A Second Chance

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While Tyler felt bad about snapping at her, he didn't think it wasn't totally uncalled for. His father probably would have given her the same lecture. Tyler put the bike in the garage before walking through the house to the backyard. It was a small patch of land. With a few brown patches, the grass was rather nice. In the back along the side was the old flower beds. Now it was just dirt that's been left to rot. Remembering the past with his mother there made Tyler sad. Taking a seat on the old swing set he used to play on, Tyler just sat there. The soft creak of the metal could be heard. He sat there for a while just thinking and letting the day pass by. With his head resting on the chain of the swing, Tyler waited for something to happen.

Inside the phone rang. No one picked up so a message was left:

Hey, Ty, just wanted to tell you that something came up. There should be enough food in the fridge for you to make something tonight. I should be back late tomorrow evening. If not, Ms. Anderson is next door. She'll help you with everything.

Robert hung up the phone at the hospital and closed his eyes after breathing a sigh of relief. He wanted to keep this out of the paper, but that would be difficult. Looking at his own bandages, he went through what happened. He was chasing down a drug dealer who was selling something. The next thing he remembered was laying on the ground in a small pool of his own blood. He had been stabbed by another street thug that came up behind him. It wasn't pretty, but Robert's seen worse. After arguing with the nurse, Robert relented to staying for the night. He needed to be home by tomorrow or he was going to throw a fit.
 
Bea caught sight of Tyler sitting in the backyard swing as she paced past the window. He wasn't even reading a book. Didn't the kid have a life? Whatever it wasn't like she cared. In fact she should do something to flaunt just how much more of a life she had. Rowan had sent her a text a while ago about how everyone was heading to the pool in a while. She hadn't been planning on going because she wanted to brood in her own anger. But maybe it would be the perfect distraction. She texted Rowan to inform her of her change of plans and dug through her suitcase. She had been too irritated to unpack it and she didn't have time now. She simply pulled out her blue and black LucLuc bikini and pulled it one.

She paired that with flip flops and a low cut, translucent white cover-up. Bea then proceeded to put on half a bottle of sun screen. Maybe more than half. All Millers were cursed with the same pale, delicate skin. Some may have called it a blessing but Bea called it a pain in the ass. Unless she wanted to turn the color of her hair she needed to make sure she put on enough. She put a towel, sunglasses and the sunscreen into a tote and headed downstairs. She leaned against the fence and called out to Tyler. "I'm going to the pool. Tell your dad I'll be back by five."
 
The sound of Bea's voice snapped Tyler out of whatever he was in. He looked up and nodded replying, "Curfew's at 9:00 for you. Just don't make me go out and find you. I'm not getting yelled at by Dad because you go missing." There was a slight tone of arrogance mixed with annoyance. Tyler wasn't sure what to make of this. It wasn't like Tyler didn't know Bea had a ton of friends or at least enough to make it look so. Instead, Tyler wondered what he would do today. He really didn't have anything to do other than some miscellaneous school work that wasn't due for another month or so. He thought about the few friends he had who he'd like to hang out with, but they were all doing their own thing. It was rather depressing. Tyler had many acquaintances but no friends to just hang with.

Tyler decided to clean the house and restock the fridge. Going from room to room, Tyler did his usual rounds. With cleaner looped through his belt loop and a bucket with a sponge, a cloth, and a brush, Tyler removed every spec of dirt he could find. He dusted. He vacuumed. He scrubbed. Tyler was very proud of his work once it was finished. The only room he didn't touch was Bea's. Part of him wanted to clean the room, but he didn't dare attempt. Tyler then checked the fridge. They had enough food for the week, so Tyler left it. Only about 3 1/2 hours went by. That's when he noticed the voicemail. After listening to the entire voicemail, Tyler shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't unusual for his father to work late, but overnight seemed a bit much. Tyler wanted to call him, but he didn't want to interrupt Robert at work. Tyler flicked on the TV and put on the movie network.
 
