TYLER

Fuck! I slam my fist in to a tree, trying to pound away the anger. But no matter how many times I let my fist fly, I can't forget the devastated look on her face when she saw her dad. She looked so hurt, the pain evident in her eyes, at least for the short moment she wasn't guarding her expression. Then she shut me out, no surprise there. But I didn't miss what happened. That bastard. I always disliked the man, hating how he'd make her feel worthless whenever she didn't come up on top, but this... walking out on his family... what an asshole.

You aren't any better, a nasty voice inside my head tells me. You walked out on her, too. And around the same time, I'm sure of it. That's why I never knew. Because I'd probably already cut her out of my life. No wonder she sometimes seemed so sad during freshman year, whenever she thought no one was looking. And here I'd thought it was because of me. What an arrogant self-absorbed bastard I am.

I breathe raggedly, resting my forehead against the tree. I always believed the rumor that said her parents had divorced peacefully and her dad had moved out of town after a better job, still very much keeping in touch with his daughters. I never thought there was more to it. But the look on her face, like she'd seen a ghost... He's clearly not been around. How could he?

I get more angry just thinking about it. How he could have left her, when all she ever did was try to make him proud of her. How could he just spit on her face like that? Fucking dickhead, not realizing what he had.

Just like me. I did the same thing. But I never wanted to live without her. I never thought I could. Until that weekend. Fuck, I needed her so bad that night. And the night after that. But she wasn't there. Because she was too busy fucking Caleb, that backstabbing motherfucker. I never understood what she saw in him. Sure, he was smooth-talking and okay-looking, I guess, but he was not much beyond that. Certainly not good enough for her. But she chose him anyway. Chose him over me many times, blew me off to hang with him, forgot to text and call me back more times than I could count...

But I would've forgiven her for it all... if it wasn't for the night I needed her more than I needed air to breathe. And she wasn't there. That was the night I decided I wouldn't be there for her anymore, either. I was so hurt, so angry. And so I let her go.

Basically forced her out the door, I wince. I will never forget the way she pleaded with me, the tears on her face as she begged me to not leave her. But my heart had turned cold by then. I had no fucks to give. I didn't care. I wish that was the case now.

I close my eyes, calming down my racing heart before straightening up and walking inside. Dad's already gone to bed, having an early shift tomorrow, so I make my way quietly down to the bathroom to try and wash away the day.

---

NORA

Mads has already gone to bed by the time I get home. I tiptoe to my room and take a shower before falling face first on my bed. I only fall asleep at four in the morning, when the exhaustion finally overrides my brain.

I wake up to the doorbell ringing. I groan and pull a pillow over my head.

"Mads!" I yell when the bell rings for a sixth time. "Get the door!"

Nothing happens. "Mads?" Where is that girl? I huff and roll myself out of bed, my eyes feeling like someone's poured sand in them.

I slouch across the landing and peek into my sister's room. It's empty. She must be out. Figures. On the one morning I want to sleep late... I make my way down the stairs, yelling, "Coming! Damn it!"

Who the heck is this freaking persistent? Like for real.

I open the door, expecting maybe Evan or no one. Wouldn't be the first time those snotty children down the street were annoying little shits. What I don't expect to see, however, is my father.

He's standing on the porch like there's not a care in the world, dressed in jeans and a clean-pressed t-shirt. His brown hair is gelled back, just like it always used to be. His skin is tanned but several shades lighter than mine. I'm a mix between him and mom.

I don't know how long I stand there, just looking at him, but I guess for too long as he eventually decides to clear his throat. "Nora," he says.

I blink and rub my eyes. I've got to be still dreaming. The nightmare never ends.

"Morning," he says, looking a bit uncomfortable by my silent staring. "Can I come in?"

That wakes me up. "No."

He licks his lips. "Really, Nora, if I could just—"

I cross my arms over my chest, my heart aching. "No." I'm backing up and about to close the door when his hand reaches out. I flinch, but he just stops the door from closing.

"We need to talk," he says sternly.

