N O

S U C H    T H I N G

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As I step forward to knock on James' front door, a nervous feeling suddenly appears in the pit of my stomach.

Should I even be doing this?

You know what, yes I should. I need to know why he lied to me. It's driving me crazy and I hate feeling like I'm left in the dark. I need answers.

After a few moments, the door is suddenly pulled open and there, standing before my own eyes, is a yawning Ian in nothing but boxers with his hair sticking out in every direction possible.

"Hey Sky, how goes it?" He asks while scratching the back of his neck.

I grin and cross my arms over my chest, just waiting for him to realize.

After a few more seconds, he immediately turns bright red as he places his hands over his boxers and cowers behind the door.

"Skylar! What the hell are you doing here?" He shouts, and I can't help but laugh.

"Relax Ian; I'm here to talk to James." I say, letting myself inside the door.

Ian shuts the door and then hurries to the couch to grab his blanket. He wraps it completely around his body and then sighs in content. "Much better. I can't have you looking at my no-no's."

I roll my eyes and glance to the stairs. "Is James awake?"

"No clue. My guess is no since he isn't down here." Ian grumbles while sitting on the couch. "But thanks for waking me up early on a Saturday anyway."

"Awe, you're welcome!" I coo, as Ian gives me the middle finger.

"JAMES!" I shout loud enough to wake up the entire neighborhood. Ian immediately pulls his blanket up over his ears as he lets out a surprised yelp.

"JESUS WOMAN! WARN SOMEONE BEFORE YOU YELL LIKE A HYENA!" He shouts and I chuckle before heading towards the stairs. "You're lucky his mom is at the grocery store and not asleep!"

My eyes widen at the realization that I could have just rudely woken up James' mom, but it soon goes away at the fact that she's not here.

I turned to look at Ian with a smirk. "Sometimes you just have to take a chance." I shrug, and then I head upstairs to James' bedroom.

Once I make it upstairs, I walk directly over to James' bedroom and push his door wide open.

How the heck is he still asleep?

"James." I say.

Nothing.

"James!" I say even louder.

Crickets.

"JAMES!" I yell and his blanket goes flying as he shoots up out of bed in a panic.

"WHAT? WHAT IS IT? DID IAN TRY TO MAKE TOAST AGAIN? I DON'T SMELL SMOKE. MOM?"

I can't help it. I laugh. I laugh uncontrollably as I bend over and hold my stomach.

Once James recovers and realizes what's happening and who is currently standing in his bedroom laughing, he immediately turns a slight shade of pink as his eyes turn to slits.

"Skylar? What the fuck?" He hurriedly stands up, and that's when my laughing immediately ceases.

Suddenly, I'm completely silent as my eyes trail over his bare chest and abs. My eyes move all over his body until I realize I'm staring directly at his boxers. I mentally slap myself as I quickly bring my eyes back up to meet his, only his are already on mine and there's a smirk on his face.

"Like what you see?"

"Whatever. We need to talk. I have a bone to pick with you." I glare, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You can pick any bone you want, sweetheart." He smiles and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"I'm serious James." I give him a look that says I'm not messing around, and his smile soon fades.

"What's wrong now?" He sighs. "I thought we kissed and made up already."

"A. We never kissed. B. I thought we were okay too, until I found something out last night." I scold while James picks up a pair of sweatpants and slides them on.

I struggle, but fight the urge to look at his hips since his sweatpants hang dangerously too low.

"I mean, we can kiss if you want, but I should brush my teeth first." James shrugs.

He turns and walks toward his bathroom and shuts the door behind him.

"I wasn't done speaking!" I shout.

"So wait until I'm finished. Can't hold this urine forever." I hear through the bathroom door. I sigh and go to sit at his computer desk chair.

After several minutes, he finally walks out.

"All done. Now we can kiss." He smirks and I run my tongue along my teeth in annoyance.

"Alright fine. What's wrong?" He asks.

"This." I pull my cell phone from my pocket and open up the picture of the screenshot Percy showed me last night.

I get up and walk over until I'm standing directly in front of James, and I hand over my phone. As he takes it, I find myself holding my breath as he begins to read it.

Suddenly, he's laughing.

Wait, why is he laughing? This is serious.

"What's so funny?" I scold, crossing my arms over my chest.

"The fact that you honestly think I had this conversation with Avery." He laughs some more, while handing my phone back to me.

"But you did?" I more so asked than told. "How else could Percy have gotten this screenshot?"

"Percy?" James isn't laughing anymore, now he's glaring.

"Yes Percy. He interrupted my night with Abby and Lena to show me this screenshot. Why would you spread that rumor about us? I just don't understand." I sigh, letting my arms fall to my sides after putting my phone back into my pocket.

