It had been almost two months since they had returned to high school, and Tyler was tired of classes. It was the kind of fatigue that wouldn't go away no matter how many hours you slept. School was exhausting. The teacher liked to assign a lot of homework as if the students weren't just human beings. And there were a lot of exams to take. This year was the last year. And it was the most important year because it was the year that will complete the academic records of students who will then be sent to universities. Plus, he found the classes to be quite boring. It wasn't like he was getting bad grades, but he didn't understand the point of math, for example, especially for 8 hours. Even the teacher seemed bored.

Honestly, the class didn't even listen to what the teacher had to say, and the teacher didn't care. As long as you didn't disrupt the class, you could do whatever you wanted. He had even seen students watching Netflix during his class.

His friends were chatting quietly next to him, in fact, it was one of the few classes where they were all together. Tyler couldn't follow their conversation, he was actually distracted by an ink stain on the table where he was drawing breasts. People were so crazy.

"Dude, are you listening to me?" called Diego annoyed.

"Of course, I'm listening," Tyler replied.

"And what was I talking about?" asked Diego, visibly puzzled.

"You were talking about the Halloween party that will be held at Madison's house," Tyler easily replied without looking up.

"But how do you do that?" asked a surprised Diego.

"I listen when you talk, actually, I can do two jobs at the same time because I'm amazing!" announced Tyler snidely.

"Get down Tyler, anyone can do that," Emma rolled her eyes.

"So are we going to this party or not?" asked Tessa in a disinterested tone as she answered her phone at the same time.

"Guys, I'm sick of parties! Don't you want to do something quiet together instead?" begged Emma.

"Emma is not wrong... I'm also getting tired of parties" Grey said.

"And I remind you that during the other two outings we followed your whims! This time it's up to us!" retorted Ashley, yelling.

Listening to his friends bicker, he couldn't help but disconnect from their conversation. With them, it was always like this. They were always arguing about what kind of outing to go on, especially since it was their last year in high school, so they wanted to make the most of their time together.

Madison, a girl from their high school, who actually seemed quite shy, threw a big party at her house for Halloween and everyone had to dress up in a Halloween theme. But Emma and Grey didn't like parties very much and preferred events with fewer people. While Ashley, Tessa, and Diego (and him) were actually a bit of a party addicts.

In retrospect, they were actually a rather strange group of friends. There was Emma, who was so passionate about literature and preferred to stay at home. She could read anywhere and anytime. He had caught her several times reading at parties. And then there was Diego, the Latino, who flirts with everything that moves. Once he had seen her hit on a mother, it was embarrassing. Then there was Grey, who was a pretty quiet guy. He was the most reasonable of the bunch. He was the kind of guy you could rely on and who was never in troubles.

Then there were Tessa and Ashley, who were the total opposite. They were loud and fierce. They liked to go out and party. They were never shy. The two together was like putting two nuclear bombs together, it was powerful and destructive. He never dared contradict them when they were both together. He valued his life too much for that.

At lunchtime, they met to eat together.

"Dude, your dad cooks too well!" declared Diego with his mouth full.

It is true that his father's dishes were always delicious. His father had been a chef in a big restaurant, but he had decided to quit because he wanted to occupy himself and spend more time with his family. His father had told him that the work had taken up a lot of his time and that he no longer liked what he was doing.

Today, his father was a stay-at-home dad, and Tyler found him much more fulfilled. Her father loved taking care of them by cooking for them and trying out new recipes. Unfortunately, his friends take the opportunity to steal his bowl.

"Diego, you're disgusting! Eat the food with your mouth closed," said Ashley disgusted.

"Oh, it's okay Ashley, don't be a sissy".

"Dude, Ashley is right, it's disgusting," Emma said, rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time without ever taking her eyes off her book.

"So, how's it going with this chick, Diego?" asked Tyler, not really interested.

"Oh, you should have seen her, Tyler, that's something! I'm sure if you had seen her, you would have fallen for her charm, man!" exclaimed Diego happily.

"It is the third girl to whom you say that, Diego," declare Tessa.

"Yeah I know, but now I think it can be a little serious, you know," declared Diego with frowned eyebrows.

"I thought that wasn't what you were looking for?" asked Tyler, intrigued.

