Cramming six teenagers with pre-existing tensions into a three-row outlander for five hours had been a bad idea from the start in Cyrus' opinion.
Summer vacation for him had always been a time to let go of the inhibitions that had tightened their grip on him throughout the year. With the constant, looming pressure of exams and passing grades, Cyrus was always quick to spiral and get caught up in the idea that he'd be stuck in a situation forever, despite that not being true. He had time to recollect himself, as well as time to connect with his friends.
When he thought of summer he thought of late night conversations at the park, he thought of cool sand beneath his feet as he spent evenings on the beach jamming out to 80's music with Buffy and Marty, he thought of burning his tongue on the roasted marshmallows he'd been too impatient to wait for.
What he didn't associate with summer were nagging thoughts of worry, pressing themselves insistently into his mind, or constantly feeling tension. Glancing back at Amber, who he could feel practically burning holes into the back of his head, he came to the realization that if he didn't do something now that's what his summer would end up being.
Cyrus had always been one to seek approval from others after all. He hated being a disappointment almost as much he hated the idea of someone being upset with him, which was why he felt something twist painfully inside of his chest as Amber's burning gaze met his.
He let out a breath, steeling himself for the conversation to come.
"Amber, could we talk for a moment?"
TJ's gaze, which had seemed shifty for the past few minutes, immediately met his. They'd parked outside of a generic looking gas station that looked relatively modern apart from its faded colour scheme. It was bright outside, particularly as they neared their destination and more temperate conditions turned to ones of stifling heat.
"Sure," she smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Andi shifted some of her bags and got out for a moment, allowing Amber to exit the car. Cyrus climbed out with ease, feeling thankful that TJ had bestowed him with 'passenger seat privileges' at the start of the trip.
Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they headed over to stand by the front of the gas station, shielded slightly from view by a large tank.
Amber turned to him and arched an eyebrow, prompting him to speak. She looked intimidatingly perfect standing there, wearing a flowy pink summer dress, hair blowing in the wind and sunglasses shielding her eyes.
Cyrus sucked in a breath.
"Amber, hear me out okay? I...I know Iris was upset about me breaking up with her. And I know it probably seemed like I lead her on for way too long, which, I guess I did. I shouldn't have. At the time I was figuring a lot of stuff out about..." he paused for a moment, eyes flickering down toward the ground, "my sexuality. And I was trying really hard to make things work with her because I didn't wanna be gay."
The girl's hard expression softened significantly at that. She lifted her sunglasses from her face, hair tousled by the wind.
"I guess that makes sense...I mean, I probably should've put two and two together when my brother started talking about bringing you and your friends in the first place."
Cyrus smiled timidly. "It's not an excuse, but...it's an explanation? I hope she's doing okay now, anyway."
"She is," Amber nodded, "I forget sometimes how long ago junior year was..."
"Same here," he agreed, huffing out a laugh. "So...does that mean we're good?"
Her eyes scanned over him for a moment, as though calculating something. A slow smile spread across her face.
YOU ARE READING
tyrus oneshots
Fanfiction"You're not moving," he breathed out, not even bothering to hide his glances down at TJ's lips. The other boy noticed this, smiling slightly and bringing a hand up to cup the side of Cyrus' face. "Neither are you," he murmured back. ~ A collection o...