As soon as Bea pushed through the fence to the town's outdoor pool a cheer went up. A swarm of her friends- or at least people she knew from school, called her into the pool. Bea threw down her bag and slipped out of her cover-up and flipflops before catapulting into the water. She came up and was immediately pushed back under by a laughing Rowan. A chant of 'speech' went up from the dozen or so kids she knew. An older woman on the far side of the pool shot them an annoyed look. She spent the next twenty minutes retelling the story of her arrest. When she got to the part about staying with the Chief a chorus of indignant boos and shocked gasps went around. So maybe Bea had been a bit dramatic about the whole thing. Added a detail here and there. Finally people began to lose interest in her jailbird bit and went back to swimming around.

She spent the next hour engaged in a brutal waterfight with a few of her friends. It had started when she'd splashed Mason. A simple, harmless splatter of water that had evolved into all out war. The sounds of shrieking and laughter had filled the air as water flew all across the pool, sloshing over the side and onto the pavement. It was total anarchy, kill or be killed so to speak. Everyone not involved in the water fight had been forced to evacuate the pool. In fact Bea was surprised no one had kicked them out. Finally the fight had died down. Too exhausted to stay in the water any longer Bea got out. She pulled her sunglasses and cover-up back on and spread her towel out on a cheap plastic pool chair before flopping down to relax.

Bea was having the best day yet this summer. Granted she'd only had about three of them so far, but she'd spent a good portion of that at the police station and in a stranger's house. To be able to enjoy the sun and the water and pretend she was just another kid on break was incredibly refreshing. She grinned as she watched a shirtless hunk walk by. Very, very refreshing. "Bea. Earth to Beatrice. If you tear your eyes away from Mitchell's ass for two seconds?" An amused voice drawled. Bea turned a megawatt smile on Rowan and accepted the snow cone being shoved her way.

It was around five o'clock when she finally trudged back to the house. Her hair was a damp and tangled mess and her eyes were bloodshot but she was in a good mood. Her bag dangled loosely from her grip and she dropped it immediately upon entering the house and kicked off her flip flops. Bea shivered in the air conditioning. She was still only wearing her bathing suit and cover-up and it was cold in here comparatively. She padded into the living room, giving Tyler a disinterested look before heading upstairs for a quick shower. When her hair was clean and dry, Bea dressed in jean short and a graphic tee and trudged back downstairs. She was tired like she always was after a long day at the pool.
 
The rest of the time, Tyler was sitting on the couch watching movies. He dozed off a few times. There wasn't really anything that he was overly interested in anyways. As Tyler sat on the couch his mind wandered to what Bea was doing. He wondered if we was having fun with her friends or doing something illegal. Then his mind wandered to his father. He thought about the amount of paperwork his father must have that he's spending the night. It wasn't often that his father didn't come home. On the few occasions he didn't, something major happened. Tyler hoped everything was alright.

Tyler was watching one of the new superhero movies when Bea walked in. He looked at her with a blank expression before turning away. "Dad's not coming home tonight. If you want to go out, I won't say anything to Dad." Tyler wasn't really interested in what Bea was doing nor did he really want to know. Instead, he just continued to watch his movie. There wasn't anything else to do and he wasn't up for going out. Tyler waited for Bea to say something. Then he added, "If you're staying I'll make dinner."
 
Bea frowned softly. He was giving her a free pass? Even after his earlier lecture? Maybe it was all some kind of trick to get her kicked out of the house. She was too tired to do much of anything, which was a shame because she doubted she'd get such an opportunity again. There was something else there too, a unpleasant sensation in the pit of her stomach. Although it took her a moment she recognized it as guilt. She felt guilty for considering this. As much as she craved the rush of breaking the rules, she also didn't want to disappoint Mr. Sabot or go behind his back. It was an entirely new feeling for Bea. Sure she'd occasionally felt bad when her activities upset her mother, but then the woman would usually do something shitty and the feeling would go away. Her father was never around to be disappointed. Now she found herself craving an adult's respect. It was an unfamiliar and not altogether comfortable sensation.

