My legs were heavy as they carried me toward the huddle that was surrounding Coach. Though we'd gone reasonably easy for this practice in order to not wear us out before tomorrow's game, fire burned through me with every step which contrasted drastically with the cool weather. I felt like I was going to collapse at any moment. Luckily for me though, as soon as I joined the huddle, an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me up, taking on my weight so I didn't have to.

"You okay?" Tyler softly asked, nearly swallowed by the chatter that fluttered between the other boys around us.

"Yeah, I'm just super tired."

He chuckled. "I told you that you should've gotten up earlier to eat breakfast this morning," Tyler lightly chastised in a sing-song voice.

"I did!"

"A real breakfast, Addison. Not just an apple."

I let out a huff, causing him to grin before he pressed a soft kiss into my hair. "It'll be over soon, Romeo, just be patient."

"Alright, ladies. We'll meet here at five forty-five tomorrow morning. The bus will take off at six so that we can make it to Buffalo by at least twelve. Then you boys will have until six to rest until we meet for our final practice until about seven-thirty, alright?" Murmurs of agreement left everyone's lips. "Good. If you're still struggling with what to pack, refer to the packing checklist I sent to everyone's parents. Make sure you get some rest and please make sure that you are on time because I won't wait for you." He put his hand out which instantly prompted all of us to gather around him and put our hands in as well. "Trojans on three, Trojans on me," he said. "One, two, three–"

"Trojans!" we all said before the circle broke and chatter filled the air as we all migrated toward the locker room. Ian was practically running due to the fact that Lelani was waiting for him in the gym so that they could go get food from her favorite mexican joint. He wouldn't shut up about it all day, and although I could see how others would see it as annoying, I was beyond happy that my best friend had found someone that made him that excited. They were so cute together even when they weren't physically together.

"Are you excited for your first and last All-State game as a Trojan?" I asked Tyler, causing him to scoff.

"Yeah, but I'm also kind of nervous. I'd never really been a huge sports guy back in Louisiana, so having all of this happen at once is kinda overwhelming. I just don't want to be the weak link that costs us the win, you know?"

I gave his stomach a pat. "You won't, Ty. In fact, I think we have a pretty good chance at winning this year, especially now that you're on the team. You're kinda badass and super hot when you're focused and hungry for a win."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks Addison," he said in a sarcastic tone though he was smiling, before he craned his neck down to kiss me, a simple action that I'd missed so much over these past few days, but right as his lips brushed mine, we were interrupted by a deep voice calling out Tyler's name.

We both instantly pulled away and turned toward the direction of the voice only to see his father standing behind the fence of the field. Once he saw he had our attention, the edges of his lips tugged up in a shy smile as he gave me a small wave. Despite how badly I wanted to be mad at Mr. Barnett, I couldn't bring myself to be. He seemed just as hurt as Tyler when it came to his "mother" and what she was trying to do. Besides, he was protecting Tyler from his mom by letting him stay with us. If Tyler wasn't too mad, how could I be?

I returned his small wave before I looked up at Tyler. The playful attitude that had festered within him had brutally been killed as he looked at his father. He stood a bit straighter as an emotionless mask fell over his features. His arm fell from around my waist. "Addi, go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a sec."

"Are you sure?"

He looked down at me and gave me a wink. "Nothing I can't handle." He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before he started walking toward his father. "Go on, I'll be there in a bit then we can go home."

Despite the calm facade that he was trying so hard to uphold, I could see the nervousness in his eyes and the question that was burning in both of our heads: why was his father here? And, more importantly, did his mother have anything to do with it?

My gaze stayed on Tyler for a few seconds as he walked toward his father, though it was obvious by his movements that he didn't want to. It was almost as if he was fighting against himself in hopes to prolong the amount of time before his father could tell him the potentially bad news.

I forced myself to look away and followed the other boys into the locker room. I quickly hopped into the shower, hoping that it would help me pass the time and Tyler would be waiting for me by the time I was done. However, when I stepped out, he was still nowhere to be seen and I started to worry.