"Skylar. Do you hear yourself? Percy. Percy showed you a screenshot that is probably a fake, and told you that he got it from Avery. Am I correct?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened and I wanna know why?" I ask. "That is low, even for you."

James' eyes turn dark as his jaw clenches. "I didn't spread the rumor Skylar, and if you're going to just believe everything Percy or Avery says, then I don't even know why I'm indulging in this conversation right now." He firmly states.

Why is he turning this around on me? I don't understand. Man this guy drives me absolutely insane!

"James, it's not that I am taking their sides, I just don't know what else to make of this screenshot. It's your number in the picture!" I exclaim, ready to pull my own hair out.

"Get out."

My eyes widen. "W-what?"

"I said, get out. You're absolutely right, I've been playing you this entire time. I spread the rumor and I worked with Avery. It was all me. Are you satisfied now? So just leave." James says, and walks over to hold his bedroom door open for me.

"You ass." I mumble, before stomping out of his room and down the stairs.

I don't even notice Ian sitting and eating cereal in fuzzy pajama pants before I reach the front door and yank it open.

"Skylar, I have pants now, you can look!" I hear Ian shout before I slam the door shut and get into my car. I start the car and hurriedly pull out of James' driveway before speeding down the road back to my house.

I can't believe him. Why would he put up a façade this entire time only to just say he did it? Why is he so angry when he's the one who spread lies about me? Why did he kick me out of his room when I didn't do anything wrong? He is completely insane, that's the only logical explanation.

Once I make it home, I slam my front door shut after walking inside, and it immediately wakes up Abby and Lena.

"Skylar? What happened? Where did you go?" Lena asks while sitting up from the living room floor and rubbing her eyes.

"What's with the slamming?" Abby mumbles from the couch.

"James is a complete and utter asshole and I do not associate with him anymore!" I shout before running upstairs to my bedroom without giving either one of my friends a chance to reply.

What is wrong with me? When did I allow myself to become vulnerable enough to care about what James says? When did I become so dependent on his approval? I actually thought we were becoming friends, but as usual, James finds a way to crush me and humiliate me in front of everyone.

That boy has no feelings and no morals.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes in my pocket so I pull it out only to see that my dad is calling again.

In the heat of the moment, I throw my phone across my room and into my bedroom wall, watching it shatter into pieces on my bedroom floor.

I lay face first onto my bed and scream into my pillow.

I am so completely done with everything.

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| James' POV |

"What the hell was all that about?" Ian asks while walking into my bedroom as I sit at my computer desk chair.

"If Skylar wants to believe Percy and Avery over me, then Percy can have her. I'm done trying to defend myself, especially if she's going to second-guess me at every turn." I say, not even realizing that Ian has no idea what I'm talking about.

"Believe them about what?" He asks.

"I don't know how, but someone had access to my phone and was able to create a text conversation with Avery saying that I paid her to start the rumor about Skylar sleeping with Percy." I sigh.

Ian's eyes widen. "What? Let's go stomp that hoe!" Ian says and I roll my eyes.

"No point. Skylar has the screenshot and she doesn't believe a word I say. She never believes a word I say, and maybe I only have myself to blame for all the crap I've pulled over the years, but dammit I've been trying like hell to make up for it and she doesn't even seem to care." I don't know why I'm allowing myself to become so worked up over this.

Why should I care if Skylar doesn't believe me? Why should I care if she ends up with Percy?

Because just the thought of his hands being all over her makes you sick to your stomach.

"Wait a second; don't you have gym fourth period?" Ian asks, and I nod.

"So someone from your gym class must've found a way to get your locker open to use your phone!" He concludes, and I'm actually surprised he was able to come up with it so quickly.

"You know what Ian... you may be right." I say and he smiles wide.

"Told you I was smart and stuff!"

"But who would help Percy and Avery? And why does Percy even know Avery? Something still doesn't add up." I find myself wondering.

"I love mysteries! Can we have secret code names?" Ian asks and I give him a pointed look making is smile fade.

"Or not." He shrugs nonchalant.

"This is indeed a mystery, and I am determined to find out who and why this is happening." I said, causing Ian to give me a look.

"I thought you didn't care though?"

I glare at him, which makes him smirk.

"I knew it. You are so into her." His smirk only grows so as I step around him to leave my bedroom and go down stairs, I smack him on the back of the head and he immediately whines.

"Ow! You're an animal!" Then, he chases me down the stairs.

My thoughts are back to Skylar as I'm pouring myself a bowl of cereal.

I will figure this out.

I have to. 

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Sorry this chapter is a little short. Didn't have a lot of time to make it longer. 

Still, the Skylar/James drama continues! Ps. I  ♥ Ian. Anyone else??

Until next time,

xoxoxo