A/N: So, its been awhile since I've updated this one. I just got some inspiration, not sure where it came from, maybe just my enthusiastic need to write something, but nevertheless, a new chapter has come. And unbelievably the next chapter is almost halfway done too. Yay! I've missed my Covenant-dom, and hopefully I'll even have something new for all of you! :)
Chapter Nine
Make it Right
He couldn't remember the last time he was this fidgety; this uneasy. He had been on pins and needles ever since the run in with Chase in Andover and then the meeting with his best friends that followed thereafter.
Would Chase blackmail him? Would he really throw Tyler under the bus like that in order to get what he wanted? Tyler didn't put it past the maniac. And he knew he couldn't afford to tell his friends the truth.
He would have to straighten up a little bit, and keep all parts of his other life on the down low at least for a little while longer. He had to try his damnedest to get himself out of this mess.
He could go without using for awhile, he knew he could. He always believed that if the time came he could quit when he needed too, and it looked like the time was now.
His best bet was to get to Chase, and get rid of him before he could make any sort of contact with the rest of the Covenant. His thoughts drifted to the Covenants last meeting with Chase, and how he had put a damper on their entire first week back at school.
The torture that he put them through, along with Sarah and Kate. Sarah and Kate. He pursed his lips together in thought, Max. If he went after Sarah and Kate before, he may decide to go after Max.
That made Tyler's stomach squirm unnaturally. If anything happened to Max he would never forgive himself. He hadn't heard from her since their falling out at the diner, before Chase showed up. Now that the seed was planted in his head, that bothered him.
He grabbed his cell phone and dialed her number quickly. After three rings it went to voicemail—he hung up and tried again. After three failed attempts, he continued to call except the last time he decided to leave a message.
"Max, hey it's me… I'm sorry about the other day. Look, I really need to talk to you… can you call me back, please?"
He hung up the phone and threw it across the room, frustrated.
It had been three days since the diner incident and he knew she was pissed at him, and he knew he would have to beg for her forgiveness, because the things he said to her were fucked up. He hated himself for upsetting her; he should have kept his mouth shut.
He gave himself a once over in the mirror and stopped when he barely recognized the person staring back at him. His stomach took another unnatural turn and for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off of himself.
"You look like shit, Simms…" A voice said from behind him.
His gaze moved from his reflection to that of the person behind him. He felt his entire body tense up and his jaw set tightly.
"See what I mean?" The person got closer to him and slung an arm around his shoulders. "You just don't look like yourself…"
"Fuck off," Tyler shrugged Chase's arm off. Chase mocked a hurt expression.
"Don't be so defensive Ty… you've got a lot to worry about…" He smirked evilly. "Including that tempting little piece of ass of yours, you know the one you were with at the diner?" He smirked and looked down at his hands. "You wouldn't want anything to—" A flame engulfed his eyes and then they went pitch black, "—happen, now would you?"
"You touch Max, and I'll kill you…" Tyler went to grab him and he disappeared.
"Don't worry about her Simms, she's fine… though you may want to start worrying about yourself…"
With that any presence of Chase was gone. Tyler stared in the mirror and then angrily took his aggression out on it, slamming his fist in to the glass. He winced feeling the sting immediately.
Mirror shards were all over the place, and blood was running down his arm. His mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. He knew he had to go check on Max just to be sure. He couldn't take anything Chase said for a grain of salt.
Grabbing his truck keys he didn't bother to clean up his mess or his arm and headed to his Hummer. Climbing in, he jammed the keys in to the ignition and took off without his phone.
The long drive to Andover took him mere minutes and he was out of his car and banging mercilessly on Max's front door. When there was no answer he surveyed around the house and found that no one was home.
Frustrated he walked back to his SUV and searched for his phone, realizing that he had forgotten it. He turned the truck off and sat in front of her house, waiting for her to come home. He felt the pain in his hand, but chose to ignore it, only glancing down to see if the bleeding had stopped—it had.
