Against All Odds | Tyrus

18. Frustration

❝Yes, he wished he could date TJ Kippen, but he wanted it to be on his own terms. He wanted to feel in control of his future.❞

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Cyrus stood frozen, only capable of staring at the person before him as if she were a mirage, ready to vanish the moment he blinked. He feared he'd never see her again and found himself speechless. All Cyrus could muster was the joyous sob that escaped his mouth.

“Buffy!” Andi cried, pulling her into a desperate embrace. “You're here!”

Cyrus looked on with tear-filled eyes and smiled. As he took a weak step forward, Andi pulled him into her hug with Buffy.

“Did you enjoy Phoenix?” Andi asked once they all pulled apart.

“How could I?” Buffy asked in return. “I was away from my best friends.”

“Aww,” Andi crooned.

“But seriously, guys. I kept wondering what you were all up to and how much fun you were having without me. It sucked.”

“Trust me,” Cyrus chuckled, wiping at his eyes. “We barely did anything without you here. We were too busy sulking.”

“Yeah, TJ had to force us to leave The Spoon. He took us both to the zoo!” Andi laughed.

Buffy smiled to herself, “I... I'm glad TJ got you to stop being all depressed over me.”

“We still missed you though,” Cyrus added, remembering what Buffy had told him before she moved. “We could never just forget about you.”

“I know, Cyrus. I could never forget you two, either. My brain just got the best of me. I was so insecure.”

“I understand,” Cyrus said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “And you can always talk to us if you feel that way. Don't let it build up.”

Andi took her hand, “Buffy, me and Cyrus both know you're strong. But when you feel weak, sometimes the strongest thing you can do is share that weakness with others. We're your friends. You can be vulnerable with us.”

“I just don't want you guys to see me like that. I want you to see the best of me.” Buffy swallowed, “But I guess I didn't really show you my best, did I?”

Cyrus opened his mouth to answer but Buffy spoke again, “I'm sorry. I'll be better from now on. I won't run away from problems. I'll talk about how I feel — at least, with you guys.”

• • •

TJ spun around in his dad's office chair, sighing loudly. The sizzling of food being cooked over the stove was all but keeping him sane. He sighed again and continued to do so, increasing in volume each time. TJ's sighs soon turned into furious groans, as if the rumble in his chest was the only source of entertainment he had.

“Will you cut that out, TJ?!” his mother shrieked from the kitchen. “You're turning my brain to mush!”

He sighed once more, “But mom! I'm so bored!”

“Then go and do something!”

“There's nothing to do!”

“Sure, there is,” she said as she stepped into her husband's office, frying pan in hand. “Go play some basketball out on the driveway. Or play video games if you want to stay inside. You can even invite Cyrus over if you want!”