The First Rule

Chapter 22b: Trouble in Hell

The silence that followed was deafening. Tyler's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes blinking rapidly. "P—prioritize—?" he murmurs. It seems to trigger something within him, remembering what Mr. Cavill said several months ago.

But is this though..? Am I starting to—nah folks this is normal, she's just exaggerating—

Momentarily, he faltered. But with a shake of his head, he dismissed the notion. Moving his hands helplessly as he attempted to defend himself, Tyler found himself at a loss for words—

"Come on! Just because I want to do my usual habit since I was little?! It's like not I cheated on you or something—"

"Ha! Yeah, right—"

"It's not gonna be with some random girl! It's with Em—"

"Exactly!"

Tyler falls silent, his confusion deepening as he struggles to comprehend. Meanwhile, a small crowd begins to gather nearby, intrigued by the unfolding drama. People start to whisper and exchange glances, realizing that the King and Queen of River High are having a public breakup.

"Don't you understand?! It's because of her!"

Tyler recoils, his brows furrowing closer together, mind racing to make sense of her words. The surrounding students glance nervously at the escalating argument, but he's too lost in the whirlwind of emotions to notice. Ending the soap opera, Taylor places her hands on her hips, tilting her head and scoffs, "Do you even like me?"

Snapping his head as if awakened from his reverie, he gapes, reluctantly answering, "W—what—o—of course I like you—"

Making a statement how it was actually.. a rhetorical question, she walks past him, bumping into his body, and pauses.. only to deliver one final blow,

"You really need to sort it all out."

He doesn't know why, but those sentences feel like the perfect last blow, hitting him to the deepest pit of his stomach. Taking a sharp inhale, Tyler turns—about to catch her. But when he looks back, he notices Taylor stopped abruptly, her body tense. And as Tyler follows her line of sight..

He sees you.

It's as if time has slowed down, each second stretching out as Tyler takes in the sight of you and Eve. A wave of realization washes over him as he observes Taylor squinting at you with a growl before finally leaving the scene—and a sense of déjà vu floods him as he notices you retract your head in irritation.

For a moment he stares blankly—until your eyes meet his. Tyler scratches his head, shrugging his shoulders, and you shake your head in disbelief.

"For someone who's just been dumped, you don't look like a sadboy, Cavill."

Wyatt continues to observe Tyler intently in his seat. Arms resting on the table as his head rests on his right hand, he squints his eyes intently at Cavill—who's been slouching on his rolling seat, scrolling through 9GAG nonstop since the hallway spectacle.

"As much as you stare at him, his face won't change, babe," Eve remarks with her signature grin.

Turning his back in his rolling chair so he's face to face with her, he shouts, "Yeah, but—!" which immediately brought Eve's finger in front of her, attempting to silent him. However, his abrupt shout already echoes through the quiet space, drawing annoyed shushes from other students trying to focus on their exam studying session. Beside you, Eve blows air from her lips, carefully surveying the surroundings due to her boyfriend's antics.

"Stop nagging the King, Wyatt. Stop giving celebrities spotlight—geez. They're just normal people, you know," Luke cackles beside him while playing through his phone—who’s met with Wyatt's side glance of nonchalance.

"Yeah why don't you focus on the upcoming exam, bro? This is why we're here in the first place, right?" you rant while working on your poem. Still scribbling in the midst of doodling to keep yourself sane—especially when you're surrounded by these.. dumbos. And especially.. after watching the fight..

Challenged, Wyatt slides his chair over, squeezing in between you and Eve. As he settles in, he leans back against the table, placing his arm on the surface and squints his eyes at you in a sassy manner. "Let's just say we forget about Luke," he quips, making Luke roll his eyes—before redirecting his attention to you.

"Alright nerdy Emily, I've been curious. Who exactly is your favorite celeb?"

Pausing your scribbling, you dart your eyes to the corners.. taking your time.. until you finally find an answer. "Uh.. Rihanna."

Pursing his lips in acknowledged disappointment, he backs away until Eve's legs create space, allowing his chair to land right in front of her. She playfully hugs him through his seat, giggling. Catching Eve's hand on his stomach, that's when he rolls his eyes and mocks, "Ok, that speaks volume. So—"

Majorly offended, you slowly glance to your left with a mix of pure disgust and cynical wonders. Staring at you with weary eyes—knowing exactly what's coming, he attempts to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Wanna know a secret, Wyatt?"

