4 Tyler

It has been a week since I started at this new school. Adora is still flirting, Dillian is the only other person I know, and Melissa is still the same as always. I try to ask Dillian why Melissa is so secretive, but he never tells me. I have to say, it only makes me more curious. I find it weird how she skips Spanish, why she never takes off her jacket, and why she only gets along with Mr.Cox. I really want to know what happened to her.

Melissa walks into homeroom and sits next to me like always. She puts her head on the desk and I notice a smell. It's smoke. And it's coming from next to me, and the only person next to me is Melissa.

I tap her on the shoulder, "Why do you smell like smoke?" I ask. Her eyes widen. She takes the sleeve of her jacket to her noise and sniffs.

"Shit." she curses. The bell rings and she runs out, I chase after her.

"Melissa wait!" I shout after her. She turns around, her hair whipping in her face.

"What the hell do you want?" she growls. I stop in place and look at her. She looks tired. Even with her glasses, I can see her dark circles.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly. Her eyes soften, she turns around and keeps walking. She keeps ignoring me. Good thing I sit next to her in every class!

It is the end of the day, and Melissa still smells like smoke. She left during lunch and came back with the smell stronger. Before she leaves for the parking lot, I stop her. "Look, we need to talk. I know you may not like me much but, something is bothering you. I want to help you. So I need to know what it is." She looks me dead in the eye before glaring. She pushes me away.

"I don't need help. I definitely don't need pity. You... you never had a problem with it before!" She screams.

I grab her by the arm and drag her down the halls. I find an empty classroom and push her in. I know I'm being rough, but I need to talk to her. "Don't touch me!" she yells.

"Okay sorry. I just want to know what's going on with you. Why do you smell like smoke?"

She rolls her eyes. "I was smoking okay. It's not such a big deal."

She turns to leave, I grab her again. "How long has it been since you've slept?" I ask.

She sighs, "Two days at least. Why do you ask? You don't care, nobody does, just leave me alone."

"Yes I do! Look, I know we don't know each other well, but i'm still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone." Her eyes soften before going stone cold again. She pushes me away and walks out. I walk after her but I see that she is already running down the hall. I run after her but it is already too late. She hops on her bike and drives away. I want to follow her, but I can't. Traffic will kill me. Plus, I need to take care of Lizzy. I sigh and make my way to my car.

I park in the driveway and get my stuff from the passenger seat. I lock my car and make my way up the driveway. "I'm home!" I yell out once I'm inside. I give it ten seconds before a small body tackles me down.

"Yay, you're home. Mommy and daddy were about to leave." Lizzy says. I get up and I pick her up with me.

I toss her on my back and we make our way upstairs to our parents room. I knock, "Hey mom, dad, can I take Lizzy outside later?" I ask.

"Yes you can!" mom shouts from her bathroom.

"Thanks!"

"Yay, I get to go outside." Lizzy cheers.

I nod, "Let me drop this off at my room, then we can discuss our plans for Halloween." At that my sister laughs maniacally.

"You better not be doing the same thing as last year!" dad shouts. I wince, I remember what we did. That night in the county jail was cold.

"It won't happen again, dad!" I shout back. I put Lizzy down and take my things to my room. The teachers didn't give us homework so that's a plus.

Mom and dad left, they usually leave to see a doctor about Lizzy's conditions. These are the only times I can be alone with my sister and be a good brother.

"Okay, Lizzy. The plan is to hit every house for the night. We shall start at six thirty, and we should be done by eleven thirty. If there is a person giving candy, fifteen seconds at their door. If someone leaves out the entire bowl, twenty seconds to get the good stuff and leave." I explain to Lizzy.

I look up at her and see her just standing there. "Lizzy are you okay?" She starts twitching. Then her breathing stops and she falls to the floor, shaking. "Lizzy!" She's having a seizure.