His mind was on overdrive, the worst case scenarios playing over and over again in his head. He didn't like Chase's tone; he didn't like that Chase knew who she was. He couldn't take it. He knew that things were going to get bad before they got better. That's how it always worked.
Tyler had been sitting outside of her house for what seemed like an eternity when a champagne colored Camry pulled in to the drive way. His eye twitched when he saw Max getting out of the passenger's seat, though there had been a slight hesitation, like she had leaned over the center console and kissed the driver.
Tyler had seen the driver, it was Trevor. That made his blood boil, though he was partially glad that she was ok and probably still pissed at him. He got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him, just as Trevor was pulling out of the driveway.
Max turned around sharply and narrowed her eyes at him, "What are you doing here?"
"Where have you been?" He asked, ignoring her question.
Max let her hand fall from the knob of her front door and it found its way to her hip, "Now, I have to answer to you?"
Tyler sighed and let his anger fall, he was jealous to see her with Trevor, he could admit that. But he wouldn't dare say it out loud. He got closer to her, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
"I'm sorry; I was worried about you…" He whispered his voice soft and full of emotion.
There was something in his tone that made Max stiffen. It sounded almost like fear, like he knew something was wrong, and he was making sure she was ok. She believed his words, that he was worried about her. It was actually comforting to know that he really did care about her.
"I've been out with Trevor," She tossed her thumb over her shoulder in the direction that Trevor had left in his Camry.
"Are you seeing him or something?" Tyler asked cautiously, trying not to sound like a jealous boyfriend, though he was failing miserably.
Max picked up on his tone, and a small smile spread across her face, "And if I am?"
"Max, please don't play games with me…" He mused feeling very tired from his mental struggle all morning long.
"I guess, kind of…" Max answered truthfully.
In reality, she was technically seeing him, but she wasn't really into it. Trevor was a nice guy, but he was too nice. He was everything she thought she wanted in a guy, but she realized that she was always comparing him to someone else; someone that he would never be.
Tyler.
Tyler felt his stomach tighten; he didn't like this news at all. The last thing he wanted was for Max to be dating some other guy. He felt the green monster taking over, and he knew he would have to control it before he said anything stupid again.
Before he could say anything, Max noticed the dry blood on his hand and looked up at him with timid eyes, "What happened?"
Tyler followed her gaze and shook his head, "It's nothing," He watched her face distort in to disbelief and he shook his head. "Honestly, I just got mad and punched the mirror…"
"See, the Tyler I used to know would never do that…" She whispered taking his hand in hers and looking over the injured area. "Trevor wouldn't do something like this…"
"Max, if this is about the other day…" He started off.
She scoffed, "It's not even about that Tyler, I like him…" He looked her in the eye and could tell that she was only telling him a partial truth. That made his insides flicker a little, there was still a chance.
"I'm still sorry about the things I said the other day, they were out of line…" He pulled her face in to his warm hands. "Max, I never want to hurt you like that,"
His eyes were pleading with her, and she swallowed hard—fighting the tears, "Ty, Stop…just—stop!"
"Stop what?" He questioned confused.
"Stop doing this to me, I can't take it anymore…."
It was Tyler's turn to swallow hard now. He stroked his thumbs over her cheeks and took a deep breath, "Tell me what I'm doing and I'll stop, I swear…" His voice broke slightly; he couldn't stand for this to be between them. He wanted her safe, he couldn't have her mad at him. If she were mad at him, she wouldn't see him and then he wouldn't know if Chase got to her or not.
"You're so sweet one minute, y'know and you tell me I'm beautiful and then the next you're a jerk and saying these crude things to me. I can't take the ups and downs like this…"
"It's not fair to you." Tyler finished for her. He pulled her in to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her smaller frame. He pressed his warm lips to her forehead. "I'll make it right again, Max, I swear it…"
She didn't know it but his words had a double meaning. He was going to fix what was between them, but he was also going to fix the problem at hand.
Chase.
Kind of short, but you get the point. Anywho, let me know what you think. I need a little R&R! :)
