Unknown: hey, im really sorry for the way tj was acting yesterday, i should've stopped him

Cyrus: uh, who's this

Amber: it's amber, and seriously, you're not a loser. you're really cool, i don't know what got into my brother

Amber: and im going to break sibling code for a sec, he felt extremely guilty

Cyrus: how do i know you're not lying

Amber: he cried on my shoulder and my shirt is soaking wet, do you want me to send a picture

Cyrus: nah, im good

Cyrus: thank you for telling me, i will talk to him on monday. i don't feel like talking to him right now

Amber: it's all good. wait, can i add you into a group chat, andi and i made a gc like five minutes ago. tj is in it but i can still add your number, he hasn't been on his phone since we got home

Cyrus: yeah it's all good

Cyrus: he was crying

Amber: yeah, tj gets really emotional. it's not my place to say anything though

Cyrus: i respect that

I plug my phone in and put in my earbuds. It's not even the fact that TJ turned out to be the jerk Buffy described his as, its the fact that they called me that. A loser. The fact that TJ didn't even apologize, that his sister I barely knew apologized to me.

Part of me isn't even mad at TJ. I'm more mad at myself for trusting him. Why did I trust him? I'm such a dumbass.

Time to swing
-

Is just sitting here, in the peaceful park, alone. I feel like crying, but I can't.

Why did the word loser hurt so much now? Why did it hurt so much to get yelled at now?

"L-legs go up, le-legs go down, that's how we make the swing go round." I breathed in and started to feel my eyes water. "Dr.. Dra-Drag your feet, y-you go slow, the more you drag..."

"The less you go." That frickin voice finished for me. Why is he always here? He's everywhere I go.

"Hi TJ."

"Hi underdog." He mumbled. I heard the swing next to mine rattle. "Look..."

"Amber already told me you felt sorry and guilty. It's fine. I gotta go." I jumped up and started to walk away.

"Underdog..."

"Cyrus."

"My friends are a bunch of assholes, you don't have to worry about them. I had no reason for what I said but what do you expect. Classic TJ, anything good, I got to ruin it." I turned around and saw TJ standing there with his head down. I didn't move, and he didn't move. And it was silent, except for the occasional sound of crickets in the background. "Anyways..."

"You still haven't apologized." I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You know- I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." His hands flopped to his side.

"Why thank you, but I still don't understand." He looked at me with straight lips.

"You can be really annoying, you know that." Oh, he wants to play that game.

"Well you can be oblivious." Oblivious to what, I really don't know. But I just said it because it's the first word that came to mind that was kind of an insult.

"Well you can be very judgy." I could see him trying to hold in a tiny smirk.

"Well you can be intimidating." TJ is actually intimidating. In class, I'm afraid to sit down because I'm afraid he'll say something.

"You know what else you are?" He was really close now. I don't know why, but I couldn't stop making eye contact. I don't like eye contact.

"What?"

"The only person I can talk to like this." That brought a huge smile to my face. "Mind if I stay?" I gestured to the swing he sat at last time and sat in mine.

"I'm the only person you can talk to like what."

"This."

"What is 'this'."

"A conversation." And he said I was annoying. "Like I'm a human, not a robot." I kicked my legs a bit. I've started to go in circles.

"Thank you, TJ." I hear him chuckle a tiny bit, then his swing stops moving.

"Since Buffy is probably asleep so she won't interrupt, let's continue." I literally almost fell of the swing because I heard his voice in my ear. "Calm down, CCCM." Then he started to push my swing.

"Underdog!" He shouted, louder than he did before. And it echoed throughout the area. It's 10:30pm, people might be asleep but at this point, I don't care if people are asleep. If people can hear me laughing then I know I'm having fun. And TJ doesn't seem to care if he wakes up the entire country, he just keeps screaming and laughing.

Eventually we calmed down, and now we were sitting on a bench close to the swing set. We were talking about random things and thoughts. TJ apparently knew the waitress from the spoon, CJ. Her name is Carrie Jean Johnson and she's plays flag football.

"Yeah, she's really cool. We aren't that good of friends but we exchange hello's in the hallways."

"She's seems really nice. I like her hair." TJ chuckles while moving his skateboard with his feet.

"Yeah." Then silence. I like this type of silence. The silence where you feel like you don't need to say anything, even though saying something won't ruin it. Just put the silence on pause for a few minutes.

"So, why were you out here at 10:30pm?"

"If I'm going to be completely honest," he paused and looked at me, "I was looking for you."

"R-really?"

"I realized I did something wrong if Amber was apologizing for me." I could see his eyes glittering in the moonlight, his hair almost reflecting a silver color. I could also see faint freckles on his face. "It's getting late."

"I know." He plastered a soft smile while he keeps rolling his skateboard on the ground.

"Is that your answer to everything?"

"Hey, I've only said that twice." I cross my arms and pout.

"Whatever Underdog." He stood up and flattened down his hoodie. "I gotta go, want me to walk you home?" I shake my head and smile.

"I'm good, get home soon." He salutes me and starts skating the other way.

"Goodnight Underdog!"