Disclaimer: I don't own anything 'In A Heartbeat' related whatsoever. I only own the story, and the characters that I made up.
A/N: I really don't have anything to say. I just want to thank all of you who are reading/reviewing my stories. I really appreciate it.
Parent Trap
This Too Shall Pass
For the longest time, Val never realized that her family had access to so many channels. With her job and education, she never really had the time to just sit down and relax and do absolutely nothing. Then again, it was never her style to just sit down and do nothing. As she turned off the TV and listened to the silence, she noticed how pathetic her situation is at the moment. Her parents have a date and went to some fancy restaurant. Even Brooke had plans.
"This isn't fair," she said to herself as she headed upstairs.
Suddenly, the phone rang, and Val hurried to pick it up. She almost grabbed the phone when she realized that the other person on the line could be Tyler. She thought about it for a second and decided to let the machine pick it up.
"Me and my stupid pride."
She was fairly surprised when she heard Tyler's mom instead of him.
"Val? Are you there? This is Mrs. Con…"
Quickly, she picked it up.
"I'm right here. I was in the other room."
"That's fine. Do you happen to know where Tyler is?"
"I should be the last person to know."
"What happened?"
"We had a fight last night. That's why I didn't come."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Things have been really tense around here lately."
"Why are you looking for him?"
"He walked off in the middle of dinner."
"May I ask why?"
"He got upset at his dad. I can't really blame him. Matthew just went a little over the line."
"Did he say where he's going?"
"I called you to ask you that. Apparently, no one knows where he is. I called Hank, and he called some other kids, but they really have no idea."
"I hope he's all right."
"Me, too. Well, thanks for your help. I hope you two will work things out."
"Thanks. I'll call you if I hear anything."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Immediately, Val hung up and looked for her car keys and her jacket.
"I hope you're where I think you are."
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In five minutes, Val reached the EMS station. Val noticed that the lights were off, but she kept her hopes up. It was, she thought, the most likely place that he'll be. After she found the right key, she opened the door slowly and quickly headed towards the back of the building. A small smile crept on her face when she heard faint footsteps and the sound of a bouncing ball not too far away. She opened the door quietly and peeked to see what's going on.
To her dismay, Tyler definitely looked like he has been crying. It wasn't the first time that she saw him crying, but it was the worst emotional state that she ever saw him in. She made a move to approach him, but the sound of his cry stopped her. It was as if he was trying to let all of his anguish out… As though he was trying to tell the whole world.
Val formed tears in her eyes by just looking at him. She never knew how fragile a person can become. Tyler threw the ball in the air and out of nowhere, he threw a couple of punches on the pole of the basketball ring. After that, he collapsed on the floor with his back on the wall. Val saw him put his head down, which she assumed that he returned to crying once again. Cautiously, she approached him and seated herself on his side.
"Don't hurt yourself," she whispered. "You won't be able to do anything with a broken hand."
Tyler looked up, but he didn't say anything.
"Please say something, Tyler. Talk to me. I hate seeing you like this."
"Are you still mad at me?"
"I was never mad at you. I was just disappointed. Like your mother said, things have been tense lately."
"You talked to my mom?"
"She called me earlier. She's really worried about you."
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. I have never seen you like this, Tyler, and it scares me."
"Don't be. I'm fine."
"What happened? What did your dad say?"
"He said a lot of things. I said a lot of things."
"Do you want to tell me what happened? I really want to help you."
Tyler paused before he resumed talking.
"Everything was fine while we were eating. When I announced my decision, everything just turned upside-down. I messed it up. The next thing I know, things were said and started going out of control. My dad started saying stuff that made upset. That's an understatement."
"What did he talk about?"
"He made some comments about Hank… Jamie and Caitie… my mom and William… You."
"What exactly did he say?"
"You don't want to know, but it was enough to push my buttons that words just started coming out of my mouth. It's like this hole opened and everything that I was thinking and feeling for the past years just started pouring out. Before I could stop myself, the damage has been done."
"What did you say to him?"
"I said many things, Val."
"Which ones did you regret saying?"
"I told him that even though William and I had problems, he was a better father to me than my dad ever was. I told him that you make me happy, and that it's more than he can afford. I said that he had no right to say that he loved me. I said that he should do me a huge favor and just leave. And I said to him to stay out of my life for good because I didn't want him in it."
"Is that really what you want?"
"Of course not. It wasn't my reason who was talking. It was my anger. I know that I hurt him really bad."
"I'm sure he understood."
"What if he leaves and never comes back again?"
"Well, the only way of finding out is to talk to him. If he really loves you, then he'd understand."
"Do you really think so?"
"I know so."
Silence hovered above them for a few moments before Val spoke up.
"Can you tell me what your dad said about me?"
"Val, I really don't think that you should know what he said."
"Not even a small hint?"
"Why do you want to know so much?"
"I'm just curious."
"Let's just say that he said things that you never were."
Val gave a faint smile before speaking once again.
"So, does this mean that you chose to stay?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you are staying."
"I guess I am."
"So you chose LA for Kingsport then?" she asked with a hint of dejection.
"I didn't say that either."
"Then what did you decide?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out."
"Ugh, I hate you so much right now."
"Well, that doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you, you know that."
"I know you do."
"It doesn't hurt to say it once in a while though."
"No, it doesn't," she smiled. "How's your hand?"
"I think I broke it."
"Come on, let's fix that and get out of here before anyone finds out."
"Don't you mean Alex?"
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The last chapter of this story will be out soon. I hope you liked I and don't forget to review. I'll be back! ~ Scarlet182