I lay her head in my lap and hold her hand tight, not letting her go. I pull out my phone and call an ambulance. I give them the information they need and hang up. I keep holding Lizzy, I can't let this happen again. I just can't.

The ride to the hospital was the weirdest. They kept asking me questions. Now I'm sitting in the waiting room, I got in contact with mom and dad and they said they would be here in a few minutes. I am sitting looking down at the floor before someone taps my shoulder. I look up and am met with a familiar pair of mocha eyes with black glasses.

"Hey, what happened?" Melissa asks. I stare at her before tackling her in a hug.

"Whoa, okay I am not a touchy person but what happened to you?" she ask again.

"My sister she-she-she... she had a seizure. The doctors, they took her and they haven't told me anything since. I'm scared."

"Hey," she pulls away and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I know the doctors here, they will do whatever they can to help."

"Thanks," I say, wiping away the tears I didn't even know were forming. "Her doctor is Dr. James Baker. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I do actually. He's a friend if anyone can help your sister, it's him."

"You sure, because I thought the medicine she was taking would stabilize her. But apparently not. Oh, what will mom and dad think. I'm a idiot. I'm a horrible brother."

"Hey look at me." I look up at her. "You are a good brother. I may not know that much, but when I had my siblings all I wanted to do was protect them. But when they left me, I knew I was a bad sister. I had to accept that I did what I could, and that is what made me a good sister. You did what you could, that makes you a good brother." She smiles, and for once I believe that she actually cares.

"Thanks, why are you here anyways?"

"Well, a friend of mine ended up here. I am in charge of taking care of her until she gets out."

"What happened to her?"

"She-"

"Oh, Melissa. I didn't expect to see you here." Melissa turns around and smiles.

"How's it going James?" she ask.

How many people does she know?

"Well, things could be better. Oh yeah, I'll be visiting you guys on Sunday, is that okay?" James asks. Melissa nods, "Great, I really have to visit my parents." James says. He then turns to me, "Your sister is Elizabeth Vo, right?" he asks.

I grab him by the shoulders. "Yes! Is she okay? What happened? Did the medicine not work? What happened to her?" I shout.

I can't help but worry. This is my little sister. I don't want to be alone again. I was an only child for most of my life, I don't want that again. I don't want to suffer again.

"Realx, your sister is fine. She is stabled but a bit dizzy. We checked her medical records and we noticed one problem. She has low levels of vitamin C in her system. The foods she eats are good but for some reason her body won't process all of it. Only little to no amounts. That's how she can easily get sick. We will need to prescribe her pills that are made up of only vitamin C, that way her body can process more of it. It will prevent her from getting sick so easily. And we will also have to put her on new medication to help control and prevent her seizures."

I nod, "Yeah, I'll have to tell my parents when they get here. Can I see her? I need to see her?" I ask.

He nods, "Yes, but it is family only so if she wants to go," he points behind me at Melissa. "She'll have to stay."

Melissa shrugs, "Eh, I have to go see Ann anyways. I'll see you Sunday James." She then turns around and walks away. I turn back to look at the doctor.

"So what room is she in?"

"28."

"Thank you." I run down the hall looking for my sister's room. I get there and slowly open the door. "Hey squirt, how's it going?"

"Hey Ty ty." It's a nickname she made when she was baby. She couldn't pronounce my name right back then.

"Mom and dad should be here in a bit. Don't worry I talked to the doctor, he said that you'll be okay." I pull a chair next to her bed and take her hand. She's a bit pale. She has a few blankets to cover her from the cold room. She has a needle in her skin, it's the IV. I hate seeing her this way, I just hate it. There is a knock at the door and it opens. Mom and dad step in.

"Oh my gosh! I am so happy you're safe." Mom shouts as she runs over to us. I get up and let her go to Lizzy. I feel a hand on my shoulders. It's dad, he smiles. "You did a good job, you did what you could. You're a good brother." he says.

I smile back, "Thanks dad."

