Wow, it has been forever since I've updated this story, and I am very sorry. But I am now, and that's what counts right?
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 7
Ty's POV- Two days later- Sunday
I glanced at the rack of polo shirts and mindlessly picked up a green and white one. I draped it over my arm and ventured towards the rack of jeans. Finding my size I walked over to the cashier and set down my items.
"Will that be all?" the boy behind the counter asked, smacking his gum relentlessly.
"Yeah." I nodded, pulling out my wallet from my back pocket, sifting through my remaining money. There wasn't much there and I gladly pulled out my 'emergency' credit card, smiling at the fact that apparently my father didn't remember he'd given it to me, so he had yet to cancel it.
"That'll be credit?" the boy asked as I handed him my credit card. I squinted my eyes at him in wonder. Was he seriously asking me that as I handed him the credit card. I wasn't planning on answering him when he looked at my questioningly, like he honestly wasn't sure.
I nodded.
He slipped the credit card through the cash register and rang up my items. I waited patiently as he slowly, but surely, folded the clothes and stuffed them into a bag. I took the bag and my receipt and high tailed it out of there. I sighed as I walked to my car. I climbed into the backseat and began to change my clothes. It was nighttime so I wasn't worried that anyone would see me, and I was too tired to care. When I finished I climbed into the front seat, started the car, and headed down the highway, cursing myself the whole way.
An Hour Later.
The gravel beneath my tires crunched as I drove up the drive. I cringed every time, dreading the fact that someone might have heard me. I parked behind my mothers car and climbed out of the car, sighing as I looked up at the large house that was home. An internal battle raged within me as I crept up the front stairs and searched for the spare key above the doorframe. I found it and slipped it into the well oiled lock. I opened the door slowly and slipped through, smiling when no one came running and no lights flickered on.
I started to tiptoe up the marble stairs and almost slipped on a knee pad. Lee, I shook my head. When I got to the top of the stairs I took a left, away from my parents room and head towards the west wing of the house. I silently tiptoed past many doors then turned a corner, home free from my parents. I started to walk regularly, thinking I was safe, when a door burst open and there stood Lee.
"Dude," he punched my arm, "Where the hell have you been. Mom's been freaking up a storm. She's been even worse than usual, like, yelling at my for putting my feet on the table!" I shook my head and embraced my little brother, ruffling his hair as I put him in a head lock. Lee and I had always been close, hitting and fighting, but always close. It's how we communicated.
"What's up little bro?" I whispered as I let him go.
"Nothing with me, I knew you'd be back. But mom has been running around, calling everyone, crying, and yelling. Mainly at dad, she blames him." I nodded and solemnly started down the hall towards my room. I motioned him to follow and he did. My room was large with lots of space. Against the far right wall was a four post mahogany king size bed draped in dark green covers, with a barely lighter shade of green sheets. The walls were also green, but almost black. There were large french doors across from my door that led out onto a balcony. Across the door were dark beige drapes. To the left of the doors was a large entertainment system, complete with a large screen t.v. I walked towards a couch situated in front of the t.v and sat down, reveling in the leather.
"So," Lee plopped down in a recliner next to the couch and looked at me. "Why did you leave?"
"Well Amy," I lowered my eyes as I spoke her name, "the girl I work with, was in an accident and it really upset me. Dad came home as I was telling mom what happened and he didn't know I was there. He started talking about how he went to Heartland to check it out and how he didn't want me working there because they were lower in society than we were and he didn't want me socializing with them." Lee raised his eyebrows in curiosity and disgust. We agreed on the antics of our father. "Yeah. And so I freaked out on him, swearing and insulting him. Then I left and went to Calico Springs. I stayed in a motel but realized I was missing school and I had to come back."
"Wow, dude. Well, props to you for telling dad off, but really you should have thought a little more before you left." I shook my head in confusion and he waved his hands in front of him as he spoke, "Well first off you knew mom would be worried sick. And even worse than that, you knew that it would, like, kill my chances of avoiding them. You totally put me in a tight spot." I laughed at him and threw a throw pillow at his head.
"Get out, I need sleep. Oh, and don't tell mom or dad I'm home, ok?"
"Why?" Lee asked as he opened my door.
