Girl Who Cried Wolf

One, Two, Three...

"You never showed up last night," Jordan said, not even checking that it was Tyla that walked into his apartment. He just continued to smoke his joint.

"I'm here now," Tyla said. Stripping her jacket and her shirt she sat on the bed. She was still covering a lot but also trying her absolute best to make Jordan not pissed at her. But when he didn't even turn around to admire her, she knew he was.

"Hours late. I was considering going and getting that girl when I saw you, her, and your sister walking into that apartment. I was considering taking what I wanted from all three of you," Jordan finally turned around. The sheer look on his face made Tyla flinch.

"We had a deal last month that you wouldn't touch Kassandra," Tyla pointed out.

"I think of my deals as connected. Fail to keep one, all of them come tumbling down," Jordan used his cigarette to display that by throwing it to the ground and destroying it with the sole of his boot. Tyla gulped and wished she was high so she wouldn't have to remember this when it was over.

Jordan stood up from his chair and started to undo his belt, "but now your here. And I'll keep our deals, but you still have to pay for being late," Jordan spit out his threat, "turn around sweetheart, and count 'em."

Tyla felt tears sting at her eyes as she laid on her stomach on the bed. Jordan stood directly behind her and lashed his belt down on her back.

"One," Tyla choked out, biting her lip. She couldn't show discomfort yet, it'd only just started.

---

"Where'd Ty go?" Kassandra asked, half an hour after Tyla had left. She just came out of her room, and seemed to be scanning the room in a desperate attempt to find her sister.

"Don't worry, she just went to work," Tillie said and Kassandra relaxed. Tillie wondered how knowing that information could make Kassandra relaxed. It made Tillie panic more.

"Oh, I thought her shift was 7-10 though," Kassandra said and that couldn't be right. Last time Tillie checked, prostitutes don't have shifts.

"She must've been called in early," Tillie shrugged. Kassandra smiled and sat next to Tillie on the couch.

"Maybe she can get her boss to pay her today so we can order pizza or something. I hope she doesn't just bring McDonalds home. She's never done that because she knows Tracey and I hate McDonalds, but what if she does because of the money and food problem?" Kassandra asked, and she was actually worried. Tillie wondered how it could be that Kassandra's main concern was if Tyla would bring McDonalds.

Tyla must keep it a secret then. Not that Tillie is surprised. But she almost wanted to tell Kassandra just so Kassandra would understand that 'pizza or McDonalds?' was the least of their problems.

Although they do seem to know that Tyla smokes and drinks. Tracey brought it up in the argument last night. But that really didn't show what Tyla was going through. Which brought Tillie's mind right back to the break down in the car.

"Do you know what's wrong with Tyla? Or what could be wrong? She wasn't answering my questions earlier," Tillie asked and Kassandra shrugged.

"I think she has anxiety or something. She has random moments when she's too scared to leave the house and keeps us all home from school. She has nightmares some nights, and occasionally has break-downs. But if you asked Tyla about it, she'd deny it ever happened," Kassandra said. Tillie was already thinking anxiety. Her parents wanted her to be a psychiatrist so Tillie had a lot of practice and stuff her parents got her so she could understand mental illness.

Knowing these things, Tillie was narrowing down the list, so far she had generalized anxiety, panic disorder, paranoia (added from some of the things Kassandra said), and PTSD.

Tillie was thinking PTSD. She definitely had some traumatic events in her life, and probably still has them. She panicked, and while Tillie doesn't know why, she wouldn't be surprised if it was connected. She also has nightmares. She'll ask Tyla her own questions later. Maybe she'd be a good physiatrist.

The knock on the front door snapped Tillie out of her thoughts as she went to answer it. Tracey, another red haired young boy, and a older red haired woman.

"Hey, you must be Tyla's friend, I'm Meghan Reed," the woman reached her hand over Tracey's head to shake Tillie's hand.

"Hey, I'm Tillie Merton, you can come in if you like," Tillie stepped to the side and opened the door wider. Tillie wasn't sure if it was rude of her to invite them in when it wasn't even her house but Tyla didn't exactly tell her what to do. And Tillie didn't want to be rude, or a mean babysitter or whatever.

It seemed like she made Tracey and the boy pretty happy though as they beamed at each other and ran into Tracey's room, talking about some sort of video game.

"Thank you, that's very kind," Mrs. Reed said and stepped inside, she waved at Kassandra who waved back and made a half-hearted excuse about having to finish her homework and escaped to her own room.

"Such great kids," Mrs. Reed sighed and sat down on the couch, Tillie closed and locked the door and sat on the other side. "How long have you known Tyla?"

"This is only my second day knowing her, we got assigned as partners for a health project," Tillie said and pointed to Jojo who was currently 'napping' to prove it.

"Well, you must've escalated into a pretty great friendship if Tyla trusted you enough to let you watch Tracey and Kassandra, I swear, that girl is like their mother with how often their parents are at work or on a business trip. Not right, I haven't even met their parents. Only Tyla," Mrs. Reed said and Tillie nodded in agreement.

"I don't think it's right, but Tyla is very caring. Probably the best person I've ever met," Tillie said truthfully.

"Oh, I love that girl," Mrs. Reed said and Tillie smiled at how much she meant it. Tyla deserved a mother-figure. And if she got it out of her brother's friend's mother. So what.