Summer Vacation

Chapter 18

18

I was lost in my thoughts as I drove. I tried to focus on my driving but it was too hard to concentrate solely on a scarcely populated interstate. My mind kept floating back to the argument and to my past experiences with Erica. It was like a bad breakup; I could see all the signs clearly now. I can’t imagine how they had slipped by me the first time. But hindsight is always twenty-twenty I guess.

My eyes were dry now, but my mind was still in turmoil. I couldn’t believe that she feels that way. I mean… how could she? How can you hate someone purely for being who they are? I can’t help the fact that I have two parents and she doesn’t or that I have people around me who love me. I didn’t decide that. I could change the fact that I have a boyfriend, but she’s the reason we met in the first place and she can change the fact that she doesn’t have one. I mean… how could she hate me?

All of these questions kept floating through my head in a weird cycle, one question leading to another and another until I was back at the first one again, and I couldn’t think straight. It didn’t help that my brother kept calling my phone back to back. When I calmed down, I finally picked up.

“Hello?” I answered with a hoarse voice.

“Shay? Finally! Are you okay?”

I cleared my throat, “I guess.”

“What happened?”

That one simple question brought all the emotions back and I’m sure it showed in my voice, “I don’t want to talk about it right now Ricky.”

“Are you sure?”

I sniffled, “Yeah. I’m still driving and I don’t want to start crying again.”

“Why were you crying?”

I sniffled again, “Ask your new girlfriend.” I snapped.

I hung up the phone and kept driving. He called me back, but I didn’t want to think anymore. I just took a deep breath and drove.

*~*~*~*

I parked beside Tyrell in the garage and pulled down the mirror to look at myself. My face was a wreck. My eyes were red and puffy, my cheeks had tear tracks all down them and my lip was red and had bite marks were I had been trying to keep a stiff upper lip. I sighed and crawled out the car and into the house. I locked the door behind me and called out for Tyrell.

“I’m in here.” He called from the bathroom.

I went inside and saw him brushing his hair. He looked at me with a smile from the mirror and I gave him a shaky one back. He turned around and looked at me with concern.

“Shay. Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” I whispered, trying to hold it together.

“No you’re not. Come here.” He pulled me into his arms and I broke down. I couldn’t stop crying. Everything that I had been holding in since I had been driving came back out. Everything quickly became a blur, but I knew I was speaking incoherent gibberish to him and that he just nodded his head and held me. He didn’t ask me to slow down, to repeat myself or to stop crying. He just held me and rubbed my back until I was done.

After my wrenching sobs had settled down to soft cries, he ran a hot bath for me with smelly bubbles and helped me into it. He sat with me quietly while I soaked and calmed down and when I got out he held me until I fell asleep. I may not have the most perfect boyfriend in the world, but he’s definitely perfect for me.

~*~*~*~

The next morning I woke up to sunshine and birds singing and the worst headache of my life. I moaned and rolled over. I hit something solid though. When I looked up it was Tyrell. He groaned slightly at my weight and then wrapped his arms around me before pulling me closer.