Hyler is the ONE. |COMPLETE|

Paden

We reached my house with no problems. Hyler wanted to wait outside, but I insisted she came in. I had called my mom already, so she was expecting me. When my mom saw me walk in with Hyler she smiled. "Hyler! So good to see you again." She said as her attention went straight back to me. "You walked all the way home from school? In this cold? That quick?" I stared at her blankly. I completely forgot about school and that I didn't attend today. Glad I came home a little bit after three. "Yeah, I really needed to clear my head." Her smile faded, "Really? Your principal seems to have a different story. It went more along the lines of your son was absent. He thought that you might have been sick since his straight A student and star baseball captain wouldn't miss school on purpose. So Paden, explain to me, why you just lied to me and why you skipped school?" I bit my lip trying to think quickly. I need to save my ass or she definitely isn't going to let me go tonight. In hopes that she might still feel guilty about our family issues I began to sniffle. "It's just so hard sometimes. These past few weeks have been hell to me mom. To think about what my friends did to me... what dad did to us, it's just too much. I mean, how do you even know he's not still cheating on you?" I hated saying that, but it's probably not far from the truth. She nods, "Umm... it's fine for now, okay? Just go ahead and pack what you want to pack. Take the time that you need from home." I nodded as I took Hyler's hand and led her upstairs.

Hyler chuckled as she whispered, "Way to slay your mom. How did you know your dad was still cheating though? I didn't tell you." "I just took a stab in the dark, and you just confirmed it for me." When we got to my room, I completely forgot it was a pigsty. I quickly scrambled to pick up some clothes, which were probably dirty, off the floor. "Wow. Didn't take you for a pack rat. Kind of thought you would be the pillar of cleanliness." Hyler said as she picked through some stuff. "Well, I didn't have time to clean it lately. It's not usually like this." I shoved some more clothes in my closet. "So, this happened recently then?" She asked. I turned around to see what she was talking about and choked on my own saliva. She held up a neon green bra by the strap. "No! That's umm... that's wow. I have no idea where that came from actually." She smirked, "Oh, I know where it came from. It's Jenn's. So explain to me why Jenn's bra is in your room?!?" My voice broke a little when I said, "Hyler I swear! I don't know! Yes, Jenn's been in my room before, but we've never had sex! You've got to believe me." She said nothing after that, she just glared at me. After a while her hard demeanor faded and she started to laugh, hysterically.

I stared at her, confused and puzzled. "Why are you laughing?" Her laughter lightens as she says, "I'm sorry Paden, I just couldn't resist. I know you've never slept with her." My mouth dropped, "Then why put me through that? You almost gave me a heart attack. Is that even Jenn's bra?!?" She nods, "Oh yeah, I didn't make that part up. This is definitely Jenn's bra. I sensed it the minute I touched it." "Oh. Why would she randomly take off her bra in my room though?" I wondered out loud. "She didn't take it off. Lucas did." My face turned into a frown, "What? They've only been together in my room twice and I was present both times. That's not possible." Hyler throws the bra to the side and sits on my bed. "Jenn and Lucas both use to sneak into your window at night, right?" "Yeah, but—"Which means you keep it unlocked for them, right?" I nod. "So, basically what I'm telling you is, they sneak in here and have sex when no one's home." I face turned to horror. "OMG, that means—"You sleep on their sex stained sheets." I shake the thoughts out of my head. "How about we finish packing and never bring that up again. They're out of my life and it's no longer my problem." I grab a duffle bag and throw it her way. She smiles as it lands by her feet. "I hope you didn't catch anything." "Hyler!" I yell with a smile. She starts laughing again as she finally helps me pack.

On our way back downstairs we hear a familiar voice that makes us stop moving. We looked at each other when we realized it was Jenn. Why was she here? We ducked down and moved closer to hear. "Is Paden here Mrs. Lewis?" She asked. "He is, but he and Hyler were just on their way out." Mom said with confidence. Jenn cleared her throat, "Seems like they're the best of friends now, huh?" She said sarcastically. "Well between me and you, I think it's more than that." My mother's said coyly. "Finger's crossed." I smiled at that. She said all that on purpose. It fell silent for a while before Jenn said, "Well, good for him. Can you please tell him to call me? When he can get the chance of course. I really need talk to him. It's important." "Sure. Bye now." Mom said as she shut the door. When I heard her put the latch on me and Hyler started for the stairs. "Way to go mom!" I said with zest. My mother snickered, "I never liked that one. You've definitely upgraded son." She smiled at Hyler and Hyler smiled back. "So you know Paden, I'm not that big of a push over. If your father's cheating on me still... well, he's history." I hugged her as I said, "I'll hold you to that." I pulled away and said, "We're going to go out the back door." "Smart thinking." I said as we turned and left.

As we walked around back to the main street Hyler gestured by the house. "Look who's still waiting by your—" She stops, which makes me stop. "I can't believe it." She says without moving. Her jaw was completely dropped when I asked, "What is it?" She pointed and said, "That guy, the one that's with Jenn, he's one of us." I gasped, "So, he's the trader?!?" She shook her head, "He betrayed us, but he did that a long time ago. He's been exiled for almost two years. He didn't rat me out, but he could've helped them find me. Why he's with Jenn, I don't know. He us to live with us, right next door to me. He's Kelsie's older brother. He's a downer now." "So, what we do? I asked. She looks at me, "We go home and we tell my mother. She'll tell us how we deal with it." I nodded as she led the way.