The First Rule

Chapter 9b: The Love of My Life

This guy's hot. For sure.

Sapphire blue eyes.. auburn hair.. a decent smile with that squared jaw.. definitely God's favorite. You both engage in a light banter over dinner, feeling a connection. However, during a particularly amusing moment—he breaks into a grin.

You couldn't quite put your finger on it, but there was.. something about that grin.. that transformed his face from tolerable to.. outright intolerable.

Every time he grins, it's as if his facial muscles staged a rebellion against symmetry. His once decent squared jaw lost beneath those irregular stack of teeth. You struggle to keep a straight face as tears start to swell in your eyes. There's even a moment when you excuse yourself to the restroom, attempting to regain composure.

However, on your way back to your seat..

Tyler strolls into a swanky joint with his new date, effortlessly guiding her to the seat with the finesse of a seasoned gentleman. Just as he's about to engage in some suave small talk, the ambiance is shattered as an unmistakable sound of broken glass reverberates through the room. Turning in the direction of the calamity, Tyler witnesses a boy—struggling to get up—only to be tripped over his own feet, and even manages to be spilled by a spaghetti on himself!

"Oh God."

Hearing a familiar voice, he spots you across the room. Your expression veers from perplexity to sheer horror when your eyes meet his, until you bury your face behind your hands. Not only feeling the secondhand embarrassment from your clumsy af date—but the one and only Tyler is also present to witness the spectacle.

Score8 - 9

The guy keeps saying sorry to the whole room with his 'charming' grin. Meanwhile, a few onlookers struggle to contain their laughter, Tyler included, who's just barely holding it together. However, his amusement doesn't last long as he hears a cry coming from across his table. Reluctantly leaning his body to the table, with bewilderment painted on his face, he nudges his date’s hand as she buries her sobs behind her hands.

"H—hey.. why.. are you crying—?"

"This is a junk food restaurant! I told you I'm allergic to junk food!"

Tyler's lips twitch, can’t decide if he’s more disappointed in him, or in the company he had chosen for the evening.

Score8 - 8

You and Tyler slump onto your beds, staring at the ceiling in wonder. The entire experience left the both of you contemplating, and as you replay the events in your minds, you realize..

Boys and dates are not as I thought it'd be. They.. tend to disappoint? A lot? And every time they smile.. yes they're handsome and all that—but everytime they grin?! Why are they so ugly though? Not like Tyler though.. his grin is.. charming.

...

Wait, what?! Why am I comparing them to him?! Ugh ew.

Girls don't want to ride motorcycles for a date? That's outright degrading, man! What's wrong with cruising on a motorcycle for a date though? Em always had a blast riding with my Ducati.. she enjoys burgers..

…

Wait—the f—quit it, Cavill! f**k but my pride's on the line here, I need to win—well, we need to win.

…

As he plays throw and catch with his favorite baseball, he contemplates. The rhythmic sound of the ball hitting his hand echoes through his room. Somehow, a flicker of determination flashes on his face. His jaw tightens, and his eyes narrow, focused on an invisible target in the distance until—the ball lands back on his hands. Gripping it tightly, he stops. In a flash, he stands upright, get off the bed and curse,

“Screw it!”

Music! Lights! On my cue—

Alexa, play Love of My Life by Queen.

As a couple walked down the aisle, the air was filled with the enchanting melodies of a wedding choir, creating a harmonious backdrop for their journey towards the altar. The bride, menacing in her black gown, glided gracefully beside her groom, who wore a white suit, a hint of nervous excitement in his eyes. With each step, the music swelled, reaching a crescendo as they reached the altar. The couple exchanged smiles, their grins shining brightly amidst the symphony of emotions..

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you,

Tyler and Taylor.

Perfect combination, aren't they? The King and Queen of River High—finally eloped.

Ok—eloped might be too much, why don't we just start from the beginning, shall we?

Taylor Hill.

Blonde babe, long silky hair, lean silhouette. Yeah, you can imagine it all. Beauty, wealth, popularity, all in one package. All except kindness. You know the drill. Just fit in a Disney Villain with looks and there you go, Taylor. She's the Regina George of our school and the entire school knows her name, well—milder though.

Long story short—yeah, sorry this one I'm so not in the mood to tell. After the dates he's been going, he told us they hit it off, yadayadayada. You also know how fast Tyler goes from one chick to another, right? But now, there you go, finally a girlfriend. Claiming her as..

The Love of My Life

And.. you know? He's been putting on a show, especially in front of Liam. Dominic looks proud of him though. Every corner is smeared with their PDA. Well, at least he's been doing his homework. Even though I think he's on the entirely different section from mine—

And how was my reaction you said? Oh, super cool. I mean, she's pretty.. she's popular.. Even though according to my standards—right, no baseless judgment, no more interrogations. Yeah yeah I know.

She seems.. approving of me as his bestfriend, though. She always goes like—"Emily omg! Let's go to the canteen together!" And he'd be like—swooning all over her.

However.. I also sense.. death glares? It usually happens at the canteen.. or whenever we just simply chilling on the school grounds..

Nevermind, maybe it's just my imagination—those.. are just my assumptions per se.

Whereas this..

Holding your phone, blood surging to your brains, you shout to his ears, "Ty! Come on! Don't let your bestie watch the newest horror all by herself! Rule Number 7?! If one of you doesn't want to do something alone, the other is obligated to go along—"

"Yeah s**t I'm sorry! She's coming over in a sec—I'll catch ya later, sorry Em. Oh and have you found another date—" at the sound of a bell, he pauses, before continuing in a haste, "she's here! Later, bye—"

With the phone abruptly closed, you stand there, stunned, huffing in annoyance. Rushing to the window, you mumble, "Hanging up on me now?! What the hell he's been doing?! Is he f*****g serious right now—?!"

You yank the curtains open only to witness him making out with Taylor. In a swift move, you yank back the curtains closed. Squinted eyes, crinkled nose, corners of your mouth twitching in disgust.. all that's left to say is—

Ew.

Yes, ladies and gents. Him being a loverboy is happening. Real as my dad's Yippee Ki Yays. Now tell me, how the f**k can I unsee that? Wikihow? The hell—I won't touch that s**t!

"Em.. I'm sorry for the movie night.."

Tyler meets you in your spot, now on his knees, sugarcane secured in his hands. Raising an eyebrow, you scoff, "You broke rule number 7–"

"How about Sugarcane Sunday this week?"

At his suggestion, your eyes glint under the moonlight. Seeing your grin, he bursts into a cackle as he offers you the sugarcane like a large bouquet of bullshits. Feeling him coming back to you, hope starts filling your bones—

"I'm so sorry, Em.. I'm watching Morbius this Sunday—she's like—a big fan of Jared Leto—"

Just a second. To have it thrown back to the ground.

Gripping your phone, shaking violently in irritation, you grin at the window and shudder, "You know that movie got the lowest rating in history, right?"

You watch him sigh in desperation and suck air through his teeth as he fixes his grip on his phone, trying to appeal, "Better than Madame Web heh—"

You hang up. From across the window, you watch him let out a 'what the f**k?' expression, glancing towards your room and raises his hand in a gesture of confusion. Grinning in utmost delight, you give him a middle finger—before closing the curtains swiftly.

RRRAAAHH NEVER THOUGHT I'D HAVE A POTENTIAL VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY! And do you recall how many times he calls me Em?! He never calls me Winny anymore.. why does it look like..

She's dragging him away from me..?