I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart

"Damn, I'm bad with kids," Tyler muttered to himself, slamming the door. He took off his jean jacket and threw it over the back of the couch. Running a hand through his windswept blonde hair, he looked around the room blankly.

If he was to be expected to see this kid, to talk to him, to take care of him from time to time, his apartment would seriously have to change. The swimsuit calendar hung up in the kitchen would have to be taken down. The expensive leather furniture would have to be covered in plastic or be replaced by something more durable. His signed 'Babe Ruth' baseball would have to be hidden in a cupboard. He should probably paint the place a brighter colour.

Tyler fell back into the couch and hit the play button on the phone without checking if there actually were messages. A beep filled the air and then the recorded voice said, "You have three new messages."

The beep sounded again and the first message started, "Hey, Tyler, sorry to break it to you man but... you've kind of got a job and you kind of have to be at it from time to time. It's really hard to have a practice without the coach. So maybe you could... oh, I don't know... show up for the practices that you schedule? By the way, how'd it go with that blonde girl the other night? You two left awfully quickly... Anyways, call me back and I'll see you on Wednesday for practice, okay?"

A smile snuck onto Tyler's face but he wiped it off quickly. He was supposed to be angry at the world, not smiling at his best friend's, and pitcher's, reminders that he should be coaching a team. The answering machine beeped again and there was a pause before another familiar voice came over the line.

"Hi... umm... I came by to pick up my stuff this morning when you weren't there so I just left myself in... The key's on the counter with a bunch of stuff I still had that you stuffed in my purse from earlier... I guess that's it... Bye Tyler."

Tyler swore and turned around to stare at the kitchen counter. Jennifer's keys were there along with an old black leather wallet of his he hadn't seen in years, a pack of buzz lightyear tissues and a tube of black licorice lip balm that he had worn for a month purely because girls would say he tasted weird after he kissed them. He was still staring at the odd assortment of things when the phone beeped again.

This time no one spoke. And as the silence droned on Tyler pulled his eyes away from the counter to stare at the phone. Static crackled on the line and there was a sound like someone was thumping around in the background. A minute passed and then a faded voice said, "What are you-" The call ended abruptly.

The recorded message went off in its usual way as Tyler reached, shaking, for the phone. He hit the missed calls button and scrolled down. He would have been lying if he had said he did not know who the silent call had been from, but he was still shocked to see her name. Without thinking, he hit talk.

Ringing pierced the air as he waited. She was obviously the kind of person who set her phone to ring for a very long time before asking for a message. Tyler waited for a minute before another sound pierced his mind. It was a buzz that was obviously not from the phone. It came from the call box on the wall.

He left the phone to ring and hit the button on the callbox, "Who is it?"

No one answered. Whether they had left or gotten in another way was of no consequence to him. He grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. It still refused to let him leave a message, even if all he planned to do was stay silent and hang up just like she did. As he waited he let his mind wander and he was startled when there was a sharp knock on his door.

Throwing the phone down again, he headed for the door. He swung it open and froze. Two completely opposite options ran through his head. He could grab her and kiss her before she could pull away or he could slam the door in her face. The second seemed much preferable to the first given the way she was looking at him.

"You cheated on me," Marrietta said, her voice cracking on the last word, "You swore to me that you didn't, you fell to your knees begging me to believe you and I... I was starting to believe you." She paused. Hurt shone clearly in her eyes, "How long have you known?"

Tyler licked his lips, "Two days."

She snorted, "Do you actually expect me to believe you?"

"Yeah," He replied softly, "I'm telling the truth after all. I'm really sorry, Marrietta, for lying to you but I was drunk or high or... both. I don't remember that night at all and when I saw her at the football field I honestly had no clue who she was. And I wouldn't believe her even now if that boy didn't look exactly like me. If he didn't have my eyes... I wouldn't believe her, but I believe her now and I'm so sorry."

Marrietta nodded slowly, "So... umm... what's his name?"

"Edward."

"As in Cullen?"

Tyler cringed noticeably and she had to fight down a smile. He was adorable even when she was trying her hardest to be mad at him. "Those books weren't even out eight years ago, so you can't hold that against him. His mother had no idea that he would share his name with a... for lack of a better word, vampire."

"What's her name?" Marrietta questioned, "I've always kind of wondered..."

"Michelle and the funny thing is, I think she would have been like your best friend if you had met her before the incident." He smiled, "She plays guitar, she's a dancer and she's always wanted a big house in the burbs where her kids could play in the street. Sounds just like you, doesn't she?"

"No."

"No?"

Marrietta shook her head, "When have you ever heard me say that I want a house in the suburbs? I want to be smack dab in the middle of the city, I don't play guitar and I never have, and where the hell did you get that I'm a dancer?" She shook her head, "I mean, please, do I seem like the kind of girl who would go to ballet lessons?"

Tyler made a face, "Yeah, well, it's not like you know me so well either!"

"You're favourite colour is yellow, you love Chinese food, you're life's goal is to save the environment one step at a time and for the last eight years you've been f*cking everything with red hair that moves because you're obsessed with me!" She exclaimed angrily.

A small smile spread across his lips. He chuckled and she shot him a glare, "Let's get a couple things straight, my favourite colour is green, my favourite cuisine is Italian and that last one was a piece of bullshit that I used to, and still do, feed girls who won't sleep with me." He paused, "In all honesty, tell me that wasn't why you slept with me."

She was silent for a moment, twirling a strand of red hair between her fingers. Biting her lip, she said, "Tell me why I'm in love with you again? Because I don't think either of us knows a damned thing about the other."

"I guess we don't..." Tyler said, "If I asked you why you loved me, what would be the best honest answer you could give me?"

"That I remember being in love with you in high school and I remember how it felt when you broke my heart... And I don't... I don't think I'd get that feeling if Rodger left me, so I think I must be in love with you," She whispered, "What about you?"

"You were hot, a natural red head and you were the first girl to have sex with me," He shrugged, "That's just the way guys are."

Marrietta laughed, "Do you want to... try being friends then?"

Tyler hesitated a moment and then nodded, "Come in and take off your coat. I need help, desperately and friends help each other, right?"

"Right... what do you need help with?"

"Hiding everything in this house that is inappropriate, breakable or valuable. Edward's coming over tomorrow and... well... there's a lot of stuff in this apartment an eight year old should never see." Tyler explained.

She let out another laugh, unable to help herself, "Okay, let's get started."