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It was early Sunday morning, the air was cold and unforgiving. Much like Tyler's mother. She was getting everyone ready for church by the time Tyler walked in the house. He had been gone for two days, and he hadn't even bothered to call.
Tyler just stood there as he watched his mother help Madison touch up her hair. She didn't say anything, she didn't even acknowledge that he had come inside. His siblings dared didn't say anything to him as he walked by them and up the stairs. Tyler went into his room and found everything untouched, he half expected to see it cleared out or stripped clean.
Tyler sat down on his bed and sighed softly. He still had on Josh's sweats and he brought the fabric to his nose, inhaling it slowly. It smelled just like him, giving the brunette a small second of peace. Suddenly Tyler heard the car rev from outside and pull out of the driveway. They had gone to church without him and now he was extremely worried now. He couldn't count the amount of times she's had to drag him to church just to suddenly not let him go? It worried him way too much. He ran a hand through his hair and tugged at it a bit in frustration.
It would have been better if she had screamed or yelled at him when he came home, for her to throw him out or something. It would have been better than to have Tyler in his room all day, pacing back and forth just waiting for his mother to come home. Was she doing this on purpose? What if she had something much worse planned for him than just yelling or grounding?
Tyler was in a fit of anxiety as he finally heard the car pull back in the drive way. He had bitten all of his nails and even picked at the skin around the quick. Tyler could hear his mother's heels clicking down the hallway, his heart pounded in time with each click. It seems to take an eternity for her to finally come to his door and knock.
"C-come in." Tyler choked out, not moving from the farthest side of the room. He didn't want to be any closer to her than he had to be.
Kelly opened the door, her eyes searching for her son before seeing him on the other side of the room. Tyler swallowed as she closed the door behind her and went and sat in the computer chair at his desk.
Tyler couldn't breathe as he stood there, him and his mother just looking at one another.
"How are you?" Kelly said suddenly, her voice soft. Tyler was completely caught off guard. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"I-I don't know." Tyler finally said, his voice dry. He still hadn't moved any closer to her, and for the first time Tyler thought he saw pain in his mother's eyes.
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds before Kelly let out a long sigh. "You've been hanging out with Joshua Dun a lot more and-"
"Mom it's not him, believe me. I've felt like this for a long time." Tyler finally said and Kelly pursed her lips. "A-and I don't hate you. I just don't like basketball." He said.
His mother nodded slowly before putting her head in her hands and inhaling slowly before looking back up at her eldest child, really looking at him. Tyler was in the farthest corner of the room, his face was fear stricken, and the edges around his nails were bloody from being picked at so much.
It was then that Kelly realized that not only did Tyler dislike her, but he was scared of her.
"Oh God Tyler why didn't you say something sooner?" Kelly said, her voice cracking a bit. Her son hated her, he was scared of her.
"I-I don't know. I was..." Tyler said clearing his throat. "I was scared."
Kelly got up and walked over to Tyler, who was a still as rocks as she wrapped her arms around her son. The brunette stiffened at the contact at first until he heard soft sniffles in his hair. Kelly was crying.
Somehow that triggered something in Tyler, making him relax into his mother's embrace and hugging her back, his hands gripping the back of her shirt as he began sobbing.
"Mom I'm-" Tyler hiccuped as messy tears dripped down his face and onto Kelly's blouse. "I-I'm so sorry."
Kelly shushed him gently. "No Tyler, I'm sorry. I never should have put so much pressure on you and, if you really want to quit basketball, then that's fine." She said holding Tyler at arms length from her, looking at him seriously.
Tyler could breathe suddenly. It felt like a thousand pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt slightly light headed as he processed the information.
"R-really?" Tyler sniffed and Kelly nodded.
"I promise...and you can have your friend Josh over." Kelly said after a beat and Tyler's eyes lit up.
"I promise he's not a bad influence on me." Tyler said Kelly sighed and nodded.
"I believe you Tyler, just keep your grades up okay?" Kelly said before kissing his forehead and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Tyler let out a sigh of relief, then he giggled. That giggle rolled into a full on laugh that made his chest hurt. He laughed so much. It was over. Basketball was over.
He could finally breathe
Tyler pulled his phone out and called the one person he wanted to tell the most. "Hey Josh? Wanna come over?"
**** a/n: sorry this chapter is so short. Am tired. Need sleep. Love you guys tho.
