Finding Drew

A New Life

 It was only 1:00 in the afternoon, but already I was exhausted. It turns out, our parents had been planning everything for a long time, because they'd also bought us an apartment room. It had four beds, and 5 baths and 2 garages! Lauren and I stared open mouth at the place, and the guys grinned at us. "Do you guys like it?" they asked. I nodded and hugged Sam. "I don't believe this! I mean, I thought going to college was scary, but this? This is living with my best friends!" I cried. The three of them laughed, and Austin wrapped his arms around my waist hugging me. "Are you sure you're okay being this far away from home?" he asked. I nodded and smiled gratefully up at him. "I am. I just, I guess I wish I had time to pack stuff. My guitar is still at home, and all my pictures-" I got cut off as someone knocked on the door. Lauren hurried to see who it was, as the rest of us ventured into the kitchen. It reminded me of the kitchen in my house. Big, spotless, gorgeous, high tech. Sam grinned at me, and opened the big refrigerator. I gasped. "Wait! Is that Ben and Jerry's?" I whispered. Austin cracked up and I slapped him. "Shut up," I teased. I was about to grab a spoon and carton, when Austin stopped laughing, and Sam's eyes widened. I turned around, and my own eyes widened. It was Tyler. "Brooklyn" he said dully. I swallowed, and smiled. "Ty, uh, what are you doing here?" I asked. He rolled his eyes. "Can we talk? Privately?" he asked, gritting his teeth. Austin moved in front of me, blocking my body with his. "Remember," he growled to Ty, "if you hurt her, I'll kill you in a second." Ty rolled his eyes and yanked me out of the kitchen. I looked up at him and swallowed. "What is it? Is Drew okay?" I asked softly. He laughed harshly. "Drew's fine. Mind asking about me thought?" he hissed. I blushed and bit my lip. "I'm sorry, I've had a lot on my mind," I whispered. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't think this is working. I miss just talking to you," he said slowly. I smiled and nodded eagerly before hugging him tightly. He laughed and hugged me back letting out a sigh of relief. After a few minutes, I pulled away slowly. He was grinning, and I laughed. "I love you still, you know that," I said. He nodded. "Of course I do," he said. Then he smirked. "What's not to love?" I groaned and slapped him across the chest making him laugh. Suddenly, I gasped. "I have to show you something!" I called grabbing my phone and opening up the recorded song. I watched his face while he listened, and his eyes widened. "No fucking way!" he gasped. I giggled and nodded. He hugged me again and laughed. "That's our song!" he cried. I laughed as he spun me around in circles until, finally, he set me down again. I was out of breath, and he grinned. "You know," he said slowly, "I'm not sure we were actually even dating." I nodded. "Yeah, I mean besides kissing, being with you was more like being with a brother than a boyfriend." I replied. He nodded, and hugged me again. "I guess this is goodbye for a while," he said softly. I looked up at him confused. "Wait, you're staying here, with us, right?" I asked. He bit his lip before shaking his head. Before I could say anything, he turned around and walked to the door. I hurried after him, my heart racing. "No, Ty please don't go." I begged. His eyes were sad, and he embraced me into a tight hug. I buried my face against his chest and inhaled his scent. When we finally pulled back, we were both crying. I swallowed the sob in my throat and shook my head slowly. "Please Tyler," I whispered. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and cupped my cheek gently. I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes. "I've got to do what's best for me," he explained gently. "But what about us?" I whispered. He sighed and pulled me into him again. But I wasn't done speaking. "What about everything we've been through?" he swallowed hard. "I never wanted to hurt you," he said, his voice breaking. Tears were streaming down my face now. "What am I supposed to do?" I whispered. He turned around and opened the door, as he stepped out into the hall, he turned back to me. "I've got to leave, but I'll miss you." he said. And then he was gone. I felt my knees buckle, but before I could fall, strong arms wrapped around me from behind. I looked behind me and saw it was Austin. He pulled me against him and held me while I cried. "I'm sorry," he said softly, over and over again. I didn't respond. There was nothing to say that would take away the fact that Ty was gone for good.