"Tyler honey, what did the doctor say?" mom ask.

I sigh, "He said that the reason she's sick is due to low vitamin C levels in her body. Sure what she eats isn't the problem, it's the way her body processes it. It will only take in a little to none. So they are prescribing her with pills. They are made up of vitamin C. That way her body can let more in. And they're going to find different medicine to help keep her stable." I explain.

"Go home Tyler, you have school tomorrow. Don't argue with me. I know you're worried about her but you need rest. If you can, call a friend. It's not safe for you to drive in this condition. Okay, go home and rest. We'll be home when we can." dad says.

I sigh, "Alright. But please call me when she's okay, please." I plead. Dad nods. There is another knock on the door and the doctor comes in. "I'm sorry to say this but we need to run a few more tests. If mom and dad could stay that would be great. We'll call you back in when you can see her." he says.

"Alright you heard him let's go. We'll be right back okay honey?" mom asks Lizzy, she nods. Mom kisses her forehead and we all leave the room. We go back to the waiting area where we find Melissa yelling at someone over the phone.

"-Care! Do you think I care? You are the reason I am in this mess in the first place, both you and mom, if you would just listen. No! I won't! iNo me importa! No es mi trabajo. Es el tullo. No, delo una vez mas y veras. ¡Coje te!" She hangs up and sits down. "I am fucking done." she whispers. I walk over to her.

"Melissa are you okay?" I ask her. Her head snaps up and she lets out a weak laugh.

"Do I look like i'm alright?" she ask. I shake my head.

"Tyler who's this?" dad ask. I go to introduce them, but Melissa beats me to it.

"Melissa Cruz, a friend of your son. It is very nice to meet you." she says as she smiles at them.

"Nice to meet you too. And Cruz, as in Cruz tech.?" dad ask her. Melissa nods, her smile never fading.

"Yup, those are my folks. I just don't get along with my old man that much."

"Well I am sorry to hear that. How exactly do you know Tyler?"

"I was his tour guide on his first day."

"Oh, well good to know. I hope he can turn to you when he has trouble at school."

Melissa turns to face me, smiles, and then looks back at my dad. "Oh trust me, he'll be fine."

"Great and may I ask you a favor?"

"Of course."

"Our daughter, Elizabeth is in the hospital right now and we need Tyler to go home. He doesn't have his car so we want to know if you can drive him."

"Sure, I'll be more than happy to. And I hope that your daughter makes a successful recovery."

"Thank you."

"No problem, come one Tyler let's go."

I say goodbye to my parents and follow Melissa. "Hey, who were you on the phone with? You sounded pretty mad at them." I ask.

She sighs and rubs her temples. "My dad. He keeps asking me and trying to convince me to take over the company. I have several years left to make my choice but for some reason he wants it now. I tell him every time but he never listens. I don't want to spend my life stuck in an office signing papers and going to meetings. I want the life I have right now. I just can't make them see that it's what I need." She explains.

"How does it feel?" she ask.

"How does what feel?"

"Be an older sibling. For your parents to love you. For your family to love you. For them to notice you. How does that feel?" She ask. Her eyes are sad. Like all happiness was drained years ago.

"Well, it feels like you mean something to someone. Like some one can trust you. Why do you ask?" She gives me a sad smile and hands me a helmet.

"I kind of forgot what any of that was, many years ago. Hop on, I have places to be." I put the helmet on and get on. "You're not going to wear one?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "That was my only one, besides I can ride without one." She kicks up the stand and starts the bike. I put my arms around her waist and hold on tight, knowing she's going to shoot out of the parking lot on purpose.

I was right. I feel like throwing up now. Melissa laughs at me. "Oh man, your face. Oh gosh I needed that. Guess I'll see you at school tomorrow." She gets ready to leave but I stop her.

"Get some sleep." I tell her. She nods and leaves. I turn around and go inside the house. I sigh as I realize I still have my math homework to do. I just decided to give up on it and do it during homeroom.

