Chapter Three: Cover Me In Formaldehyde
Can you see me?
Feel me breathing?
I'm dying inside
I'm to late to fade
I'm trapped inside
Your never ending empty eyes
-Cassie Steele
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Tyler, having told the sons to go on without him, waited out side the classroom's doorway for Jaden. He shoved his hand deep in his pocket, nervously thumbing at the folded peice of paper. He had come to a decision. This obviously wasn't going to go away until he confronted Chase. If seeing him one last time is what it took, then so be it. He could handle it...maybe.
Jaden finally made her way out of the room, smiling politely at Tyler. Noticing that he was alone, she approached him.
"So...did you change your mind by any chance?" She prompted hopefully, rocking on the balls of her feet.
"Yeah." Tyler affirmed, "Actually, I have."
Jaden nodded. God, the boy looked so nervous and distraught. Leave it to Chase to mess someone up so badly. A warning bell sounded, causing her to speed up their conversation a bit, "Okay, just find me after classes are over then." She suggested, already walking backwards down the hallway, Ty sent her a consenting nod before leaving to find the other sons.
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The majestic, in Tyler's mind anyway, Hummer pulled into the driveway of Jaden's house. She quickly explained that her foster parents were allowing her brother to stay with them until he got better. Tyler nodded and swallowed hard, hands shaking horribly. Jaden gave him a sympathetic smile before climbing out of the car. She ushered him past her parents and up the stairs, telling them that he was just a visitor for Chase, an old friend from school. She opened the door to the guest room where Chase was fast asleep on the bed. He was a whole lot skinner then Tyler remembered. He looked so fragile that Ty was sure if even a butterfly landed on him, he would crumble into thousands of little pieces. His stomach dropped and his gut wrenched. Why had he agreed to come again?
"I'll be across the hall if you need me." Jaden whispered. Tyler nodded, and she left the room, closing the door quietly as she could behind her. Tyler's bright blue eyes traveled back to the boy. He had the strongest urge to wake him, to gather Chase up in his arms and...but he couldn't do that, because he hated the boy. He absolutely loathed him for what he did, the secrets he withheld. He pulled down on the material of his hoodie, hands clenching so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Chase started to move, causing Tyler to forget every one of his thoughts. The boy's back was too him now, and he had no way of knowing whether or not he was awake. The older boy whimpered pathetically. Tyler frowned, his insides squirming uncomfortably. Chase called out his sister's name, his voice sounding even worse then he looked. Tyler began biting the inside of his mouth so feverishly that it started bleeding, the metallic taste of blood registered on his tongue. The boy rolled over onto his side. Those dark blue eyes, dulled from his sickened state, focused on Tyler. The boy's body stiffened, going completely rigid at the sight of him. Tyler shifted uncomfortably under his ex's gaze, his head bent down so that he was starring at his shoes.
"Tyler I'm so-"
Tyler's head snapped up and he give Chase a look of pure disdain, "Don't even. We both know you aren't."
Chase frowned, but didn't deny it. He wasn't sorry for attacking the 'precious' covenant. As far as he was concerned, they were the reason he had gotten addicted to using in the first place. "You're right. I'm not..." He admitted, his voice hoarse.
"Then why the hell am I here?" Tyler demanded, looking back down at the floor. He looked up again when he heard the bed creaking to see Chase trying to stand. His frown deepened, the boy barely looked like he had the energy to talk, let alone move. "Don't." He said quietly, his harsh tone considerably softer, "I'll come to you instead." He muttered under his breath. He walked over and sat down on the bed carefully. Chase went to hold the boy's hand, but Tyler flinched back.
"Please...just let me..." He tried again, and this time Ty let him, his bright blue eyes looking everywhere but at Chase. Tyler felt like he should be yelling until his ex went def or his throat started to give out, whichever happened to come first. He couldn't bring himself to do that though. He still loved Chase, he wasn't about to admit it, not even to himself, but he did.
"Why did you do it? Why didn't you tell me you were part of the covenant? Why-" He was cut off by the boy's hand clasping against his mouth.
