Tyler's POV
♤
"I just cant stay here without her"
Mark said as heavy tears rolled down his cheeks,and a solemn smile of regret made it's way across his pale lips.
I heard the gun go off, and I ran over to my friend who was now lying on the floor,with blood spattered across the wall. I held him as I sat there in the small pool of his blood that continued to grow larger.
I begged for him to wake up, and for him to open his eyes but he wouldn't.
♤
Eventually the paramedics arrived and took him away from me,telling me it would be better if I called his father to tell him what happened,as the sirens continued blaring...but how could I? How could I of all people tell Mark's father,that his son was gone...?
I called him and waited for an answer,
"What is it son? I'm in the middle of a game."
He responded, thinking it was Mark calling since I had used the home phone. Which only seemed to make things harder...
After I told him what had happened through all my whimpering and crying, he hung up...without yelling, or crying...without a goodbye or anything. He just hung up...
I walked home trying to be as quiet as possible as not to alert my father that I was home. But mom was pacing the livingroom floor and dad sat on the couch trying to get her to, "calm the hell down" as he put it.
I realized they must've heard the gunshot.
My father took me up to my room...and locked to door behind him...
He pointed at me,with rage evident in his eyes,and yelled
"This....this is yoURE FAULT!"
At this point I began to quiver in fear,as I slowly and cautiously took steps backwards to distance myself from my father,until I backed into my bed,plopping down on it.
He noticed every slight movement I made,and I could almost see the cogs whirring in his mind and spinning out of control,as he decided what to do to me...
"YOUR MOTHER WAS WORRIED TO DEATH ABOUT YOU AND-...and...that kid is dead,because you're too much of a sissy to save him..."
He started to unbuckle his belt,and I knew that I was about to get a beating...but in that moment something came over me,and I did one of the things I never thought I would ever do,especially to my father...I stood up,and yelled back...
"That kid...? ...thAT KID HAS A NAME YOU KNOW! MARK WAS NOT JUST SOME RANDOM GODDAMNED KID!! HE WAS MY FRIEND, MY FUCKING BEST FRIEND AT THAT AND YOURE A BITCH FOR EVER DISHONORING HIM. HE WAS A KIND AND STRONG PERSON AND HE JUST LOST HIS MOTHER!!! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WHY COULDN'T ANYONE SEE HOW GREAT HE WAS...AND MY Onl-...my onl-y re-regret...w-as th-at.......I di-didnt s-see the si-gns...and th-that I cou-ldnt h-help him...b-ut you kn-ow wh-what...? Y-you're ri-ght...I did-nt h-help him...I d-didnt sa-s-...save him...no-thing I d-did work-ed...so co-congrats 'Dad' y-you were ri-ght about s-something for on-ce in yo-your li-fe...I c-couldnt sa-ve him..."
My father was shocked that I had stood up to him...and he reared his belt back to hit me...
I woke up to someone shaking me awake,and I opened my eyes to see Josh's face stricken with panic.
I then felt the warm tears turning cold as they ran down my cheeks...
"You scared me to death Tyler,when I opened the door to hear you screaming I thought someone broke in...are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I shook my head,
"I-im fi-f...fine..."
I managed to slowly stutter out. Josh however was not convinced in the slightest.
"Tyler...was it another nightmare...?"
But he didnt have to ask that to know that it was...he could see the fear in my eyes. I but my lip and looked down defeatedly as tears continued to silently roll down my cheeks.
He hugged me close to him and ran his fingers through my hair as I wrapped my arms around him.
Once I had calmed down enough to stop crying, at least for the most part, he led me downstairs and sat me in his lap on the couch.
"Happy seventeenth birthday sweetheart"
I slightly smiled and thanked him,kissing his cheek.
"I've got somewhere special planned for us to visit tonight,if you're up for an adventure later. How does that sound?"
I smiled a bit bigger this time. Wiping away my tears with his thumbs as he cupped my face, before he softly and sweetly kissed my lips.
After the get together with Melanie at the food court in the mall, Josh and I left and headed home to change since the snow had begun to fall.
I wore black skinny jeans and one of Josh's long sleeved, soft sweaters that seemed to swallow me whole.
We drove for several minutes until Josh had me close my eyes as he parked the car,and slowly led me to the place he was taking me.
"Open them"
Josh said and I opened my eyes. We were in the park. A cool white blanket of snow sprinkled over every bench, picnick table,and tree. I looked up, into Josh's starry eyes.
"I-its beautiful Josh..."
I whispered, unaware that I was doing so.
"Do you know why I brought you here to this specific spot?"
He asked as I shook my head.
" Exactly eight weeks ago, I was walking to work at the coffee shop,and bumped into this gorgeous boy...the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen in my life. He dropped his phone and I picked it up and handed it back to him and he put his headphones back in and walked away. I saw him walk into that same little coffee shop a little while later and he just sat there,without ordering anything,and just watched the rain falling,for hours on end. And as I stood there I couldnt help but think that I just had to meet this guy. Learn his name or something about him,anything really... and the next day that same gorgeous boy walked onto my bus...Tyler,you,walked onto my bus...and I thought to myself that you were the most interesting and beautiful boy I had ever seen... and now,I know more about you than most anyone else does... and I cant imagine my life without you in it. So Tyler, I promise you, I will never hurt you nor leave you, and that I will keep you safe for as long as I live,as your boyfriend if only you'll have me..."
And no sooner than he had finished he pulled two black promise rings from his pocket and held them towards me.
"Please tell me you'll take the ring, because I dont know of any other boy who I'd be able to wake up next to smiling like I do when I'm with you."
He giggled as I was now in tears.
"Y-es Josh of course I will. Y-ou make me happier than anyone or anything else I have ever k-nown."
At that point Josh smiled and slipped the small ring onto my left ring finger,and I put his onto him as well.
Josh opened the door to the coffee shop with his key,and we sat in the corner booth where I had sat exactly eight months ago,and we watched the snow fall together.
