Roses Aren't Always Red

Candace's POV

"That was probably the best Spa treatment ever!" I tell Alice and she nods in agreement as we walk into the restaurant and get a table.
"Yeah it was much needed." She says in agreement.
"Hi, my name is Wendy and I'll be your waitress. What can I get you guys to drink?" The red head ask us as she comes up to our table.
"I'll take an iced tea." Alice answers.
"Make that two." I throw in and then she leaves us.
"So you are graduating soon… What are your plans for next year?" Alice ask me while looking at the menu.
"Well, you can't tell Tyler yet." I start and that causes her to put her menu down.
"I don't know if I want to know then.. Honestly I can't imagine keeping secrets from him.." She warns but I shake my head stopping her, but loving the fact that she didn't want to keep secrets from my brother.
"Alice it's nothing bad!"
"Ok then, proceed." She gives me a smile.
"Well I put in applications for colleges all over and when Tyler got traded I added one in for Dallas. I got excepted to the University of Dallas!"
"Oh my gosh! Candace! That is wonderful! Tyler will be thrilled!" She gushes over the news and hugs me across the table. "Candace you should really tell him soon… before he finds out from someone else. Tyler is so proud of you and he is going to be thrilled that you are going to be in the same town as him."
"Yeah. I miss him. A lot. I can't wait to go to college and I can't wait to be able to see him whenever I want. And you! I will get to have my big sister figure." She smiles at my words. It's true though Alice loves Tyler and Tyler loves Alice and from the conversations I have had with Tyler about her, he will do whatever it takes to keep her.
"So you have a boyfriend?" She ask me with a smirk and I shake my head but smile.
"Nope. Not anymore. It's been more fun being single." I admit and then Wendy comes back with our drinks.
"Are you guys ready to order?"
"Yeah, I'll have the chicken Caesar salad." Alice orders and I wish she would order something else. I know she likes eating healthy but even I can't help but still worry about her.
"I'll have the same." I know, I'm a hypocrite. She writes it down before walking away and my phone goes off. I see Tyler's name and picture pop up and smile. "It's your lover boy." I tease her and she blushes while I answer my phone. "Hello brother dearest." I answer with a sly smile.
"Hey! You still hogging my girlfriend?" He ask and I can't help but laugh and look at Alice who is now looking at something on her phone.
"I sure am. We just sat down for lunch. What are you doing?"
"Just got done skating and I was wondering when you guys will be back?"
"I'm not sure. Probably after this why?" My brother was up to something.
"Just curious… I miss my girlfriend." Ok so maybe he wasn't up to anything.
"Oh my god Tyler! You see her like every single day! Let me hog her a little!" I tell him with a laugh and it causes Alice to look up from her phone with a smile.
"Okay! Fine! Look, text me when you leave there and me and Cassidy will meet you guys at the bowling alley." He tells me.
"Can you say please?"
"Pleeaase!" He begs and I hear him laugh.
"Ok fine. I'll text you when we leave."
"Thank you! Love you Candace."
"Love you Tyler." I hang up and Alice is looking at me with questioning eyes.
"What was that about?" She ask and sets her phone down.
"I hope you are good at bowling… We take is very seriously." I joke with her and we laugh.
"I can hang in there I think." She comments before the loud ringing of her phone cuts us off.
"If that's Tyler…" I joke but she shakes her head and her smile falters.
"What's up Sidney?" She ask and I look at her shocked and I mouth 'Crosby?' and she nods.
"He what!?" Now I'm a little worried. "Oh my god! Is he there?"
"Ok well just put him on the phone." She pauses and then looks to me.
"Oksana cheated on Evgeni with his best friend back home." She tells me but I'm still completely lost. How the heck is she in this circle of people.
"Hey Ev… Tell me what happened." She says and the waitress brings us our salads and I start to eat mine as I watch her worried yet focused look.
"Ok Ev. I need you to get up and get out of the house. I want you to go out with the guys. You know this is her loss. She isn't good enough for you." She pauses again and nods, "Do you want me to fly over?" She asked and pauses again. "I'm with Tyler's family." I'm so lost it's not even funny. They must be close. "Ok Well we leave here tomorrow and I will fly to Pittsburgh the next day and come see you and kick her ass if she shows up." She listens and then lets off a little laugh at something he says. "Ok Ev, hang with the guys. I love you too Ev. Put Sid on the phone." She tells him and then she nods at something. "I'll be there in two days. Thanks for calling me Sid. Take care." She says and hangs up and lets out a sigh before taking a drink of her tea.
"What was that about?" I ask her and she sighs again.
"Me and Evgeni are really good friends. Oksana, his now ex girlfriend, cheated on him and well he is taking it pretty hard. They have been together for 2 years and he pretty much gave her everything he could… and apparently that wasn't enough for the bitch. He is crushed." She explains and then takes a bite of her salad.
"Is Tyler going to be ok with you flying over there?" I ask her and then regret it… I didn't need to get in the middle of this. It wasn't my place.
"Yes. He knows how close we are." She says confidently so I let it go.

