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Tyler is late.

Five minutes passes and merges into ten minutes and then it becomes twenty minutes. He's late and with each passing second I feel my temper rise. I'm sat in a nicely decorated room that reflects it's owner. Miss Harrison - Maddie - is a middle aged woman who seems to be into all things modern and shiny. Her room looks like it's come straight from a tumblr post - everything is so neat and tidy and expressive.

Maddie also seems like one of those women who likes to be experimental with her looks - she's got different crazy colours highlighting her hair (which looks like she cut herself) as it's a cross between a pixie and a bob cut. She's got bangs that are longer at the sides and are almost as black as the thick winged eyeliner that has been expertly applied to her eyes.

She sure is unique.

However, the room and her style isn't enough to distract me from the fury in my chest due to Tyler not showing up. Here I am, trying to make an effort. I'm putting my pride and spare time on the line and he doesn't even bother to show his face?

The next time I see him, he'll have more than just a broken nose to worry about.

"Well, since Tyler clearly isn't coming, why don't we treat this as a one-on-one session for today? That way I can really get to know you and begin to build a bigger picture."

I sigh and nod. Might as well, since I'm already here. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything. What is your favourite subject? Which one do you hate?"

"Oh, um. I like my art classes. I enjoy being able to express myself through paints and sketches. It just calms me, I guess. It helps me focus."

Maddie smiles and urges me to continue. "I think I dislike my history and math classes the most."

"Why?"

I give a short dry laugh, "Because Tyler is in those classes. And he doesn't let me forget it. He's always throwing paper balls with suggestive words and is constantly belittling every suggestion I make whenever I speak up in class," I pause, frowning at the memory, "Last week, we were writing answers on the board, and he kept distracting me, so I got mad and shouted. I then got asked to leave the classroom, so Tyler decided it would be funny to trip me up. I don't think I have ever punched someone so hard - I smacked his head into the desk."

Maddie's eyebrows raise in surprise. "I didn't get a report on that."

I give a small smile, "That's because I begged Mr. Smith to not report it. We both had to do extra homework and get over fifty-percent in our test for him to not say anything."

"And it's like that all the time?"

I nod, "Mostly. But I think it's worse for me, because it's like I can't escape him. He's best friends with my twin brother, so he's always at our house. And I'm only scheduled to stay at my dads once a month - and that's only a week."

"What is it about him that gets you so mad?"

I contemplate the answer, "Everything."

"Can you explain that to me?" Maddie questions. I can tell that she's intrigued by my explanations. She's trying to piece everything together and I'm the main part of the puzzle.

"It's the way he handles himself. He thinks that society owes him, that people should kiss the ground that he walks on. He doesn't understand that I have feelings. He only sees me as an object he can tease and torment," I take in a deep breath, trying to control the frustration that is desperate to be released, "He calls me stupid nicknames, he humiliates me, he toys with my feelings and he just doesn't care."

Maddie goes to ask another question but is interrupted by the door being thrown open and an irritated looking Tyler saunters in, giving no apology for being so late.

"Tyler, I'm glad you were able to make it. Better late than never."

He just grunts as an answer before he flings himself down on the sofa, making sure that there is a huge gap between us. I roll my eyes at his behaviour and shake my head. "My name is Maddie and I'm here to help support you and Carter with your feelings towards each other."

"I don't have feelings for her." He bites out, a scowl immediately etching onto his face.

"She means our dislike towards each other, dumbass."

"Whatever, midge."

I grit my teeth to stop the nasty thoughts from leaving my lips, so instead I connect gazes with Maddie and tilt my head as if to say, 'you see what I mean.' She observes us with a strange intensity. She regards the space between us and the way our bodies are completely stiff with tension.

"Ok so before you arrived --"

"Late. Might I add." I interrupt Maddie, shooting Tyler an annoyed look, which he only returns.

"Before you arrived Tyler, I was just having a chat with Carter about how she feels about certain situations and how you make her feel sometimes."

"Like she can't wait to rip my clothes off?"

"Grow up!" I snarl out, furious. Tyler only chuckles and crosses his arms across his chest, a smug smirk dancing across his lips. I can't believe that he would insinuate something like that. "Despite what you might think, Tyler, not everybody wants to jump you - in fact some might be more prone to puke and feel the urge to gouge their own eyes out."

He snorts, "Very unlikely. Although if you want to, then there's nobody stopping you." He tilts his head to the side and smiles at me sweetly. I grit my teeth and clench my fists. It takes everything in me to not launch myself over there and beat him black and blue.

"Ok, so it's very clear that you both have issues with each other. So, before you two start physically abusing one another, why don't we do a little exercise." Maddie tries to cut through the tension with a calm smile - not showing any worry or anxiety at the fact that me and Tyler are moments away from killing each other.

When she's got our attention, she hands us two mini whiteboards and a pen to write down answers. "Let's start easy. I want you both to write down one thing that you like and dislike about one another."

I hesitate. Tyler, however, instantly starts scribbling his answers down which makes me nervous. I think about it and struggle to find anything that I actually like about him.

I like - his style?

No, I cross that out. It's only on rare occasions that I actually like what he's wearing.

