Like I Can | Tyler Down

chapter six

losing a close friend and cheer? as anyone could imagine, it wasn't easy. montgomery had drove her to school that morning and chloe was supposed to give her a ride home, but because of what happened, she was stuck walking.

sawyer was sulking more than walking, thinking about the shit that went wrong, so quickly. she barely noticed the red car pull up to her until hearing the window role down.

"need a ride?" the car owner asks, sawyer knowing it by the voice it was tony padilla, finally something good.

"yes, oh my god, yes." tony was always there to listen to sawyer, or just play her good music and give her food to calm her down.

she entered the car, shutting the door and putting her backpack in front of her as she buckled up. sawyer heard tony start to talk.

"so, what's the problem? you look pretty stand offish, to say the least" he said, trying his best to say it in the nicest way possible.

"i don't even know what's not a problem anymore. i'm back with montgomery when i told you and clay and justin and everyone else that i loved myself enough not to go back to him. and i quit the fucking cheer squad when i've been cheering since kindergarten cause chloe drives me insane" sawyer shakes her head, using everything in her power not to start crying.

"and don't even get me started on tyler" she continued

"tyler?" tony asks, so confused, he slams on his brakes "so the rumors are true? about you and tyler down?" he asked

"depends what rumors you're talking about. we haven't done anything, we spent a night together, walking and talking. that's it." sawyer proclaimed, earning a nod from tony.

"just be careful with him" he says, they both knew what hannah had said on those tapes.

"it doesn't matter anymore, he doesn't want me apart of his life. and i want him to do whatever makes him happy" sawyer shrugs

"i'm sorry, but do you ever think of yourself? it seems like ever since jeff- " tony starts

"don't talk about him! seriously" sawyer constantly put jeff's death on her shoulders, since if she wasn't wasted, she would've been the one to go take the beer run. but jeff, being jeff, didn't want her in danger so he did. and now look where he is.

"i know, i know, it's a hard topic. but how can you put all these problems on yourself when you can't even handle your own? and you know, i care about you and that's why i'm saying this" tony said as he stopped the car in front of her house.

"thank you, for the ride. and for the advice" she shrugged as she opened the car door, putting her backpack over her shoulder and walking up.

sawyer walked into the house, her sisters with her dad at the playground like everyday. her mom used this time to work from home. she walked into the living room to see her mom working on her computer.

"you're home early, how was cheer?" the middle aged woman asks her daughter as sawyer took a seat.

"i quit" sawyer shrugged.

"and does this have something to do with you getting back with the baseball boy. martin, matthew.." her mom says, thinking.

"montgomery. and no. i don't like chloe, i don't like what the team has become." sawyer shook her head.

"okay. i get it, sawyer, i do" she nods. "why don't you grab a snack and go do your homework?" sawyer nods in response and does just as her mother says.

when she walked upstairs, she noticed her phone was buzzing like crazy. and they were all from jessica. sawyer shook her head, dialing her number to figure out what is going on.

"oh my god, sawyer, finally. you need to listen to me" jessica starts, earning sawyer's full attention.

"okay..." sawyer listened

"so i was leaving cheer practice and i didn't want to deal with chloe after your blow up because she was pissed, and all other practices had already let out so i went to the boys locker room to change." jessica starts

"okay, and where is this story going?" sawyer chuckled to herself.

"this is not a laughing matter, sawyer grace. let me finish. so i heard meaning and i got really freaked out and it was montgomery fucking this girl, don't even know her name, from the basketball team" why didn't this hurt sawyer? if anything, it gave her a sense of relief.

"well then, are you sure it was him?" sawyer asked, her voice dropping as she pretended to be sad.

"yes. 100% sure, sawyer. you have to believe me" jessica exclaims

"i do, jess, it was stupid for me to get back with him in the first place. thank you. for telling me"  sawyer said before hanging up the phone.

she called montgomery quickly after, before he could even speak "so, you decided that you wanted to fight so hard for me just so you could cheat? i was stupid for ever going back to you!" sawyer exclaims

"sawyer, stop, it was a mistake" he tries to say, knowing he was guilty.

"mistake my ass. it's over. for good!" sawyer yelled before hanging up the phone and throwing it onto her bed.

usually, it would be justin she called in this position. just to get her mind off of everything. or jeff. or hannah. but they were all gone.

"sleepover?" she sends the message to jessica and around 40 minutes later, she heard a knock at the door.

jessica's father had walked her to the door, just to make sure it wasn't some party she was going to and to make sure she wasn't putting herself in danger.

afterwards, they went up to her room. and just for a second, they were happy.

// so sawyer's best friendships are fr tony and jessica and i just love them all being softies, we needed a good chapter

words: 1008