Tyler's POV

"Alice!" I call with a smile when I see my girlfriend walk into the bowling alley with my sister. "You look beautiful." I tell her as I pull her into a hug.
"Thank you Ty." She gives me a quick kiss before moving out of the way so Candace can hug me and Cassidy hugs Alice. We grab our bowling shoes and head to our lane. "So what did you do all day babe?" She ask me and I shrug and look to Cassidy.
"We skated and practiced for a bit." Cassidy says with a shrug and a smile. "How was the Spa?"
"Amazing!" Candace answers and shoots a smile to Alice.
"How was lunch?" I ask but Candace shrugs and I look to Alice.
"Good." She answers.. weird. Short answers are weird.
"Come on Cassidy lets go get the balls." Candace says and they walk off together.
"Sidney called this morning.." She starts and I look at her confused, "Oksana cheated on Evgeni with his best friend from back in Moscow." She says and I nod, understanding instantly where this was going.
"Is he ok?" I ask, I feel for the guys, I have been with Alice for two months and I would completely lost if Alice did that to me. Geno has put so much into this relationship for the last two years.
"Yeah.. I talked to him. I told him I'm going to fly over in two days."
"Alice.." I know they are best friends but I'm not ok with my girlfriend flying over to another state and staying with some other guy.
"Tyler my best friend needs me." She says slowly but I don't know what she wants me to say.
"Alice, I'm honestly not ok with you flying over there and staying with a guy who is lonely and needs a rebound."
"Tyler!" She looks at me shocked.
"Alice no! That's final."
"You can't tell me what to do like that Tyler." She argues and I know she is right but there is no way in hell I'm letting her go.
"How would you feel if my best friend was a girl and her boyfriend dumped her and I went and stayed with her?"
"Tyler, I would tell you to go. I would trust you." She tells me and I just look at her completely shocked.
"Alice! I'm not ok with it."
"Tyler! I'm going! Just drop it."
"Me or him Alice." I say and close my eyes tightly. I have never regretted anything more in my life than what I just said. I open my eyes and see her shocked look. She slips her boots back on.
"You or him? do you not trust me at all?"
"Me or him Alice? I don't understand why you even have to think about this."
"I can't believe you are making me chose! Evgeni has been my best friend for the last two and half years Tyler! He has been by my side through a lot and you know what else?" She takes a step forward, "He encouraged me to date you. He told me he knew you were actually good guy, you just needed a good woman to show you the right way. He wants us to work because he knows how happy you make me.." She shakes her head and looks at her hands and I'm speechless… now I just look like a complete douche bag because I know she has a point! Hell she made about ten good points. "You're not saying anything." She says but I don't say anything. I don't what to say to her. "I'm gonna go Tyler" She says softly and grabs her purse before walking away from me.
"Tyler what just happened?" Candace's voice caused me to look away from the now closed doors.
"We got in a fight." I answer, not bothering to lie to my little sisters.
"What do you mean a fight? Why did she leave?" Cassidy ask, becoming panicked.
"Tyler what did you do?" Wow even my sister new I fucked up and I didn't even tell her what happened yet.
"I told her to pick between me and Evgeni. They have been best friends for two years… she got upset that I told her to pick."
"Tyler! You moron! She loves you! She trust you! Why couldn't you just trust her! This was about your dam ego!" Candace calls it like she sees it and I know she is right. I should have just trusted my girlfriend. She has never given me a reason to not trust her and here I am getting mad because I didn't like the idea of people seeing my girlfriend with another player.
"Tyler.. Are you going to go after her?" Cassidy ask and I nod.
"I'm sure she just needs time to cool off. She will be at the house when we get back." I say confidently but the look my sisters share doesn't go unnoticed.

"Alice?" I call from outside of my closed bedroom door but I don't hear a reply. "Alice?" I call again and open the door but stop. Her bag is gone. All of her stuff is gone. I run back down the stairs and see my mom at the kitchen stove. "Mom! Where is Alice?" I ask panicking and she gives me a small smile.
"Oh she said she had an emergency and had to get back. Is everything ok?" She ask worried and I'm a little surprised.
"Is that all she said?"
"Yeah Tyler. She just said she has an emergency and that she needed to get back, she didn't want to interrupt your time with the girls. I really like her Tyler, keep her around." Mom shoots me a smile and my heart breaks…