Dedicated to shellieblack8 for her comment on the last chapter. It was hilarious. (She said the reason why Tyler stopped her was because he was on Team Luke.)

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Chapter 37: The Ty-Breaker

My room was my safe place for the next week and a half. I avoided everybody (including my own father out of shame) at all costs. I only went out for school, bathroom breaks, and food (which I promptly brought up to my room). I kept a few cereal boxes and Little Debbie snack cakes up here in case I got hungry. Dad checked on me a couple of times, and after I assured him the problem wasn't Luke, he just assumed I was on my "time of the month" or was dealing with stupid teenage drama. I ignored any calls and texts I received, but only one was from Tyler. The rest were from Emma (Ian issues), Ian (Emma issues), and Luke. This was the most anti-social I had been all year, and I had to admit, it was sort of nice.

Luke tried to come over countless times, but I kept my door locked. "C'mon, Charlie. I know you're in there," he would say. I would keep quiet until he left. Some of the time I wouldn't even know he had come over (my earbuds were cranked up to the highest possible volume, which wasn't safe at all) until Dad said something when he told me dinner was ready.

Ignoring my friends at school was much more difficult. Since they were in some of my classes, I had to pretend I was dutifully studying, sleeping, or not paying attention, none of which were true. I ate lunch in a hallway that was only used for midday rendezvous. I carried all of my books in my backpack. The extra weight wasn't worth it, but I dreaded seeing one of them, especially Tyler. Although, it seemed as if he was trying to ignore me. I avoided eye contact and social interaction with everyone, not just my friends, because I was paranoid that they knew. I knew I was playing with fire when I got involved in the games, but I never imagined getting burned.

Luke came in at the right time. I was refilling my stash of snacks when he walked in. "Charlotte! Finally," he muttered.

Bent over, clutching three boxes of Pop-Tarts, I was like a deer caught in the headlights. This was not happening. I didn't spend agonizingly boring days at school and lonely days at home to have it all ruined because I had the munchies. "Luke...hey."

"You've been avoiding me," he said.

"It's not just you," I said.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. It was something I did."

"What did you do?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I didn't want to remember because it was a low point in my life. I should've had more self-control, and I shouldn't have let it get that far. I was glad Tyler stopped it, but what if he didn't? It was a shameful moment that no one needed to know about, let alone Luke. I might've told once upon a time, but now it would be extremely awkward.

"Charlie, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

"Yup." I couldn't tell him this. It would crush him into little smithereens. "I just want to be alone right now."

"Don't shut me out, Charlie. Please. I love you."

I knew that he did, but I never imagined he'd say it out loud, at least not this soon. I suddenly felt a little queasy, and it wasn't the butterflies. In that moment I realized that I didn't love him like I used to. I was holding onto feelings of the past. I loved him to the moon and back, but I wasn't in love with him. He was my best friend, but I couldn't picture myself walking down the aisle to him anymore. He meant the world to me-that would never change-but my world would not longer revolve around him.

"I don't want to wait anymore," he said. "I want to be with you, and I want you to be with me. I'm done with this stupid Virginator thing. Pick me, Charlie. Be done with Tyler. Please?" His pleading eyes looked so innocent and hopeful, and it made me feel even worse knowing that I had to be the one to ruin it.

"Lucas..." I rarely used his real name, but I needed him to know that I was being serious. We both knew where this conversation was going by the look on my face and the tone of my voice. He let out a sigh, but I thought I owed him an explanation. "I was so hopelessly in love with you. I couldn't tell you because I was sure you would never feel the same way, but I guess I was wrong. That itself was a dream come true, but you're not my dream anymore. Seeing you with all of those girls as I helplessly stood by and watched was one of the most difficult things I had to do in my life."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't. What could I have said? That I love you and want you to stop sleeping around?"

"That sounds good to me."

"But the me back then couldn't do that, and the you loved sex way too much to be healthy. I love you, Luke, but not like that. Not anymore. I'm sorry."

He sighed again. "No, I'm sorry. Just know this Charlotte: I'll never stop fighting for you."