I go up to my room and flop on my bed. It's really late so I set my alarm and decide to just wake up really early to get everything done. My eyelids feel heavy and soon, I am drowned in sleep.

I wake up at four in the morning to my alarm blaring. I groan and make myself get out of bed. I sit up and stretch. I get my phone and turn off the alarm. I grab a change of clothes and go to the bathroom. I take a shower and change. I brush my teeth and go back to my room. I grab all my school things and go to the kitchen. I grab an apple and one of Lizzy's to-go cereal boxes. I grab my keys and go leave the house. I only have half an hour until school starts, and I really need to do my work in homeroom.

I park my car and get out with my things. I walk up towards the school. I stop when I see Melissa behind the steps, smoking a cigarette, and talking to Adora. I don't want to eavesdrop, but I am really curious.

"You know why we exiled you. You had the drugs, which were banned, and you challenged the queen. You failed in the challenge. You were warned. But you didn't listen. Your parents come to me everyday asking for forgiveness for your idiocy."

"Oh so you talk to my parents?"

"They didn't challenge the royal family."

"But I didn't. I was high. Ask anyone, heck ask Hunter."

Melissa glares at her and blows smoke in her face. "Don't try to bring my brother into this. You know what you did, I'm done here."

Melissa throws her cigarette on the ground and stomps it out. She turns around and leaves Adora underneath the steps. Melissa runs up the steps, pushing people out of her way. I decide to follow her. I chase after her until she reaches homeroom. I go inside and find her already sitting at her desk, she just wants the day to end.

"Hey, did you sleep?" I ask her. Nice job Tyler, way to start a conversation.

"A little bit. I mean my parents keep bugging me and all but I got some sleep."

I notice how her eyes were no longer red and how the darkness under them has left. She has her hair loose today, with a small braid that circles around her head like a crown. I notice she has a necklace that i've never seen before, it's a heart shaped locket. I've never seen her wear it, but then again I never paid attention to her that much until now. I don't know what's going on, I just feel like I have to look at her to understand her. It's weird.

"Hey, what's the necklace?" I say as I point to it.

She grabs it and hides it in her shirt, "Something I didn't like to remember, but I thought today i could give it a chance. Now stop asking questions."

I shut my mouth. She looks mad, I don't want to make her madder. If that is even possible. The rest of the day goes as normal, that is until lunch.

We are sitting in the cafeteria like always, Melissa is helping me with the homework. Then she gets a phone call. "Hello, yeah that's me. What do you mean by that? What? No! She can't! I'll be right there!" She hangs up and get's her things.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask her. She ignores me and runs out of the cafeteria, "Melissa wait!" I shout after her.

I chase after her through the halls. Man this girl can run. She runs into the front office and yells at them. After a few seconds she comes out with a paper and she shoves it in her jacket pocket as she runs out of the school.

"Melissa what is going on? Why are you leaving?" I yell at her. She turns around and her eyes are red and puffy, like she was crying.

She takes out a piece of paper and a pen she scribbles something down before giving it to me. "What is this?" I ask.

She goes to her bike and hops on. "It's my number, tell the teachers I left due to a family emergency. Call me when school is over. Then maybe I can explain." She puts on her helmet and kicks up her stand. She starts her bike and speeds out of the parking lot.

It is the end of the day and I am at my locker. I get my things and walk over to my car. I get out my phone and the paper Melissa gave me. I punch in the number and wait as the line rings.

After the fifth ring someone picks up. "Hello." comes a sad and rasped voice.

I smile a bit, "Hey Melissa it's Tyler."

"Oh, h-hi Tyler." She sniffles.

"Is everything okay?" I ask. I can hear the cries of others on her side of the line. Then there is a huge bang.

