Running From You

Chapter 23

NORA

When I next see Tyler in track, he's all quiet and moody, and clearly avoiding me. His sudden mood switch has got to have something to do with Zane, I'm sure of it. But what could Zane possibly have said to him to make him ignore me just now? He should know not to listen to anything the douche-bag has to say.

"Any idea what's going on?" I make my way to Evan during a water break and nod my head slightly toward Tyler's brooding back.

Evan follows my eyes and frowns. "No clue. I thought you two had had a fight again but if that's not the case..." he shrugs.

I can't help but huff. "He's so..." I pause, searching for the right word, "irritating. Like, we were doing fine, for once, and now it's like he's turned the clock back and... and I wanna punch him in the face. So bad."

Evan raises his brows at that. "Well, don't keep anything in, darling," he pats my shoulder. "Let it all out."

I shrug his hand off me and grit my teeth. "I just..." I don't even know what anymore. He's gotten under my skin. "He's an ass, that's all."

He looks at me for a long moment, as if searching my face for something. "I'll talk to him," he finally offers, taking me by surprise.

"You will?"

"Yeah," he waves it off like it's no big deal. "You're both my friends now and I hate when friends are fighting. Plus it puts me in a really uncomfortable position in the middle, so..."

I have the decency to look ashamed. "Sorry."

He just shakes his head and slaps me on the back. "Come on, princess, we still have thirty minutes of practice left."

---

TYLER

"I'm fine!" I tell Evan for the hundredth time as he stop the car. "Nothing's going on."

He eyes me with doubt clear on his face. "Whatever you say, man."

"See you tomorrow," I get out. I'm just about to close the door after me when Evan speaks.

"Nora knows something's up and she's not going to watch your sorry ass for long if you treat her like that."

"And don't I know it," I mutter to myself as I turn my back to Evan and his car and head to the steps of the old house with green paint peeling off.

"I'm home!" I yell as I step into the messy cramped house. It's a far cry from the neat and spacious house Nora lives in. I pick up some toys Bella has left lying around on the floor and throw them into the box they belong in before making my way to the kitchen, where dad is just getting started on dinner.

"Hi," he smiles at me tiredly and puts minced beef on a hot pan.

"Long day?" I sit down, eyeing the dark bags under his eyes.

"Same as always," he yawns. He's worked three jobs, eighty hours a week, ever since mom... "You?"

"It was okay," I lie. I was having a pretty good day until Zane showed up. You don't deserve her, his words still ring in my ears. You're going to hurt her, just like I did. I grit my teeth, trying to push the words out of my head. Zane's an idiot. And he clearly still loves Nora and wants her back, so obviously he dislikes me. Nothing he says should matter to me. So why can't I shake his words?

"Listen..." dad starts uncomfortably. I raise my brows, knowing he's about to say something I don't like. "I was thinking..." he clears his throat, then continues. "You should come with us on Sunday."