Chapter One
Disclaimer: If you have not read My Life in Pieces, read that book first or this one will not make a lot of sense!
The late August air had a small chill starting to infiltrate it. September would come tomorrow and that meant another school year was about to begin. It was hard to believe that I had lived in Cabbagetown, a neighborhood in Toronto, Ontario for a full year now. I had moved here from Dallas, Texas at the start of last school year.
I was currently laying on a blanket in the backyard of my Aunt Claire and Uncle Jim's. Next to me were two of my best friends, Elle Evans and Jensen Echols. Our other friend Cassie Lancaster was standing over us retelling a story about her date last week with my cousin James. We were all hanging out here for Claire and Jim's annual back to school BBQ.
This summer had solidified us four as our own mini clique. We were all intertwined though in a giant clique known around school as, The Families. There were five groups of families, The Harrisons, Evans/Munros, Masons, Stones/Leightons, and Flores. The oldest boys of each family had known each other since they played peewee hockey and had stayed friends for over a decade. All of their siblings had naturally followed suit.
Dylan Harrison, Jake Munro, Gavin Mason, Logan Stone, and Max Flores had all graduated this year and were headed off to different universities this next week. Gavin and Dylan were rooming together at the University of Toronto, Jake was going to one in Alberta, Max was headed to New York, and Logan was going to a University in Quebec. It would be the last time I saw most of them until Thanksgiving. It also left the rest of us to figure out what that meant for this next year. Would we all still be a massive clique or were we going to size down into smaller groups? I for one voted for a group that let me vote Elle's step-brother, Ari, off the island.
Ari Munro was my ex boyfriend. His current girlfriend, Darcy Blake, was the equivalent of a mosquito buzzing in my ear. She had been a lacky of Cassie's last year. When Jensen started dating Declan Stone and Cassie started dating James, Darcy went for the first boy she could find from the families that would take her. She landed on the then very recently single Ari. Darcy had this warped sense of self importance that made her think that because she was dating Ari then the rest of us should accept her into the fold.
It didn't work like that. We weren't a cult. We were a group of teenager girls who very much could hold a grudge.
It didn't help that Darcy was a grade younger than the rest of us four. The only time we had to put up with her was in Cross Country. The school had decided that we had enough numbers to have a Fall athletics class. It meant that all of us would be in the same gym class. I was going to do my best to ignore her.
Currently though, that was difficult.
Her hyena laugh could be heard clear across the yard. I looked over and saw Darcy sitting in Ari's lap laughing at a joke that Ari's brother Jake was making. I barely recognized Ari.
Last year Elle, Ari, and Elle's boyfriend Aaron were sitting in the corner like a cloud of emo darkness when I got to the BBQ. Now Ari looked more like a model for Abercrombie. His outfit was coordinated with Darcy's. I was sure his parents loved this Stepford version of their kid. Elle assured me that it wasn't an act either. At home, apparently, he had painted over his black walls with a light shade of tope.
I knew people went through phases and the Ari I knew had left me in the dust of his last one.
I tried not to stare in their direction for too long and to find something more interesting to look at. The Leighton twins Annie and Landon and the Flores twins Nina and Reece were parked in one corner. Reece's boyfriend Ryan Stone had his head resting on Reece's shoulder. My cousin Laura was over there too with her boyfriend Gavin.
Annie, Nina, and Laura were all cheerleaders.
Most of the graduates were in their own section. Max Flores, Logan Stone, and my Cousin Dylan were throwing around a frisbee. Jake Munro was headed over to join. The youngest Flores, Danny, and his girl friend, the youngest Mason, Miri, were walking towards Ari's corner. Trying to keep up with all the names and faces had felt impossible last year but now they all were just branches of a giant tree.
The only ones we were missing at this point were Elle's sister Brenna Evans, Elle's boyfriend Aaron Mason and Aaron's brother Tyler.
Tyler.