"Okay," she whispers "Okay? Okay? Okay?!" she shouts as she gets louder. "Nothing is okay! Someone that meant alot to me just died! Do you think that is okay? How do you think I feel right now?" She let's put a ragged breath. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to lash out. It's just-it's just that she was like a sister. And now I lost her. I don't know what to do now."

"Hey just calm down. If you want I'll be there in a few minutes." I can hear a weak laugh from her side.

"Yeah that would be great thanks."

"Okay, let me call my parents and I'll be right there."

I get into my car and call my mom. I explain the situation and head over to the hospital. I walk to the waiting room and see Melissa talking to others. I walk up to her and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around and I notice just how much this affects her. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, her nose and cheeks are red.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask. She shakes her head and turns back to the people.

"Give us a minute I'll call you when we can talk." she tells them. They all share a look before glancing at me. Then they walk away.

"Hey, sorry you had to come over here. You really didn't have to." she tells me.

"I know but I did. How are you, you aren't doing so good. How were they anyways?" I ask her. She bites her lip and looks around the room.

"Just some old friends. They knew Scarlet too."

"Scarlet, that was her name?"

"Yeah, she was the life of the party, nothing will be the same without her. She was like a sister to me. She taught me how to fight, she's the reason I don't listen to men, and she taught me not to tolerate anyone's bullshit. She was amazing, she was a sister. But now she's gone." Melissa looks down at the ground. I can't really blame her, she just described someone who would be by her side no matter what. Now that person is gone.

"I really don't know what you're going through, but if it's anything, know that i'm here for you if you need me."

She smiles, "Thanks, how is your sister by the way?"

"Oh she's doing better. She has the meds to keep her stable, so she won't have another one of her surprises again. Those scare me." Melissa opens her mouth to speak but one of the guys interrupts her.

"My lady it is time for us to go. You know who is waiting."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." she replies. The guy nods and walks away. "Sorry but I have to go, thanks for stopping by." she says.

"Wait, why did he call you 'my lady'?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Don't worry about it." But I can't help but worry. She waves goodbye and leaves with the men. I really don't know what to say about it. I just decide to go home and forget what I don't need to remember.

When I open the door I am met with a familiar pair of blue eyes. I jump back in surprise. "Gosh Lizzy! Were you there the entire time?" I ask my sister.

She only nods, then giggles, and then skips away. I will never understand this child. I head over to the kitchen to see mom making dinner, and dad attempting (emphasis on attempting) to help her.

"Why do you mean it needs to boil? When does it boil?"

"Oh honey, no wonder you failed science when we were in high school."

"I didn't fail... I just had low grades."

"That's the same thing."

"Actually dad, mom has a point." I interrupt.

"You see," dad throws down his dish towel. "This is why I majored in law studies."

We all laugh. I missed days like this. Dad has the days off work, Lizzy's pills keep her stable, mom isn't so stressed, and me not having homework. These are the days where everything seems normal, but I remember someone who is going through a rough time now.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" Mom ask me. I look up at her and run a hair, I sigh.

"It's Melissa. She's having it hard right now. I just hope she's okay right now." I tell her. I don't know why I feel like this. But it's like if Melissa is sad, so am I. Like I can't help but care for her. I just don't want her to be hurt.

"Well, is she going to be okay?" mom ask.

"I don't know. I mean someone she cared about just died, so she could be better."

Mom sighs, "You need to destress, honey. Saturday we are going over to your aunt Amanda's house. That will be the best time to relax."

"Oh yeah, i'm going to need that. Thanks mom."

"Of course, now you and your sister better wash up before dinner. And you have a while, your father still has a lot to learn."

I laugh and pick up Lizzy. I take her upstairs to the bathroom and help her reach the sink. After that I dry her hands and we hear a scream from the kitchen. "Harold Clark Vo!"

Me and Lizzy look at each other and we know what is about to happen. We run back to the kitchen to see dad curled up in the corner trying to escape mom's wrath.

"She middle named you." Lizzy taunts him.

Dad starts shaking. "Now I know how you kids feel."