjoying getting to know me, too. You're such an amazing person, Cy; that's what makes what I'm about to write so difficult... ]

My heart drops as I continue reading. Of course, he doesn't want to hang out with me anymore. I should have known this couldn't go on forever. He didn't even bother to call me "muffin" in his letter. I untie my apron and silently slip out of the door, hopping into my car and revving the engine. I don't know where I'm going, but I drive.

I pass by the old park I used to visit in middle school alongside Andi and Buffy, before anyone else ever came along. I decide to stop and park at the curb, making my way past the chain link fence and over by the playground area. It's empty, of course; I'm sure every kid of playground-age is probably inside their homes and on their phones or computers. I spot a swingset in the near distance and decide to head over, stopping abruptly when I hear a soft voice drifting over to where I'm standing. My heart stops as I realize who the voice belongs to: TJ.

He's got a lot of nerve breaking u- I mean, ruining our friendship by having his sister deliver a letter to me. I march over to where he's sitting and his eyes travel from my shoes, to my legs, to my waist, and all the way up to my eyes. I try not to think about him checking me out and simply fold my arms across my chest, the way a toddler does when you've taken their favorite toy away. I soften my stance when I realize how red his eyes are. "Did you come to a children's park to get high, TJ?" I ask angrily, rationally knowing I shouldn't assume that kind of stuff about people. TJ's eyes narrow before he softens again, and that's when I notice the tears. "I don't do that kind of stuff, Cyrus. Although I'm amazed you're talking to me at all...I'll take what I can get."

"What is that supposed to mean, huh? I got your little letter, TJ, and you've got a lot of nerve sending your sister to deliver that type of news." This seemed to take TJ aback, and he shot out of his seat. "What do you mean 'my' letter? I got your letter from your bff Buffy after school. She seemed all too happy to be the messenger." Whatever anger I came over here with is instantly dissolved as realization hits me. The same realization seems to take place in TJ, as well. "They played us, didn't they?" TJ asks softly, picking at the polish on his nails. I nod my head and smile sardonically. "I was wondering why you never even bothered to call me 'muffin' one last time." TJ snorts and replies, "Now I'm understanding why my letter said 'please don't approach me in person or try to talk to me ever again'".

A few minutes later, TJ and I are on the swings and laughing. I know I should be scheming about how I'm going to approach Buffy, but I figure it's better to kill 'em with kindness in this case. The person I'm really concerned about is TJ's sister, Amber. I decide not to cause a rift between the two and ask her at work tomorrow. TJ's going on about swinging high enough to touch the leaves on the tree above us, to which I refuse. He plants his feet in the woodchips and comes over to push me, making my legs sway and my heart race. "Underdog!" he yells, making his way under my swing as I'm touching the sky. I scream in fear, not wanting to hurt him, but of course he makes it to the other side without harm. "That was exhilarating," I breathe out. "I'm really, really glad I found you here, Teej."

"Me too...Underdog."