He stayed there in the spare room of Miriam's family.
Tyler just stared ahead at the ceiling that was the normal colour of painted white. His quilts were warm and his body should be relaxed... but it wasn't. Cos' he was worried.
He was worried he was making a big mistake. But that's what his head kept saying and not his heart.
Why was his mother like this? Why was she saw discriminating and hateful at the fact that he liked Mei?
She should support him, support the relationship... instead... she despised it.
He sighed heavily, turning on his side and only staring straight on at the wall the bed was pressed against.
He was not happy inside.
No.
He was hurting.
~x~
The next day he was filled with worry as he got up and ready for school. Miriam only acted concerned around him, and he tried to shake off her fear, but he felt it as well himself inside.
He didn't have a backpack with his books in it. He literally had nothing.
"Are you sure you want to go to school today?" She asked him as they left out her front door and waited for the bus.
"Yeah, I'm sure." He replied back, though there was no emotion in it.
"But what about your school stuff-?"
He held up his hand to stop her from finishing her sentence.
"I'll. Be. Fine."
The bus pulled up and he got on, showing his travel pass card and Miriam only uttered to herself.
"I don't think you will."
~x~
Soon they arrived at the school and went to their classes.
Mei was freaking out inside that she hadn't seen Tyler or heard from him after the call she got from his mother.
She was only half paying attention as she filled out her exam papers, gazing out the class windows instinctively, in search of any face that would cause alarm.
At break she finally found him. He was looking down to the ground, a sadness in his eyes but when he blinked up to see whose shadow had fallen on him, he smiled instantly with joy.
"Mei..."
"Tyler, you idiot!"
His smile fell a little at her response.
"You never went home last night? Why didn't you tell me?!"
"She rang you..." He uttered, standing up straighter and looking sadly into Mei's brown eyes, "Didn't she?"
Mei weakly nodded her head.
"I'm sorry, Mei..." He finally said, a feeling of deep regret in him as he didn't want her to worry.
Mei sighed weakly and only placed her hand on his shoulder, looking deeply back into his own eyes and saying with a soft smile.
"It's okay... it's okay..."
He nodded in return and only wiped the corners of his eyes as teardrops had gathered there.
Mei watched his distressed movements and only asked in a scared voice, "It's that bad... isn't it..?"
He shut his eyes, timidly nodding his head, "Y-yeah..."
"Let me help you..." Mei went on in sadness, as she held his hand softly in hers and he blinked open his eyes surprised at the tender touch, "Let me speak to her."
He bit his bottom lip, nodding his head gently when suddenly a loud voice cried out.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!"
The two looked past the school's ground at the meshed fence where a dark distraught woman was standing, fuming with rage.
"Mum...?"
She pulled open the entrance to the grounds and came storming up to Tyler, his backpack being dragged on the ground by her left hand.
"You never came home last night." She said in a hiss and glared at Mei, as she continued, "Your phone was off. All this for some-" She waved her free hand in Mei's direction as if showing all the Asian girl was, "Some floozy!"
"SHE'S NOT A FLOOZY!" Tyler yelled back and his mother only scoffed. She threw his bag to the ground, just having enough of it all, and suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards the exit.
"We are going home RIGHT NOW."
"NO!" Tyler yelled and Mei was getting so upset with the way this woman was treating him. It was no wonder Tyler had become a bully with the way he was treated at home.
She watched as he struggled to get free of her hold and Mei began breathing heavily in and out. IN and OUT, until finally, she felt the beast overcome her and she roared, pink smoke going everywhere as she changed into the giant red panda.
All the students watching this gasped in amazement and awe.
Mei placed her eyes back on Tyler and suddenly lunged in a fierce run his way. She yanked him into her giant red arms and held him there like he was a baby being cradled. She saw the face of his mother, pure shock. But SHE DIDN'T CARE.
Tyler held tight to her as Mei suddenly did a huge leap into the sky and landed on the other side of the fence.
