UGLY (Vol.1)

Pg 10. Uneasiness

After a 30 minute drive over roads and roads that Alyssa didn't even know existed around town, Tyler and Alyssa arrived at a small church, with broken glass windows, and an open door. Alyssa looked at Tyler warily, wondering why he brought her to a church, for she wasn't Christian. Was Tyler Christian?"I'm not Christian, but this place's cool," Tyler answered her thoughts, a smile hanging over his lips. 

He led Alyssa towards the open door, and before they knew, they were in the beautiful remains of a church. The ceiling was half fallen, but because of it, the bright blue sky showed its face over their heads. There were a lot of long wooden chairs, a little chipped and bruised, but neatly organized in two, straight rows. On the end of a long hall made by the space between the two rows, was a massive wreck of an organ, with a kind of wooden stand or podium where someone would have given great speeches long ago.

"Wow.." Alyssa looked around, surprised at the broken, yet perfect place."It hasn't been used for a while, not to mention dusted or fixed, but, cool, huh?" Tyler grinned, slumped across one of the long chairs."It's wonderful," Alyssa whispered, staring at the sky over her head."I knew you'd like it." Tyler laughed and walked over to her.He took her hand gently and led her to one of the chairs to sit down."How did you find somewhere like this?" Alyssa asked, her eyes fixed on Tyler."I had a flat tire. I looked for help but found this place, instead. After looking around, I just called the service center to come out." He replied.He softly touched Alyssa's hair, met her eyes, then beamed.Alyssa giggled. "Why'd you show me this place?" She asked.Tyler looked taken aback. "Don't you like it?""No, it's wonderful, but I just wanted to know-" She stuttered at his hurt expression."I wouldn't share a place like this." She ended with a slight sigh."I just wanted to. The place made me think of you. Guess we can just- keep it to ourselves? You know- hang out here sometimes." Tyler answered casually, but the meanings seeped inside were sweet and tender. Alyssa noticed the affection, the care, something she saw long ago, and somehow stiffened.Tyler gave a confused look over her."No. No, no." Alyssa murmured. She felt something coming up from her stomach like she had something she had to spit out. Some kind of uneasiness crawled onto her spine, heading for her chest.Tyler stood up, his eyes round and shocked."Alyssa-" He called."No," Alyssa repeated, the uneasiness crawling upwards every second."What do you mean, no?" Tyler asked, his hand reaching out for her hand."I can't- You can't- it's-" Alyssa stammered, her mind making whirlpools of words."Alyssa, calm down. It's that symptom, right? When you fainted-""It's not- I'm not-" Alyssa said, searching for the right words from the whirlpools."Come on. I'll take you home. You need to rest." Tyler stated, taking Alyssa's hand.Alyssa hung her head in confusion, the uneasiness crawling into her heart. She just followed Tyler's hand, to his car, and went home.On their way back, nobody made a sound except the wind on the car windows.In front of her house, Alyssa looked at the car door, but couldn't move her fingers. She gave commands to her hands and finally staggered to open the door."Alyssa," Tyler's soft voice called, but her head didn't turn from the door."Get some rest." He murmured, with hardly any excitement in his voice.Alyssa roughly nodded and stepped out of the car, feeling like crawling to the door that seemed so far away.When she walked in, she was hit by the loudest voice she knew."A-L-Y-S-S-A-!"Alyssa looked up to see Eliza, her hands on her hips, facing her. Whenever Eliza was upset, she would do that. She would spell out Alyssa's name, her hands on her hips."Hi, Eliza." Alyssa murmured, feeling the uneasiness die away at the sight of Eliza."Hi? Hi, you say?" Eliza questioned, glaring at her."Um, can I- can you- get me to bed? I need some rest, really." Alyssa asked.Looking over Alyssa's tired eyes and drooped shoulders, Eliza sighed and led her to her bed."What happened? You took way too much time from school." Eliza asked, strong but soothingly."Just- Tyler, this new boy from Willows, kinda took me- to this- uh, I don't know it's a long story," Alyssa replied, crawling into her covers.Eliza rolled her eyes and tucked her to sleep."Whatever, crackhead. Your dinner's on the table. I gotta go to work." She said, the cigarette smell filling Alyssa's mind with unknown comfortableness.When she woke up, Alyssa stared lifelessly at the ceiling, mumbling words she didn't even know existed in her mind. Then she chose to check her phone.There were two messages.One was from Tyler.- U okay?The other was Pathetic Nick West.- HeyAlyssa felt her eyes grow round, wondering who she should reply first.Tyler.... a small voice whispered in her head.But then she didn't have anything to do with him, did she? She wasn't in love with him; she couldn't be. At least she thought so.She pressed onto the second text and replied, swiftly and smoothly.- Sup.Then came the problem. Was she to reply to Tyler?She had to.She kept thinking she shouldn't have left him like that. He was only trying to show her his part of the world. Even though it was just too caring for Alyssa. It just crawled over her like a bug- the uneasiness- even when she knew she was being loved, something she yearned for.She pressed the text.- Yeah, sorry.Just after she threw the phone over her super-single bed, a -ting- rang in the room. Alyssa ran her fingers over her eyes, distressed.She dragged the phone over to her once again.It was Nick West.- I just wondered when we might hang out again.- It's been a week, u know?Two in a row, that was pathetic. Tyler wouldn't have done that.Surprised that she just thought of Tyler again, Alyssa shook her head. Nick West was just an average everyday admirer for Alyssa. Tyler has nothing to do with him.- Um, okay?It was pleasing, again, for Alyssa to mess around with her admirers. Looking like she has some sort of attention over him, but making slight accusations and twitches to make him feel heartbroken again.Again, she didn't lose any of her admirers; she just played them.Just then- a -ting- rang again.Alyssa looked down onto her phone, her winning smile stretched across her lips.Then it faded.

- It's okay. I'll be waiting beside Starbucks tomorrow after-school.It was from Tyler.