Fantasy Two Halves of a Whole

[PlotBrownie]

He gave the car one last farewell pat before turning to take his crutches from the girl. "You're just jealous." He retorted with a teasing grin.

They reached the front door and Tyler had to set his crutches aside so he could reach his backpack and get out the keys. Once they were inside he put the keys on the console and reached out for his phone. "I should probably check in with my parents real quick." He said as if he suddenly remembered them by being in his house.

 

[mon]

Acacia rose both brows at his comment, but chose not to comment. She already long concluded that she would never understand people's (mostly males) strange obsession and love for mechanical vehicles. To her, a car was just a car, but she did know enough to recognize that Tyler's car was on the high end side. It would explain his overprotective attitude towards it.

"Go ahead," Acacia said, walking around the house, this time as herself. There wasn't much for her to do except wait for Tyler and his friends so she took a seat on the couch and fiddled around with her phone, taking a quick selfy for her Instagram which she hasn't uploaded in forever. With her camera still on, Acacia flipped the screen over to Snapchat where the silly dog filtered was applied. She took a random candid shot of Tyler and sent it to the few she was streaking with---most of them being friends she made online.

'OOO a boy. Who's that?' one of the girls texted, 'hes cute.'

'a snacc' another friend texted, leaving Acacia to grin and shake her head.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler looked over at Acacia with his phone still pressed against his ear and gave her a questioning look when she grinned. It was probably some funny post she read or something.

"Yes, everything is fine, dad. It doesn't even hurt." Tyler reassured his father for the second time, "Don't make me regret telling you this over the phone." He added, mostly to himself, before he sighed. What made him think breaking the news to his parents on the phone would be better than waiting till they came?

"Hey dad, Cia wants to say hi. Yes the girlfriend." Tyler didn't give Acacia time to prepare as he handed her the phone, mouthing a sheepish 'sorry'. He got his dad off his back and and probably annoyed his girlfriend as well. Two birds one stone, right?

 

[mon]

Acacia looked over when she heard her name being called, mouthing a 'what the heck?'' over to Tyler before speaking sweetly (unintentional) into the phone.

"Hey there, Mr.Bay. Just wanted to say hi. Mhm," Acacia said, making short responses at his questions and mini lectures, "Yep. I'll do my best. Alright, okay. Take care of yourself too." After five agonizing minutes of awkward conversation, Acacia was allowed to pass the phone back to Tyler. She threw him a short glare, mouthing the words, "I'll get you for that, Bay."

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler was grinning for the entire five minutes. Acacia was rocking it and it was so weird when she transformed to this polite version of Acacia that she turned in whenever she talked to parents.

"Dad, I gotta go. Nathan and Liam are coming over. Yeah yeah we'll be good." Tyler promised then his dad started another mini lecture and Tyler blew kisses to Acacia who was still glaring at him. "Okay, see you on Tuesday. Have a safe flight. Say bye to papa for me. Bye dad." He hung up and turned to Acacia.

"On the bright side: my parents really like you." He told her with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

[mon]

She couldn't afford to stay mad at him when he was being so dorky and cute, but being the vindictive person she is, there was without a shadow of a doubt Acacia had plans to get the boy back. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and got up from her seat.

"At least give me a heads up next time," Acacia said, poking his chest accusingly. She looked pleasantly pleased to hear that. It was like a weight off her shoulders but she wondered just how long she could maintain her standing with his parents. Hopefully they won't catch wind of her personality in school...

The door bell rang before either of them could say anymore. "That's probably Liam and Nathan," Acacia said, getting the door for Tyler. "You told them that I would be over too right?" she asked as she opened the door, greeting two surprised faces. "Hey," she waved with a friendly smile.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"Actually n-" Tyler didn't have time to finish the sentence as Acacia had already left.

It was Liam who spoke first. "Hey, Acacia." His voice held the same surprise that his expression held, "Didn't know you were here." He admitted as they both stepped inside.

"You look different. Did you do something with your hair?" Nathan asked her, and it sounded like a weird mix between an accusation and a compliment.

Before she could answer Tyler called them all into the living room. "Guys, Cia's going to chill with us today." He announced, knowing they wouldn't protest.

"How good is she in Fortnite though? Cause I need some new competition and you both suck." Nathan said as he headed for the TV to connect the Playstation to it.