His words sent a fuzzy feeling through my body, but I couldn't let him do that. It wasn't fair to him. He needed to move and get on with his life. He needed to find a girl who didn't know about the game or who did and didn't find him (or the number of girls he slept with) intimidating. "You have to," I said.

"I don't have to. I'm going to do whatever I please, and this is what I please. If I want to stop, I'll stop. But for now, I'm going to wait, and I'm going to fight."

I sighed. There was no use in arguing with him. I didn't want him to resent me. "Fair enough."

"I'll let myself out."

And then he was gone.

***

As if school couldn't get any more unbearable, it did. The end of the year was coming way too quickly for my own liking. Graduation gowns and caps had to be ordered, exams were biting me in the butt, and to top it off, I felt completely awkward around my friends. Luke and I occasionally talked, but it wasn't the same. I was afraid it would never go back to the way it was before this school year started. I looked for Tyler, but he was doing a great job at hiding from me. Emma, well, was a nervous wreck because Ian was being confusing and talking in circles. Somehow, word got out that Luke made me choose between Tyler and I. Apparently, there was an ultimatum involved: your best friend or your make out buddy. No one knew for sure who I chose (except for Luke, obviously), but word got around. People started assuming that I chose Tyler because I was supposedly the biggest slut in the school. I didn't see it as me choosing Tyler so much as me being honest with myself (for once).

Today, I made it my goal to track down Tyler and tell him what had actually happened. I had genuine feelings for Tyler, and I didn't want to lose what we had because of my inability to control my hormones and Luke reconfessing his love for me.

Tyler was walking towards me. He didn't know it because I shielded myself well (I didn't want him to get away). His backpack was slung over his shoulder. He looked tired and had that get-me-out-of-here face on, but that was no surprise. "Charlotte," he said, which utterly surprised me because I was expecting to shock him, not the other way around.

"Tyler! I have to tell you that I-"

"Don't worry about it. I heard. You chose him." He was doing that thing with his lip. It wasn't so much as a pout but he looked almost annoyed. He was definitely pissed.

I shook my head frantically. "No, I chose you. I don't love him like that anymore."

"Oh."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Does this mean I'm allowed to take your virginity now?"

My face fell, my heart dropped, and the tears began trickling down my cheeks. I had become so caught up in my own feelings that I just assumed Tyler was no longer in the game. How could I have been so ignorant and naive to believe that he actually had feelings for me? The worst was that I had no one to blame but myself. I, like every other girl out there, had the wistful daydream where I could change the bad boy (or he was willing to change for her). I thought I was the one who succeeded, but he played me just like he played all of the other girls. He was good at what he did, and his techniques were phenomenal.

I shook my head. "You're despicable."

"It was a joke, Summers. Would you relax?"

"It's not just a joke, Tyler. It's...it's the game."

He rolled his eyes. "This game is a joke."

"Well it's not funny." His words infuriated me, and I was beginning to feel a little saucy. I wanted to yell at him and push him. " If it was such a joke, then why did you participate?"

"We all have our reasons."

I looked at him, searching for any sign of regret or sincerity but saw none. "This may have been just a game for you, and maybe it was to me at one point, but not anymore. My heart isn't some toy you can play with whenever you please. So, Goodbye, Tyler. That night, this...this relationship was a big mistake."

"So you're saying getting involved with me was a mistake?"

"Yes."

"Good to know."

Weeks had passed, and a new rumor began to spread like wildfire.

"Alec may have won homecoming king, but Tyler takes the crown for stealing virginities."

"It's about time somebody won. I just thought it would be Luke."

"I cannot believe Charlotte gave it to Tyler of all people."

The hallway was decorated in our school colors. I saw flower petals around Tyler's locker. There was a large piece of posterboard taped to Tyler's locker. They all said something along the lines of "Congratulations" or "I love you" or "You're the man." They were vague in case any administrators walked by and actually read the sign, which they rarely did. You would think the staff would get involved with this atrocious game going on, but they were oblivious to student life. It came up a couple of times, but they were from whiny girls who couldn't prove a thing. I remembered being questioned about Luke, and I lied for him. I told them I had no idea what they were talking about. They asked me if I was still a virgin, which was an extremely personal question considering I was just a sophomore, and I said I was. I was surprised they didn't use a lie detector.