"Because I want to tell mom, and dad doesn't deserve to know." Lee nodded and waved goodbye before he shut my door. With all my left over strength I heaved myself off the couch, stripped down to my boxers, and climbed into bed, sighing in bliss.
Next Day- 6:30 am.
I woke to the sound of a knocking at my door. I groaned and burrowed deep into the covers, dreading the fact that it might be my mother.
"Ty, get your lazy ass out of bed." I heard Lee lift my clock up, "I knew you wouldn't set your alarm. Come on, wake up." suddenly my covers were whipped off of me and I curled into the fetal position, throwing a kick at him, hitting him in the leg. "Ouch, damn it Ty!" he slapped the back of my head, hard, and then jumped onto the bed.
"Wake. Up." he chanted with every jump. I groaned in anger and then flung my arm out as he jumped in the air, hitting the back of his knees, causing him to fall to the bed, mid air, with an airy oof.
"Shut. Up." I chanted as I punch him repeatedly, my eyes still closed. He grabbed my hand and folded it onto the bed, he then rolled onto me, putting me in a head lock and flipping me over. I sighed and preceded to wrestle with him until finally he was in a ball on my bed with my sitting on him, bored.
"Give up?" I yawned.
"Mo, moo meated!" he mumbled through the pillow over his head.
"There is no cheating. We established that rule years ago." I jumped, landing on him as he groaned under my weight.
"Mine, met up."
"You give up?"
"Mess!" I got up off of him and walked towards my closet, pulling out a pair of blue jeans and a brown, white, and blue polo and a white t-shirt. As I passed the bed to my bathroom I pushed him onto the bed as he stood up.
"Thanks for waking me, little bro." he glared at me and I chuckled, closing the door in his angry face.
An hour later- 7:45
I tiptoed down the hall until I came to the top of the stairs. I looked out a window situated there and sighed in relief, dad was out back, smiling as his first client of the day walked into his home office. (His dad's a lawyer with his own private firm. He's the only lawyer in Jefferson. He built a large office on his land.) I took to walking normally and was about to leave when I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, mom. I walked down a long hall until I came to the kitchen door. I glanced in and saw my mom loading the dish washer. I tiptoed up to her, and smiled when I heard her humming. I leaned down and let me hands hover near her face before laying them over her eyes.
"Guess who?" I whispered and my mom swung around, eyes wide and brimming with tears.
"Ty!" she jumped at me, landing on me in a big hug. I laughed and hugged her back, thanking God I had her as a mother. "Oh, baby, when did you get home?"
"Last night." she looked at me in confusion.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to wake you up mom. Plus I don't want to talk to dad." At the mention of my father my mother's stance became rigid.
"I haven't wanted to talk to him either." she looked at me, her hand flitting over my face and body, "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine mom."
"Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" she looked close to tears.
"I was staying at a motel in Calico Springs. I came back because of school and the fact that I have no more money. I needed somewhere to go." she looked as though I'd struck her. "Mom, I love you, you know that. But dad really pissed me off and I would have rather found my own apartment than come back here, but I don't have the money for that. I wanted to come back because of you too, mom. It's not your fault I don't want to be here, please don't think that." I pulled her into another hug and then pulled back.
"Don't tell dad I'm here, I don't want him to know. Well I should be leaving, school starts soon." she nodded and then looked down, defeated. "Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Do you need anything? I'm going to try and delay after school until I have to come home so if you need anything, from the store or whatever, I can go for you." she looked overjoyed at the fact that I actually cared, and I was glad that was out of the way. She handed me a list of items she needed and then I left.
I walked out to my car, hidden from view from my father, and climbed in. I drove in silence to school and parked at the end of the parking lot. My eyes unwillingly looked down the long row of cars and spotted Amy's red convertible parked about twenty cars from mine on the opposite side of the lot. I sighed and started to take deep breaths, readying myself for the day, and seeing Amy in home room.
When I felt ready enough I climbed out of the rental car and started to walk towards school. I entered and felt as if everyone should be staring at me, but no one was. Apparently Amy had kept to herself on what had happened. I walked to my locker and got all the books I would need for my first few periods of the day and then walked towards my home room.
"Hey Mr. Brailer." I smiled at my teacher and he looked surprised to see me.
"Hey Ty, long time no see." I nodded and walked up to his desk with my agenda and a pen. He was my home room teacher but also my science teacher later on in the day.
