Hello everyone, thank you for opening this chapter. Also, I'm rewriting this entire book. I want to finish it, but I can't remember everything I write. I'm just letting you know thru chapter 1-34 are rewritten.
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The moment Tyler opened his eyes, his phone was ringing. At first, he thought it was his mother, but he didn't want to speak to her after a huge argument with her last night.
Why did they argue? He frowned when he ignored the phone, but the phone went silent, and Tyler sighed in relief and was about to go back to sleep as his chest rose and fell.
But his phone rang again. He let out a frustrated noise and answered his phone, "Mom, why are you calling me?"
He didn't look at the phone and waited for her to finish what she wanted to say, then Tyler heard an unfamilar voice, "I'm sorry, I'm not your mother. My name is Alissa Smith—"
Tyler frowned.
I don't know this woman. Also, why was she calling me?
A sense of unease filled him, and he was right. "But I'm a police officer working for the warren township police station. I called to let you know that your mother passed away last night."
The moment Tyler heard those words, his heart dropped like a rock, and the drowsiness faded away, and he sat up, rubbing his brow. "Is this a joke? How can she pass away? I just spoke to her last night?"
There was a hint of sympathy in her voice. "I don't know what happened last night, but she committed suicide. There was a neighbor who called in, so we checked it out; we found her body in her bathroom."
Tyler couldn't breathe. He realized he was having a panic attack, and he got up, trying to breathe through his nose.
The woman asked, "Are you okay?"
Tyler let out a broken laugh, "I can't breathe."
The woman remained calm on the phone, her voice soothing. "How bad? From one to ten?"
Tyler frowned but answered her question. "Like I can't get enough air in my lungs."
His chest constricted, his heart beating too fast, and he started to feel dizzy, and he heard the woman's voice, faint and distant, but he focused on her voice.
"Tyler, I know this is hard for you, but please try to stay with me. Is there anyone with you?"
Tyler nodded but realized she couldn't see it. "Yes, my friend is here. He's in my other room."
Tyler felt his chest tightening, like a tight fist, until he heard the woman, "Alright, that's good. Please take a deep breath with me, count with me until we reach ten."
Tyler did as he said; he took a deep breath, counted to ten. The woman's voice was calm and relaxed, which helped for a bit.
The tightness in his chest loosened. "That's good, Tyler. I'm really proud of you. Just doing that, I will have someone call your friend."
Tyler shook his head, "No, I can handle it."
The woman asked, "Are you certain? It's no big deal. Also, Tyler, since you're a minor, I will have to get someone to pick you up, so please stay here for now. An officer named Liam will come."
Tyler frowned. "What's going to happen to me?"
There was a hint of sorrow in the woman's voice. "I don't know, Tyler. For now, just come with Liam, and we'll figure it out."
Then she asked. "Do you want to see your mother for the last time?"
Tyler felt a knot in his chest; he realized he was crying. A wet trail of tears fell down his cheeks, and he bit his lips until he said in a raspy voice, "Yes, please."
In a soft voice, "She and I hadn't been on good terms last night."
The words felt like a sinner's confession; his chest constricted when he remembered his last words to her. Is that why she took her life?
Tyler entered his bedroom, where he slammed his door, his mother's voice hollering at him like a thunderstorm, "Young man, you do not walk away from me!"
Tyler's anger rolled like thunder. "Mom, I don't want to go!"
His mother's furious voice yelled back, "I don't care! You are going to do as I say! That's final!"
Tyler felt so furious he wanted to break something. Without thought, he yelled in hatred, "I hate you! I hate you! Do you hear me? I absolutely hate you!!"
Tyler closed his eyes when he said those to her. He didn't know what expression she had on her face. Tyler dropped the phone to the floor, his eyes burning with tears.
"Is it my fault?"
He asked himself quietly; he couldn't hear the woman on the phone calling for him, and then the phone hung up quietly.
He hugged himself, his arms around his legs, as he lay down on the floor, and someone entered his room—his best friend, Nino, entered the room with a frown on his face, but he had a phone against his ear.
When he saw Tyler on the floor, he put his phone in his pocket and rushed toward Tyler, who was literally sobbing on the ground.
Nino felt his heart devastated for his best friend, who just lost his mother, he dropped to his knees and hugged his friend, "I'm sorry."
Nino hated seeing his friend like this; he knew Tyler and his mother didn't have long, but he also knew he loved his mother dearly.
Tyler hugged him back. "I told her last night that I hated her."
Tyler hugged him tightly, and Nino couldn't catch his breath, but the moment he caught Tyler's words, his heart dropped. Fuck, this will leave a scar on him.
Nino frowned, "It's not your fault."
Tyler laughed a broken cry, "How could it not be my fault? Isn't it the reason she killed herself? Isn't it because of me? I'm the one who killed her!"
Nino narrowed his eyes, and he pushed Tyler away and lifted his face up. "I said this isn't your fault, do you hear me?"
Tyler shook his head, the pain in his chest throbbing. He closed his eyes as his best friend hugged him, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.
He woke up on the bed, his eyes feeling heavy like a rock. He remembered his mom had just died, and Tyler didn't know how to feel. There was a huge emptiness in his chest, like he'd been slit like a knife.
Tyler got off the bed and exited the room. He heard a couple of voices speaking: "He's not leaving. That man hadn't spoken to him for what? Six years. Are you crazy? He's not leaving!"
Tyler frowned. Who is he talking to? Why is he yelling?
Tyler's thoughts felt sluggish until a woman's voice said calmly, not backing down in the slightest, "Believe me, I don't like this either, but he has two options. Either he goes to the orphanage home or stays with his stepfather."
Tyler froze, then he stepped into the kitchen. "I'm not staying with my stepfather."
Nino and the woman in the police uniform turned to him. Nino walked to him and hugged him. "You okay?"
Tyler nodded. "I'm fine."
He turned to the woman, who had long hair curled down her back and was in her late thirties, and Tyler frowned as he said, "I'm not staying with my stepfather."
The woman sighed like she saw this coming. "Does that mean you want to stay in the orphanage?"
Tyler frowned; he didn't want to stay there either. He heard stories about it. How the orphanage abuses the children, how many children who are abused and forgotten become another number.
Tyler didn't want that. He was only seventeen; he just had one more year before he turned eighteen. He pursed his lips. "I will stay with my stepfather."
The woman smiled and walked to him. "I know you haven't spoken to your stepfather in a long time, but he will be very happy to see you soon."
Tyler's eyes twitched. "Wait, he's coming here?"
The woman smiled awkwardly. "Yes, he will be here tomorrow."
Tyler wanted to curse; he didn't know how to process this. Isn't this too soon? Wait, he still hadn't seen his mother's body yet.
Tyler lifted his eyes. "You say I can see my mother?"
The woman smiled sadly, "Yes, if you want to see her now, please come with me. But you need to gather the stuff that you want to bring with you."
Tyler nodded, "I will. Please give me a moment with my friend."
The woman looked at Nino, and she nodded with a calm look. "Alright, I will be outside waiting for you."
She turned around, stepping outside.
Tyler turned to his friend, who had a worried look on his face. Tyler joked, "Hey, if you keep frowning, you are going to look like a beat-up fish."
Niko rolled his eyes. "If I look like a fish, you look like a stupid clown."
The familiar jokes became a soothing balm to his heart; Tyler couldn't help but let out a smile. "Well, this clown still looks better than you."