Just thinking about him sent butterflies through my stomach. We had been in a flirtationship of sorts since Valentine's Day of last year. He had spent the first half of the summer touring with his band Running with Scissors while I was back in Dallas visiting my older sister Elyse, our ex step-mom Jordan, and her son Patrick.
When we both got back to Cabbagetown, I had been giddy to see him. I had gone with Elle to watch them practice at the local club, The Garage. Elle's sister Brenna was the lead singer. Ari had been there too with Darcy.
Ari hated Tyler. My friendship with Tyler was literally the reason Ari broke up with me so I had no idea why they had insisted on being there. I had watched the practice, too shy to go up and talk to Tyler after. It had been a month since we had seen each other in person. He had texted me from the road a few times and I had kept up with the bands social media. I watched as James and Cassie went up to talk to Tyler. James and Tyler had been best friends about as long as Dylan and the Graduates as we now all called them. I had waited for him to come over and talk to me.
He hadn't.
Tyler had just given me a head nod and a smile before he started packing up. The utter embarrassment I had felt in that moment had kept me from reaching out to him since. We had bumped into each other here at James' and over at his house when I was there with Elle to see Aaron but we still hadn't hung out one on one yet.
Tyler had written a love song about me the year before and had debuted it for a house full of people.
While I was dating Ari...
He had asked me to the Valentine's dance and had made it abundantly clear that he was interested.
I had shot him down. On repeat.
Now that I was finally ready to be interested in him, I was afraid that I had missed my shot.
Just then the back gate opened and in poured Brenna, her boyfriend Nixon Bostick, Aaron, and Tyler brought up the rear. Elle shot up to go see Aaron. I wanted to do the same but I stayed put. Soon, Cassie was going over to see James and Jensen gave me a longing look. I knew she wanted to leave me as the Lone Ranger so she could go see Declan. I nodded in defeat but tried to smile.
So I was here alone now. Just me and my blanket. I felt like they had left Baby in the corner.
A figure appeared, above me, blocking out the sun. I squinted and felt my heart skip a beat.
Tyler.
"Got left all alone, huh Little Harrison?"
I had waited months to hear him call me that stupid nickname.
"Looks like it. You want to come keep me company down here?"
Well that was brazen.
Tyler smiled and sat down next to me. There was maybe a six inch gap between us and I was dying to close it. "How've you been, Little H? I haven't gotten to talk to you one on one in ages."
No shit Sherlock!
I tried to act nonchalant. "Good, trying to soak up the last day of summer break."
We smiled making eye contact. Tylers dirty blond curls hung in ringlets around his face. The summer sun had bleached them and tanned his skin a golden brown. His blue eyes still had specks of green in when the light reflected off of them. He looked like he should be a surfer in California.
I flinched as another hyena laugh came across the yard. God I hated that girl.
"Why is Munro still with that PopTart? I thought for sure he'd get sick of her and that laugh by now."
I smirked and shrugged, "Beats me, I haven't talked to him in months."
That made Tyler smile. He thought for a moment and then went in for what he had actually come over here for. "So you might have noticed the space I have been giving you."
"You mean the Grand Canyon between us?"
He laughed, "Well you said you weren't ready to date so I wanted to give you some space, not be in your business for a while. You've seemed happier lately, from what I can tell."
"Does that mean you'll stop giving me so much... space?"
Tyler rested his hand on mine. "We play a gig this Friday at The Garage. It's an early set. Come watch me play and then let me take you out after."
I nodded in agreement, "Deal."
Aunt Claire called that it was time for dinner and everyone started walking towards the house. Tyler casually wrapped an arm around my waist. Laura gave me a sideways smirk but the rest seemed to either not notice or not care.
The graduates all grabbed a plate and then headed for the basement. The house was getting full with bodies grabbing chairs and spots on the sofa. I noticed that Darcy was sitting on Ari's lap again. It reminded me of a toddler sitting on their father's lap and it gave me the ick.