"So. About what she said—"

"You're just sad you have bad taste in music. Who still listens to Skrillex these days?"

"Oooohhh burnnnn," Luke laughs, glancing over. Even Eve joins in with a laugh as she slaps Wyatt's stomach, amused by the banter.

"ABOUT. WHAT SHE SAID."

Liam hushed, finally shifting the topic away from the mocking. "100% sure, she's jealous of Em," Wyatt affirms, still eager to continue this conversation. He's been busy trying to help Tyler come up with reasons for Taylor's decision since earlier, probably out of his habitual nagging tendencies. But.. it also makes you wonder though..

Is he okay..? It was pretty intense.. I didn't get to hear all of it but—how the hell is she so temperamental?! And—in front of the whole school?! Poor Tyler, I'm glad they broke up. She's such a bully—ugh stop it Em, just—let's check on him..

Turning your chair in the opposite direction, you steal a glance at Tyler from behind. Concerned, you exhale a sigh and quietly slide right behind him while clutching his favorite bag of potato snacks. From your vantage point, you extend the snack bag in front of his face, interrupting his reverie.

Realizing that it's you, Tyler puts his phone down while quickly adjusting his demeanor, grumbling, "Cut it off Wyatt. Not in the mood," nonetheless, he opens his mouth, silently requesting you to feed him the snack.

Liam and Eve watch in horror as you scoot your seat closer, and feed Tyler the snack like a normal thing—tossing each piece directly into his waiting mouth as he eagerly chomps down on it. Liam immediately rolls his eyes in exasperation as he turns to Eve, lamenting, "Ugh—Evie I can't. deal with these two anymore. This is exactly the reason why she said that!"

"I've seen him naked anyway."

Tyler bursts out laughing but quickly regains his Boss Baby composure, crossing his arms over his chest and opening his mouth as you continue tossing the snacks. Liam and Eve's expressions shift into a 'what the f**k' expressions. Even Luke drops his phone to stare at you with bewilderment.

Rolling your eyes, you clarify, "What I meant was, we've known each other since we were babies, God—" to emphasize your point, you add, "I've seen him drool. I've seen him pissed himself—"

'Fuck.'

He thought. Slowly turning his seat to you in alert, Cavill makes a disgusted look on his face. He's just about to shut your mouth before—

"I've seen him pick his nose and then—"

Tyler jumps and covers your mouth with his hand, causing your chairs to slide and hit your desk behind you with a loud thud! Guiltily, he cringes sheepishly at also cringing Reed and Wyatt. You, on the other hand, seize the opportunity and chomp down on his hand, causing Tyler to let out an exaggerated scream of pain that echoes through the library!

"Alright, that's enough! I need all of you to get out effective-immediately!"

"Damn it! Just transfer schools already! The two of you need to be separated for real!"

Wyatt shouts in annoyance. Reed pouts beside him with Luke plaster a look of weariness on his face. Got kicked out by Mrs. Poppy—despite the piercing glances from your friends, you continue nonchalantly tossing snacks onto Cavill's mouth.

Munching on his snacks, he mumbles, "Can't do that. This is the only school nearest to SMASH and WEBBS," and he glances at you, seemingly asking for confirmation.

Watching his beaming expression, a wide grin spreads across your face. You're on the verge of yelling in excitement—when suddenly, a wave of realization crashes over you..

"Ty.. about that.. I have to ask Dom first—"

"What for?!"

Tyler lets out a loud shout, halting everyone in their tracks. You exchange a puzzled glance with him, before finally blurting out, "He's my.. boyfriend? Just like how you asked for girlfriend's—" however, as glares bore down on you—especially Tyler's, a sudden realization dawns upon you, prompting a hasty correction, "sorry, ex-girlfriend's—permission, I too, should ask for Dom's?"

Your tone hovers between incredulity and uncertainty, not quite sure if you're stating a fact or asking a question yourself—since his expression makes you think whether you said something wrong—

"Ask me what,"

But then a hand wrapped around your waist from behind. Letting out a sheepish smile, you already know who it is. You turn to circle your arms around him, ready to ask where he's been. However, just as you're about to speak, an unexpected word leaves you stunned—

"Winny?"