Price Check On Monogamy

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

I shot up in bed, panting like I'd spent the last hour running. Grabbing my phone and turning a light on fast, I groaned-- it was two in the morning, and there was no way in hell I was going back to sleep.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, I'd had a nightmare about what would happen if I ever saw Wesley again.

"Must've been all that talking about it," I mumbled to myself. Luckily, just because the dreams had stopped a while back didn't mean that I'd stopped being prepared. Taking out a bottle of Nyquil and a water bottle, I popped the top of the medicine. Before I could swing it back, however, a breeze blew through my room and rustled the curtains, making my jump-- and hesitate.

Maybe medication, for once, wasn't the answer.

Putting the Nyquil down and thumbing through my contacts, I bit my lip and stared at Tyler's number. I'd wanted to be closer to him, right? What else was closer than calling him and asking him for comfort?

Closing my eyes and blowing out a deep breath, I went through the pros and cons quickly in my head:

But it was two in the morning...

But I was totally flipping out.

But if I called him, I'd have to tell him everything...

But that was, quite literally, the ultimate form of trust I could give him.

And I'd wanted to start trusting him more, right?

Aww, screw it.

I pressed SEND and held my breath until I very, very tired sounding Tyler had picked up with a strangled, "Hello?"

"Umm, hey, Tyler."

"Tiger? Is that you?"

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Yeah... umm, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have--"

"No, no, it's totally cool." I could hear him yawning on the other end. "So, umm, what was it you wanted to talk about? Hey, why are you even up at two in the morning?"

I could feel my face heating up. "Umm..." I mumbled. Maybe I didn't want to tell him, after all. "I'm really sorry that I woke you up."

Tyler laughed. "C'mon, Tiger, you can tell me anything, you know that. Just go for it. There must've been a reason why you called."

You can tell my anything. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting to six in my head-- the only useful technique that Mrs. Calehay had ever taught me in her sessions. "I had a nightmare..." I said slowly.

"Aww, Tiger," Tyler was now fully awake, and he sounded so sweet right then. It was, without a doubt, exactly what I needed. "What was it about? Whatever it was, it's over now, okay? It was just a dream."

I took another deep breath and let it out even more slowly, counting to ten before I even started to think about how to get into the subject. "W-well... umm... something happened to me a long time ago. Well, it wasn't that long ago, but you know what I mean, right?"

"Was that what the nightmare was about?"

"Y-yeah..." I had no idea why I was so nervous. He'd already helped calm me down, and he'd already made me feel a little better. That should've reassured me enough, it really should have.

"Tiger, what happened?" Tyler's voice was soft, and just the push I needed to start talking.

"Well..." I took another breath, but, this time, I didn't count down; I just started. "My brother's old friend... he... he r-raped me... at a party... it was a couple years ago... a-and I haven't told anyone what happened since it happened... a-and the topic kind of came up today... a-and I guess... it just... it scared me... and I keep seeing his eyes... that look... it's stuck in my head..." I was holding onto myself tight, now, the phone resting in the crook between my shoulder and my ear, my nails digging into the sides of my arms. I couldn't say anything else; there really wasn't much else to say.

But Tyler wasn't saying anything, either.

"Tyler?" I asked softly.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "I... I'm so sorry, Tiger." When I didn't say anything else, he went on, "I, err... I really don't know what to say."

... what?

"Tyler--"

"I really need to go," Tyler said suddenly, cutting me off. "I'm, I'm really sorry, but I need to wake up early tomorrow. My dad... my dad wants me to do something with him. I'll be right over to your house, though, okay? We can spend the day together. Thanks, Tiger."

"... thanks, Tyler," I said softly. "I'll, I'll see you tomorrow."

It took every ounce of my will to not hurl my phone through my window; instead, I put it down on the nightstand, I grabbed my Nyquil, and I chugged it fast.

As I snuggled back into my bed, all I could think was, well. Apparently, I still have tears left.

- - -

"Caleb, you better have a good--"

"Tandem, if you don't shut the fuck up and listen to me, I'm going to beat the shit out of you the next time I see you."

Tandem blew out a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever, but I'm a little groggy right now, alright?"

"... you're still taking the sleeping meds, aren't you?"

Tandem's fist tightened at his side and he rolled his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep through the night since everything had happened with Kip, and it was slowly driving him insane. He'd had to start taking sleeping meds to get to bed at night-- and, well, he hadn't gotten off of them yet. "What did you call for, Caleb?"