"No, we don't. I don't need to do anything."

"As stubborn as ever, I see," he laughs but it doesn't reach his eyes. I stare daggers at him. "Look—"

"I don't care about anything you have to say. I don't want you here. Leave. You're good at that."

He swallows. "Look, yesterday... it got me thinking..."

"That you should go back to wherever you crawled from? Yeah, I agree."

Anger is starting to seep into his eyes. "Hold your tongue! I'm your father, you don't get to talk to me like that!"

I step forward, my face showing all the anger and hatred I feel toward him, and he actually takes a startled step back. "I get to talk to you any way I want. You are not my father. You lost that privilege when you walked out on us. When you left us for another family. So don't come here and tell me how I'm supposed to talk to you. You're nothing to me," I spit the last words out at him.

He's visibly angry now, too. "Stupid child! You've always been so arrogant, haven't you? Strutting around like you know everything, just like your mother. And you wonder why I chose them?" he regards me with contempt. "I didn't come here to see you."

I narrow my eyes at him, wishing a meteor or something would just fall on his head already. "Then what the fuck are you doing here, then?"

"I'm here to see your sister," he says, with a glint of glee in his eyes. He knows that'll hurt me.

He wrote Mads a letter after he'd left, explaining everything and apologizing to her. He told her how he loved her and wished he could stay, but that our mother and I were making it impossible.

He always favored her. She was the easy child, the quiet one who always obeyed. She was only ten when he left. She'd never seen the side of him that I got to witness that day, and she was so confused. She wanted to believe me and mom, but at the same time she loved dad and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't know how much they've kept in contact over the years, but I sure as hell aren't letting her waltz back into her life like it's nothing.

"She isn't here," I say, my voice tight. "And you're not going to mess up her life again."

His face scrunches up in rage. "I'm her father! I have the right to see her!"

"Not anymore," I tell him and slam the door on his face. I stare at the closed door for a long while, knowing he's still on the other side. After a long moment I hear a car start.

I sigh in relief and lean against the door. My life just got a whole lot more complicated.

---

I know I'm supposed to be resting today, but I'm feeling too itchy to not go for a run. I run for an hour, going as fast as I can, trying to run out my anger. When my legs finally collapse, I cry. I sob in the quiet road, not even caring if someone sees.

When I've cried myself dry, I wipe my tears and jog back home. I take a long bath, trying to calm my mind, but I can't.

I find myself in the study, sitting down at the piano. I start playing the tune in my head, hoping releasing it as music will let it out. I close my eyes, feeling the music with my heart, pouring out every feeling I've felt these past twenty-four hours.

"That's beautiful" Mads' voice cuts through the music.

I jump and open my eyes, turning to look at where my sister and Elliot are standing in the doorway.

"How long have you stood there?" I ask, self-conscious.

"Long enough to know you're really talented" Elliot smiles.

Mads shows me her phone. "I recorded it. Sorry if you didn't want me to, it was just so beautiful..."

I swallow down the lump in my throat. "It's okay. It was nothing."

"Was it something you wrote?" Elliot asks. "I didn't recognize it."

"Uh, well, I didn't exactly write it," I smile awkwardly. "I was just playing what came to mind."

His brows shoot up. "You improvised it? Just like that? Wow."

"It's not that big of a deal, really," I try to wave it off. I'm not that talented with the piano.

"Well, it sounded like something to me," my sister smiles. "I'm going to send it to you."

"Cool," I get up. "Uh, what are you guys up to?" I have a hard time looking Mads in the eye. Would she be mad at me if she heard what I did? Would she want to see him?

"Just getting my swimsuit. We're going to the pool."

"Cool," I retreat out of the room. "I'm going to...uh, I need to go. See you later!" I skip upstairs, my heart racing. Did I do the wrong thing? I collapse onto my bed. I don't know if he kept in contact with her. What if they've been talking all this time? No, I decide. Mads wouldn't do that, not without telling mom. I did the right thing. I did.