 

[mon]

Unsure of how to respond to Liam, Acacia simply let the two in and closed the door behind them. At Nathan's question, she did her best to withhold a glare at the odd tone in his voice and merely nodded. She wondered then if it was a good idea for her to stick around, being the only girl present; but then again, she was Acacia Romans. Acacia never gave a shit about trivialities like that so it was unusual for her to start feeling self-conscious now.

Tyler was definitely to blame, she decided. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't care a rat's ass about making a good impression on his friends (though technically their thoughts on her weren't particularly good given how hard they tried to get her away from Tyler the first few days).

Walking into the living room with them, Acacia took her seat on the couch next to Tyler, looking over curiously at Nathan when he addressed her. "What's Fortnite?" she asked, a surprising question given how hip and up-to-trend Acacia seemed to be. While she did give off the impression of a gamer, in reality, Acacia hardly ever touched games, especially after being restricted from them in her upbringing and childhood.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler snaked his arm around her shoulders when she moved to sit next to him, noticing the weird glances he got from Liam and Nathan. They weren't stupid and he knew they probably guessed what was going on.

"What's Fortnite?" Nathan echoed the question, looking offended as if Acacia had just insulted his ancestors.

"Oh my sweet summer child, you have so much to learn." Liam added, handing her the controller. "Ty will walk you through what to do." He told her as he grabbed the other and Liam grabbed the third.

The game opened and they started with Acacia making an avatar for herself. Then Tyler showed her the basics like how to run and how to shoot and explained to her the purpose of the game which, to be put in the simplest way, was to kill the monsters.

"I actually think you'd like Five Nights at Freddy's more given how much of a horror fan you are." Tyler pointed out and Liam was already getting up to change the games.

 

[mon]

Snuggling against Tyler almost felt natural at this point, despite the short amount of time spent together. Acacia figured it had to do with being in his body a handful of those times. She leaned into him, resting her head on top of his chest, slouching in her seat as Tyler explained the rules.

The mechanics were relatively simple and Acacia was a fast learner, capable of moving her avatar around like any seasoned gamer within the first hour. When Liam asked to change games, Acacia teased jokingly, "Is it because you got your ass handed to you by a girl?" This was her third time killing him in a row anyways.

Liam made a scoffing sound but it was clear they were both joking, "No, psh. It's beginner's luck. Besides, we should play a game where all four of us could play. How about Don't Starve or Left for Dead?"

"You like horror, Mads? Er, I mean no offense. Can I call you that by the way?" Nathan said, turning back to look up at Acacia and Tyler. He was seated on the ground, legs crisscrossed infront of the couch.

Acacia nodded, "It's entertaining." Her smile grew smug, "Even more so when you have someone like Ty watching with you," she jabbed him jokingly on the side, "It's funny when he screams like a girl."

 

[PlotBrownie]

"That was one time and it was because you snuck up on me." Tyler defended, grinning as he jabbed her back, his arm sliding down to wrap around her waist loosely.

Liam was watching the interaction as he leaned back against the couch while Nathan dug around for Left 4 Dead. They'd never pictured Tyler with Acacia as she was both out of his league and they didn't even seem like eachother's types. They were both very curious to know how the two even started hanging out, but they wouldn't push. Heck, as long as Tyler's happy he's happy and he was positive Nathan felt the same way.

Still. He had to ask.

"So are you two like a thing now?" He asked them, hoping for a straight answer.

Tyler looked down at Acacia then back up at Liam, "Yup." He told him, popping the P.

Liam nodded and Nathan turned to glance at them quickly then turned back to what he was doing, throwing a casual "Cool" at them.

 

[mon]

Acacia flinched at his jab. Unlike the male, she was rather ticklish which would explain why she was always on the offense when people tried to touch her. At Liam's question, Acacia turned her attention from Tyler to him, watching carefully their reaction when Tyler answered them. Fortunately, they did not look too worried or adverse which made Acacia exhale softly in relief. She relaxed then as they started up Left for Dead.

Like Fortnite, Acacia needed an explanation of the basic controls but given how they were rather similar (if not simpler) than Fortnite, she got her way around the game as well. They played for a few hours until the babe got restless and got up to stretch, scampering to Tyler's kitchen for a drink.

"You guys want anything?" she asked from the kitchen, opening Tyler's fridge like it was her own home, to see what it had to offer.

