The walk to Tyler's house was a short one but the discomfort between them had grown exponentially despite the short amount of time. 

There was something off about him today, Lola just couldn't seem to put a finger on it and it didn't help that her mind was filled with thoughts of Julian ignoring her. 

She felt used. 

She felt hurt. 

She turned to Tyler who was whistling to himself, a ghost of a smile on his face. She felt uncomfortable. 

"There's no one at home, so we have the house to ourselves." He unlocked the front door and took a step into the dark hallway. "You coming?"

Lola didn't realise she had frozen in front of his house, her legs cemented into the floor just before the threshold. Tyler was already inside, he had turned on a few lights and he was now looking at her. 

Lola stared at the poor lighting in the living room, the sun was still out but Tyler's house looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in years. The hallway was dim, the floors dark, the curtains in the living room were washed out and faded. There was nothing inviting about this place. 

"Lola, you there?" Tyler's voice was teasing, as if he could sense her discomfort. 

She momentarily considered backing out and running as far away as she could but the thought itself was so unreasonable. Tyler had done nothing to harm her or her friends, he'd always been the nice guy. The one who saw her, the one who gave her an ice cream cone when she had dropped hers. 

Tyler was the nice guy here. Julian was the one who had used her. 

She smiled at him and took a step inside. The wooden floor creaked slightly with each step and she saw that the table was bare, so was the kitchen top. No evidence of recent use visible. 

"Your parents work during the day?" She joined him in the hallway and he inched closer. 

"You want something to drink? Or eat?" His fingers brushed her arm and she took a step back, wanting to establish some distance between them. She didn't feel that way about Tyler, not anymore and she didn't want him to get any ideas in this dark, empty house. 

"No, I'm fine. You want to discuss our project in the living room?" She nodded at what seemed to be the brightest place in the house. 

"Nah, my room's better. More cozy." He smiled down at her and walked up the stairs, not waiting for her to follow. As if he was confident she would. 

Lola didn't know what to do. Things were moving too fast, they were alone in his house and now he was leading her up to his bed room. 

If Lola's parents knew, they would probably kill her and Tyler. 

But she was already here and she couldn't stop thinking about Tyler in that picture with Eva. Maybe he was the good boy she used to like, maybe he knew something the murders, maybe he didn't. The only way she was going to find out is if she spent more time with him and earned his trust. 

A small voice in her head scolded her for still thinking of helping Julian. He obviously didn't appreciate any of it so why should she even bother?

In the end, her heart won over and she texted her friends that she was now in Tyler's house, heading up to his room. This received a flurry of alarmed replies but Lola quickly shoved her phone into her bag. 

She needed to stop thinking too much because that would lead her out the door and running back to the comfort of her home. 

Instead she walked up the stairs, each step getting heavier by the second. Tyler was already in his room, she could hear soft music playing into the hallway. She walked silently, eyeing the other rooms that were firmly locked shut. 

One. Two. Three. 

"There you are." Tyler was sitting on a chair by his bed while he fiddled with his laptop speakers, adjusting the volume to his liking. 

"Tyler, do you live alone?" Lola couldn't help but ask. Everything was so shut off, so unkempt, so dead. It didn't look like anyone had lived here before, except this room. The bed sheets were ruffled and there were books and socks strewn around the place. The only indication of a living being residing here. 

"My dad works in construction. Some times he's gone for days." He leaned back in his seat and gestured for her to take the other one in front of him. 

Lola didn't sit down. Instead she took this opportunity to study every inch of his room. There were papers, to-do-lists stuck to the walls and a few photo frames lining the shelves. Lola didn't see any pictures of his mother and Tyler hadn't mentioned her either. 

Most pictures were of him alone, his father gracing probably one or two. It seemed like he really did grow up alone. A pang of guilt settled in her stomach. She felt bad for him. He must have been so lonely growing up. 

"Glad you find my room so interesting," Tyler joked and Lola whirled around to face him. 

"Sorry. Just curious." Her cheeks were warm as she finally sat down in front of him but Tyler's gaze was so unnerving she just had to look away. 

"You know I like you, right? His tone turned serious and his words forced her gaze back to him. He leaned impossibly closer and suddenly the air became thick, suffocating. "I meant what I said that night at the party. About you." 

A ball of discomfort lodged in her throat, making her next few words a struggle. "Tyler, we're supposed to be discussing our project." 

He chuckled lightly and his fingers were stroking the arm of her chair. "I just want to know if I have a chance here. I used to think I did but ever since you started hanging out with Damien, it feels like I've lost you."

