"Hey." Someone says from behind me while I'm stacking some books in the locker, ready to go for lunch. And I think I've got an idea who it is. AND, I'm not excited to meet that particular person.

  "Yes?" I turn around to face them and see just the person who, as I said, I was not excited to meet. Tyler Asshole Lynch. I give a very noticable forced smile to that.

  "I can totally see you're giving profanities in your mind," he says awkwardly. And why won't it be?

  "Oh! You know me so well. Then you should also know to who exactly," I taunt him while maintaining the stiff, forced smile. He rubs the back of his neck to that. It would have melted me into a unicorn's goo at one time, but now it's just hard to not find it irritating. "And yesterday you said you wanted to talk face to face. Not like I'm dying to or anything but wanted it to end with," I add without enthusiasm.

  "About that uhh-," he looks as if thinking where to start. "Can we talk about it somewhere else than the cafeteria? Or after school at any cafe, maybe?" He asks.

  "I am not eating my lunch with you, okay. And why do you think I will go with you?" I question.

  "Because it has something to do with you and Valerie might not leave your hair until you're proved innocent."

  "Wow, I believed you," I scoff.

  "I told you before too, your near future might get twisted," his tone suddenly becomes admonishing. A wave of shiver hits me at that. I see May coming towards this direction from my peripheral vision and she might misunderstand this.

  "Okay, I'll see you after school. I've not brought my car today so I'll go with you to Milk and Sugar. And it's the first and last time to this," I hurry in order to not get caught by May and leave immediately. Eating lunch with him now will be more awkward with known people around and starting a new rumor. Outside the school was a better option, so I said that. I jog towards May and try to block her view of Tyler until he leaves as she showers me with her questions while taking a peek behind me. Maybe my hiding is a little too obvious.

  "Hey, who was that?" she asks.

  "Nobody."

  "I thought I saw you talking with some guy near your locker," she stats.

  "Oh, that. It was just Raphael asking for my chem notes."

  "But you're bad it."

  "But he's worse," I pretend to laugh to stop her thoughts.

  "Okayyy?" She has that unsure smile and frowned forehead and we head for the cafeteria.

°°°

  As soon as the school gets over I hurry outside the building towards Tyler's car parked in the parking, also, making sure that May doesn't catch me. That's a good thing we both don't share any of our last classes the whole week. Or it would have been difficult to escape from her without any doubt. Especially when it comes to Tyler. She hates his guts. Well me too. Saying that we didn't click together in front of the whole school? Definitely hate his guts.

  I try not to stick next to his car and roam around a little in order to avoid attention and rumors from people who talk about anything and everything. It would obviously make people gossip if they see ex-girlfriend and boyfriend going places together suddenly after an embarassing public breakup not a little more than one year ago. Specially, when it was the guy who did it and now the girl is standing beside his car waiting for him which will make them think I still can't get over him and am following him around. Or maybe I'm overthinking. But we don't take chances in high school.

  I then notice Tyler coming towards the car and he has somehow managed to get rid of his friends too. Thank God, we managed to come out early and don't have any crowd to watch us. As if I am a superhuman, I get inside the car with a phenomenal speed as soon as he unlocks it while he takes his sweet time in doing so.

  "What was that?"

  "What?" I question in return.

  "The way you got into the car," he replies.

  "That's called speed and I don't think you've got some because I don't want to be seen with you," I explain.

  "And why's that so bad?" He asks again, a little hurt on his face while pulling the car out of the parking area.

  "I don't want to answer the obvious," I roll my eyes, trying my best to keep my replies short and hide myself from those 'talk-about-anything' high school kids. "And do I see some hurt on your face?" I question with a smile of satisfaction on my face.

  "A man's got feelings and pride too, miss," his reply is immediate.

  'They-had-us-in-the-first-half-I'm-not-gonna-lie' meme came to my mind, lol. But the second half ruined it all because that's the person I know him as. Always for his pride. I roll my eyes to that.

  "Ryleigh," he calls me.

  "Can we change the place where we're going?" He pleads.

  "Why. You don't like Milk and Sugar?" I interrogate.

  "No, it's not that but uh- I just find the atmosphere a little uncomfortable there."

  "We are going Milk and Sugar if that talk's that important or you can take that next left turn and drop me by the side," I finalize.

  I hear him nutter something under his breath but at last he replies with a sigh, "Okay."

  "That's better, I guess."

Then I look out of the car while maintaining the weird but 'I-don't-care' silence between us. After around fifteen minutes we reach Milk and Sugar. We step out of the car with our bags and I proceed for the cafe door as he locks the car and trails behind me.

  I take a seat in corner end of the cafe where no one might necessarily recognise us until they really want to. Tyler gives me a weird look but then takes the seat opposite to me and settles down.

  "Do you want to take something or just talk?" He asks.

  "I don't mind drinking something," I reply nonchalantly.

  "Okay, so what'd you want so that I can give them our order?"

  "Just say, 'a usual for Ryleigh' and they'll know."

  "Okay, then," he stands up moving the chair a little behind and walking to place the order at the front while I'm still thinking, how did it come to this that I'm in a cafe with Tyler of all people, for God's sake.

  After giving the order Tyler walks back to our table and faces the front while my back is towards the front which also makes my head turn a 150° to face the door to see who just entered the cafe. I stiffen a little as I see Aiden entering. He doesn't look at me but he us looking towards me. And then I turn my head back to my front to find Tyler looking at him too.