"It's not what I'm looking for, but sometimes a little love and tenderness doesn't hurt," Diego dreamily declared.

"Dude, you're scary when you have that look in your eyes... You kind of look like a psychopath right now," announced Grey quietly, who seemed a little disturbed.

As the bell rang announcing the end of the break, they all left for class. Tyler was paired with Emma for his English class.

As the teacher began his lecture, Emma spoke up.

"So, what about you, Tyler?" asked Emma.

"And I what?" asked Tyler, confused.

"Do you know who you're interested in?" Emma asked curiously.

"Not really," replied Tyler, who didn't seem to want to continue the conversation.

"We're worried about you Tyler, you know for the past two years you don't seem to be interested in anyone, is it maybe because of..." asked Emma hesitantly.

"I'm not interested," Tyler cut in abruptly.

The last thing he wanted to do was talk about what had happened two years ago. It wasn't like he hadn't moved on since then, but it still upset him to think about what had happened, to think about her.

He knew very well that he was handsome, and that some girls were interested, but right now the last thing he wanted was a relationship. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone would accept him for who he was. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone. When you put it that way, it sounded a little pathetic, but he didn't care.

"Sorry Tyler, I didn't mean to push you, I just wanted to let you know that we are here if you need to talk," Emma apologized, distressed to have upset her friend.

When he heard Emma's apology, he couldn't help but feel bad. The poor girl was just worried, and he was attacking her when she had done nothing.

"Sorry Emma, it's just that I honestly don't feel like talking about my last relationship, not because I don't trust you, but because I can't. Besides, I'd rather enjoy our senior year with you than get involved with any girl right now," Tyler apologized as he opened up.

Tyler hated lying to his friends, which is why he always made sure to be honest and open. He knew that his friends would never hurt him on purpose and would never take advantage of the information they told them.

"So, what are you reading?" asked Tyler in an effort to change the subject.

"Oh, this book is called Made To Be Broken, it's an amazing book by A.M. Snead that has already made me cry three times, actually," declared Emma.

"What's it about?" asked a puzzled Tyler.

Emma was a literary girl, she spent her days and nights reading books. Whether it was physical books or online books like on Wattpad, she is passionate about literature and wants to become a publisher one day.

Emma was a very beautiful girl, and although she was not the standard of beauty in society, that is to say, she was not a thin woman, and although she was plump, that did not take away from her beauty. Her short straight black hair, her beautiful brown almond eyes, and her pretty smile, as well as her cute light makeup and the clothes she wore accentuated her beauty even more.

Tyler was often intrigued by the books she was reading; she always seemed to be immersed in the book, as if she was keenly feeling the emotions the characters might be feeling.

At age fourteen, Noble Richmond becomes aware that he is gay. Raised in a Christian home and church, Noble believes that being gay is a sin and desperately seeks God's healing and deliverance - revealing his secret to no one. Now, nine years later, Noble is engaged to a Christian woman, Rebecca, with whom he believes he is truly in love. Convinced that God has answered his prayers and delivered him from the sin of homosexuality, Noble sees his future with Rebecca as bright and promising. But when Rebecca's half-brother, Jonah, shows up at their engagement party, Noble is forced to question his deliverance and finds himself struggling with emotions and desires, he insists that it is not natural for one man to feel for another.

"Oh! " Tyler exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, I know it's not the type of book you thought I was reading, huh?" Emma declared, not surprised by Tyler's shock.

"Oh no, there's nothing wrong with it, I'm just surprised to be honest," Tyler said.

"I hate clichés! And I find this kind of book very interesting and inspiring. The way the author brings the characters to life and makes us feel the emotion so clearly is really impressive. It also reflects the life of some unfortunately who can recognize themselves too."

"Ah, there it is, all but cliché, eh?" Tyler said.

"Silly. The way Jonah is written in the book is really touching. He is always by Noble's side and supports him through his trials while showing patience. He genuinely loves Noble, is always there for him, and shows him that he is loved. The love that is shown here is so beautiful. We all wish we had someone like Jonah, don't you think?"

"Surely," Tyler laughed, however the laughter seemed forced even to his ears. Because he knew, after all, that he would never have anyone like "Jonah" around.

Don't hesitate to read to give me your opinions and leave comments as well as likes if you liked it; it's very important for me to know what you think! 😊