Everyone's jaws dropped and she looked around in panic, trying to find somewhere she could go and protect him. Protect herself.
She then looked up, seeing the tops of the city buildings, and saw the spire up so high, she knew that was where she needed to go.
She did another huge leap, landing on the slated roofs, and seeing some slates even come loose at her weight.
She did another jump, and another, scaling the roofs like she was Mario jumping on platforms. Finally, she reached the highest building and held Tyler safely in her furry arms.
"Mei..." He whispered in fear as they were so high up it wasn't even funny, "Thank you..."
"She can't TREAT YOU that way!" Mei only cried back at him and he just nodded, tears soaking her fur as he cried against her chest.
"I'm sorry..." He said in tears and Mei just looked at him, gob smacked that he was blaming himself for everything.
"Tyler, I telling you. IT'S not YOUR fault!"
He shook his head, denying her words as he uttered deep to himself.
"It's always my fault.
She looked at him in hurt that he was always coming to these conclusions about himself. She gently began to place him on the spire's round roof but he held onto her tight, whispering.
"Please don't let me go... please hold on."
Her heart was beating in fast flutters. She looked into his torn defeated face and only sadly nodded, agreeing to his request.
The two stayed up there for ten more minutes before finally sirens could be heard and they both looked up, seeing helicopters tear through the sky as they were heading towards them.
Mei gasped, seeing machine guns were at the base of each helicopter, and the sounds of their propellers going off sounded like swarms of wasps.
"Tyler... I-I'm scared." She said, holding him tighter to protect him but Tyler told her in a calm voice.
"Mei, put me down." She looked at him shocked when he requested this, "If they think I'm your hostage, they will shoot you. Put me down."
She nodded in quick terror, placing him gently on the roof, and Tyler held his arms apart, showing he had no weapons and was in no danger either.
But that didn't stop the cops in the helicopters.
Suddenly a warning gunshot was fired at Mei, and Tyler gasped, as it just scraped by her right arm, leaving a tiny gash and Mei roared in pain.
NO. NO. NO!
They couldn't DO this to her. Do this to HIM!
He watched carefully when the gun went off again and just before it hit Mei, Tyler jumped in front of her taking the bullet.
"TYLER!" Mei screamed as he began to fall through the sky towards the ground below. She quickly jumped from the tower she was on and grabbed him, turning her body the other way around so she'd land on her back and protect him.
When she hit the ground with a thump, she searched her hold quickly for Tyler's body... and she found him... but also something that was sticky and red.
B-blood...?
A crowd of people gathered around them slowly, making tense steps as they circled the beast and her victim.
Tyler's eyes were closed, and he grit his teeth in deep inner pain.
Mei laid him softly on the hard ground. She poofed into her human self and lifted his head up with her hand, giving him the best comfort she could.
"Tyler..." She cried, searching his blood-draped clothes for the wound.
"Get out!"
She froze when she heard that same commanding voice.
"Get out of my way!"
Suddenly Tyler's mother came into view, gasping when she saw her injured son.
She quickly ran to him, kneeling down beside him. She glared at Mei, hissing, "This is all your fault."
"N-no..." Mei whispered in tears and Tyler, with what little strength he had left, turned to look at his mum and muttered.
"No... it's YOURS, MUM." He began to waver in consciousness as he said with lidded heavy eyes, "It's y-yours..."
He closed his eyes, falling into deep unconsciousness and Mei held his head to hers, rocking gently his dying body.
"Please wake up Tyler," She cried, her tears dampening his face, "Please... d-don't leave me..."
The crowd watched in silence as Mei cried this to the first boy she had ever felt love for.
"Please... wake up..."
She closed her eyes, and whispered to his heart, his soul.
"I need you..."
Tyler's mother watched her silently, seeing Mei in a different light. Seeing she was only human inside as well.
"Please.." The woman begged her son, "Please."