  There are no customers at this time so it's just me and Tyler. And silence, as Aiden and Tyler bore their eyes into each other with tired gaze. Their eye contact isn't necessarily that of two enemies but just seems like two acquainted people who have no interest in seeing each other but at the same time-have unfinished business? I think now I get what he meant by saying- 'I find the atmosphere a little uncomfortable there.'

  I wave my hand to greet Aiden and make them both stop from their gaze of longing or whatever and make them both notice me. Then Aiden notices me, puts a smile and waves back at me while walking towards his father at the counter. He puts his bag behind the counter when his father hands him the apron which he puts on and ties without any problem at the back. I want to see those greens in his eyes. That far won't do for me. I laugh internally on my thinking.

  I can't help it. Typical me.

  Tyler clears his throat to which I face him again. "So, we are here now," he starts nervously.

  "Yes, and?" I say without excitement.

  "We had talk about what we talked yesterday on insta," he looks at the table while saying.

  "Go on. You're the one who wanted to talk," I lean back on my chair and try to make myself interested.

  "Do you remember getting texts from an unknown number about one and a half year ago?" He brings up abruptly and leans a little towards me trying to get my full attention. I think a little and then I remember.

  "Yeah, that happened but why are asking and how do you know?" I'm surprised.

  "Well, not exactly texts but some text pranks," he clarifies.

  "Yah," I say derisively and remember those frustrating moments when I just wanted to throw my phone.

  "We were behind it," he admits again not looking at me. Anger and shock from the knowledge hit me.

  "You were behind all that? And whose the other one?" I blow in rage.

  "I'll tell you that anywhere else but not at this place or better yet, any other tim-"

  "You're telling me the name. NOW!" I command as I cut him off. I've never talked this way to him or to anyone. But those messages just kept me so much at edge at those times that I don't notice how my voice has became commanding. And he's surprised by it too, now that I look at his face.

  "Is there any problem, Ryleigh?" Aiden is standing beside me, his one hand on my left arm as he asks and staring at Tyler. Oh God! He did not just see my ugly outburst.

  I calm a little, take a deep breath and reply, "Ah-nothing. It's just my friend over here-Oh! Sorry, let me rephrase it. My acquaintance over here-," I say with distaste but soon convert the rest sentence into a polite speech, "-likes to throw pranks at people and he's not telling me tha name of his partner in crime."

  "Seriously?! Throwing pranks at girls? You never learn where you do what. Right, Taylor?" He says his name without any enthusiasm.

  And they know each other too. Why does everybody I know, knows everybody else I know? Or is it just me who doesn't know that everybody knows each other? Okay, that sentence was confusing to me too. Anyways.

  "But I think we're fine here so it would be really nice of you to give us our order," Taylor defends. Aiden gives me a questioning look, if it's fine with him or not. And I nod to that.

  "Your order will be on your table in a minute," he leaves after saying just this.

  "There was no need to make such a fuss about it, you know?" He says through gritted teeth.

  "You don't know you people made me go insane. Although that was only for two weeks at first," I counter with at a low voice.

  "But then we stopped too."

  Wait, they didn't stop completely.

  "No you didn't?" I question and state at the same time.

  "What'd you mean?" He sounds bewildered.

  "After the texts stopped in just two weeks, they started coming again in October," he say.

  "Wait, what? But we stopped there. We really didn't text you after that. It might have been some other person, trust me," he defends.

  "The number was the same, you fool," I give away.

  "Chaz started texting you again?" He sounds as if he can't believe it.

  "It's that name again. He was behind all this with you?" He suddenly becomes a statue and looks above my head. I get confused and look above my head to find Aiden holding our drinks and looking at Tyler with a steel-y stare.

  "I think we should get going. It's enough how much you know for now," hurriedly holds my hand, pulls me up from the chair and tries to drag me outside but Aiden stops him from the front after keeping the order at the nearest table.

  "What the-," I protest as he manhandles me.

  "You're not going anywhere, Tyler" his voice has anger.

  "Oh! God the drinks were ready and we didn't even drink and pay for them. I'll pay you now," I try to pull my hand out from Tyler's grip to pay but he's holding my hand just too tightly.

  "Ryleigh, whatever he says, don't believe him, okay," Tyler says without looking at me but both of their eyes boring into each other.

  "And what reason do you have for her to believe anything that you say when I didn't even say anything to her," Aiden retorts.

  Tyler doesn't speak anything.

  "Is there any problem with customers, Aiden?" Mr. Hughes asks from behind the corner with concern.

  "Nothing that I can't handle, Dad. I'll take this outside," Aiden still doesn't look at his dad while answering. " Why don't we talk about this outside like nice people, Tyler?" There is a sense of mockery in his voice.

  Tyler doesn't reply but starts walking outside. I am still trying to take my hand out of his hold and finally succeed. God! His hold is so freaking tight. He really isn't a soft person. After that I walk out on my own accord without anyone handling me.

  When we're as far from the cafe as where Mr. Hughes can't see us, Aiden stops right then. He turns around slowly with a not so pleasant face.

  "Now, what were you talking about Chaz inside?" He looks between us both with serious and curious eyes.

  "I told you before he and his friend used to prank me through texts some time ago and apparently that guy is Chaz," I say the last part with an eye roll.

  "I think I know a little about it," he makes a comprehending face. But then his eyes turn towards me and don't waver at all, "And can you tell me what did you do as a revenge to make him disappear," he abhors.

  What did I do take make him disappear? What's he talking about?