"Hey, blondie, why do you look so down?" Ian asked as he walked up to me. He'd already changed and had his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Nothing," I said, but I should've known better. Ian could read me like a book.

His eyebrows furrowed and the playfully mood got sucked out of the air. "Hey, hey, Addison, you know I know you better than that. What's going on? You know you can tell me anything. I'm your diary with a dick, remember?"

"Please stop saying that before I chop it off," I groaned as I sat on the bench.

"I'll stop saying it when you start remembering it," Ian pressed as he sat down next to me. "Now come on. Talk."

"Come on, man, isn't Lelani waiting for you? You shouldn't keep her waiting, I'm fine, Ian. Go."

In response to my lackluster attempt at convincing him that I was okay, he did the last thing I expected him to do: he pulled my head down into his chest and hugged me. "Addison, I'm sorry. You only get like this when things have been building up for a while. I've been so distracted and pre-occupied that I didn't notice, and that makes me a shitty friend. I'm sorry."

Ian's concern and sentiment caused a warm feeling to blossom in my chest. Sometimes, I forgot how legitimately blessed I was to have a best friend like Ian who cared so much about me and would always stick by my side. And I really loved him for it.

"Thanks, Ian, but you don't have to always keep an eye on me," I said with a small humorless chuckle, though I made no attempt to break the hug. "You deserve to live your life and there are some things that I just need to work through alone."

Ian hummed in response, though it was clear that he still wasn't totally satisfied with my response. But, like the amazing best friend he was, he knew when not to push it. Besides, this problem wasn't solely mine to share, it was Tyler's, so I had absolutely no right to go around telling people, not even to Ian.

"Alright man, I'll let you sit on it until you're ready. But just remember that I'm always here to talk or simply listen, so never feel like I'm too busy or that your problem isn't important enough, okay?"

"Okay," I affirmed as we both pulled away. "Thank you, Ian. I really mean it. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Cry hysterically," he instantly answered with a shrug. "And have a dickless diary, and where's the fun in that?"

"Ian!" I whined as I made a move to hit him but he jumped out of my reach.

"Bye Addi-Bear!" he said in a singsong voice as he dramatically walked away. I narrowed my eyes at the spot he'd been standing in. He knew I hated that nickname with a passion. But before I could run after him, Tyler walked in and as soon as our eyes met, I was faced with an expression I'd never seen on him before. Not happy but not sad either. He didn't seem afraid or confused or even upset, just...there.

He walked up to me and I instantly stood up so I could meet him. "Is everything okay?" I asked in a soft voice, though I already knew that no one else could hear us.

"Everything went fine, nothing bad, but...I don't know, I'll explain everything to you on the way home, okay? Let me just change and we can go."

I nodded and he slid past me. I felt a sense of relief knowing that "nothing bad" had happened but his manner still made me a bit uneasy. But my heart did swell at how casually he was referring to my house as "home".

Despite his usual routine of showering as soon as he got into the locker room, Tyler merely changed his clothes and within minutes we were walking out of the school hand in hand. We walked in silence for a bit with nothing but the bustling sounds of the city and our footsteps fluttering between us. His hand felt heavy in mine, but nevertheless, I was glad he was letting me hold his hand. Or rather, he was holding mine, gripping it tightly as if he was afraid I'd let go. But I didn't mind one bit; I was just glad that he wasn't shutting me out again after we'd made so much progress.

"She's back in Louisiana," he said after walking in silence for about two minutes, which caused me to let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good, isn't it?"

Tyler scoffed. "It should be right? Except for the fact that she turns everything that is supposed to be good in my life into a living hell. She's going to officially go through and file for custody. She only came up here to give my father a warning about trying to get custody of me. In her fucked up mind she was even hoping I'd willingly come with her so that they wouldn't have to have a huge battle with me, but I think she picked up on the subtle vibe that I hate her."

Despite the severe nature of the situation, the corners of my lips tugged up at the fact that Tyler was injecting some of his humor and sass into it. Another sign that he wasn't completely shutting down. Another sign that he was feeling more safe and open with me.

