The Eccedentesiast

Chapter Thirty-five

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Chapter Thirty-five
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Emma thought about Tyler once in a while. Yesterday would have been their eight-month anniversary. They would have probably stayed in, cuddling in bed as they ate pizza and watched anime.

It was always the little things that count; Emma believed. It was always the things that made you smile, make you smile, not fake happiness. The things that make you want to live forever and make you excited to live the next day are the things that make someone want to die of happiness and not of loneliness.

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"Hey," Connor beamed. He leaned down to hug Tara but she pushed him back. His expression morphed into confusion and a tang of fear.

Tara looked guilty, the way she would only meet his eye for a second and then look away from the next.

"Baby, what happened?" He grabbed her jittery hands in his. "Why are you doing this?"

She slipped her hands from his again. "Uhm, I have to tell you something."

Connor furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" He turned to look at his friends that were conversing, making sure they weren't hearing any of this.

Tara gestured with a nod of her head to follow him. He did. She led him to an empty corner by some lockers and kept her distance.

Her little voice began, "My brother, Tyler . . . He's thinking about studying in California," she rushed out.

Connor looked over her head at the locker behind her. "Can't you stay?"

Tara shook her redhead. "I was already thinking about studying there, too--Before you came along. It was my dream to study at UCLA like my mom."

Connor clenched his jaw but didn't look down at her. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Tara shrugged a shoulder and started stammering. "I-I don't kn-know."

Connor sighed. He rubbed a hand down his face, then rubbed nothing out of his eyes. "I can't believe this," he whispered. "I'm not mad," he reassures. "I'm just . . . a little out of place."

Tara nodded. "I know you'll want to break up. Long-distance doesn't always work out and-"

Connor shut her up by tilting her head back to look at him. "I don't want to break up, Tara."

"Really?" Her eyes glimmered.

"Yeah. I thought you were doing that to me, though. So that was a hell of a scare, baby." He ran a hand through his hair, the length of it getting longer by the month.

"Can you please cut it?" Tara leaned up to touch the tips. "It's long. Either cut or bring it up in a bun." She scrunched her nose as she watched the length of it and how it was almost going past his shoulders.

"No way. I like it like this." He grabbed her hand that was burying itself in his hair and brought it up to his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I have to go."

He hummed and shook his head, easing her tension. "It's okay. You'll come back right?"

She shrugged, letting out a little laugh. "I hope so."

He let go of her hands. "What do you mean?"

She cleared her throat and looked behind him. "It's up to Ty."

"But Ty is a big guy. He can stay in LA if he'd like."

Tara shook her head, she didn't look at him again. "I can't leave Ty alone, Connor. He's my brother and we're all that each other has." She sniffles. "My grandma passed away two nights ago."