Skylar

"Taco Bell?" I blurted as Carson pulled into the parking lot. He sounded really happy about going out to eat. But out of all places, why Taco Bell? No hate on Taco Bell. I love the place. However, real Mexican tacos are so much better.

Taking the key out the ignition, Carson turned to me. "Please tell me you're not a Del Taco girl" he pleaded. I laughed and shook my head. I'm not a fan of Del Taco tacos; but they do have those fries in a cup and they have the little cheesecake desserts- those are amazing. Great. Now I have cravings. "Are we gonna go in or...?" Carson trailed off.

I let out a small laugh as I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out the car. Regardless of getting out after me, Carson was holding the door open. "Are you a vampire?" I blurted. His head snapped over to me, but he said nothing. "It's a joke. Cause you're very fast" I explained slowly. He nodded and let out a fake laugh. I smiled and shook my head at him while going inside.

Going ahead of Carson, I went to order my food. "Anything else I can get for you?" the worker asked once I gave out my order.

Before I had the chance to say no, Carson interrupted. "I'll have the crunchwrap combo and an order of cinnamon twists" he told the worker. He handed her his debit card to pay as she gave us cups for soda. I grabbed the cups as Carson finished paying.

I wasn't expecting him to pay. I mean, guys pay on a date. This is not a date. We're just friends. It doesn't mean anything. I silently told myself. "Thanks" I said, handing Carson his cup. He shrugged one shoulder and we got our drinks.

"There is all this soda and you choose to drink iced tea?" Carson questioned incredulously as we sat down. I nodded my head and explained that the carbonation of soda always made me cry. I could tell he was holding in his laugh, but before I could say anything he changed the subject. "How was work?" he asked.

We dove into random topics from work to books to Disney movies to animals- basically anything we could think of. We were still talking while we ate and even after we finished eating. The conversation never got boring.

We told each other stories from when we were younger. Every time he started a new story, his eyes had this excited sparkle. It was like he was a kid again. He was as thrilled as a child with chocolate. I couldn't keep my eyes off of his. They drew me in. The fact that we were in a fast food restaurant was unknown to me. The place didn't matter. The other people around us didn't matter. Everything else just faded away. It was just him and me. He was all I could focus on. His eyes were bright. The corners of his lips curved up as he told his story. I noticed his dimples as he smiled. He laughed, showing off his perfect teeth. His laugh brought a smile to my face.

I continued to listen to his story until my phone cut him off. It was my dad. "Go ahead. I'll throw the trash away" Carson said, nodding towards my phone.

I thanked him before hitting the green button. "Where the hell are you?!" my father shouted at me. I cringed at his loud voice. I quickly looked at the time and realized it was almost 7. Both of my parents are home. I doubt my siblings cleaned, so the house is most likely a big mess. I know I will get blamed for all of it since I'm not home.

"I- I'm sorry" I stuttered. "I went to lunch before I went home and we just lost track of time"

"We?" he repeated. "You better be home in ten minutes or you'll have to find another place to sleep" he spat before hanging up.

I gathered my things and stood up from the table. "Can you take me home now?" I asked Carson in a soft voice. He silently nodded and we got in his car. Unlike at Taco Bell, we didn't have any conversation. I simply was telling him directions to my house. "Thanks" I muttered as I opened the door to leave.

Carson reached over and grasped my wrist as I grabbed my bag. "I just wanted you to know that I had fun today" he said softly.

I mustered up a small smile. "Yeah. Me too" I told him quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow" I closed the door and made my way up the driveway. As I opened my front door, I turned to see Carson's car pulling away from the sidewalk.

My parents stood in the front room with their arms crossed. I closed and locked the door behind me as I entered the house. "I'm sorry. Uncle Trent said-"

Before I had the chance to finish my apology, my head ricochet off the door as I hit it with a loud bang. I winced and grabbed the side of the couch to keep myself upright. My mother remained unfazed by my father's actions. "You will clean this house. Everything. I want everything spotless" he demanded. "Do you understand?" he questioned, taking a step towards me.

I quickly nodded my head, regardless of the dizziness. Both of my parents went to their bedroom, leaving me groaning at the pain in my head and back. My father is a complicated man. I wouldn't say he's abusive because this isn't a regular occurrence; but it does happen. He has anger issues. Usually he controls himself, but sometimes it gets out of hand. But he doesn't do more than push me around. It may be harsh pushing, but he hasn't hit me. So it's not abuse- right? I slowly stumbled around the house, gathering the cleaning supplies. I ignored the dizziness as I began to scrub the tile floors.

***

I woke up the next day in one of the living rooms. I yawned and brought my hand up to rub my eyes. Luckily, I noticed the gloves on my hands before I touched my face. Groaning, I pulled the gloves off and tossed them away. I stretched out my neck, finally seeing the clock. 10:24 a.m. I shot up causing dizziness. I steadied myself before running to my bedroom. Everyone was gone, except Uncle Trent- who was asleep on the couch.

After quickly changing my clothes, I woke up my uncle and asked him to drive me to school. He agreed and got dressed while I brushed my hair and teeth. I lazily slipped on my converse, then we were out the door.

"No one woke me up. I fell asleep cleaning last night," I told him as he drove to the school. I was sorting through my bag, making sure I had all of my things. "Dammit," I sighed, realizing my phone was dead. I kept it turned off, but plugged it into my portable charger.

"You can make it to the other half of your classes, right?" he asked. I nodded my head in confirmation, rubbing my eyes. "You might wanna find some perfume or lotion. You smell like cleaner," he informed me.