"Did I miss any homework?" I asked.
"Not really. We have a big test this Friday so we mainly just went over everything, to get you guys ready for it. There is this review sheet that counted as a grade though." he handed it to me and I thanked him. I had almost twenty minutes before school started so I went around to all my teachers and got the homework I missed. It was still the beginning of the year so homework wasn't too hefty and I knew I'd be able to finish almost everything in my one study hall and maybe an hour at home. Not too bad.
Finally the bell rang and I hurried to home room, wanting to get there before Amy. I walked to the back of the room, last seat, last row, and sat down. I looked around and didn't see Amy. The second bell rang and Amy still wasn't there. I looked down at my paper in guilt. She must have been too hurt to come to school. Did she want to let her bruises fade before coming to school? Was she woozy in the head still? I began to scribble nonsense on my notebook, mad at myself for everything that had happened. Now me and Amy weren't even friends. I sat wallowing in my grief when I felt a pair of eyes on me. Call it a sixth sense if you must. I glanced up and met a pair of wide, startling gray eyes watching me. Amy. She sat three rows down, and two seats in front of me. I was surprised, she must have come in late. I expected her to look away in anger, but she didn't. She held my gaze until finally I smiled, the littlest bit, so little it shouldn't even be defined as a smile, merrily a small lift in the lips. She looked away.
Home room ended and I walked out the door, once again feeling her eyes on me, but not meeting her gaze.
Lunch
"Ty, man, where have you been!" Jake looked up, startled, as I sat down opposite him.
"Gone." I stated, still angry at the way Amy had looked away.
"Well, thanks for informing me on that. No shit you were 'gone'. I mean why?" he studied me. "Was it about what happened with Amy? Did you feel guilty or something?" I looked up, surprised.
"Who told you what happened?"
"Amy..." he looked confused as to why this made me fidget in my seat.
"What did she tell you?" I tried to sound casual, but knew I sounded frantic.
"That you guys went on a trail ride, were racing, she was ahead of you, and then you found her." I sighed in relief and once again, guilt. She had lied...why? Was it because she didn't want anyone to know that she was angry at him? Or was it that she didn't want anyone to know what had happened between them?
"Oh, yeah. Well maybe I felt a little guilty." I decided to tell a little of the truth to Jake.
"Why man? I mean it's not like you provoked her to race or anything, she was willing." Yeah, willing.
"Yeah." I looked towards Amy's table, she wasn't there yet. "How is she?"
"She's ok. Her bruises were pretty bad but they're fading." I nodded. "The internal bleeding or whatever caused her to be dizzy a lot, but that's mainly gone now too. The only lasting effect it the fact that she's been getting migraines once in a while. The doctors say that its normal and they should be going away soon." I looked up. Migraines.
"Oh." I took to eating my lunch, ignoring Jake until he finally turned to Aaron and started to talk to him. A while later I got up to dump my lunch when I bumped into someone walking the other way.
"I'm sor..." I looked down at Amy and gulped. She stood there, not glaring, but not staring in a very nice way. "Amy."
She studied me, and I studied her. The bruises along her left cheekbone looked raw, but not too bad. Her skin had a light purplish tint to it, not too bad though. The bandage around her head was gone, and her hair covered any scar or stitches if they were there.
"Ty." she finally spoke. Her voice was low, soft, slightly resentful.
"H-How are you?" I stuttered. She noticed and her figure slowly relaxed.
"I'm better." she sighed, rubbing her temple. "How about you?"
"Me?" I must have looked truly befuddled.
"Well, you left town. Your parents called." I nodded. This polite, stiff talk was starting to bug me. We needed to actually talk, and I had to know why she lied.
"I'm fine. Look I think we need to ta..." she cut me off in a wave of her hand as her body became rigid again and she took to glaring at me, as if just remembering what happened.
"I have to go Ty, I told Soraya I'd help her with...something." she left me standing there and I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Especially when I became flustered around her.
After school.
I walked into the grocery store, still trying to dissect what had happened with Amy. I knew that she was mad about Ashley and I, and that I couldn't help. I knew that she might blame me for her accident, and that I could apologize for. And I also knew that when I was around her my heart skipped a beat and I felt like I couldn't breath, and she wouldn't appreciate that. I didn't think. I knew that wasn't natural, and I knew that she didn't feel the same way. You didn't see her stuttering. I couldn't feel that way, whatever that was. But I had to talk to her, had to have her forgive me. We could be friends...
