Wandering the streets. That's all Tyler did.
The sky was getting cloudy, as rain was being stored up above. Just getting ready for the downpour which would come in the next hour or so.
Tyler didn't want to return home. He knew his mother was expecting him, but that phone call and her words really had shaken him up and hurt him on the inside.
He sighed heavily as he walked the streets of Toronto, and looked ahead into the distance, seeing his house far away, expecting him.
But he just didn't want that.
He turned around and began heading to a Mac Donalds down the road. He gulped, feeling guilty for not coming home straight away right then, but he got in the small queue of people for the takeout.
When he stood there, ordering his meal, he glanced around nervously... afraid someone would see right through him and yell.
Get home RIGHT NOW!
But luckily that fear was only in his head.
Once his big Mac meal had been cooked, he took the wrapped up burger, fries and coke on a tray and just sat by himself against the window.
As he watched the outside world, he heard the heavy rumble of thunder, then saw a lightning bolt light up the sky as it struck the high points of the city with all its power.
He slowly, still watching the outside world, took up his burger and took a bite of it, munching quietly.
In a second the clouds could be heard collapsing in on themselves and torrential rain suddenly released from the sky, pouring down heavily into the world below.
He watched as customers sitting down at the other seats, peered with shock and horror at the commanding rain, some pointing even to the erupting sky up above.
Tyler wasn't feeling as frazzled as them but did have a small pit of fear as the rain turned into a storm and the winds were blowing the trees savagely.
He took another bite of his Big Mac, then sipped the coke from a straw. His eyes never moving away from the storm that pounded outside.
He sat there, tensing a little bit when the lights flickered slightly and everyone quickly turned their eyes to the ceiling to see if they had just imagined that or not.
He suddenly heard his phone begin to ring and he picked it out of his pocket, looking at his mother's number, and he frowned sadly. He declined the call, and then did something not expected. He shut off his phone.
Was that wise... or dumb? He didn't really care. She had hurt him deeply and he just needed to be by himself.
~x~
Mei was in her bedroom, watching the lashing rain from her window. She was sitting on her bed, as worry ran through her, and could hear her father's footsteps as he poked open her door, checking in on her.
"Are you okay, Mei?"
She froze in her position, still watching the rainfall, and turned to her father, smiling nervously.
"It's just... Tyler's mum really went off at him... b-because," She took a sad sigh out, "...of me."
Jin's eyes opened a little more up when she said this and he simply responded with a confused face, "Oh."
"I'm scared, Dad," Mei said back, tears beginning to well at the corners of her eyes, "I'm scared she won't let him see me anymore."
Jin sat beside her, only peering ahead as a few thoughts went past his mind. He then asked in a soft comforting voice, "Do you want us to talk to her-"
"What?!" She screeched and quickly shook her head, "No. Never."
Jin remained silent, before shrugging his shoulders and added, "Okay, if that's what you want."
"Maybe if she actually knew me... she wouldn't hate me anymore."
"Mei," Her dad said sadly, feeling like he was being no real help, "Just let things come about on their own time. There's no need to rush life... acceptance."
She looked a little hurt when her father said this, and only peeped out sadly, "...why?"
"Some people don't want to change... but it happens slowly. Other times, not."
His daughter gazed at her father as he said this, "It's not your obligation to be liked by all. Only the ones who care are really all that matters."
She nodded... his words were wise, but in her heart, she felt like she needed the approval. She needed it for Tyler's sake.
Her father pat her on the back and got up, leaving the room.
She sat there in silence, before taking out her phone and trying to ring Tyler to see if he was alright.
The second she dialed, there was only empty beeping, showing that he was engaged or else had his phone turned off.
The clouds thundered outside her window, and she placed her hand on the glass, trying to reach through it and to feel the rain and the cold.
"Be safe, Tyler," She said to herself, as the storm raged on right past her window.
~x~
Tyler was just sitting there at the table, having finished his meal and trying to waste time than go back to his home and parents.
"Are you done here?"
He blinked his eyes, coming back to the moment, and looked up, seeing a man wanted to clean his rubbish off the table.
"Yeah, sure." He said zombie-like and stood up heading for the door. But just before he opened it, he looked up to the sky that had black clouds nearly hanging above. He gulped and pulled his hoody over his head as he ran it through the streets till he saw his home in the far distance.
He felt his body quiver at the thought of going in there. He was only a few meters away, and pulled the cords with his hands, covering his face more inside the hoody top.
He began to walk slowly to his house, but just as his hand reached forward to turn the knob, he pulled back.
He took two steps away, then turned around and left the house.
Left the street and went his own way through the heavy rain and the dense cloudy sky.
~x~
Mei was in her room still and had been doodling pictures in her notebook. She slowly drew an eye, a deep brown eye that felt like it was looking through her soul. It was an eye of a boy, and then she continued on drawing. She drew the nose, the lips... the whole face with bouncy black hair.
She knew immediately who she had drawn... the boy she was smitten for.
Tyler.
She had a shy goofy grin on her face as she tried to draw that spark in his eyes, the spark she felt when she was with him.
She got her rubber and erased a little around the iris and pupil, giving the eyes a shine each.
She bounced on her chair suddenly though, as her phone had begun ringing loudly, and she smiled eagerly, thinking it was the boy she was crazy about at that moment.
She looked at the number but didn't recognize it.
Still, she thought she'd chance it and accepted the call, placing the mobile to her ear as she asked with a cheeky grin.
"Hello...?"
"Where is HE?"
She felt her blood go cold from the slicing words of the woman on the phone call.
"Who...?" Mei asked, becoming a bit afraid now and the woman continued.
"My son. TYLER."
"You mean..." Mei asked nervously, and looked outside her window, seeing it was dark and night now, "He... didn't come home?"
"He's not with you?!" Tyler's mother asked coldly and Mei shook her head, responding.
"No."
At that second the phone call ended and all Mei heard was the long dead beeping. She closed her phone up and came over to her bed once again, peering out and seeing the trees were still blowing furiously, the electric wires almost being pulled around like a skipping rope.
She swallowed with a dry throat and pressed her hand to the glass once more. Whispering, praying almost.
"Tyler... where are you...?"
Worried tears began making pools under her eyes.
She shut them, and only thought back on their time in the park. How sad he had been... how depressed.
She really hoped he hadn't done anything stupid. She begged inside that he was smarter than that, stronger than that.
She remained there, thinking with closed eyes, then jolted afraid when she heard another lightning strike rip through the sky.
Where was he? Where had he gone...?
~x~
Tyler stood before the door he was barely familiar with, and waited there... his clothes soaked from running in the rain.
The door slowly opened and there stood a very confused girl.
"Tyler..?" She asked and Tyler answered.
"I need a place to stay."
The girl strained her mouth in fear and he continued.
"Please, Miriam... I can't go home."
Miriam looked at him befuddled and she said, not knowing what else she could say.
"I guess come in... but what about Mei?"
He entered the house, taking off his soaked shirt and finally replying.
"I can't do that to Mei... I can't be a burden."
Miriam handed him a towel and went to ask her parents if he could stay.
"One night. In the spare room."
When she came to tell him, he stopped her and simply said.
"...thanks,"
"Won't your parents be worried?" She asked him and he closed his eyes, saying in a weak voice.
"They won't be worried. They'll be mad."
Miriam looked at him confused and Tyler continued.
"I can't go back... not tonight,"
He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
"Not tonight... no way."