"I did it because unlike you and the rest of your little covenant, I didn't know what was happening. No one was there to keep me from getting addicted. I did it because I needed more power. No-"
Tyler growled, shaking his head, still refusing to look at Chase, "You can't honestly think that's a good enough excuse for what you did."
Chase was silent for a long time, causing the tension between the two to grow even more intense. "It's not an excuse. It's my reason." He corrected in a whisper.
"It's a stupid reason." Tyler grumbled, sounding a lot like a little kid. Why had Chase gone and wrecked everything? It seemed like his life was finally going the way he had wanted it. He had even been prepared to come out to his friends, but then Chase had to go kill it all. The eldest boy chuckled a little, causing Ty to crack a smile.
"Forgive me?" He asked with a lopsided grin.
Tyler's frown returned, "I-i can't." He stuttered, chewing on the inside of his mouth again, he tried to disentangle their hands, but Chase wouldn't let him.
"I understand if you can't forgive me for what I did, but at least-" He stopped talking when Tyler finally brought his bright eyes up to look down at him. Silence hung over them for what felt like hours, but was actually only equivalent to a couple of seconds. "Ty-" Chase was silenced once more, this time by the soft caress of the younger boy's mouth on his own. His lips lingered for only a moment, terrified of deepening the kiss, Tyler sat back and looked down at the expression on Chase's face. Why had he done that? Why had he gone and kissed Chase. It was one of those moments where he had felt like he couldn't control his own actions. Like someone or something had possessed him, and made him lean forward to kiss the boy that he was pretty damn sure he still hated.
"I should go...Reid's going to get suspicious if I show up at the dorm really late." The other boy nodded, frowning when Tyler got off of the bed.
"Come back tomorrow." He said when the boy's hand slid over the brass doorknob.
The brunette turned around, a smile playing on his lips, "Was that a request or a demand?"
Chase grinned, "It was a demand."
Tyler's smile widened and he nodded, "I guess I have no choice then, now do I?" He said, although he really wasn't sure that he wanted to come back again. Spending more time with Chase would only mean falling for him again, and the boy had already betrayed him once. He was living on borrowed time now. What was the point of putting himself through that?
Chase hesitated for a moment before saying in a very low whisper, "I love you."
Tyler's smile wavered, "Bye Chase." He took a deep, slow breath and exited the room.
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Upon hearing the click of the guest room's door close, Jaden looked up from her bed to see Tyler emerge. He was leaning against the door, his eyes closed. She frowned sadly, pushing her tiny body off of the mattress. She walked toward him, resting against the doorframe of her own room,
"How'd it go?" She asked cautiously.
Tyler opened his eyes and looked her over for a moment. He hadn't know her every long, less than two day's time, but he trusted her...Just like he had trusted Chase. The thought made him uneasy. "Fine." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Here, let me give you my cell number. In case you decide to come see him again or something." She suggested, he nodded, and she went back into her room for a second. She returned to the hall with a scrap piece of paper.
"Hey...um, you know that blonde guy? The one you saw me hanging around." Tyler asked, feeling the need to warn her.
Jaden thought about it for a second, "Which one? There were two, weren't there?"
He nodded again, "Yeah, I mean the one with the shorter hair. The guy that was sitting with me today during English." He explained.
"Yeah, I remember him, why?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
"He has you on his radar, and let's just say he's a man whore...a bad one, because he's horrible with pick-up lines, but one nonetheless. So.." He ruffled his hair awkwardly, "Be careful."
She smiled, greatly amused, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
Tyler waved and started his descent down the stairs. She waited till he was out of sight to open the guest room's door, "So ho-" She stopped dead when she noticed the goofy grin plastered on her brother's lips. She hadn't seen him really smile since he had turned thirteen, "He kissed you didn't he?" She guessed, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, he did." Chase announced stupidly.
Jaden laughed, "G'night." She shook her head, and flipped the light switch off.
A/N: Well that anwsers that question. Yeah, Ty still goes to see Chase. I'm just making the story go a bit slower than before. Make it a bit easier to believe. Anyways, hopefully there will be somewhere around twenty five chapters. So expect updates!