His cologne?

I subtly try to take in a whiff of what he's wearing today, but decide against that answer because it might inflate his already big ego. I scribble it out.

After about a five minute debate, I decide to just go with the easy option and I just put down - his shoes - because the ones he's got on now look kind of stylish.

I don't have to think about my answer for dislikes - everything - I write down with a smirk. I underline it and make it bold, in hopes to get my point across.

After about ten minutes of us scribbling on our boards, Maddie clears her throat and tells us to show her our answers.

We both turn to look at what we've wrote and my face instantly turns red.

Likes - her ASS (especially when she wears those tight jeans she owns!!;) )

Dislikes - how she can't take a joke (she's very stuck up)

"My ass!?" I exclaim just as he shouts, "Everything?" We both glare at each other and I can tell that Maddie is disappointed in our answers.

"See!" He looks over at maddie and points an accusing finger at me, "My dislike is completely validated - you can't take a joke. You're so stuck up and so uptight about everything. You can never just relax can you?"

"Oh please, half the shit you say to me isn't a joke. And how am I meant to take it? You're such a pig! You always sexualise and take things too far - it's not funny."

"You make me out to be this big bad guy who constantly makes you feel like shit, but what you don't realise is that you do the exact same things to me. You always call me nasty names, you always insult me, and you're constantly looking for a fight! It's not all me - because guess what princess - it takes two to tango and right now we're in the middle of the fucking routine!" He shouts at me, his voice rising with his evident fury.

"Oh yeah? Well how about you actually treat me like human being and I won't be so uptight about everything! You wind me up to a point of no return and then try to play victim when I lash out. You know I hate the nickname, yet you still call me it, you know I hate your suggestive remarks, yet you still say them, you know I hate it when you distract me in class, yet you still continue to do it! Why me, Tyler, why me? What the fuck did I do to deserve this?"

Before he can reply Maddie clears her throat loudly which pulls us out of our bubble. I didn't realise, but we were caught up in a staring match, neither one of us willing to look away first. However, we are forced to turn our attention towards Maddie who, to our surprise, is smiling?

"This is perfect! You might not think it, but you guys are actually communicating - just loudly and quite aggressively."

I slouch down in the seat, my heart racing away as a tornado of mixed emotions spiral inside of me. Tyler has wiped away any trace of emotion as he stares at Maddie with a blank expression.

"Now, I want you to do the same thing - but this time write down one positive and negative word that you'd associate with the other person. I don't want any offensive words - this is a safe space."

With a roll of my eyes, I rub out my first answers, still angry with Tyler's first answer. My ass. What jeans are he talking about? I think most of them hug my bum nicely, so now I'm going to be paranoid wearing them around Tyler. I don't want him checking me out.

Ew.

Positive -

I sit and think. Is there anything good about Tyler? People might tell me he's nice, but he's never like that towards me. Whenever there is a good moment between us, he always has to ruin it and take the seriousness out of the situation.

Hmm.

Positive - hardworking

I write down my answer and think about it for a while. I can write it down can't I? He is hardworking, there's no denying it. He plays rugby, he babysits his baby brother, he keeps up with homework and gets the grades he needs - and does it all without complaining.

Admirable? Or is that one step too far? He does tend to make bad or eyebrow raising decisions plus his hobbies aren't exactly extracurricular.

I leave my answer and hope that Tyler will understand the reasoning if he decides to be a little bitch about it.

Negative - egotistical

This one is easy. I barely have to think about what I'm writing. From day one he has been so self obsessed and conceited about his own looks. It drives me mad.

Finally, when Maddie tells us to flip our boards over, we both read over our answers. I think we surprise each other with what we have written.

Positive - confident

Negative - hard-headed

I frown at his negative, confused by what he means. It seems that Maddie too doesn't fully understand and asks him to elaborate.

"I don't know; I guess you're too practical. You never let yourself just feel. I don't think I've ever seen you sentimental or emotional about a situation - which is why I think you take everything so seriously."

I'm taken aback at how calmly he reasons his answer - almost as if he doesn't want to hurt my feelings and that he isn't saying anything in a purposely malicious way.

He looks up at me, probably expecting me to lash out and tell him he's wrong. Surprisingly I think he's right. I struggle with emotion, I don't like feeling weak, so I try to avoid getting emotional or too attached. "I can't argue with that, I suppose."

A small smile curls at the edges of his lips, "You think I'm egotistical?"

I shrug, "You're too confident in yourself and your looks. Even the boys say it - you care too much about your appearance and how you present yourself that you forget about the people around you."

He doesn't say anything, just thinks through my answer. Maddie then speaks up, looking rather pleased with herself, "How about you guys make a deal. Carter, you work on being less hard-headed and Tyler, you work on shrinking your ego. Maybe you guys can help each other." She suggests, her gaze flicking back and forth between us.

Tyler sits straighter in his chair and gives me a sideways glance, "Can't argue with that, I suppose." He looks at me, almost asking silently if I agree to the deal; If I'm willing to sacrifice more of my time to help Tyler and his ego. He looks willing. So, not to disappoint anyone, I purse my lips and huff.

"I suppose."

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