𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | Tyler Hernandez x Reader

| Ep 4-5 |

Two Weeks Earlier...

I skip down the stairs with my backpack slung over my shoulders. I nearly crash right into my mom as I turn the corner into the kitchen,

"Jesus, Y/N! Watch it," She raises an empty vase in her hands, "Almost made me drop this."

I chuckle and apologize before planting a kiss on her cheek, "Sorry, mom. Running a little late today."

She smiles over at me as I walk around the kitchen island, taking one of the pancakes she made from the plate sitting on the counter. I eat it plain, not having time to sit and eat it properly. I slip on my shoes, raising one leg in the air to tie it.

"Honey, sit down. You're gonna get yourself hurt." She advises as she takes the car keys off the counter.

I shake my head, "I got it!"

I swing the front door open and am about to walk out when she grabs my arm, "Your hair?"

I reach up to touch my hair, realizing I didn't even bother to brush it out. I only shrug and say, "Taylor can do it."

I then jog off the porch, just in time to spot Tyler and Taylor several houses ahead. They're walking on the sidewalk side-by-side when I reach them. I yank their backpacks to grab their attention and fall in step right in between them.

Tyler gives me a quick glare before switching to a subtle smile, "You gotta stop doing that."

I narrow my eyes when he flicks my forehead. I then turn to Taylor and hand her a hair tie. She nods, already knowing what to do. She slows her walk until she is now behind me. I feel her hold my hair up into sections and begin braiding it. We continue to walk as she works on my hair,

"Sorry for being late today, I slept through my alarm." I apologized, earning a hum from Tyler.

"No worries," Taylor chirps up from behind me, "We'll still make it in time."

"Still, you're getting a little too comfortable with being late. One of these days, your lack of punctuality is going to bite you in the ass." I roll my eyes at Tyler's warning, even though I knew he was right. My house was just down the street from the school, so it isn't like I had to wake up super early to get there on time or anything.

"Punctuality? That's a big word for you, Ty." I laugh at Taylor's comment, subtly fist bumping her.

Tyler scoffs, turning his head away from us, "Shut up."

We make it to school with a few minutes to spare. We follow Tyler to meet up with his group of jock friends. I stand beside Taylor as we mindlessly scroll through her phone, laughing at silly videos. I then look back up when I hear Tyler yelp. I watch as one of his friends lifts him over his shoulder, leading to a series of protests from Tyler.

"Oh my God, Taylor. Are you getting this?" I nudge her shoulder. She chuckles from beside me,

"One step ahead of ya'." She grins, holding her phone up and recording.

His other friend then unties Tyler's shoe, slipping it off his feet and throwing it aside. I hear it crash into a wall, leaving a large dent that'll be hard to miss. I cringe, knowing that'll have some consequences. I notice it nearly miss the redhead standing a few feet away, who I recognize to be Ashlyn. She's in our homeroom class too.

The one that threw the shoe shouts an apology over at her. Tyler is flailing his arms around, yelling at his friends. All of us are laughing like crazy and Taylor is getting it all on video!

"Put me down!" He shouts.

Then, some other guy bumps into one of the jock's shoulders, causing a fight to break out. Taylor is still recording, enjoying the scene unravel before her eyes. I pull her away so she doesn't get sucked into the brawl. I then run over to Tyler as soon as his friend puts him down and yank both of the twins away. I am still laughing from what I just witnessed as we leave.

We stumble into the classroom as soon as the bell rings, panting breathlessly,

"Sorry we're late!"

"It won't happen again!"

"Please don't mark us tardy!"

We all plea but are surprised to find the teacher's desk empty. I cock my head to the side, confused yet relieved. Tyler and Taylor comment on the teacher's absence as well, happy we got away with being tardy.

"We still have a chance!" Taylor cheers and I grin. I begin to walk into the classroom when a hand on my shoulder pulls me back. I turn my head back to see our teacher looming right behind us,

"A chance? Are three of my students already late on the first day of school." We all tense as we look over at the tall man with glasses, preparing for whatever punishment he throws our way.

"Oh, sir-" I am about to make up an excuse on the spot.

"Just kidding!" He beams through his round glasses, letting go of mine and Tyler's shoulders, "A class rule is if we're both late and you get here before me, you're safe-"

He pauses mid-sentence, his eyes darting down to Tyler's foot. I follow his gaze, holding back a laugh when I remember that Tyler's shoe was still shoved in the wall down the hall. The teacher advises him to take care of that issue after class and then excuses us to our seats.

As predictable as they are, Tyler and Taylor take the two empty seats right next to each other, leaving me to sit behind Tyler. I toss my bag to the floor, slouching down in the chair. I begin to restlessly tap my fingers on the desk, making a beat in my head.

"Cut that out." Tyler hisses from in front of me. I respond by lightly kicking the back of his knee, making him jerk a bit. He's about to say something when our teacher's voice echoes through the room.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. These two are new to the school," He gestures towards a pair of boys beside him, "So make sure to give them a warm welcome."

I watch curiously as the shorter of the duo, a blonde with a contagious smile, strides through the aisles of desks, taking the nearest one that was vacant. We lock eyes and I give him a warm smile, which he proudly returns. The boy dragging along behind him was much taller. He looked a little intimidating and it wasn't difficult to tell that he didn't want to be here. He takes the seat behind the blonde, lowering his head down.

"Let's begin with introductions, shall we? We'll go in alphabetical order." Our teacher instructs, clapping his hands together in excitement. I've never seen someone look so enthusiastic about school before.

This year better be interesting.