Alone

What's wrong?

Tyler's POV.  Wednesday Morning.

   Summer went somewhere last night, said she was gonna hang out with Ryder or something. I'm not really sure, but I was up late studying all night, and she isn't here this morning. I'm kind of worried...

   I take a fast shower and get dressed in black ripped jeans, a Adidas shirt, and a white hoodie. I grab a apple and head out the door. I get in my car and drive to school, hoping to see Summer there. By the time I get there, my anticipation has grown to the point where I was practically running into the school.

   I was heading straight for her locker, and wasn't paying attention to who was around me. I was slammed into the lockers. Why, just why? Do they have to shove me every single time? I look up at Lukas, then look around for Ryder, he has had my back ever since the incident...I know it's weak to have to depend on someone. But...I don't see him. Weird.

   "Come here you a*s." he says and starts punching me. I don't understand, I didn't do anything. I just need to see Summer, I need to make sure she is okay. He goes to punch me in the jaw again, but I duck fast, and he punched the locker behind me, hard. I slide past him and run away as he groans in pain and holds his hand. There's a dent in the locker, and I watch as a guy walks angrily up to Lukas and starts ranting about how his locker is ruined.

   I run to her locker, and the amount of relief I feel is incredible. I smile at her and start to ask why she didn't come back home, when I see the look on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, confused.

   She looks at me, then sighs. "You'll find out soon enough." she walks away, leaving me confused.

   I silently get my stuff from my locker. As I walk by people, I wonder why everyone is so chatty today. Like sure, people talk a lot, but today a bunch of people are just standing in groups talking. What don't I know? I catch snippets, but nothing much.

   I stop when I hear Ryder's name. I walk over to the group that said it, a bunch of guys and girls I don't know. "I'm sorry...uh, what's going on?"

   A guy looks a me with a surprised expression. "You don't know?" he asks, shock clearly in his voice.

   "No...?" I say, ultimately confused. Just tell me man!

   "That boy, Ryder. He walks around acting like he's something when he's not, do you know him? Apparently he was such a terrible brother that his sister killed herself, and his parents just couldn't stand to live with a murderer so they left him. I mean, who would want to live with that piece of sh*t?"

   I was amazed at what I was hearing. Those are lies, that's not true. His sister died of cancer. His parents didn't leave him...did they?I walk over to a different group.

   "What's the deal with Ryder?" I ask.

   "His poor parents had to deal with him his whole life, and eventually when he raped his sister and killed her, they had enough and left him alone, where he belonged. He belongs in a mental institute."

   I hear many different story's, some people talking about how he is a ignorant depressed freak, some saying he killed his sister and some saying his parents were abusive or they just couldn't stand him. I heard a lot of things like him being worthless and how he should kill himself. This is wrong, none of this could be true. He's a happy and funny dude. His parents would never leave him, or call him any of those things. Or...am I wrong? Is my best friend a killer?

   I walk to his locker, hoping he is there. He wasn't. I walk to the guy's bathroom, wasn't there. Just as I was about to give up, I see him come through the front door. He doesn't look at anybody. People start yelling out names and asking if stuff is true, and pushing him and stuff. It was the first time I ever saw him not stick up for himself.

   I watch him as he walks to his locker and opens it. A few papers fall out and he picks one up. He reads it then crumples it up, then runs his hands through his hair.

   Maybe I should just keep my distance from him...I turn and walk away, from the only friend I've ever known. I turned my back on him.