Page 55 of Nothing To Lose

"Good luck with your gutter trash, Tyler."

Isaac doesn't even flinch.

Once Guy is out of sight, he turns to me, cupping my cheek and looking into my eyes with genuine concern. "Are you okay?"

I wave him off like Guy is no trouble, just a pest to be shooed away. "He's just an asshole, is all."

There's an edge of concern in his voice that tells me he's not buying it. "What was that about?"

Silence stretches between us while I try to find the words. I can feel his eyes on me, searching for answers I'm not willing to give. There's no point. All the truth would do is cause more problems. Isaac would go after Guy, and he'd be the one to be punished. Isaac would lose everything, and I would lose him.

"It was nothing. He's nothing."

Adjusting my bag and making sure I didn't leave anything in the library, I try to deflect so we can move on. "This was a surprise. What are you doing here?"

Isaac stares in the direction that Guy left, jaw ticking. It's not until I thread my fingers through his and bring his hand up to kiss his bruised, tattooed knuckles that he looks at me again.

"I need to drive out to help my mom with something. I'll only be gone for the night and should be back before you arrive home from school tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you in person."

"Is your mom okay?"

"She has an appointment with a pain specialist, and Chelsey has to be at a training seminar. The waiting list for these appointments can be months, so she can't miss it."

"Of course. That's important. When do you have to go?"

"I'll leave straight from here. I thought maybe we could have lunch, and I have something for you."

"A present?"

"Sort of. It's nothing exciting."

"Well, what is it?"

Isaac laughs, and I relax, knowing we've moved past the topic of Guy. He pulls a small rectangular box out of his back pocket and hands it to me.

"It's not brand new or anything, it's refurbished. But it's a newer model, and I already got it set up on my phone plan."

My mouth falls open. "You got me a phone?"And he put me on his personal phone plan?

"In case of emergencies and stuff, I like knowing you're safe." He taps the phone, and the screen saver lights up. It's a picture of Isaac drinking what looks suspiciously like an iced chai latte. I can't help but laugh. "Also, I kind of miss having you around all the time. It'd be nice to get to text and check in when we're apart.

Safe. Missed me. Check ins.

"This is… You didn't have to do this." Getting a new phone was on my list of things to do after my last class of the day, but the fact that he'd thought about it, and put in the effort to add me to his personal phone plan, and even the screensaver is just… really special. "Thank you."

"It's not fancy or new…"

"I don't need fancy or new. I just need you."

I want to facepalm over that one. Corny as fuck! It even rhymed.Gross.

His burst of laughter makes it worth it, even if it's at my expense.

"I love it."I love you.

"Good. Now, how do you feel about taco trucks?"

"I'm open to trying new things," I say, adding a teasing lilt to my words.