She made a noncommittal noise and threw herself as far away from him as possible without actually falling on the floor. She wasn't sure if she was trying to irritate him or not irritate him by her placement but she was here regardless. She threw him a surreptitious glance. Could he cook? He had made the macaroni before, and it was delicious, but maybe that was the only thing he could make. The only thing Bea could make was grilled cheese and scrambled eggs. And anything in the freezer aisle of course. "What's it like when your dad is the chief of police?" She asked when she couldn't bear the silence any longer. She ought to just go upstairs but it was so boring without any trouble to get into.
 
Tyler looked at her skeptically. He wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. In his mind, he thought she was trying to find something to make fun of him for. As he thought about what the consequences of answering her question would be, Tyler kept his mouth shut. Part of him didn't want to answer in fear that she'd find a way to make him regret it. But in the end the awkward silence was too much to bare, so he began, "Fine I guess. Dad's usually at work during the days but he tries to get home before dinner. There have only been a handful of times when he wasn't home. But a working father isn't exactly unusual. What were you expecting?" Tyler stopped and waited for Bea to say something.

He studied her face and waited for her to say something rude. As the silence dragged on for a moment, Tyler looked at the clock. If he wanted to make dinner, he'd have to do it within the next hour or so. It was getting late already and Tyler didn't like eating past 7 if he could help it. Despite this preference, Tyler usually ate late due to his father's work schedule. Tyler looked back at Bea and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
 
Bea had already set her lips in a scowl by the time he answered. It was a simple question and he didn't need to be so goddamn unpleasant about it. "It was just a question." She pitched. "I expected a straight forward answer, but thanks for the snark." She turned up the volume on the TV loud enough that she almost missed his next question. "I don't know, whatever is fine I guess. I usually just take something out of the freezer for dinner." When he got up to start cooking she turned the TV back down again.

Aside from the occasional kitchen noise and the TV there wasn't much to think about. So of course Bea had to think about everything. Primarily she was now worrying about her own father. It was sometimes hard to reach him depending on the remoteness of the location. Sometimes Bea even had to rely on snail mail, but even then she was never sure if he got them. Her only clue where he was during those times were his postcards. She sometimes wished that she could travel the world with him instead of being stuck here, but he'd always said she was too young. Maybe now that she was eighteen she'd ask again.
 
Tyler left Bea in the living room to think to herself, while he made his way to the kitchen. He scoffed at the frozen meal comment. Tyler rarely kept things frozen; only when a recipe called for it. Now in the kitchen, Tyler opened the fridge and pulled out some vegetables as well as a thing of sausage. Tonight was going to be stew. He wondered if Bea liked spice. Poking his head into the room, Tyler noticed that Bea was lost in though, so he decided to make the decision himself. Before long, the vegetables were chopped and the meat cooking. The aroma spread throughout the house. Tyler pulled out the large pot and began to fill it with the different ingredients. After about 20 minutes the pot was filled and the stew cooking. The last thing was to put on the rice cooker and wait.

Tyler came back out into the living room and said, "It'll be about an hour." Sitting on the couch away from Bea, Tyler flicked through the channels until he found a rerun of an old cartoon. He watched it for a while, laughing at the slapstick comedy and retorts. For a moment Tyler forgot that Bea was even there. He relaxed and focused on the TV.
 
Bea was pulled from her thoughts by Tyler's return to the couch. She let him turn on a cartoon, which she had to admit she found amusing, without any complaint. It actually wasn't bad and she allowed herself to be drawn into the simplicity of watching a television show. There was nothing to think or stress about, just mindless entertainments. She even laughed a few times. But Bea had always had a short attention span. After a half hour hunger and boredom tore her attention away from the program. She shifted into various different positions trying to get comfortable. She fiddled with the volume a few times. She got up to stretch before sitting down again. Nothing could calm her listlessness. "So you spend a lot of time in summer school?" She blurted out of nowhere. "That sounds... fun. Well actually it sounds awful. Why waste your summer on that?"
 
