The Break Up Plan

46: I STABBED MY BROTHER AND HIS GIRLFRIEND WITH A CORN DOG STICK

"Baby!"

"Baby!"

I throw myself into Tyler's arms and he spins me around, hugging me tight.

When my feet land on the ground, his arms still around me, I bury my nose in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. "God, I've missed you" I mumble into his shirt.

He laughs and kisses my hair, "I've missed you too"

We pull back, both of us smiling like idiots. Tyler ruffles my hair and whistles lowly, "Damn, how have you grown so big?"

I roll my eyes, "Look who's talking. Who still gets growth spurts at twenty?"

He grins that his achingly familiar mischievous grin, "I know, right? All that's left is to move to Tokyo and terrorize the city"

I laugh, feeling the knot in my chest begin to unravel. For the next one week, I don't have to worry about putting up fronts, pretending I'm okay. I don't have to wish people could see through my façade and just accept me. I can be myself and not constantly worry about the repercussions. If the past few weeks has taught me anything, it's that the only person who truly knows me and loves me anyways is Tyler Paxton.

***

"Boo!" Kira and I throw popcorn at the TV as we watch Lara Jean make dumb decisions.

"Seriously, John Ambrose is obviously the better option, ugh!"

"Right?" Kira agrees, "He's so sweet and cute and Peter and Gen can go jump into a meat grinder for all I care"

See, this is why I love Tyler's girlfriend.

The three of us are snuggled into the couch, watching cheesy romantic movies (correction, Kira and I are watching movies, Tyler is snoring like a bulldozer) and it's probably like early morning but nobody cares.

"So," Kira leans forward and pauses the movie, "spill"

I frown, "what?"

She rolls her eyes, "don't give me that, you've been carrying around that expression since you got here, you have a lot of things on your mind, even snorkel over here could tell and he still has to sing a song before knowing which shoe goes on which foot"

I chuckle, glancing at my dumbass brother fondly. I look back at Kira to see that she's dead-ass serious and I sigh, "Boy trouble"

She nods and gestures for me to continue, so with a sigh, I tell her everything, from the moment my dress got acquainted with tomato sauce and chocolate pudding, to the moment my heart shattered across Cole Matthews foyer.

When I'm done, it's Tyler that pulls my sobbing self to his chest, patting my hair soothingly. I don't know when he woke up but he obviously got the gist of the story.

"Get dressed" he mutters darkly, "we're taking the next flight to Florida"

I look up to see my brother more serious than he has ever looked before, I sniff, "what?"

Tyler gently pushes me out of his embrace and stands up, "there's someone I need to decapitate"

I grab the bottom of his shirt before he can move, "stop being a dummy and sit down"

He turns to me, "I'm not joking, Bella"

I turn to Kira pleadingly and she shoots him a look, "sit back down and hold your sister, decapitation can wait"

Tyler sighs and runs his hands through his blond curls, "I don't understand, how can he do that to someone as amazing as you?"

My head drops, "I'm not amazing"