These New Eyes, My New Life

These New Eyes, My New Life: Chapter 23

    I'll wait at my car to give you the stuff.

    I reread the text apprehensively as I drove. Yeah, I know it's not safe to read texts and drive, yes I've seen the commercials, but it's not like I died or anything, okay? This was important, because I didn't know what to do, and I was alone. What would it look like to other people if they saw me meeting my ex-boyfriend without Cole? I didn't worry about Cole himself. He already knew what was going on; I wasn’t going to keep any of this from him. Why should I?

    I realized as I pulled into the school parking lot I was wearing Tyler's favorite shirt. He'd told me one time he liked it best because it made my eyes "more beautiful, as if that's possible." Great. I noticed Tyler's car in his old spot. I pulled into mine, right next to it. He hadn’t parked there since the breakup. I guess it was too hard for him or something.

    Tyler was leaning against his car, looking at something on his phone. I took a deep breath before getting out, and quickly prayed he wouldn’t say anything like 'I miss you' again.

    "Hey," I said hesitantly, closing my car door.

    He met my eyes and wanted to smile, but he didn't for some reason. "Hey," he replied.

    He walked around the car and stood across from me for a minute.

    I studied my nails and bit my lip.

    "Let me get your stuff," he said. He opened the passenger door and pulled out a few things and then handed them to me.

    It was nothing important- a CD, a knit hat I wore one time when it snowed to his house, and this little stuffed penguin Tyler had won me on our second date.

    "You still have this?" I asked, smiling slightly at the old thing.

    "You left at my house last summer," he said in a carefully controlled voice.

    I smiled at it, and then looked up at him. "Thanks," I said.

    "No problem," he said.

    I put the items in the back of my car and kind of smiled at him. "I'll see you later-" I began.

    "Wait," he said, quickly reaching out and touching my hand and causing me to stop.

    I looked at him.

    "I miss you Bekka. A lot. I want you back," he said.

    My heart sped up. My eyes slightly prickled, threatening to form tears.

    "Tyler- I-I can't do this. I have a boyfriend, okay? I'm sorry," I said.

    "Bekka-"

    "No! I-I'm sorry, all right? But I can't," I was shaking my head. I turned around and quickly walked away.

   "Dammit!" I heard Tyler exclaim, and it sounded like he slapped the roof of his car. At least I hoped it was his car.

    A few people had been watching, and as soon as I stepped onto the cement and out of the parking lot, I knew Cole had been, too.

    "Bekka? Are you all right?" he asked me.

    "Yeah," I said, meeting his eyes for half a second. We continued walking, back towards the group.

    "What'd he say to you?" he asked. He sounded concerned, but I could hear the underlying anger.

    "Nothing. He didn't say anything," I said.

    "Bekka? What just happened?" Nila asked me immediately when we reached them.

    "Bekka! What did he say to you?" Ashleigh asked.