 

[PlotBrownie]

A chorus of 'No's and 'Thank you's came from the living room when she offered. Though it didn't go over their heads that Acacia seemed to know her way around the house.

Once they heard her moving about in the kitchen the two boys shifted closer to their best friend and started whispering.

"When?"

"How ?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"She seems cool and all but dude you're Tyler Bay and she's Acacia Romans."

"Which basically means she's way out of your league."

"Dude, again, this is Acacia Romans."

Tyler raised his hands up to signal for them to shut up.

"Guys, guys, slow down." He told them in the same hushed tone they were talking in. "I know it's weird but she's a completely different person from the one we thought we knew. We hung out a lot these past few days and I couldn't even help it I am head over heels for her." He told them with a grin as certain moments he shared with her surfaced and the same warm fuzzy feeling spread through him. "Trust me and give her a chance." He told them.

The two boys exchanged a look then it was Nathan who spoke for the both of them, "She has been pretty cool so far. And I mean as long as she makes you happy-"

"She does." Tyler interrupted him, "Stupidly happy." He added with a dorky grin.

"Then that's all that matters. We support you, bro." Nathan continued, patting Tyler's shoulder.

"I think she's coming back. Act natural." Liam told them as he quickly moved to sit on the couch and pretend this whole conversation didn't happen. The two boys followed suit.

 

[mon]

If Acacia was aware of the hushed conversation the boys shared, she showed no mind of having so. There was a glass of pink lemonade in her hands as she sat back down on the couch beside Tyler.

"I hope you don't mind that I helped myself to your bizarre collection of drinks in your fridge. Who in your family drinks un-carbonated root beer? That's so weird," she commented, furrowing her brows.

"Did I miss something?" she asked the boys, catching their 'casual' glances thrown in her direction.

"No, no. Not at all. You ready for another round of Left for Dead?" Nathan asked.

Acacia shook her head. While gaming was fun, sitting hours in front of a screen made her restless. She looked at the clock. They've been nearly gaming for four hours straight and there were still two more hours left until her classes start.

"I think I'll pass this round, but feel free to play without me. I'm going to head outside for a smoke," Acacia said, giving Tyler a light peck on the cheek before excusing herself outside his house. She was certain his parents would not appreciate her reeking up their place.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"We're a family who appreciates their beverages." Tyler defended, stealing a sip from his girlfriend's lemonade.

The boys watched her leave and took their controllers again. Except for Liam.

"Haven't you two ever thought of trying cigarettes again?" He asked them, and the memory of their first time three years ago surfaced in each of their minds when Nathan stole a cigarette from his dad and they tried it in Liam's backyard.

"I tried it again and I still hate it." Tyler told him, starting the game.

"I kind of want to try it again. Just to do it right this time. Last time we didn't inhale it the right way." Liam pointed out.

Nathan shrugged, "Well ask Mads. I'm sure she'd let you try." He told him.

"You know what?" Liam said as he got up, "I think I will."

The two boys focused on their game as Liam made his way to the backyard where Acacia was, already through half a cigarette.

"Hey," He said as he moved to sit down next to her, "Can I have a cigarette?" He asked her. This was probably his first time talking to her with no one else being there.

 

[mon]

Acacia was surprised to see someone other than Tyler join her. There were very few people who were willing to approach her on their own. It took guts, Acacia supposed. Of course, she was relatively harmless if no harm was done to her. She regarded Liam casually and nodded.

The cigarette in her lips were held there as she fished out a stick for Liam. Inhaling deeply, she breathed out a whiff, leaning back on the wall behind her. "Didn't know you smoked," she said, addressing the elephant in the room. She didn't think any of Tyler's friends did.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"I don't actually." Liam said as he took the cigarette and the lighter. "I tried it once and thought I'd give it another shot just to numb the curiosity." He told her as he lit the cigarette and took his first drag. He almost coughed but covered it by clearing his throat. He took another drag, this time not coughing.

"You know Tyler never told us how you two started talking." He told her to break the awkward silence and also because he really was curious to know.

 

[mon]

A hum of acknowledgement was made in response. Acacia figured that was the case, but remained hesitant to help him. It wasn't exactly a good habit to cultivate and if the ravenhead had the self-control to stop, she would've done so long ago. Admittedly, after the whole body swapping incident, she has dropped significantly in the amount she smoked, from a packet a day to only 2-3 sticks every alternate day (mostly because Tyler refused to smoke even in her body).

