Men Don't Change: Chapter One
You could hear the bickering all the way down the hall. It was Hilary versus Tyson again, and everyone knew that Hilary would win. Don't worry, there was no violence in these fights, just arguing. But ever since Tyson had asked her out last year (they're 16 now (), he pretty much let her have her way. Usually.
"You act as though I want this!" She shouted, so loud that Max and the rest of the team could hear it in the dojo. They tried not to listen, really they did, but it was...just not possible to tune out the couple, even from Tyson's bedroom. It was hard to have breakfast in peace with them screaming at each other. They all used to get along so well, too.
"Well how am I supposed to know that? You sure seem like you do!" returned Tyson, furious that Hilary would start this up so early. His stomach growled, almost in agreement, giving Hilary another reason to pounce on him.
"That's another thing! You're always eating. It can't be too healthy for you. I've been trying to get you to go on a diet for sometime, but noo. You just keep on being a human garbage dump!"
"Excuse me?!"
"You think we should go break this up?" whispered Max, concerned for the relationship of his friends. The two in Tyson's room just kept going on about his eating habits.
"Nah," advised Dizzi. "Best to let the two handle it on their own."
"She's right," said Kai, in the corner. By himself, as usual. He didn't have to talk too loudly over the noise, and everyone in the room got quiet every time he spoke, always ready to listen. "These things are better left to the people involved. Which we're not."
"Yeah. But Hilary does have a point," Ray commented. "Eating so much can't be good for you. Should we do something about that?"
"Where does he put it all?" joked Max, though no one thought it funny. "He's like a human crater."
At this point, the argument ended and Kenny shushed the others as Hilary ran through and out the room. Tears streamed across her face, and some areas were blotchy. She didn't say a word as she quickly closed the door, grabbing her backpack on the way out. Tyson came in a second later, and sat down on the floor between the Chief and Max. He looked at the door, as though debating whether to follow her, but he shook his head slightly and started dishing out his breakfast, reducing the servings to half of what Kai would eat.
"You okay, Tyson?" Max asked, his voice a little low and sorrowful. Tyson didn't respond, didn't say a word. He just played with the little food on his plate, pushing some of what was supposed to be grits around and around the circle of his dish. Max tried again, "Tyson?"
"Huh?" The addressed hardly looked up as he answered, but went immediately back to spacing out before Max could inquire anything further.
"Something's not right," observed Ray. "Are you sure he's – "
"Shhh! He's right there!" hissed Kenny.
"Yeah, but I don't think he's listening," objected Max. He looked at Tyson a minute before he jumped back in the conversation. "This isn't his usual self. Even after..." He cut himself off, afraid Tyson was listening.
"True," agreed Kenny.
"That's what I'm saying. Doesn't he always say at least something? Complain about Hilary, ask us to pass something to him? He at least talks..."
"You don't think – "started Max, and everyone stared at him. Nobody finished the sentence, scared of what it could mean. Would Hilary break up with Tyson?
"I highly doubt it." The voice came once again from Kai. "They love each other too much to lose faith in each other at this point."
"Wow, two sentences," Dizzi attempted at a joke. Again, no one laughed or even smiled.
"Don't worry about it," said Tyson feebly. Everyone jerked their heads at him, unaware that he had listened in.
"Oh, man." (Max)
"Busted." (Ray)
"Uh-oh, boys." (Dizzi)
"Sorry, Tyson," Kenny tried to explain. "It's just that we were worried and – "
"Yeah, I heard the whole thing," Tyson replied, though sadly. "It's only right I guess since I suppose you heard the argument, right?"
"Ummm." None of them knew what to say. True, it was unavoidable to hear, but how do you tell that to someone that was in it?
"It's okay, guys," forgave Tyson. "I know how loud it was. You couldn't help it, huh? I'm sorry you had to hear it."
"Well, we didn't hear the entire thing, if it eases your mind," offered Ray.
"Maybe you should ask him for the play-by-play," joked Dizzi. Everyone got silent (er).
"It's alright. I don't mind. You'll find out anyway." Tyson sighed. "I didn't want to start the summer like this."
Max patted his buddy on the back, trying to cheer him up. "It's okay, pal. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
There was momentary tension in the atmosphere as Tyson just sat there. Everyone caught their breath as he said, "She dumped me."
"What?!" (Max)
"That can't be." (Ray)
"Seriously?" (Kenny)
"Mm-hm. But I really wish it hadn't been like this. I would rather it have been when we were in France with the Majestics. Remember the so-called "chemistry" between Enrique and Hilary and I thought she'd dump me for him? At least if she'd broken it off there, she would've been happy."
"Really?" Max was confused, sort of (my normal state of mind).
"Then she would've had someone to run to, but now we're back and she had...only...me." He slowly lost his words in the guilt trip and rose to go back to his room. Nothing on his plate had been consumed. "I half wish she had broken up with me for another guy." That was all he had to say as he left.
"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Max as Tyson was almost through the door.
"No," came the answer as the door shut.
Ray, concerned once again, said, "You know, when I said Tyson should eat less, I didn't mean like this." The rest nodded.
They began to clean up the mess breakfast had made. No one noticed that Kai was missing.
