Bottle Rockets

FOURTEEN - What About That Night? Our Night?

Tanger didn't show up the next night. Tyler kept her door unlocked and waited until the wee hours of the morning for her partner in crime to slip in. But he never did.

He avoided her at the rink, making sure to stay on the opposite side of wherever she was. Every time she tried to talk to him and he ignored her, her heart broke.

When they finished dressing out, Tyler scrambled after Tanger, who walked in silence with Flower. She snatched his wrist and pulled him back, flashing Flower a warning glare.

"Tanger, why are you ignoring me?" She questioned, her voice barely a whisper. Fear danced behind her eyes like lightning.

He sighed, sinking back against the wall and folding his arms across his chest. He hung his head and kept his voice low. When he spoke, it was the kind of gentleness he used when he slept with her, "We can't see each other anymore, Tyler. I can't sneak over to your house anymore. This can never happen." He pointed a finger between the two of them.

Tyler stepped back, agape. "What are you talking about? Why not?" She interrogated.

"Amanda called me last night. She wanted to get back together."

Tyler scoffed and carded a hand through her hair. She cocked her hip. "Please tell me you didn't, Tanger," She pleaded.

He didn't say anything.

"Oh my god. Tanger, you know how she treats you. Why would you do that to yourself again?"

He shrugged, "I love her."

"You love her?!" Tyler screeched, drawing a few heads out of the locker room. She was completely oblivious though. "That's complete and utter bullshit!" She slammed a fist beside his head. He flinched.

"Tyler, don't."

"Don't what? Lose my cool? I'll lose my fucking cool if I want to, Letang! What about that night? Our night? What about this?" She grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest where her heart was.

He lingered and shook his head, curling his fingers into a fist and pulling it away. "It didn't matter, Tyler. None of it mattered. It was just sex," He muttered.

"Just sex?" Oh, my god. This can't be happening. Tears gathered in her eyes and her breathing grew shaky.

"Tyler, please don't start-" He started to touch a hand to her shoulder but she smacked it away, stepping back from him.

"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me ever again," She whispered, voice cracking. She pressed her hand to her nose and lowered her head, trying to gather her composure. "Do yourself a favor, Letang, and forget about us. Forget about everything that was ever going to happen between us and leave me the fuck alone." She stormed away from Tanger, back into the locker room where Sidney still was.

Tanger stood abandoned in the hallway.