The Secret I Tried to Keep

Chapter 45

I found my self shaking my head. "You know, one of Zane's fears is that I'm too good to be true and I'll just end up leaving him for the jock... which is you. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have... especially now. He could relapse, or worse," I said.

"Are you saying you would have given us a chance?" he asked curiously. My immediate answer was yes, but I shrugged instead.

"Had circumstances been different, I don't know what I would have done. But with the way things are now, I can't. You're a truly amazing guy Tyler, and I don't know what I would have done without you, but I don't want to lose you as a friend. But right now, Zane needs  me," I tried to explain. It sounded like a weak attempt even to me.

"I can't watch him hurt you again," Tyler said in determination.

"He won't," I assured him. Tyler chuckled humorlessly as he shook his head.

"It's what he does, Dria. He's already done it to you alone, multiple times, and you keep sticking your neck back on the chopping block every time," Tyler replied.

"It's different this time," I tried. It was a weak attempt, even in my ears.

"I'm sorry, Dria. I can't be your friend anymore if you do this again. I can't watch him destroy you over and over and over again; which is exactly what's going to happen. It may not happen right away, but it'll happen. Zane is never going to change. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can save that little girl from the same heartache," he said. I pushed the door open and got out of the car.

"Goodbye, Tyler," I said softly through the open passenger window.

"Dria," he stopped me. "I hope, for your sake, that you're right. I'm still here for you if you need anything. I just... I can't watch the Zane disaster train crash again," Tyler said apologetically. I offered a small smile to try and convey that there were no hard feelings but the smile probably looked tight and strained.

"I know," I practically whispered. My heart ached. This felt like a final goodbye and I hated it. Tyler gave me a sad apologetic smile before I went inside. I sighed and leaned against the closed front door as I closed my eyes to hold back tears. Why did this have to happen now?

"Dria?" Presley called as she came to the front foyer where I was still standing. "So how is he?" she asked. Michael went back to California to sort things out with Courtney and the monster, so Presley was staying with me so she wouldn't be home alone.

"Huh? Oh, he's fine," I answered, distracted. I was still thinking about Tyler.

"Didn't Tyler bring you? Why didn't he come inside?" she pried.

"Because we're not friends anymore, Prez," I said with a sigh as I pushed myself off of the door and went to the kitchen.

"What?! That doesn't make any sense! Tyler would take a bullet for you. How could you guys not be friends at the very least?" Presley said bewildered as she followed me. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and popped it open.

"Yeah, that's the problem. Tyler is so in love with me that he can't stand to sit back and watch Zane destroy me, so he's opting to just not watch at all," I explained bitterly before I sipped on my water. Presley was quiet as she looked anywhere but directly at me. Something was up.

"What is it, Presley?" I asked with a sigh.

"How did you not see that Tyler is head over heels in love with you? I swear his eyes literally make hearts when he looks at you," Presley blurted. "And I don't blame him for leaving either. Every time my brother has hurt you, Tyler has been there to pick up the pieces and put them back together just for you to turn around and give it back to Zane for him to crush again," Presley let out in a rush. I rolled my eyes and walked to the living room.

"What's with you and Tyler using stupid metaphors?" I said tiredly. Presley was hot on my trail.

"I mean, I love my brother, I do, but you're like the sister I've always wanted, and I don't want you to be stuck with Zane if he's not going to make you happy," Presley continued, barely missing a beat.

"I am happy," I snapped ironically.

"You're happy when Tyler's around, but ever since Zane came back into your life, you've been worried and stressed out all the time. It's not good for you or the baby," she pointed out.

"I'm worried because he's still in the hospital, but once he gets back, everything will go back to normal," I said.

"And what normal is that? The one where my brother whores around and you put up with it?" she asked rhetorically. I shook my head.

"That's not fair, and you know it. You're not really helping here, Prez," I said. She only shrugged.

"I want you to be happy, Dria. And as much as I want my brother to be happy, too, he's not what you really want or need and you know it. When are you going to wake up and see that?" she asked.

"I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap. Where's Domino?" I asked, heading for the stairs.

"Sleeping in my room," Presley sighed as she gave up and went to sit on the couch. I climbed the stairs to my room and curled up on the bed. I was tempted to call Tyler for a cuddle session until I fell asleep but I couldn't do that anymore. I sighed and rubbed a hand over my stomach. How did things manage to get so messed up?

~