Elle pointed outside and I followed her once I got my plate. Aunt Claire had several picnic tables set up out here. The weather was cooling off as the sun was setting. Uncle Jim noticed too because he was already setting a fire in their fire pit and had lit several gas heaters near the picnic tables. I sat down next to Jensen outside and saw Tyler was going to sit next to me.
The butterflies fluttered again.
I looked around and saw my tribe. Tyler, Aaron, James, and Declan were all seniors this year. Jensen, Cassie, Elle, and I were all going to be Juniors. We were our own mini group and I for one was happy to keep it this small.
I noticed that over the summer, other branches had started to grow in our bigger group. Reece and Ryan had started hanging out with Ari and Darcy more and less with our group. Miri and Danny were on their side too. That made sense since Miri, Danny, Ryan, and Darcy were all rising tenth graders. Reece and Ari being rising seniors still grossed me out.
It only seemed natural that we would start to split off. The graduates were the real glue of the group. Without them a lot of us would have never associated with each other in high school. We were all growing up and it showed. James had grown a full beard over the summer, Aaron no longer sported a faux hawk and instead had hair about the length that Tyler's was this time last year, Elle had opted to tone down a lot of her wardrobe. I felt like that had been an influence from Ari. Ari looked a lot like Jake but skinnier. He wasn't built like an athlete but he had started dressing like his brother. Ryan and Reece had toned down their alternative looks as well. It was like last season's emo was out and this season's preppy was in.
The anxious feeling I got when change was on the horizon was slowly crawling into my gut. Last year was such a rollercoaster ride, I was afraid to see what this year held in store. A hand started rubbing my shoulder. I looked over to see Tyler wink at me while he continued his conversation with James.
This is our year.
The party started winding down and Tyler offered to walk me home. I tried to ignore Ari and Darcy as we walked past them making out in the driveway.
Get a fucking room.
"Get a fucking room, Munro."
Wait, did I just say that out loud?
I hadn't, but Tyler had.
Glad we're on the same page.
Darcy rolled her eyes, "Why don't you just enjoy his leftovers and leave us alone?"
"Bitch, you're the one making out with my sloppy seconds on my cousins' front lawn."
Yup. That one I said out loud.
Ari's eyes grew wide and Tyler started laughing. He pulled me towards the direction of my house before this turned into a full on catfight. The walk wasn't far. All of the families lived in the same neighborhood here in Cabbagetown. It made going to and from houses without a car a lot easier.
We stopped at the bottom of my front porch. Tyler was smiling down at me.
"Man, you really hate that girl?"
I snorted, "In short, yes."
"She's an airhead. Miri brought her over a few times this summer and I swear I lost IQ points listening to them."
I rolled my eyes, "She just wants status. She thinks Ari and Miri will get it for her. It makes my skin crawl."
Tyler smirked, "It's not because you're jealous, is it?"
And there it was. The elephant in the room.
I always changed the subjects when anyone brought up Ari. I didn't want to talk to him or talk about how our relationship ended. It had been a slap to the face the way he ended things between us. We had just really started our relationship and it ended in an instant. No discussion, just him walking away from us.
From me.
Just like that, five months of my life was down the drain. I had had to start over again. I had spent the last seven months trying to find myself in this town. I had wanted to find out who I was without a boy being a part of my identity.
That was easier said than done when the majority of my friend group was in a relationship. I had gotten used to being the third wheel or the fifth wheel. Looking at Tyler now, it felt like I was ready to take the training wheels off and try dating again.
"He's the one who fucked up, not me. His loss. She can have him."
Tyler beamed, "Do you want a ride to school tomorrow?"
I beamed back, "Yes, please."
"Then I will see you in the morning."
There was a tension hanging in the air. It was palpable.
KISS ME ALREADY!
Of course he didn't. Tyler was still playing the cautious game and I understood it. He didn't want to mess this up and I didn't either. But it was killing me. Instead he kissed the top of my head and headed back down the street.
I shook my head and headed inside.
This year was going to be fun.
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