Tyler
I knew the moment I set foot into Anna Prescott’s house my day was going to start off more “eventful” than I expected.
I didn’t even want to come out in the first place.
I’d woken up feeling like I’d taken a basketball straight to the face, and my stomach ached from all the soda I’d downed the night before.
But somehow, I found myself leaning against the counter, coffee and toast in front of me while Micheal and Brooklyn talked about the party.
And when Sydney finally walked down the stairs, the earth stopped moving.
I couldn’t lie that my eyes had been flicking to the stairs every few seconds, waiting for her to show up.
Just to know how she was doing after the party.
Her eyes landed on mine, and her cheeks went red instantly.
She tugged at the sweater clinging to her curves, her messy hair framing her face in a way that made her look like she’d just rolled out of bed and somehow still beat everyone else in the room.
And instead of running back up the stairs, she’d walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.
I knew I should have kept my damn mouth shut.
Maybe suck a dick or something.
But as the glass filled with water and Michael kept pressing that she should come with us, I folded my arms and opened my mouth.
“Besides, your car isn’t that spacious.”
The common sense still left in my body sighed tiredly.
Michael laughed.
Brooklyn snorted.
“Bro,”
Sydney’s grip tightened around the glass, and I expected her to run upstairs again.
Maybe wipe a tear on her sleeve.
Instead, she did something else that made something in me flip.
She yelled.
She said something back.
Something about talking down on people.
Something about my ego.
Brooklyn, as usual, brushed it off like it was nothing, and Michael just played the clown like he always did.
But the entire time, I just watched her soft brown eyes go dark, and her lips move quickly as she spoke—till she hurried up the stairs again. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“God, such a buzzkill.” Brooklyn muttered as she left.
As for me, hearing her voice in that tone was all that stuck with me the entire day.
Since junior year, when she arrived hand in hand with Brooklyn, all I’d ever gotten were low tones and eyes looking elsewhere when she talked to me.
But this was different.
Like there was some surge of energy in her bones that she’d stared at me dead in my eyes and said something back.
I was stunned, and for a second, I feared she’d see through my act and find out the one truth about her outburst.
I loved it.
Sydney didn’t come back downstairs until we left the house, and honestly, I almost lost interest in whatever Michael and Brooklyn had planned.
But then we went paintball, and my team beat Michael’s team.
Twice.
“Come on, another round,” he complained.
“You know I sprained my shoulder.”
”Weak excuse,” I laughed, pulling off my mask just as Brooklyn walked up to us.
“Are you guys done now?
I need to see that new movie,” she whined, arms folded.
“Oh, right,” Michael said.
I stopped.
“Woah woah, when did we plan to see a movie?”
They both looked at each other, then back at me.
“You weren’t listening on the way?” Brooklyn asked.
“One would think you were thinking about your family,” Michael laughed, “when you don’t even have a girlfriend.”
I rolled my eyes.
Yeah, great.
Remind me that the one person I want, I can’t have her.
And that’s exactly what he did the entire ride until we got to the cinema.
Last-minute tickets weren’t an issue since Michael’s dad owned the place.
But when we got there, the entire lobby was packed.
Barely any room to stand except near the entrance and the popcorn stands.
Definitely not the place I planned on running into unexpected people. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The moment we stepped inside the crowd, Brooklyn and Michael somehow disappeared, leaving me alone with a few juniors from school throwing curious stares my way.
And the only safe place was by the popcorn stands.
“Careful.” I nearly tipped a girl’s popcorn as she turned, bumping into me.
Then she lifted her head.
Oh my god.
If I hadn’t recognized those eyes, I’d have sworn it was just a look alike.
And if I used to think Sydney Walker was beautiful on a normal day…right there in the midst of popcorn and strangers, Sydney Walker was stunning.
‘Tell her, idiot.’ my head whispered.
Instead, I opened my mouth.
“You cut your hair.”
”Trimmed.” She said, tugging lightly at her shirt, her eyes shifting from my face, over my shoulder, then back to my face.
I could see Maeve’s handiwork written all over her, but this was Sydney all dressed up with little to zero effort.
“You look…” I stopped myself.
Come on, you can’t let her know, Tyler.
What would everyone say?
So instead of growing some balls, I spun on my heel.
“Well, enjoy the movie.” Then I walked away.
I didn’t bother completing what I’d said.
Because I knew if I stayed longer it could have been worse.
What if her eyes shimmered again like that day at the cafeteria?
“Hey, we’ve been looking all over the place for you,” Brooklyn said, looping her arm through mine and dragging me toward Michael, who was holding two buckets of popcorn.
I scratched the back of my neck.
I wanted to tell her I’d seen Sydney.
That she looked…different.
But what if Brooklyn called her fitted jeans and top thirsty again?
And even though a part of me wanted to hear Sydney talk to me like she did earlier so badly…
What if I screwed up and said something that would actually rip her heart out?