Price Check On Monogamy

The next few weeks... it all went by fast and blurry.

Almost nothing stood out anymore. It was like my life had been turned upside down so thoroughly by the bet that I didn't know how to take it now that everything was back to normal.

Or, at least, kind of normal.

Milo still wasn't enlisted in our school, not that anyone was asking questions. Eli wasn't even talking to him anymore; apparently, Lexy had told Jason everything and Jason had told Eli, and... Eli wasn't pleased. At all. Almost as not-pleased as he was with Adam who, after breaking up with Tawny, then claiming he hadn't actually broken up with her and saying they were never really "broken up", was on everyone's absolute last nerve.

Caleb was still being a little bitch about God-only-knows-what. Him and Heather seemed to be going fine, which was a trip, but he was still sulky. The only really good, notable things that had happened for me so far were the facts that Tandem had had the common sense to stay the fuck away from me and my grades were finally getting back up right before finals.

Oh. And me and Tyler were officially dating.

I can't even remember which time he asked me out officially, but I spent the next month after going out with him for the first time spending every weekend with him. It wasn't like how it'd been with Milo-- hunting out in the backwoods, baking brownies, listening to loud music that vibrated the house, playing video games, being best friends-- and it wasn't like how it'd been with Tandem-- random flights out to California, big fights, bigger emotions ruling out those fights, plays out in the middle of no where, waking up be a lake--, but it was... nice. It was nice playing with Abby, and it was nice going to the movies. It was even nice meeting his mom, dad, and uncle, who apparently all liked me.

It wasn't fireworks, and it wasn't phone calls at three in the morning, but it wasn't emotional roller coasters, either.

It was Tyler-- the middle ground of Milo and Tandem. And I was okay with that.

Tawny and Lexy were both ecstatic.

"When's the next time he's picking you up?" Lexy asked, eyebrow wagging. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Shut up, man, he's picking me up tonight."

Tawny sighed and leaned against the lockers, smiling. "I wish that me and Adam were still like that."

I raised an eyebrow at Tawny. "Adam drives?"

Tawny scowled. "Shut up, you know what I mean. Besides, he only doesn't drive--"

"-- because his parents tell him not to, blah blah blah," Lexy recited, and I rolled my eyes. Adam had been making up bullshit excuses for himself for the past year and a half and, as Tawny's best friends, me and Lexy knew every one of them.

Tawny rolled her eyes and shut her locker. "I think... you should both shut up. Let's get going."

- - -

"You have literally five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't rip your fucking head off for what you did to Tiger."

Eli slammed his truck door shut and stared at Tandem and Caleb over the roof of it. They had never gone up to him; ever. Especially after him and Tiger had gotten so tight.

Tandem shoved his hands in his pocket and lowered his head. He'd been getting all his work taken to his house to avoid having to go to school, though eventually he'd have to show up for finals next week. Which he was dreading to his soul.

"You're one of her best friends," Caleb said, looking Eli in the eye. "You need to convince her to hear Tandem out again."

"Why don't you two idiots go to Tawny and Lexy?" Eli asked. "If you knew anything about Tiger, you'd know that those two have the most say in her life."

Caleb scowled. "They won't listen to us."

Eli opened his car door again. "Then what the fuck made you two think that I would? If that's all you have to say, it was a waste of my time to even consider hearing you two out. Get the fuck away from my car, I'm gone."

Caleb grabbed the passenger door's handle and yanked it open. Ducking down, he hissed, "Eli, stop being so damned narrow minded and hear us out!"

Eli stopped and slowly got out of his car. "Close my car door. I will listen to you until you piss me off, and talking about Tiger right now is only going to fucking piss me off."

Caleb closed the door and straightened. "Fine, whatever. But the only reason we're here is to talk about Tiger, so I need you to suck it up and try not to hate me for two seconds."

"You made her life hell," Eli said flatly. "Why do you suddenly give a fuck about Tiger?" Eli gave a pointed glance to Tandem. "Either of you?"

Tandem still refused to raise his head. After staring at him for a second, Caleb sighed frustratedly and turned back to Eli. "Look, it doesn't matter, alright? I-- err, Tandem-- just wants to talk to her for a second, is that so much to ask for?"

"Finals are coming up," Eli said, still not changing his tone at all. "Do you realize how thoroughly fucked her grades are? I'm not having you two fuck with her head the week before finals. It's not happening."

Caleb ran a hand through his hair and shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Fine. Fine. Finals are next week. What about the week after?"

Eli stared at Tandem for a second. Without looking at Caleb, he said, "She's... happy now."

"What does that mean?" Caleb scowled.

"She's..." Eli paused and sighed. "Fuck, she's happier now than she was when she got tangled up with you assholes. Why should I help you two talk to her?"

"Tandem," Caleb corrected fast. "Tandem wants to talk to her."

Tandem didn't raise his head an inch. "I... care about her," Tandem said quietly.

Eli stared at him, hard. "She cares about Tyler now."

Tandem's head shot up, fast. "What do you mean, she cares about Tyler now?"

Eli finally broke away from looking away at Tandem and looked at Caleb. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

Tandem's head shot to look at Caleb. "What didn't you tell me?"

Eli crossed his arms and shook his head. "Tiger and Tyler are dating, Tandem. Yeah. Good job, you fucking prick, you managed to shove her right back into that asshole's arms."

Tandem's eyes were huge on Caleb, who wouldn't look at his best friend. "Why didn't you fucking tell me?" Tandem said quietly.

Eli shook his head again and, uncrossing his arms, got into his car. He started it and pulled out of the school parking stall; before he could leave, however, he turned back around to lean out the window and look at Caleb and Tandem. "I'm not sticking around for your bitch fits, but I'll tell you both this. I don't like Tyler. Don't like the little punk at all. The most respect I ever had for you, Tandem, was the night you saved Tiger-- yeah, she told me about that, too. All of us believe you when you say that Kip kissed you, and if it came down to a choice between you two dumb asses, I would pick you. Fact of the matter is, though, I have shit judge in character, as Milo proved, and Tiger's more stable now days than she's been all year. I'm not ruining that for her. She's gonna date Tyler as long as she wants, and I won't help you two fuck it up for her." Eli stared directly into Tandem's eyes. "So stay away from her. Both of you."

And Eli pulled out of the school parking lot.