my best friend: a tyrus fanfiction

chapter 10

Cyrus and I were sitting inches apart now. My hand was placed between us on the cold bleachers, it was cold but I didn't want to move. My phone buzzed in my pocket, my mom's name across the screen. I reluctantly hit the accept button. I didn't know why I didn't want to answer but for some reason, I knew it wasn't good.

"Hello?" I said taking a deep breath. That's when I heard soft sobs from the other end, "Mom? What's wrong?"

"Amber," she said like I was supposed to know what that meant.

"What about Amber?" My heart was pounding and my breathing was heavy.

"She got into a car accident, she was rushed to the hospital," my mom sobbed through the phone.

Her words stung. It felt like a punch to the stomach. The tears burned the back of my eyes. I felt like I couldn't breathe even though I was breathing heavier than ever. Her words played back like a broken record. My head was spinning and I couldn't see. I didn't know what to do. I knew that most of the people left at the game were looking at me but I didn't care. Tears streamed down my face.

"I-I have to go," I said standing up from where I sat. A hand grabbed my wrist making my stomach drop. Not now TJ.

"TJ, What's wrong?" Cyrus was clearly concerned.

"I- Amb- she," I couldn't form the words. They wouldn't come out. I didn't know what to say.

Cyrus could tell I was far from okay. He put his arm around my shoulder and placed his other hand on my arm. Finally, I found the words.

"Amber got into a car accident. She's in the hospital. I need to go," I rambled through sobs.

"TJ, you're not leaving. You're not going alone," he told me.

"I have to go Cy. She's my best friend," I breathed as I cried.

"And I'm coming," I tried to push down the happiness I felt.

"Okay," I agreed. We walked past the people who were most definitely starring but I didn't care. Cyrus had his arm around me, guiding me down the metal stairs because my vision was blurred. I still could barely breathe. When we got to the parking lot Cyrus moved his arm from my shoulders and took my hand. I leaned into him not caring if he knew I liked him or not.

"Can I have your keys?" he asked as we reached my car.

"Why?" I asked my face still wet with tears.

"Cause you're not driving," he said seriously. I fumbled in my pockets for my keys. My hands were shaking as I handed them to him. He took the keys from my hand and held his arms out for me. I walked straight into him letting him engulf me in a hug. For some reason when he hugged me I cried harder. I didn't think I could ever cry more but somehow I managed to do just that.

"Teej, it's gonna be okay," Cyrus tried to comfort me. He held on to me and didn't let go. He let me cry and he didn't care. I knew at that moment that the feeling I had in my chest this whole time had not only been admiration but also love for this boy.

"But it might not be," I managed to say despite the butterflies now adding to all the things happening at once.

I placed my head on his shoulder as he held me close. My head was throbbing from the tears and I was even dizzier than I had been. He rubbed my back trying to calm me down. It was dark as we stood in the parking lot making it even harder for me to see. He pulled away and examined my tear-stained face. He placed his hands on my shoulders and I wiped my face.

"Come on, let's go," he said guiding me into the passenger seat of the car.

"I'm sorry," I felt bad for making him take care of me while I was a mess. I couldn't even think straight and would never have been able to make it to the hospital on my own.

"Teej, why are you apologizing? Your sister got into a car accident and you're apologizing to me?" he asked before closing the passenger door and walking over to the driver's side.

"I feel bad that you have to drive and deal with me while I'm a mess," I gasped between sobs.

"No, you're fine Teej," I liked him calling me Teej it made me feel like he cared about me.

I watched out the window as we drove. My arm rested on the glove compartment and I could feel Cyrus's next to it. Tears fell down my face slower than they had before and I was no longer crying as hard. All of a sudden I felt his hand take mine. He squeezed it as if to let me know I would be okay. Neither one of us let go for the whole car ride.

When we pulled into the parking lot Cyrus looked over at me, "Do you want me to bring you to see your family?"

I shook my head, "No, I'll let you go home. I'll text you soon."

"Are you sure?" I could tell he cared as he asked.

"Yea," I took a deep breath, "My mom is waiting for me in the lobby."

I squeezed his hand before I got out of the car and thanked him for everything.

I found my mom standing in the lobby. She wore her pajamas which consisted of a pink sweatshirt and grey sweats. Her hair was in a bun and she had moccasins on her feet. Her face was stained red and her eyes were glassy. She looked just as bad as I did. I engulfed her in a hug. We stayed that way in the middle of the hospital lobby for a few minutes.

"Is she okay?" I asked hoping for the best.

"We don't know yet," she answered guiding me up to Amber's room.

The waiting room was quiet. Blue chairs lined the room like the ones at airport gates. My mom and I sat along with a few other people. Some were asleep and some were on their phones or reading. Most of the people looked distraught. They clearly hadn't changed in days and they looked messy. You could tell every person in there had been crying. I wasn't judging though, I knew I looked the exact same way. We weren't allowed to see Amber because it was after visiting hours but I knew I would see her first thing in the morning.