Damien. Damien made her think of Julian and thoughts of Julian were no good because they made her feel like crap. The last they had spoken to each other, Julian had confessed his feelings to her and they had hugged each other to sleep. The moment had been so perfect, so surreal, now Lola wondered if she had just dreamed it. 

When Julian had told her he liked her, butterflies had flooded her stomach, her blood had warmed her cheeks and her heart had floated into heaven. 

Right now, she didn't feel anything close to any of that and that was how she knew that Tyler never stood a chance. Not when Julian still occupied every thought in her mind. 

"I'm not interested in a relationship right now. Just want to focus on my studies." Lola's voice was shaky, even an amateur could see through her lies and Tyler was no amateur. 

"So you do have feelings for someone else." His gaze hardened but he made no move to release his hold on the arms of her chair. 

He didn't say Damien. He said someone else. 

A flash if panic crossed her face and she quickly looked away but it was too late. Tyler had already seen it. Lola was an open book, she'd always been easy to read. 

"So how long have you and Damien been seeing each other?" She noticed the way he dragged the word Damien, almost sarcastically like they both knew he was talking about someone else. 

Lola didn't want to engage him further. He was digging for information even though she was the one who was supposed to be doing that. He was evidently much better at it. 

"How do you know Eva? And Fiona?" Lola shot back defensively and then she winced at her stupidity. She'd just given away that she'd been looking into him and Tyler's hands tightened around the chair handles. 

Lola felt caged in and the alarm in Tyler's eyes made her stomach churn with fear. Why was she so stupid? She would never make a good spy or secret agent or anything that required stealth. She was the type of person who caved under pressure and the realisation that she just messed up made her want to slap herself. 

"What makes you think that?" Tyler's tone was no longer teasing but there was a forced curiosity. He was playing calm, she could tell. 

Lola raked her brain for a good excuse and then she settled on a semi-truth. "I used to like you too. We're Facebook friends and you know how girls are when they have crushes." 

"My little stalker." Tyler licked his bottom lip and Lola leaned back into her seat. "You obviously still feel something for me or you wouldn't have brought something like that up."

"I...." Lola stuttered and leaned back, away from him. 

Tyler leaned closer and she was certain he was going to kiss her. Before he could make a move, she put up her palm, separating their faces. "I'm kind of thirsty. Do you have something to drink?" 

He chuckled to himself and stood up. "You win, Lola. Give me a second. Will look for something." He walked out of the room and Lola jumped up. 

There was no way she was going to drink anything from him, not after that conversation. And she didn't feel like staying here for a moment longer. She grabbed her bag and was about to dart out of the room when something shiny caught her attention.

She looked at the shadowed underside of Tyler's bed and saw a small broken photo frame lying idly on the floor. 

Lola's heart raced in her chest as she quickly bent down and picked it up. She was careful not to hurt herself as she inspected the photo buried behind the jagged edges of glass. She saw a smiling Tyler and next to him stood a tall man with dark hair and stark blue eyes. 

He was extremely handsome and Lola suddenly remembered the substitute teacher who had come in for a few months and then transferred out after the midterms and the murders. 

She nearly dropped the frame as the realisation hit her that this was Mr Lennox. He had been a hit among st the students and now standing side by side, there was no denying the similarities. 

Lola hadn't realised this before but Mr Lennox was Tyler's brother. Now she wondered what had happened to him? Why had he disappeared right after the exam leak?

"Lola?" Tyler's voice made her drop the frame onto his bed. 

He was holding a cup in each hand and his gaze dropped to the picture on his bed. "Snooping around is a bad habit, Lola." 

"He's your brother?" She took a step back, noticing that he was blocking the way out of his room. 

"Bingo, although I'd prefer if you kept this to yourself. Family affairs are kind of private, you know?" 

Lola's phone buzzed in her bag and she walked to the doorway. "Tyler, I have to go. I forgot I have some assignments to do." 

"Weak excuse, Lola. You want to know more about me, just ask. What's the rush?" 

She tried to manoeuvre around him but he didn't budge. "Tyler, I really have to go." Her voice was pleading, she hated that she sounded so weak and afraid. 

Just then her phone rang and she pulled it out of her bag. She saw Damien's name and Tyler took a step back when he saw it too. 

"Lola, we're outside. Come out," Damien's stern voice echoed through and Tyler finally stepped aside. 

"See you in school," Lola stammered as she rushed past him. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest and relief washed through her when she finally stepped out side and saw her friends waiting for her in the driveway. 

Heyy, sorry for the late update guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and what do you guys think of Tyler? Creepy or misunderstood?