"Oh," she said, flicking ash onto the grass, "Mm, wouldn't you want to hear that story from Tyler himself?" Acacia asked, smoothly avoiding the question. It's not like she wasn't capable of lying her way into a satisfying answer, but she had to make sure her story matched with Tyler's, granted the two haven't yet discussed what their story is exactly.

"What do you think happened?" Acacia directed the question at Liam, curious.

 

[PlotBrownie]

"No clue. My only theory is that you and Tyler have a common class together." Liam told her with a shrug. Unable to finish his cigarette he put it out midway through.

"Ty, Nate, and I have been friends for years, you know. Ever since he got adopted and his parents transferred him to the same school we were in." He started, turning to look at her. "If he hasn't told you this don't tell him I did, but he's never had a girlfriend before, meaning he has never had his heart broken by one." He left it at that. He knew she got what he meant. He didn't want his friend's heart to be broken. He trusted that girl. He didn't know if that was smart or not but he trusted her.

 

[mon]

The subtle warning lying beneath Liam's stories did not go overlooked. Acacia nodded solemnly, taking in the new facts thrown her way.

Childhood friends. That would explain why the three seemed so close.

She let the cigarette burn up between her lips before stubbing the few remaining centimeters out with the soles of her sneakers. Giving Liam a wry smile, she patted his shoulder.

"He's lucky to have you two as friends," she commented, almost wistful with envy. As much as she wanted to promise that he was in good hands, she knew there were factors outside her control and Acacia was never someone to make promises without solid backing.

Thinking about it now, there would be many obstacles in their relationship. School for one thing, with her family being another. There was still the body swap issue at hand and Acacia's own past demons which have turned into skeletons in her closet, leaving the ravenhead to feel almost felt guilty for being Tyler's first.

Tyler, who was still so innocent and hopeful, optimistic and bright like the sun. She realized then just how selfish it was for her to have him and she smoked these thoughts out with her second and third stick.

It wasn't until she was reminded of Skylar's strict policies did she finally stop. The smell of ash clung to her hair and clothes and she knew she would have to hide it if she wanted entry into the building.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Liam went in after she'd lit her second and as she was putting out her third Tyler came out looking for her.

"You okay, babe ? You've been here for like over half an hour." He told her, sounding concerned as he walked over to her and set the crutches down before he not so gracefully sat down as well, giving a little grunt at the effort. He turned to look at her and set his elbows on his knees, "What's up?" He asked her. He knew by now that the longer she took on her cigarette breaks the more that was on her mind.

 

[mon]

"Oh," Acacia looked over. Had she really been out for that long already? "I hadn't noticed."

Though her fingers itched for a fourth stick, Acacia chose wisely to slide it back into the box. Sitting down next to Tyler, she studied him for a quiet moment before resting her head against his shoulder.

"It's nothing," Acacia said, "I'm just worried Skylar might not let me in if I go in smelling like an ashtray."

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler's hand came to wrap against her waist as he kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek against it.

"Well you know you're free to use anything at my place. You'll smell like a guy but I don't think that would be a problem, yeah?" He pointed out, then grinned when he thought of something, "Besides, got to mark my territory somehow." He added with a cheeky grin as he gave her waist a light playful squeeze.

 

[mon]

A small smile pulled on her lips as Tyler held her close. She warmed quickly to his affection and knew then that it would be a problem in the future. The ravenhead could get attached to just this and she couldn't help but make a sound between a laugh and a scoff at his teasing remark. She slapped him gently on the arm and looked up at him.

"You're so cheesy. It's barely been half a day and you're already this grossly sweet," she grinned, getting up and pulling him up with her by the hand. She knew he could do with the help, given his broken leg. "I'll be borrowing some of your cologne then," Acacia said.

 

[PlotBrownie]

Tyler grinned up at her as he used the offered hand but tried not to put too much pressure on it so he doesn't end up pulling her down instead. Once he was on his feet he grabbed his crutches and led her back inside. "It only gets worse." He told her in response to her sweet comment. And it was true, the more she let him be affectionate the more he will be.

"I'll go get changed then. Don't want to be late to class on a Sunday." He said with a roll of his eyes and a grin. He knew she didn't sign up willingly but he still pitied the girl for having classes all days of the week now. But hey, at least he'll come with her and they can spend that time together.