What I couldn't believe was how many people thought that I was a tie breaker. I assured everyone I talked to that I was still very much a virgin, but they patted me on the back and told me not to be ashamed of myself. If Tyler had gone so low as to lie about this, I would not be a happy camper. In fact, I'd be that camper who "accidentally" spills lighter fluid everywhere and escapes when it's campfire time.

"It's still a tie," I said to Cassidy, a girl who was part of the school's newspaper.

"You're so delusional," she said, placing her hand on her hip. She used her other hand to jot things down on her yellow notepad, which wasn't even necessary. It wasn't as if she could write this in her column.

"I didn't sleep with him!"

"I didn't say you did. The world doesn't revolve around you, Charlotte. He did it with"-she snapped her fingers-"I can't remember her name."

I did. "Hannah."

Her eyes widened. "That's it. Hannah. He slept with her."

I shook my head. "That's not right. Hannah slept with Ryan Boyer." His name left a rancid taste in my mouth, and I got shivers from just thinking about him.

She scoffed. "You don't know anything, do you, Charlotte?"

"I guess not."

She sighed, as if talking to me was a chore. "Everybody was told that she slept with him when in reality she slept with Tyler."

"Why would she say that she slept with him and not Tyler? Ryan's a creep." I didn't bother hiding the bitterness from her.

She shrugged. "Tyler wanted to play one last time before he won. He paid the both of them to keep the truth to themselves."

"So who told you?"

"Hannah. Who else?"

"Why did she tell you?"

"Does it matter? The cat's out of the bag, Tyler's the winner, and you're no longer in the limelight."

Cassidy and I went our separate ways, and I had no idea what to do with this new information. A billion questions zoomed through my mind, looking for answers but getting none. I went onto my next class, where I had another conversation with someone I wasn't particularly fond of: Hannah.

"Charlotte," she said as sickly sweet as ever.

"Hannah."

"I'm so glad the secret's out. I was so tired of seeing you on your high horse."

"I bet. Why exactly did you keep it a secret?"

Her lips formed a pout and she batted her long, mascara-covered eyelashes at me. "Oh, Charlotte. I did it for Tyler, of course. Think of it as extra credit, if you will. You were just his finish net. I got him to the finish line. Well, in any case, he won, and you're old news."

"Okay. Why him, though?"

"Who?"

"Ryan. Of all people, why him?"

She shrugged. "I didn't choose him. Tyler did."

Tyler was the one who had rescued me from Ryan that night at Ian's party, so he probably knew who Ryan was. If he did it to torture me, he didn't doing a very good job. Why did I care if Ryan slept with some girl? I told myself I would never talk to Tyler again (it wasn't his fault I felt betrayed), but my curiosity was killing me. I had to know because it would eat me alive if I didn't, and I liked having my sanity. Getting him to talk to me, I'd imagined, would be difficult. We didn't exactly end on good terms.

I saw Tyler after class, but he was surrounded by a swarm of adoring fans (the majority of them female). They walked him to class, they flirted with him, and they touched his shoulders (the strong ones that I had held onto so tightly the other night). I was caught in a fit of jealousy, but then I realized that Tyler didn't care about any of us. I felt a little smug after that only for my mood to fall. I wasn't the only one to touch him, to kiss him, to fall for him. They all did. Somehow, he had charmed them all. I wondered how he did it. Did he tell the same sob story to them, too? Was I not the only one who knew about his mother passing or his daddy issues? Did they know how vulnerable he could be and what he was like when he cried? Did they know he could be one of the sweetest human beings if he let his walls down? Did they know something I didn't?

It occurred to me that Tyler could've been lying about all of this. His mom could still be alive, and his dad could be working his butt off to make a living for himself and Tyler. But I didn't know how someone could lie about something like that, much less make it believable. If he was capable of going that far, he deserved to win the stupid game and the douchey title that went along with it. He deserved to lose the respect I once had for him. Regardless of whether or not his tale was true, it was certainly effective. My curiosity no longer drove me to talk to him. My want for the truth did.