You could hear the bickering all the way down the hall. It was Hilary versus Tyson again, and everyone knew that Hilary would win. Don't worry, there was no violence in these fights, just arguing. But ever since Tyson had asked her out last year (they're 16 now (), he pretty much let her have her way. Usually.
"You act as though I want this!" She shouted, so loud that Max and the rest of the team could hear it in the dojo. They tried not to listen, really they did, but it was...just not possible to tune out the couple, even from Tyson's bedroom. It was hard to have breakfast in peace with them screaming at each other. They all used to get along so well, too.
"Well how am I supposed to know that? You sure seem like you do!" returned Tyson, furious that Hilary would start this up so early. His stomach growled, almost in agreement, giving Hilary another reason to pounce on him.
"That's another thing! You're always eating. It can't be too healthy for you. I've been trying to get you to go on a diet for sometime, but noo. You just keep on being a human garbage dump!"
"Excuse me?!"
"You think we should go break this up?" whispered Max, concerned for the relationship of his friends. The two in Tyson's room just kept going on about his eating habits.
"Nah," advised Dizzi. "Best to let the two handle it on their own."
"She's right," said Kai, in the corner. By himself, as usual. He didn't have to talk too loudly over the noise, and everyone in the room got quiet every time he spoke, always ready to listen. "These things are better left to the people involved. Which we're not."
"Yeah. But Hilary does have a point," Ray commented. "Eating so much can't be good for you. Should we do something about that?"
"Where does he put it all?" joked Max, though no one thought it funny. "He's like a human crater."
At this point, the argument ended and Kenny shushed the others as Hilary ran through and out the room. Tears streamed across her face, and some areas were blotchy. She didn't say a word as she quickly closed the door, grabbing her backpack on the way out. Tyson came in a second later, and sat down on the floor between the Chief and Max. He looked at the door, as though debating whether to follow her, but he shook his head slightly and started dishing out his breakfast, reducing the servings to half of what Kai would eat.
"You okay, Tyson?" Max asked, his voice a little low and sorrowful. Tyson didn't respond, didn't say a word. He just played with the little food on his plate, pushing some of what was supposed to be grits around and around the circle of his dish. Max tried again, "Tyson?"
"Huh?" The addressed hardly looked up as he answered, but went immediately back to spacing out before Max could inquire anything further.
"Something's not right," observed Ray. "Are you sure he's – "
"Shhh! He's right there!" hissed Kenny.
"Yeah, but I don't think he's listening," objected Max. He looked at Tyson a minute before he jumped back in the conversation. "This isn't his usual self. Even after..." He cut himself off, afraid Tyson was listening.
"True," agreed Kenny.
"That's what I'm saying. Doesn't he always say at least something? Complain about Hilary, ask us to pass something to him? He at least talks..."
"You don't think – "started Max, and everyone stared at him. Nobody finished the sentence, scared of what it could mean. Would Hilary break up with Tyson?
"I highly doubt it." The voice came once again from Kai. "They love each other too much to lose faith in each other at this point."
"Wow, two sentences," Dizzi attempted at a joke. Again, no one laughed or even smiled.
"Don't worry about it," said Tyson feebly. Everyone jerked their heads at him, unaware that he had listened in.
"Oh, man." (Max)
"Busted." (Ray)
"Uh-oh, boys." (Dizzi)
"Sorry, Tyson," Kenny tried to explain. "It's just that we were worried and – "
"Yeah, I heard the whole thing," Tyson replied, though sadly. "It's only right I guess since I suppose you heard the argument, right?"
"Ummm." None of them knew what to say. True, it was unavoidable to hear, but how do you tell that to someone that was in it?
"It's okay, guys," forgave Tyson. "I know how loud it was. You couldn't help it, huh? I'm sorry you had to hear it."
"Well, we didn't hear the entire thing, if it eases your mind," offered Ray.
"Maybe you should ask him for the play-by-play," joked Dizzi. Everyone got silent (er).
"It's alright. I don't mind. You'll find out anyway." Tyson sighed. "I didn't want to start the summer like this."
Max patted his buddy on the back, trying to cheer him up. "It's okay, pal. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
There was momentary tension in the atmosphere as Tyson just sat there. Everyone caught their breath as he said, "She dumped me."
"What?!" (Max)
"That can't be." (Ray)
"Seriously?" (Kenny)
"Mm-hm. But I really wish it hadn't been like this. I would rather it have been when we were in France with the Majestics. Remember the so-called "chemistry" between Enrique and Hilary and I thought she'd dump me for him? At least if she'd broken it off there, she would've been happy."
"Really?" Max was confused, sort of (my normal state of mind).
"Then she would've had someone to run to, but now we're back and she had...only...me." He slowly lost his words in the guilt trip and rose to go back to his room. Nothing on his plate had been consumed. "I half wish she had broken up with me for another guy." That was all he had to say as he left.
"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Max as Tyson was almost through the door.
"No," came the answer as the door shut.
Ray, concerned once again, said, "You know, when I said Tyson should eat less, I didn't mean like this." The rest nodded.
They began to clean up the mess breakfast had made. No one noticed that Kai was missing.