"I talked to Tiger."

"And by 'talked to her', you mean...?"

"I told her, Tandem."

Tandem's eyes widened. When he'd asked for Caleb to date Tiger, he'd only agree to their little deal if he'd gotten an answer as to why Caleb cared so much about who she dated; regardless of how they always talked to each other, they really were best friends. And since they were best friends, Tandem hadn't stopped irritating Caleb about it until he'd gotten a real answer.

The answer, naturally, had shocked the hell out of Tandem; especially when Caleb had been so adamant about Tandem not telling anyone.

"If people know, she'll get like me," Caleb grabbed Tandem's arm and gripped it tight. "I can't have that happen to her. I'm older by three minutes and, dammit, those three minutes mean something to me. Alright?"

"Why would it be such a tragedy if she was like us?" Tandem laughed.

Caleb just gave him a long, hard stare. "It just would."

In retrospect, Caleb had been right-- if Tiger were anything like they were... well, at the very least, Tandem wouldn't be hooked on sleeping meds right now.

"How... how did she take it?" Caleb sighed, and Tandem winced. "Is she mad at me? Err, us?"

"We spent the last couple hours talking--"

"Caleb, speak up, I can't hear you," Tandem interrupted. "Why are you whispering? Are you with Heather right now?" In person or not, Tandem did not want to be talking to Caleb if he was with Heather at two in the morning.

"Shut up, I'm not with Heather!" Caleb hissed. "Look, long story short, me and Tiger are tight again. I think. I hope. Anyway, she said that..." Caleb sighed again, and Tandem could already see him rubbing his neck. "Look, she thinks the two of you will never work out because you're different."

"She already told me that. What's the truth?"

"Tandem, dammit, did you learn nothing? That is the truth. Stop looking for side reasons. Tiger doesn't have any. All she wants is to be happy."

Tandem's jaw dropped at that. "I didn't make her happy? I made her happy!"

"Tandem, shut up, I know you made her happy. A lot more happy than her asshole boyfriend is making her."

"Caleb, seriously, why the hell are you whispering if you're not with Heather?"

"It doesn't matter, you asshole!" Caleb snapped. "Look, I'm not saying that you should give up on her, but I think that you should try a new approach. You know, one that doesn't have me and Jeremy running around trying to fix things."

"Hey, jack ass, you had Jeremy running around trying to fix things for you, too."

"Yeah, and that worked out really well for me, right?"

Tandem sighed. "Fine, you win, I get it. But still. It's easier for you. You're her brother, so she was supposed to love you. I'm just the asshole who was a prick to her for two years, then randomly decided I liked her, then broke her heart."

"It was Kip that did that, so stop being a dick and just listen. Look, I know that Tiger's a huge, stubborn bitch, but it's in the genes, alright? But it's in the genes to fall for the weirdest things, too. I fell for the whiny, bitchy brat that's only ever given me hell, and I still don't know why. Katy fell for the guy that took her to a rock concert-- who even knows how the hell that happened, but she hasn't been home since last week."

"Caleb, where are you going with this?" Tandem was tired. He wanted an answer. He wanted to get her back-- or he wanted to know why he didn't deserve another shot.

"Do something you wouldn't do, man. Think outside of your usual box. And not just outside in the sense of right now-- you're scared to talk to her, I get that, it's new for you, I get that, too. Suck it up and get your shit together, man. My sister was worth a six-month-long bet, right? So isn't she worth risking a little bit more for?"

"I..." Tandem sighed and sat up in bed. He wasn't going back to bed any time soon. "You're right, Caleb. Fine, I'll figure something out."

"Good. It'll be worth it, Tandem, I promise. I... I love my sister. And I trust you with her. And I'd help you out, but I can't do any more. I don't want to fuck with her life anymore. Three minutes older or not, I think I've done enough." A yawn. Then, "'Night, Tandem."

"Caleb, wait!"

"... yeah, what?"

"C'mon, you know I gotta know. Why are you whispering?"

"Wipe that smug smirk off your face, asshole. Tiger woke up screaming because of a nightmare, but before I could get to her, she called her prick boyfriend." Caleb paused, and Tandem could almost feel how pissed he was getting. "All I have to say is that you better hurry the fuck up and win my sister back, Tandem. 'Bye."