"Ty!" I spun around in aisle 6 with a basket full of milk, broccoli, and chicken to look at Lou.
"Hey." I smiled slightly. She walked towards me and before I knew it she was hugging me. Impulsively my arms went around her and hugged her back. I heard her quietly sob into my shoulder and I creased my eyebrows in confusion, and then started to rub up and down her back with my hands.
"Lou, what's wrong?" I whispered as she pulled away, wiping her eyes.
"I didn't mean to start crying, I'm sorry. Blame the damn hormones." I laughed and she smiled slightly. "What I meant to say before I started blabbing was thank you. I never did get to do that, did I?"
"Thank you for what?"
She looked totally taken aback, "For saving Amy's life of course! The doctors told me that if it weren't for your fast action she might have died." I remembered vaguely what the doctor had said that day when I'd gone to see Amy.
"It was no problem Lou. I did what anyone would have done. I'm just glad she's ok."
"Ty, please don't make what you did any less than it was. It was magnificent and I can't even begin to thank you enough. Without you I might not have a sister anymore." she looked on the brink of crying again and I couldn't bear that.
"Ok, ok. Your welcome. But really, anyone would have done it." she shook her head as if to disagree but I stopped her. "Yes, it's true. But if you really feel that you need to thank me, which you don't, than I'm glad to have helped."
"So, uh," she wiped her eyes again, "Why did you leave?"
I was about to lie, about to come up with some other reason, but I couldn't. "I felt guilty, about what happened. And when I went home my dad said some things to me that made me really mad, so I left. I stayed at a motel in Calico Springs. I got home last night."
"Oh. That's reasonable I guess. Although you have nothing to feel guilty for, she was ahead of you racing, you couldn't help it." the lie. She'd told everyone the same thing. "But I can understand you had a lot going on and then your dad did something to anger you. I see why you might have left." I nodded. "So, when are you coming back?" she asked casually.
"Back?" I choked out in confusion.
"To Heartland?" she stared at me. "To work? You are coming back aren't you?"
"Um, well, I wasn't sure what with everything that happened. I haven't really thought about it..." she cut me off.
"Ty, like I said, none of this was your fault. You saved her life, not endangered it. So of course you'll come back." she paused as if what she was about to tell me was secret. "To be totally honest, we need you. Amy's a lot better since the accident but she still get's these horrible headaches and it makes it hard for her to work. I'm almost nine months pregnant, I'm not supposed to be doing anything strenuous, but I've been having to help out. Grandpa also. So you see," she pleaded with me, "We need you. Amy needs help." A rush of guilt swept over me again and although I didn't want to, I knew that I was going back to work.
"When?" Lou looked overjoyed and seemed to think for a second.
"Well truthfully, now...today. But if that's too short of notice I'll understand, if you need to come tomorrow. I mean it would be helpful today if you..."
"I'll come today. I just need to do a few quick errands for my mom and then I'll be over, ok?"
"Yes! Thank you so much Ty, for everything. You're a life saver...literally." she laughed at her own joke as she walked towards a cash register.
I finished shopping for my mom and then went home, avoiding my dad at all costs. He was in the middle of a very large case, so that wasn't too hard. My mom tried doting on me, seeing as though it had been a while, but I continued to push her away, pleading other things to do. I dressed for work and climbed into the rental, breathing deeply as I headed towards Heartland. I needed to talk to Amy.
I pulled in the drive and was surprised to see no one was home. Lou's SUV was nowhere in sight, and Jacks pick up wasn't there either. The only car was a red convertible, situated near the barn. I climbed out of the car and walked slowly towards the house.
"Hello?" I called when I stepped into the kitchen. No one answered. I walked out into the yard and into the front barn, I greeted all the horses, I had missed them. When I saw no one in the front barn I walked towards the back barn. I looked down into Sundance's stall and frowned. Amy stood next to Sunny, a grooming kit at her feet. A currycomb was in her right hand, but she wasn't grooming him. Her forehead was resting on his large form and her fingers were lightly massaging her temples. She was obviously in pain. She groaned and I decided to make my presence known. I opened the stall door and walked in, she still didn't hear me. She was lost in her own pain and thoughts. I placed my hand on her shoulder,
"Amy?" she jumped and shrieked, scared, and turned on me. Her eyes were wide in fright, and her hand went immediately to her heart when she saw it was me.
