The Forest Fic

~ • Chapter 11 • ~

"You seem gloomy today," Tyler's mom comments as Tyler pours milk into a bowl of cereal.

Tyler shrugs. "I'm all right."

She frowns. "You haven't gone outside at all today."

Tyler shrugs again. "Not in the mood."

"Do you mind if I join you?" his mom asks, gesturing to the seat across from Tyler. He shakes his head. "Thank you."

They sit in silence for a moment.

"I didn't know you like that kind of cereal," Tyler's mom comments.

"Hmm?" Tyler says, looking up. "Oh, yeah, it's Josh's..." he cuts himself off when he looks down at the floating brown and tan corn puffs, "...favorite."

Before he knows it, Tyler's suddenly bawling into his bowl of Reese's Puffs.

"Tyler," his mom says, sounding alarmed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, sorry," Tyler says through a small sob. "I- I don't know, I-" Another sob cuts him off.

"Shh," his mom says, suddenly kneeling next to his chair, hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay."

Tyler wraps his arms around her, burying his head in her shoulder. He's suddenly bombarded by memories of when he used to cling to her after his unending nightmares when he was little. He stopped asking for his mom when Josh came into the picture, though. He'd cling to Josh instead.

Tyler chuckles through a sob, wondering if he'll have to go back to hugging his mother after nightmares.

"It's okay," Tyler's mom says softly, patting his back. "Sweetheart, it's all okay."

"Mom?" he whispers into her neck.

"Yes, Tyler?" she replies.

"I'm in love with Josh," he says, voice cracking on "love."

"Oh." Tyler's mom holds him even tighter. "Oh, Tyler."

"And I know-" Tyler pauses to take a deep breath, "I know that you think he's not real, and everyone's so vehement about it that sometimes I think he might not be too. And where would that leave me?" He's starting to shake now. "Stuck in love with a ghost, that's what."

"Oh, baby," his mom says softly. "I'm so sorry."

The position they're in isn't very comfortable, and Tyler's mom slowly helps them both stand before guiding their way to the sofa. Tyler immediately curls up, burying his head back into his mother's shoulder.

"I messed up," Tyler says, shuddering. "I kissed him and he didn't kiss back and I want to die, Momma, he means so much and I messed it all up."

"Oh, honey," Tyler's mom says softly, running her hand through his hair.

"I messed up," Tyler says again. "I messed up bad."

"Tyler," his mom says carefully, "have you considered that this might be a good thing?"

"What?" Tyler says, confused.

"It's not healthy to rely on- on someone like you do," his mom says gently. "Maybe take a break from Josh?"

"A break?" Tyler says, so appalled that he's stopped crying.

"A break, Tyler," she echoes. "Just for a little while. Take up a new hobby or something."

"Josh isn't a hobby, Mom," Tyler says, indignant by her implications. "He's a person. A person that I need to make amends with," he says, springing up.

"Tyler, wait-"

But Tyler's already dashing out the back door and running into the forest to find Josh.