My phone buzzes next to my head. I open my eyes and scroll through the messages. They're mostly from Evan. He's sent me a video clip but before I can watch it, more messages come through.

-This is amazing

-Can we use it?

-I'm coming over

What? I quickly scroll back to the top and tap open the video. Shit. It's the one Mads filmed of me today. Why did she send it to him? I watch as the camera moves forward so that you can see the side of my face. My eyes are closed, my face full of emotion. Shit.

I scramble off my bed and text him back.

-No need to come over

His reply comes back not a second later.

-Too late :)

I frown, wondering what he means when there is a loud knock on the door. Groaning, I skip downstairs and open the door to his goofily smiling face.

"Don't you look chirpy," he grins and steps past me. I roll my eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I told you?" he smiles at me. "The video."

I grimace. "Look, I don't know why Mads would send it to you but—"

"Your sister didn't send it to me," he tells me and heads toward the study. "Elliot did."

"Well, it doesn't really matter who—"

"The piano's here, isn't it?" he points at a room ahead of him. He peeks in a nods. "Perfect."

"What's perfect?"

He looks me over. "A little slow on the uptake today, aren't you?"

I glare at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"We've got our piece," he tells me like I'm a bit dumb. Today, I probably am. "Or a part of it, at least."

"What?" I gape at him. "You can't mean..."

"It's exactly what I mean," he says and picks up my guitar that's sitting in the corner. "It was beautiful. Now we just need to finish it, add a guitar, and write some lyrics."

I rub my eyes. "Have I forgotten something or weren't we supposed to write a happy song?"

"We were."

"Did that sound happy to you?"

He looks up from the guitar at me. "Plans change."

I cross my arms. "Look here, buddy..."

He sighs. "Nora. That was a beautiful piece of music. And we haven't gotten anywhere with ours. We can just as well write a sadder song."

I narrow my eyes. "How are we going to write a sad song when you yourself said your life is perfect and you're never experienced loss of any kind."

He clears his throat, looking guilty. "Well, I might have lied to you about that."

"What?" I sit down next to him.

"I'm adopted," he says, his blue eyes full of emotion I'd never seen in them before. "My parents were junkies. They cared more about getting the next fix than they cared about taking care of me. So I was finally taken off their care when I was five. I spent a year in foster care before the Perkins' family found me and wanted to adopt me. And they've been good to me ever since. They're my family now, and I love them. But I do think about my birth parents sometimes, still. How they cared so little about me..." he shrugs.

I put my arms around him and squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," he clears his throat again. "Anyway, I know about loss. I know sadness. And judging from that video, you do too."

I lean back and look at him. "It was never supposed to be heard."

"But it was," he says. "And writing about it, it might just be therapeutic."

I think about it for a long while. Then I nod. "Okay."

"Okay?" he looks a little surprised I gave in so easily. He's not the only one.

"Okay." I'm not ready to tell him everything, but I do tell him the main points. My father left us. He broke a piece of me, a piece he'd already trampled. And then he came back. But not for me.

Evan's eyes fill with sympathy as he listens to me, and at the end of it he hugs me tight. "I'm so sorry."

I don't say anything, just lean on his warm body.

"Does..." he hesitates. "Tyler doesn't know, does he?"

I shake my head. "No. It happened right after he... after we quit being friends."

I can feel him nod. "I'm sorry."

"You said that already," I joke.

"I know," he says. "I just... I'm sorry."

I lean back from his embrace. "Do you know what happened that summer? With Tyler? I know there's something other than me being a self-absorbed ass and blowing him off, but he's never told me."

He averts his eyes and nods. "I do know. But I can't tell you. It's his business, his to share."

I sigh. "I figured. No hurt in trying, right?"

He smiles.

"Show me the recording, please," I extend my hand and he gives me his phone. "I just played out my feelings, I don't really remember all of it so I need to listen to it and write it down."

"Yes, ma'am," he salutes me.

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Hi guys! :) So, what did you think about reading from Tyler's POV? I'm going to do some of those from now on, so I hope you like it. Anyway, please vote and leave a comment :)