And this absolutely terrifies me.
She bursts into tears again and buries her face in her hands, turning away from us, spinning back around to the staircase, and pushing Rachael out of her way.
Tyler’s still furious, and he slams his palm flat against the countertop before pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He exhales slowly, his eyes closed. “I’m leaving,” he mutters when he opens them again. “I’m not staying here. She’s insane.”
I hear a door slam somewhere upstairs, and the five of us just exchange glances, unsure of what we’re supposed to do. Tyler, on the other hand, knows perfectly fine what he’s doing. He’s making his way across the kitchen to grab his car keys from the countertop, his muscles bulging as he does so, and without another word, he storms over to the front door and wrenches it open. The rain finds its way into the house, leaving drops of water on the carpet, just before Tyler disappears through it, slamming it shut behind him.
Silence. Tyler’s just stormed out, and Tiffani’s upstairs having a mental breakdown, and we’re all just sitting here in her house trying to process what’s just happened.
“So I take it they’re not together?” Jake says with a slight laugh.
From across the room, Rachael’s staring at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. I don’t think she was expecting it to play out like this; I don’t think she was expecting me to throw myself into the middle of it. She looks like she’s trying to decide whether or not she should go upstairs and check on Tiffani, because she keeps shifting her weight from one foot to the other, moving up and down the stairs while she contemplates it all.
Somewhere amid the hammering rain, I hear the sound of Tyler’s car revving to life, its engine roaring from the driveway. My conversation with Ella floods my mind, and I quickly try to remember everything she said, everything about New York. I might not know where Tyler’s planning to go right now, but I do know where he should go. Home.
I hug my hoodie tight around my body and prepare myself for the run, yanking the hood over my hair and making for the door, praying that I catch him before he takes off. Without a word, I pull open the door and the rain blows into my face, freezing my nose. I hear Rachael calling from behind me, asking where the hell I’m going, but I’m too focused on Tyler’s car to pay attention to her.
Holding on to my hood, I run along the stone path and come to a halt by the driver’s side, and the windows are so tinted and the rain is so heavy that I can barely see him. I rap my knuckles against the glass, squinting as drops of rain roll down my face. It feels just like an October morning in Portland, only heavier.
Tyler rolls down his window an inch and yells, “Get in!”
I jog around to the front of the vehicle and quickly slip into the passenger seat, heaving a sigh when I slam the door shut behind me. I’ve only been outside for a matter of twenty seconds, but I’m soaked straight through. I push my hood down and blow wet strands of hair out of my face, and then I turn to Tyler.
His hair is wet and ruffled as he presses his lips into a firm line and puts the car in drive. “Ready to go?”
“No, Tyler.” I shake my head. The rain sounds louder in here as it hits the bodywork of the vehicle, and the pitter-patter begins to drum in my ears. “I’m gonna go back inside.”
He pulls a face as if to say I’ve lost my mind. “Why the hell did you just come out here?”
“Because,” I say, but it comes out as a pant while I wipe the back of my hand across my face, “I need to talk to you first, so listen. First things first: please don’t ever go back to Tiffani.”
He snorts, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Screw Tiffani. She’s unbelievable.”
I stare at the windshield, watching the water roll down the glass, and for a moment it feels relaxing. I glance back over to him, but his eyes are fixed on the wheel. “Tyler,” I say quietly, trying my hardest to draw his gaze to meet mine, and he slowly does. His cheeks are a little red, which contrasts with the paleness of his lips. “Please go home and talk to your mom. She’s there alone just now, and trust me, she’ll let you back into the house. She has something she needs to tell you, and it’s really, really important.”
He clenches his jaw then and turns his head away, staring out his side window to the lawn, but it’s blurred through the rain. “I’m not welcome there,” he says stiffly.
“I’m serious.” I angle my body around to face him, so that I can see his eyes. They’re vibrant yet somehow calm, and I can almost see the gears in his mind shifting as he considers what I’m telling him. “Just hear her out, Tyler. Go home and ask her about New York.”
His eyebrows draw together as he glances sideways at me. “New York?”