cry baby // tysh

ELEVEN

"tyler, get up," tyler's mom said, standing in his doorway. tyler groaned in response and rolled over. "tyler, i mean it. we're all going grocery shopping and that includes you."

"ok ok, just give me a minute," tyler yawned, watching as his mom walked away. the boy stood up and pulled on a hoodie and jeans before walking downstairs and getting a waffle.

shortly after finishing his waffle, everyone got in the car and drove to the store. even though their dad wasn't there, nothing felt out of place. they're dad was always out no matter the time.

but tyler felt out of place. he felt like something was wrong with him because he was around his family and none of them seemed nearly as emotional as he was. so he felt he was different from everyone and not in a good way.

they all walked into the store with tyler trudging behind. the josephs slowly got all of the groceries and things they'd need for the next couple of weeks before buying everything and putting it in the trunk. tyler thought they were going to go home and put away all of the groceries, which tyler dreaded. but instead, his mom just drove to a chinese restaurant for lunch.

the joseph family again walked in totally fine while tyler trudged behind them in a melancholic state. when they had been seated and tyler got his sprite, he skimmed the menu, feeling hungry but not hungry.

"tyler," his mom spoke, " why are you acting so," his mom stopped, searching for the right word.

"moody," zack cut in. tyler rolled his eyes at their statements and huffed in frustration.

"school started again and i'm just tired as frick, i'll get over it," he explained, the lie falling out of his mouth without a second thought. his mom seemed satisfied by the answer before returning to her menu.

tyler was eating his food, looking around the restaurant in boredom. he heard the door open and looked to see who it was before almost choking on his rice. josh had walked into the same restaurant as tyler at the same time tyler was there. tyler took in the boy's changed appearance, immediately noticing that his vibrant red hair was now a muted blue. tyler saw how tired josh looked and how he almost looked sad. but as josh walked forward, he noticed another thing that made him choke on his rice again. josh was holding hands with a girl that had short blue hair.

"tyler are you okay," his mom asked as josh and the girl disappeared to be seated. "you've choked two times in a row."

"uh yeah, i just gotta use the bathroom," he stood up, walking to the back and entering the bathroom. tyler stood in front of the mirror as his heart beat wildly. he didn't expect to see josh here, if he did then he wouldn't have worn his hoodie. tyler turned on the sink and ran his hands under the cool water before pressing his wet hands to his neck and face. this calmed him down a little and he decided he should go finish his food. so he ran his fingers through his hair in attempts to make it look less out of control and stepped away from the sink.

the door to the bathroom opened and tyler looked to it in alarm, feeling his almost calm heartbeat intensify again when he saw josh.

"tyler," he said in confusion. "are you um, are you okay?" josh approached tyler causing him to step back against the wall.

"i-i'm," tyler struggled to find the right words, a little stunned. "i'm fine," he quickly collected himself, his demeanor changing. "are you okay? how's your girlfriend," tyler asked with a devious smirk.