"My dad even tried to reason with her and make her see the trauma she's caused," he continued, "but it went right over her head. Or she simply didn't care. Either is an option."

"Damn. I'm sorry, Ty."

He shook his head. "You shouldn't be. Neither of us can control it. But it does mean that we might not see each other for a while."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"Well, since my parents live in two separate states, the states decide which one has jurisdiction over this case. My dad thinks that Louisiana is going to get it, something about it being the place I was born and where I was primarily raised or something like that. I don't know, I couldn't really pick up on all the details, I was kinda in shock. It just depends on how fast everything goes. Then I'd have to go to counseling and...it's a whole ordeal, not to mention that the same would have to be done for Serenity since my dad wants her too."

I hummed in response as my gaze fell to the ground just before my feet. As clingy and selfish as it sounded, I didn't want him to go. Not just because I'd miss him like crazy, but also because I didn't want him to have to go through the unimaginable stress of his situation alone. And I wasn't crazy, I knew that I alone couldn't shoulder all of the emotional weight he would put on my shoulders if I were to go with him, but at least I could help in whatever way I could.

The thought of him having another breakdown because of that woman made my blood boil and I wanted nothing more than to give her a piece of my mind and do whatever I could to stop her from snuffing out the last of Tyler's happiness.

"We'll get through this. It'll be rough, I won't lie, but we'll get through this. You'll get through this," I said as I gave his hand a squeeze.

He mutely gave my hand a squeeze back before our grip on one another broke as we went into the subway. The journey home was virtually silent as the reality of the situation slowly sank into our flesh. Every now and then, I'd see the corners of Tyler's lips pull down into a frown or I'd see the very specific look in his eyes when he'd begin to shut down.

It all made me more determined to make these next few days count, especially because I didn't know when he could be snatched from me.

As soon as we got to my apartment, Tyler ran up to my room to shower as I expected him to (he hated being dirty). As he did so, I wandered into the kitchen where my parents were teaching Emerson and Adryan how to make dinner. "Hey," I greeted as I looked over Papa's shoulder at what they were doing. "Whatcha making?"

"Hey Addi."

"Hi Addison," My Papa and Padre said in unison as Adryan and Emerson practically ran from their positions to hug me.

"Wait, Emerson, you have–!" Padre started but it was too late. Emerson wrapped her flour covered hands around me and gave me a huge hug.

I chuckled as I knelt down to give them proper hugs. "It's alright," I assured before I looked at my little siblings. "What are you guys making?"

"Pizza!" Adryan proudly stated with a smile, showing off his missing teeth.

Emerson proudly brandished her hands. "I'm making the dough!"

I grinned. "I see. You're doing a great job." I gave her a fist bump. "You too, Adryan," I quickly added. They got insanely jealous if one of them got a compliment but not the other.

"Alright, children, let's go wash our hands again. Addison has germs," Padre said as he used his head to motion toward the bathroom.

I dramatically gasped as I stood up. "I do not!"

Adryan laughed. "Yeah you do Addison. You have cooties!"

"Cooties?!" Emerson shrieked, causing a faux evil smile to grow on my lips.

"Yeah, and you'll get cooties too if you don't wash them off!" I made one step toward them, causing them to scream before they ran into the bathroom. Padre rolled his eyes with a grin before he followed them into the bathroom. "Hey! No running with socks on!"

"Hey, so how's Tyler doing? He seemed a lot better this morning at breakfast than he did yesterday."

"He's doing better," I said as I leaned against the counter. "His mom messed him up for sure, but he's getting better. He told me that she left, so he'll probably be heading back to his dad's after the trip but he's in a really difficult position now that his parents are officially starting the process of fighting for custody. I just know it's going to be messy and it kills me knowing that I can't be there to really help him."

"My God, Addison. That's awful," Papa mused before he shook his head. "I can't imagine what that poor boy is going through. But the only thing you can do is what you've been doing: support him and be patient. And realize that you can't take all his pain away. It'll just make things worse for both of you if you try. It's okay to care for him but don't smother him, okay?"

