Loving Him ✔️(#2 Loving Series)

Chapter 23

Tyra's POV

Backhanded insults? Check.

Comments on my looks? Check.

Taunts on my food intake? Check.

Shoving my adoption in my face? Check.

The above 4 scenarios, very perfectly described my weekend with my adopted family at home. While I tried my best to not let them affect me, it was draining emotionally.

"Why even bother coming, if it's so much a hassle?" I asked in annoyance on Sunday evening. I knew it must be something very important for them to come back so abruptly.

"Diana's grandparents are coming over," my adopted mother stiffly replies. Diana's, not mine, her subtle way to push me down. I didn't know why and I never bothered to ask why they continued this charade for their extended family.

Just a few more months Tyra, hold on, I mentally motivate myself as I get ready to school on Monday. I skip breakfast as I am not in the mood for their taunts. I just planned to pick something up from the cafeteria after speaking to Austen.

Austen. The dance. The kiss during the party. The sparks.

The above was enough to push me back into happy spirits as I boarded my bus to school. I found my seat next to Bella, who was back to her usual self. Surprisingly there were no posts or any sort of rumor regarding the fiasco during the party, which I guess was due to the heavy influence of certain friends of mine.

"Are you doing well?" I ask for my satisfaction, as all that may look good might not always be that way.

"Yeah" Bella replies with a genuine smile and explains how Violet helped her that night. She apologized to her as well and things were actually friendly between them.

Thank god! I silently pray in gratitude.

My plans for the cafeteria and talking with Austen were all halted when our senior class was called for a special assembly, obviously about our absence during the Halloween dance. Which was a waste of everyone's time since there was no notice that it was mandatory, which the twin very heavily exploited.

By the time it was lunch break, I was all ready to pounce on food to eat and as well talk to Austen. But fates were not on my side. We had to hold a scholastic decathlon meeting and Me and Bella had to skip lunch.

The last period was chemistry practical, and with no food in my belly and standing for such long hours, my body started to feel its effects. Just as I was to leave the classroom, a wave of dizziness hits me. My legs swagger a bit but a pair of hands manage to stabilize me.

"You alright?" Wren asks, holding my hand as I wait for the dizziness to pass.

"Thanks Birdie," I replied once feeling sure that I won't completely faint and stand a little straighter.

"Do you want me to drop you..." His sentences fade to the back as I catch a glimpse of the pair of blue eyes that have been the star of my dreams for the past 2 days.

I pull my hand out of Wren's hand, mutter a quick bye and run down the hallways to catch up with him, finally finding him to talk to him.

I manage to catch him as soon as he reaches his car. I can feel my legs tremble a bit from all the efforts and no energy but the need to talk with him helps to push my body through and I realize that my mouth has widened into a smile.

He turns towards me when he notices me and my smile dims a bit when I see that he is donning his blank face and even his gaze is hardened.

"I was trying to catch you through the day to talk to you," I reply between my huffs of breaths and lean a bit on his car for support. His posture is still stiff and eyes look guarded.

All the courage I had gathered this morning to have the talk fades away and is replaced by a set of nerves.

"Can you drop me home?" I requested him, as I needed some time to gather my thoughts again.

"I am not your personal chauffeur," he dismissed me with a cold edge in his voice and I felt my heart crack a little and eyes about to moisten.

I wasn't expecting any declaration of love or proposal, but also hadn't imagined that he would behave with such aloofness. Not wanting to break down in front of him, I simply nod and turn away to start walking home to clear my mind.

Did he not feel anything for me?

Did the kiss not mean anything to him?

Were the moments that sparked my dreams just in my head?

All the thoughts battered down me as I walked home. It's only when I entered home and Diana commented on my looks that I realized that I had tears running down my face.

"No new friends dropping you home?" she taunts me just as she had been doing the whole weekend regarding my friendship with the Famous Five. I decided to ignore her just as I had been doing the past 2 days, but she didn't relent.

"Did they too realize how much work it's being with you? Or did someone reject you?" She continues her haggering and her last sentence causes me to flinch a bit. She is quick to notice the slip in my expression and mean glint enters her face.

"Someone did reject you," she says in a matter of fact way and a loud laugh escapes her mouth.

"Don't tell me you really thought you had a chance with any of them," she taunts me in between her laughs. Not wanting to feed her entertainment further, I swipe my keys off the counter to leave the house for a while.

"That's what happens when you mistake pity for something else," she snidely remarks with genuine happiness at my disheartened face and it hurts a bit more as I exit the house.

I sit in my car for a while, contemplating where to go. My face is still a mess from all the crying. No matter how much self affirmation I tried, I couldn't muster anything. I just needed to vent it but had no one. The feeling of being all alone hits me hard.

Austen was the only one who knew the whole truth about my family but he was also the reason for some of my pain right now, so going to him was a big no. With no other option left, I decided to drive around wanting something that would replace this hurt within.

My prayers are answered with blaring lights and a loud honking. And it's only when my world turns upside down, I realize that another gut wrenching pain is coursing through my body. I close my eyes in minute relief from the pain from my heart.

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Author's Note - And we have reached the end! Epilogue coming up next.

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