Mason and Tyler

Spring 2008
Mystic Falls High

Life truly s/ucked. Tyler Lockwood had just turned 16 a month prior. Most 16 year olds would be overly excited when their parents would buy them a brand new car for their birthday. The only child of Richard and Carol Lockwood wasn’t impressed. He was never impressed. He always got everything he wanted and so much more. The whole thing bored him to tears. He never had to do without when it came to physical needs. He always had food on his plate and a huge mansion to be a roof over his head. He often got lectures from his dad about the image that the Lockwood Family had to maintain. Their position as one of the Founding Families of Mystic Falls was drilled into his head from an early age. He had to always mind the family image. His dad was the mayor and everything he did reflected back on his parents.

The Gilberts were a close family and they didn’t have all the money in the world. They didn’t care about image or what society had to say. Doctor and Mrs. Gilbert were always doting on their kids Elena and Jeremy. Tyler never admitted it, but he hated them for it. They had parents who cared about them not to mention they had each other. All Tyler had were maids and the occasional visit from Uncle Mason. Mason Lockwood had been smart. He’d gotten the hell out of Mystic Falls. One of these days, Tyler was going to put this town in his rear view mirror too. Today was not that day.

Books were shoved under his arm as he walked down the halls of Mystic Falls High. He never just walked down the halls of the school. He strutted. He was Tyler Lockwood, star wide receiver for the MFH football team. Everyone wanted to get close to him. Everyone wanted a piece of the action when it came to Tyler. He lost his virginity when he was 14 under the bleachers of the stadium on the football field behind the high school. One of the older Fell girls took him by the hand and made him a man that day. He never looked back. It was Founding Family privilege and all or so he told himself.

His parents had left early that morning for a holiday in the Bahamas. Tyler couldn’t go. He had to stay in town because his parents told him school was important. Tyler knew that was a crock of sh/it. His dad had been caught by his mom with his secretary in his study. They didn’t think Tyler knew about it, but he wasn’t as stupid as they thought. It was take his mom to the Bahamas or the divorce would be nasty. Tyler played dumb just so they’d get the hell out of his hair for a week or whatever. He’d actually walked in this morning on his father talking to Mason on the phone asking him to check on Tyler while they were gone. There was no arguing with his dad on this. The question was, would Mason even come back to check on him? If the waves were too good in Florida, chances were Mason wouldn’t darken their doorstep here. The Lockwoods weren’t The Gilberts. That much was painfully obvious.

Tyler shut the door on his locker after shoving his books into his locker. Matt Donovan, the star quarterback for the MFH team, was standing beside his locker. “You ready for practice, Ty?” The blonde was from the working poor family of Mystic Falls. Kelly Donovan had been the town drunk, not to mention a rather notable whore. That didn’t bother Tyler. Matt was good people. He took care of his mom and his drug addict older sister, Vicki. Matt was actually a good influence on Tyler. Too bad it didn’t work better than it should have.

“I’m not going to practice, Donovan.” Tyler smirked at the closest thing to an actual best friend he had. “You’ll just have to play ball with someone else today. Cover for me, won‘t ya? Good man. ” He patted Matt on the shoulder as he turned toward the front doors of the school. He had no one keeping track of where he was or what he was doing. Tyler was free.

Donovan stood there watching as Tyler walked out the door. He shook his head. He was always covering for Tyler. Tyler was an a/ss. Matt was always covering for him. It was almost like he had another brother to take care of a lot of the time. He sighed and headed back toward the practice field.

Tyler strolled out of the front door of the school and approached his car. Reaching for his keys, he started to unlock the door. He didn’t hear or see the car until it was too late. The wheels came to a screeching halt. There were a group of three guys that piled out of the car and started to beat on him. One boy with a mess of bright red hair slammed him up against the car. “Think you’re something special don’t ya Lockwood?” He pressed his arm against Tyler’s chest constricting his breathing. “Stay the hell away from Sylvia. Are we clear?”

Tyler had been taken by surprise by the sudden attack. “Sylvia? Which one was that again?” Lockwood loved smarting off to anyone like this not giving a damn about anything.

The boy that had him pinned against the car ground his teeth in anger before punching Tyler right in the gut bending the younger boy over in agony. Tyler lurched back upward to punch the redheaded boy right in the nose sending a spray of blood flying from the moment of impact. Tyler was soon shoved down on the ground and was kicked in his head. The boy was joined by two others who were kicking him in the ribs and just laying into him without regard for what happened next. A few extra kicks to his right arm made Tyler scream in pain. “HEY! HEY!” That was Matt Donovan’s voice. It was the last thing Tyler heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

~*~

Tyler felt like his body had been put through a meat grinder. His eyes were swollen and it hurt to breathe. Standing over him was a pretty blonde nurse that was checking an IV that Tyler had in his arm. “Am I in heaven??” He tried to turn on that charm but was failing miserably since his lips were swollen. His right arm was in a cast broken in two places.

“How are you feeling Tyler?” It was Sheriff Forbes. Liz Forbes had a hot daughter named Caroline that was a bit manic at times, but she was definitely amazing to look at on Tyler’s end. She walked up closer on his side looking down at him in the bed with a mother’s concern for a boy who’d been hurt. “I tried to get in touch with your parents, but I couldn’t get an answer. I did find your uncle.”

Great. Just what Tyler needed to hear. His parents were incommunicado as usual. “Wait.. You found Mason?” Tyler muttered. “How long have I been unconscious?” His temper was starting to flare slightly.

“You’ve been unconscious for two days Tyler. Matt Donovan has been constantly here. I’m surprised he’s not here at the moment. Must have finally taken my advice and went home to go sleep.”

Matt Donovan of all people. His only actual friend was the only one who gave a damn about him. Was Mason actually going to pry himself away from the girls and the waves to actually give two sh/its about him? Tyler settled back into the bed. “When’s Doc Gilbert letting me out of here anyway?”

Liz Forbes shook her head. “That’s going to be a while yet Tyler. You’re in pretty bad shape. Plus you’re alone. You’re not being let go until you can have adult supervision.” Liz insisted.

Tyler’s upper lip snarled. He wasn’t going to give the sheriff any backtalk because she was the sheriff. That didn’t mean he had to like the fact he had to have a babysitter. He didn’t like any of it at all.
 

Tyler Lockwood/Cerberus