"Ty, you scared me. What are you doing here?" she was breathing hard.
"I came to work. Lou convinced me." she stared at me like she didn't believe me. Then one of her hands went back to her temple. "Are you ok? Do you have another migraine?"
She nodded and then looked at me quickly, "How do you know I've been having migraines?"
I chuckled darkly, put out at the fact she was still wary with me. Her voice was hard, untrusting. "Jake and Lou. I asked how you were."
"Well, I'm fine. You don't even need to be here. What did Lou say to you?"
"That you were getting bad headaches and it was hindering your work. That she was having to help you even when she's pregnant. I decided to come back, I don't want her to be doing that, she might go into premature labor." I lied. This was part of it, but I think we both knew I wanted to talk to her.
"Like you care!" she barked a laugh. "All you care about is Ashley, right Ty? Why don't you go work at Green Briar with her, I bet she could use your...help." I never knew someone could make the word help sound so dirty.
"Amy, you don't know what your talking about! Ashley was one time, and I was drunk. Have you ever heard of that? You know, where your intoxicated and tend to do stupid things you wouldn't normally do?"
She glared at me, "Oh, so if you were sober you wouldn't of had sex with her, Ty?"
"No, Amy, I wouldn't have. God is that so hard to believe!" I almost shouted when she looked at me in disbelief. "Is it so hard to believe that I have morals? That I only sleep with people I love...usually? I don't love her Amy, if that's what your thinking. It was a one time thing, and I am ashamed of it. If you want the truth, if you want me to be truly honest, the reason I regret what I did the most is because it turned you against me. It hurt you. I hurt you." on the last part my voice lowered until it was just above a whisper. I didn't think she'd heard it.
She looked started at my confession. "You slept with her Ty. I know you were drunk, but that doesn't justify the whole thing. If you were truly set against sleeping with her, even in your drunken state you wouldn't have. So that means some part of you wanted it..." she paused, her voice soft, tired. "wanted her."
I absorbed this, thinking it over. I was trying to escape my parents, trying to rebel against them. Yes, maybe some part of me wanted it...some part of me knew that it would hurt them, so I did it. "You know Amy. Maybe your right." she looked hurt. "I was new here, and I was mad at my parents. Maybe the fact that I was trying to rebel had something to do with it. I wanted to make them mad, I wanted to do something rebellious to the extreme, so maybe I wanted to sleep with someone." I paused. "And maybe it just so happens that it was Ashley, and not the person I really wanted to be with." I stared at her pointedly, shocked at the fact that I had voiced this. I hadn't planned on it.
She understood my meaning, I knew she did. But for some reason, she pretended not to. "Look Ty, it doesn't matter anymore. I realize that. I don't know why I got mad. It's not like there was something between us or anything." she said this as a question. Like my answer would change everything. If I said I thought there had been something, then maybe there could be something again. But if I went with what she said, that there was nothing, than nothing would happen. I studied her, taking in her confused, anxious eyes. I was hurt when she said this, but I decided that if she never felt anything, I wasn't about to let her know I had. I would get over it.
"Your right. There wasn't." I saw her eyes drop, but ignored it. "So," I paused. "Friends?" She looked up, and I caught her gaze. There was an unreadable expression in her eyes, some kind of emotion that I had never seen before. Raw.
Her voice was emotionless when she answered, stiff. "Friends." My heart flipped when she said this, but I ignored it. I stuck out my hand and we shook.
I looked at her before walking away, down the center aisle. I heard her muttering something as I went. All I could make out was one word, spoken in a sad voice,
"Friends."
Author Note: Well, I finally updated this story! And I have the next few chapters planned out. And I'd like to say thank you to HorseLover20693 for giving me a wonderful idea. She suggested another party, and at first I didn't like the idea. I thought it would be too much like the second chapter, but last night I got to thinking about things between Amy and Ty. And I came up with a PERFECT scene. And the one thing that would make it better is if it were at a party. So for all who end up liking the party scene, when I get to it (and I think it's going to be a personal favorite. I can't WAIT to write it), thanks to HorseLover20693 for the environment, and unknowing inspiration.