Tammi Lyn [DISCONTINUED]

ix

HAPPY BELATED VALENTINES DAAY!! ❤️💜

Tammi was headed to a cake shop, as it seemed. Well, since I didn't have anything to do I figured I could follow her and wait if something does happen.

I could feel her looking at me as we walked side by side.

Without taking my eyes off the road I said, "You might trip if you keep on staring at me like that."

I found satisfaction in the way she quickly averted her gaze elsewhere and how her cheeks reddened at being caught.

Face still red she denied, "I - I wasn't looking at you. I was... thinking."

"Of how handsome I am?" I teased with a waggle of my brow.

She frowned and flicked my ear. I yelped in pain and she snickered at my reaction.

Why was she like this?

Rubbing my ear, I realized with a start that she was never this playful and open with anyone, much less to me. Was this another person?

Cautiously I peeked a glance her way. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but of course that could just be my imagination playing tricks on me.

"What cha lookin' at?" she asked as she met my eyes, and I noticed her voice was higher and akin to a child's. This looked incredibly familiar but at the same time, I couldn't place my finger on where exactly that sense of familiarity was coming from.

"Have we met before?" I asked carefully, realizing that I was treading on thin ice since I didn't know her.

Her head tilted to the side with a little hum, and she nodded happily with a chant of 'yes, yes'.

"Really? Where have I seen you from?"

She hummed and chirped, "Not tellin' ya! You hafta guess for yourself!"

She giggled and then sped up her pace. I was left to stare at her back for a few seconds, mind suddenly a jumbled mess before jogging to catch up to her. Man, she was fast.

When we reached the cake shop, the air of childlike innocence was duller and almost faint, as if it was fading away.

When my eyes landed on Tammi, the stretched smile was gone to be replaced with her usual dull expression and thin lips. She regarded me with a strange look before speaking.

"It happened again, didn't it?"

I nodded wordlessly, and a deep sigh tumbled out her lips as she talked to the man behind the counter, requesting for the order her mother had placed.

The man nodded and left for a while, leaving us alone with an almost awkward and tense atmosphere.

"It's a different person," I started quietly, shoving my hands in my pockets and keeping my gaze on the blue tiles.

After a few seconds of no response, I threw a glance her way, and saw that she wasn't looking at me. She wasn't looking at anything at all, almost as if she was lost in her own world.

Since I figured she wouldn't be talking any time soon, I decided to look around and admire the decors. The walls were a pale white with the floor full of blue tiles. There were a lot of sweets displayed on the large glass beside the register, and there was a door that led to the kitchen and stock rooms.

The man arrived and handed her the box, their fingers touching. He held onto her hand longer than necessary, and both of us were aware of that.

I was just about to step in and tell him to let go when I felt a sudden switch to Tammi.

Her eyes grew darker and her aura seethed of rage I couldn't help but step back. It also looked like her hair was flying.

She slapped the man's hand away, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Touch me again and you'll find yourself deep in a craphole. Got that?" she threatened menacingly, and the man cowered and nodded fearfully for his life.

She clicked her tongue and stomped off, leaving me behind.

I snapped out of my stupor to follow her, not giving a single glance back to the man.

The streets were busy and crowded, so it was harder to catch up to her this time. When I managed to be by her side again, she was still huffing and muttering out curses as I walked. She, on the other hand, shambled, each step giving off a resounding thump as her shoes hit the cement.

I decided not to comment on it since I feared that she'd clutch my throat and throw me on the street. Unlikely, yes, but you never know with this girl. She was so strange it was enthralling.

By the time we reached the front of her house, she was still in that angry state, based on the crease of her brow and the way her stance was threatening and scary.

But when she turned to me, her lips quirked up in a half-smirk.

"Thanks for walking me home, beanboy."

She gave my shoulder a rather hard clap that was enough to make me stagger. She chuckled in amusement before skipping over to her door and practically shutting it in my face.

Well, I guess that's that.

"Denver!" I heard my mom call out. I turned to the direction of her voice and hurried so she wouldn't worry so much.

She was by the doorway, eyes looking far and wide for me.

We both spotted each other and she ran to me to give me a hug.

I clutched on her waist and breathed in her comforting scent of cinnamons.

"Where've you been, hon? I was worried you'd run off somewhere."

She let go and I chuckled as we walked back inside.

"Just accompanied Tammi somewhere."

"Oh, that's great. How is she, by the way?"

Now that was a tricky question. I faltered for a bit but made sure to gather my composure so she wouldn't suspect anything. Women tended to see even the littlest of changes and that was both scary and helpful. Right now it was the former.

My mind flashed back to the time she was all quiet, even in our younger years. There were glimpses of her standing alone, or some kids our age bullying her. Then her sudden changes in personality, and finally the threat she hissed out to the cashier and how she looked so fierce and frightening.

I shook my head to rid of those thoughts to find my mother looking at me almost worriedly.

A smile forced its way on my lips to ease her and I hummed as if thinking on what to say, which was the case.

"She's doing good," was what I settled for.

"That's nice. And what else?"

Expect that my vague description clearly wasn't enough to quench my mother's curiosity. I gave her a fleeting look before racking my brains for another plausible answer.

"She likes to wear clothes with dark colors." When my mind blanked out I whined, "What else do you want me to say?"

"Well, how are you two?"

I stopped at that. There was an underlying question, no doubt. Mom usually doesn't ask out of the blue. There must be a reason why she brought this up.

"We talk about things and sit together on the bus," I slowly said in reply.

She didn't press anymore, thankfully.

"Okay then. Now, wash up so we can eat dinner."

"Yes ma'am."

That was a strange conversation. I couldn't tell if my mom was genuinely curious or if she had a hidden motive.

You never know with mothers.