Don't Give Up On Me ✔

Chapter 37 ~ Get over your damn selves

Tyler's POV

"You did what?!" I scream at my mom.

"None of your other friends wanted you to stay with them. What is that about anyway, Tyler?" She gives me a suspicious look. "I went over to Isla's house and I asked if you could stay a while with them," she says as if it's nothing, "I don't get the big deal. She's your girlfriend after all."

"My friends and I are not getting along at the moment, and Isla is not my girlfriend. I never said she was," I growl.

"Yet..." She says, "by the way you talk about her, I can tell you like her. She would be crazy not to like you. You are an amazing boy." Too bad my mom doesn't know what I did here.

"Mom, I'm pretty sure she is already dating someone." I know Lucas has liked her since freshman year. And, the way those four guys are always around her, I wouldn't be surprised if she's dating one of them.

"Who's her boyfriend? Are you talking about one of those guys who helped bring you to the hospital?" She laughs, "I doubt it. They're not good enough for her like you are, my son." My mom can sometimes be full of herself.

"Mom, you're telling me her parents agreed to letting me stay with them for a couple of weeks?" I ask, not truly believing my mother.

"Well, no. Isla agreed. Did you know her parents passed away?" I remember hearing about it at school, but I thought that it was just another rumor that Chelsea had made up. "She lives with five of her friends, her two siblings and one other younger child."

"Who are her friends?" I hope it wasn't any of the guys. I'm pretty sure they still want to kill me. I can only imagine how awkward it would be to have to stay with Isla and the guys.

My mother scoffs at me, "I wasn't trying to be nosey, Tyler. I didn't ask her. She just said friends." She points for me to go upstairs, "Hurry up and go pack. I need to drop you off soon. Your father and I can't miss our flight."

"Why can't I come with you and dad?" I ask angrily. They're always pawning me off on someone, "or why can't I stay alone?"

My mother glares at me, "You can't come with us because you will miss too much school and you have already missed enough with you being in the hospital. You are also not staying alone for Thanksgiving, plus there's a storm coming. You need to be with other people in case something happens."

"But I am not welcome there, mother!" I howl at her.

My mother slaps me in the face. This seems to surprise both of us. My mother has never laid her hands on me. My family is completely against violence. "Tyler..." she says with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I hate being away from you for the holidays, but I don't have a choice. Your father and I have to work." She rubs the spot where she slapped me, "They do want you there, honey. If not, Isla would have said no. You just don't allow someone to stay with you for a couple of weeks if you don't like them. You will be fine. I promise." That's what she thinks. Little does she know, Isla is way too nice to say no. And, even if by some strange miracle Isla is okay with me staying, that doesn't mean her friends will be.

I enter my bedroom and start packing my suitcase. I can't believe I am going to be staying two weeks at Isla's house. I feel really bad for what I did to her. I was drunk, stupid and jealous. I've liked Isla since middle school.

She was always a very sweet person. She isn't like most girls. She doesn't cake on makeup and wear stuff that barely covers her body. I was going to ask her out freshman year, but then I heard that she was sleeping around with just about any guy who wanted to sleep with her. Several of the friends I had even told me that they had already hooked up with her.