I nodded before he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. "I love you, Addison." He kissed my forehead.

"I love you too, Papa," I said before the hug broke.

"Alright, well dinner will be done in a bit. In the meantime, go spend time with Tyler, but don't get too close. Your father and I were young once too, you know. We know the tricks."

My cheeks burned the deep red shade of embarrassment before I literally ran upstairs, being chased by my Papa's laughs and Padre's confused gaze the whole way up until I was safe behind my closed bedroom door.

I hated him sometimes, I swear.

After the roar of my heartbeat in my ears died down, I realized that the shower was running. I turned and saw Tyler's clothes discarded in a trail that led through the open door of the bathroom.

Suddenly, Tyler's heavenly humming filled my ears, mixing with the beautiful instrumental that the water was providing. That moment cemented the knowledge that I'd had since I met him: I'd do anything to experience this every day of my life.

I walked over to my dresser to pick out a pair of pajama pants and a short shirt that was slightly cropped but not in the style that Tyler liked due to the fact that all of my cropped shirts were dirty.

After I was fully dressed, I stretched out on my bed and grabbed the drawing of Tyler I'd been working on a few nights prior. I got comfortable and started working. It was almost done, all I had to do was perfect the details.

Between the sound of Tyler's humming and the millions of thoughts that ran through my mind, my pencil gingerly moved across the page until I heard the shower water stop. Not wanting Tyler to see the picture before it was fully done, I quickly put it back into my nightstand and nestled myself in the sheets so that it looked like I was simply laying the whole time.

After a few moments, Tyler walked out with his towel around his waist. "Hey, I didn't hear you come up," he said as he walked by. "You weren't waiting long were you?"

"No, I just got up," I easily fibbed as I propped myself on my elbows so I could watch him as he moved. "They're making pizzas for dinner. I think you'll like it."

Tyler hummed in response as he dropped his towel and started changing into sweatpants and a simple muscle shirt. The thought that he was all mine in body and heart caused a small grin to tug at the edges of my lips before I laid down straight on my back to prevent myself from getting too distracted.

After a few moments, I felt the bed beside me dip before I felt the weight of Tyler's head on my chest. I instantly wrapped one arm around him and slid the other under my head as I looked down at him while he got comfortable. "Hey you," I softly greeted as I kissed his forehead and started gently running my hand up and down his bare back.

Tyler grinned. "What should I expect tomorrow? I'm truly clueless about all of this stuff."

My focus fell back onto the ceiling as I thought of a way to accurately describe All-State to Tyler without overwhelming him or scaring him off. After a few moments, I was able to speak. "Well, we all pile into a charter bus for a handful of hours until we get to where we're going. We usually get there between twelve and one. Then we have like five hours or so to check in and relax. Sometimes the team goes out to explore where we are since the location changes sometimes and sometimes we all just bum around in our rooms. Then we have a two to three hour practice before we're supposed to go to bed. Then we got through brackets against 2 teams until it's the big game the next day. I know we keep focusing on only one team, but that's because we know we'll make it to the finals, or at least, we're manifesting it. All of these teams are familiar and we know their playing style so there aren't really any big surprises, you know? Well, there might be for you, but the boys and I got you. Then after the final game, we stay for another full day before we head back here.

"It's pretty fun and we're usually around some good food places too. Plus, it's always exciting to see who's going to get in trouble every year. Last year it was Yusef for getting with a cheerleader, the year before, it was a guy named Nathan who brought alcohol and drunkenly ran through the lobby naked at like four in the morning. It was equally hilarious as it was traumatizing."

Tyler scoffed. "Sounds like it."

I patted him on his back. "You'll be fine, Tyler. Besides, you've got me every step of the way, and you have to remember I'm kind of crazy, super over-protective, and insanely jealous, so you don't have to worry about anyone messing with you."

Tyler grinned. "My hero," he sarcastically stated before I leaned down and kissed him. I felt him grin against my lips as I gently gripped the back of his head.