Tyler was happy when the cartoon occupied Bea for a while. Sadly, that didn't last too long and she was talking to him again. With a glance at the clock, Tyler wondered what he should do. He knew that the food wasn't going to be ready for another half hour or so. Looking at Bea before directing his stare back at the mindless TV show, Tyler replied, "I just want to get through college quicker. If I get into a university with college credit already, I can skip general studies and possibly graduate with a degree earlier." His voice was neutral with a hint of boredom. Talking about his future plans wasn't exactly what he expected to be doing with Bea. Feeling as if he should ask his own questions, Tyler added, "What do you plan on doing after high school?"
 
Bea threw her head back against the couch cushion, staring up at the ceiling. What did she plan on doing after high school? Other than a few agonizingly slow talks with the school guidance councilor she hadn't thought much about it. Community college was probably in the cards but she had no idea what she was even going to major in. And after college? No idea whatsoever. Frowning, Bea pulled her head back up. "I don't know. I try not to get caught up in that stuff. No offense but I don't want to like my life like... well you. Planning my whole life out. College, job, 401k. I prefer to live in the now, while I'm young. There's so many amazing experiences to have at this age. Why waste it in school? I want to live while I'm alive." By the end of her little rant the redhead was smiling wildly, caught up in her own words. She had almost completely forgotten Tyler's presence.
 
Tyler noticed that Bea was starting to get carried away, so he just shut up and went back to watching TV. He thought to himself, "How could she understand me? It was dumb to tell her. Besides, she doesn't even care." These negative thoughts ran through his head for another few minutes before Tyler glanced at the clock again. He got up without saying anything and went to the kitchen to check on the food. After stirring the gumbo for a minute or two and checking on the rice, Tyler said, "It's ready. Turn off the TV and come to the dinning room. The table is already set." With that, Tyler brought over the medium pot and the bowl of rice and placed it on the table. "Just take what you want," Tyler instructed as he filled his plate. Then he added before he forgot, "the actual stew isn't too spicy, but the sausage is. I didn't know if you liked spice or not." After he finished, Tyler began to eat his dinner.
 
Tyler apparently didn't have much to say in response to Bea's inspiring speech, because he got up without a word. Well, whatever. Maybe he just needed time to let her wisdom sink in. She was relieved when he called to tell her the food was ready. Bea shut off the TV and headed into the kitchen. It was a bit strange to her that he ate at the dining table, even when it was just the two of them here. She wondered if he ate there all alone sometimes, too. Before she could start to feel sorry for him, she turned her mind towards the food. Bea piled up what she thought she would eat, and then a little extra to be sure. "Spicy's good." She said, sitting opposite from him. For a while it was just the sounds of them chewing in the silence of the house. Bea began to fidget in her seat and was glad when she finished eating. "Uh, thanks." She said awkwardly before hurrying up the stairs.

Alone in 'her' room, Bea stared up at the ceiling. Would the rest of her summer be like this? Of all people, why Tyler Sabot? Why not someone who knew how to have fun, or at least someone who wouldn't get on her ass when she did. Bea couldn't think in this confined space so she stood up and opened the window before carefully extracting the screen. Bea climbed out on the room and sighed as the cool air filled her lungs. She lay back and stared at the stars. Much better.
 
Tyler sat in silence as they ate. It was a bit uncomfortable, but he chose to ignore her presence. When she finished and ran upstairs, he was rather relieved. Taking the dirt dishes to the kitchen, Tyler cleared the table and put the leftovers in the fridge. He had fixed a plate for his father should he come back early. It sat in the fridge with a note saying, 'Dad'. Once everything was away, Tyler returned to the living room couch. The TV remained off as he listened to the world go by. The world was getting a bit hectic for him. He didn't like having to share his space with Bea. She was out of control, irresponsible, and irritating. Her attitude could also use improvement. He sighed heavily as he closed his eyes and began to doze off.

Robert was in the hospital bed dozing off when the nurse came to check up on him. Everything was normal and he would be able to leave tomorrow morning. This made him happy. Robert looked at the clock and decided to go back to sleep. They'd wake him in the morning and run a few tests before he was allowed to leave.
 
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