Moonbow | Tyrus

Seven

TJ's POV

My mom peeks her head into my room, and I look up from my book. 

"Hey, Teej," she says, "your friends are here to see you."

If she were using the singular word, I would've assumed it was Cyrus, but she used the plural. Who would come to see me? None of my newer friends know where I live. That means it must be...

Reed and Lester stand on the front porch of my house. Wanting to keep outside the argument I know we're about to have, I step out to join them, sealing the door behind me. As I turn to face them, I fold my arms over my chest and hold my chin up, trying to look more confident than I am. 

"Dude," Reed says. "What's going on with you?"

"Yeah," Lester chimes in. "Every time we've asked you to hang out lately, you've turned us down, and seeing as you're at home now, you're clearly not always busy like you say you are."

"I'm just..." I let out a huff and drop my arms open. "I just need space."

"Space from us," Reed puts together. "What the fuck? Why?"

"You're seriously asking me why I don't want to be around you? Reed, you're doing community service for taking your dad's gun, and everybody thinks you're just a screw-up who's going to end up in jail."

"You're no angel either!"

"I know!" I yell back. "But I'm doing something different than you. I'm trying! I don't want to fuck up my life before I even live it. I'm sorry that you don't care, but I do, and I don't want to be seen as teenage garbage anymore. I don't want to see myself as fucking garbage. I want to be better."

"So you're just not gonna talk to us anymore," Reed summarizes. Then he shakes his head and scoffs, "Whatever, man. Good luck with your new life."

He turns a shoulder and starts down the porch, and Lester follows. I consider whether I should try to stop them. Maybe I should shout and try to say something more, but what would I even say? I meant everything I said. I didn't lie. 

As they walk away toward their dirt bikes, which they definitely shouldn't be driving on the road, I watch for another moment. After Reed flips me off and zooms away with Lester, I turn to go inside, feeling just as awful as before the whole conversation. I thought confessing things was supposed to make people feel better. Apparently that's not always the case. 

________________________________________

Walking with Cyrus feels nice after the collapse of my old friendships earlier this week. His hand clasped through mine gives me a sense of security that I've been needing a lot lately. He's been letting me settle the events, but as we're nearing the diner where we're supposed to meet his friends together for the first time, he asks once more to check that I'm okay. 

"Yeah," I reply. "I just want to forget about Reed and Lester. Now, how do I look?"

I stop and turn to face him. He scans my khakis and T-shirt again, giving me the same sweet smile that I love. 

"The same as when you asked me at your house," he answers. "Handsome as ever."

"I just want to make sure I make a good first impression on your friends."

"You'll make a great impression," he assures me. "You're amazing."

"Yeah, well, you might be biased."

He grins. "Just a bit."

He brings one hand up to my cheek as he rises onto his tip toes to kiss me. There's a pause after he backs away before he comes back to give me one more for good luck.