I groaned and pulled at my hair in frustration. We got to the school and he dropped me off right in front. I thanked him and grabbed my things. It was lunch period. Before going to the cafeteria, I trudged my way to my first classes and got all of my make up work.

Right when I walked into the cafeteria, I spotted Jasper, Jasmine, and Carson talking to Phoebe. I immediately started speed walking towards them. "The maid was on overtime last night. It's not my job to wake up the help," Phoebe said, rolling her eyes.

Jasmine looked was a lion ready to pounce at a gazelle- a very bitchy gazelle. Suddenly- before I even said anything- they all turned to me. "Hey, guys. Sorry, I overslept," I stated as I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"Oh, my God. You're bleeding," Jasmine pointed out. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and looked down at my hands. I reached up and touched my head, wincing at the sudden pain.

Phoebe was staring at me and I could've sworn there was a spark of concern; but she walked away. "I bumped my head getting out the car. I didn't realize it was that hard though," I said with a shrug. I felt a spark of guilt about lying to Jasmine once again; but I pushed it to the back of my mine. I took the little wipe that Jasper handed me and cleaned off my hands as we all walked to the table where the rest of our friends sat.

"Ew. Bloody wipe," Holly cringed. I stuck my tongue out at her and threw the wipe on Lucas' tray. He groaned in disgust, but I pointed out that he was done eating- so it didn't even matter. "Why are you so late?" Holly questioned.

Everyone else turned quiet and looked at me for my answer. "I just overslept," I said with a shrug. "Where's Allen?" I wondered, turning to Carson.

He looked at Jasmine and Jasper for a second before he actually answered me. "He's sick with the stomach flu. He's practically living on the toilet," Carson told me. I cringed, feeling sympathetic for Allen. I thought about calling him, but that would be a bad idea if he was on the toilet. Maybe I'll just drop some soup off for him. I know he likes the pho from the restaurant by my neighborhood. I can get an uber to drive me where I want to go. I wonder if Allen would mind me just dropping by.

"Earth to Skylar," Lucas sang, waving his hand in front of my face. I looked at him with a confused expression, but he simply motioned towards Carson.

"Why do you smell like cleaner?" he inquired, scrunching up his nose.

I turned my head and smelt my clothes, which did in fact have a trace of cleaner on them. "I guess I spilled some on these clothes" I said slowly. We all sat down and Jasmine handed me a dark red apple. "Thanks" I bit the apple, causing a small crunching noise. I slowly chewed my food and listened to the normal chatter around me.

Carson looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you sure you're okay? I can drive you home or to a hospital. Your head looks pretty bad" he pointed out. I shrugged, telling him that I barely felt it. It was true. I was bleeding; but for some reason it didn't hurt. "Are you sure that's from this morning? It looks like that's dry blood in your hair."

I froze, not having an excuse for the dried blood. "I have to go to the bathroom" Jasmine announced. Unbothered, everyone muttered something about too much information. "Skylar, come with me?" It came out as a request, but it was more like an offer. She was getting me out of that potentially embarrassing conversation with Carson.

Nodding, I stood from my seat and we made our way towards the bathrooms. Jasmine got some paper towels- the rough brown ones that all schools use since they're cheap. After getting them wet, she gently dabbed the back of my head to get the blood out. Thankfully, Jasmine didn't ask many questions; but she did bring it up. "You don't have to tell me what happened. But I just wanna know if you're okay- like truly okay" she said softly.

I looked at her reflection through the mirror, seeing the genuinely concerned expression on her face. I felt a pang of guilt for not wanting to tell anyone, but I was also grateful that she respected my privacy. "I'll survive" I said, mustering up a small smile.

She frowned. "That wasn't my question."

"I'm not okay. But I don't want you to worry" I turned around, making her stop cleaning my head. "I'm a big girl. This is my baggage, I gotta be the one to haul it around." Sighing, she turned me back around and finished cleaning my head.

I thanked her and we walked out of the bathroom and back towards the tables. The first thing I noticed was the empty seat. Carson had disappeared. When Jasmine asked Jasper about it, all he did was shake his head. I refrained from investigating the matter as I sat back down. My surrounding drifted away as I got lost in my own thoughts.

The only thing on my mind was my baggage- my father, my family. I lived a complicated life and the only person who knew the full story was Allen. I hadn't even told Alexia. If she knew, she would've packed my bags and made me move in with her- maybe even call CPS. I couldn't do that to my family.

If other people knew, my father could be in big trouble. I'm talking jail time. As much as he might deserve that karma, it would hurt my family more than it would hurt him. He could be sent off to jail, then my mother would be the only parent. And everyone in the house would hate me. It would just make matters worse for me; I didn't need that. I had a plan. I turn 18, then I leave. It's only a year to go. I can survive a year.

The bell blared, snapping me out of my thoughts. I walked with Jasmine to the locker room so we can get dressed for gym. "You probably should tell Coach Fart about your head" she suggested. I shrugged, unlocking my locker.

"I don't have a note; and he's a hard-ass. I probably won't be excused" I told her. She commented about his harsh rules and suggested that I tell him that I was on my period. "I tried that before. His response is always 'Exercise during a woman's menstrual cycle is quite beneficial'" I mocked.

Jasmine laughed and shook her head. "Just take it easy. And drink this." She pulled out a chilled water bottle from her bag and placed it on the bench for me. I thanked her and we both finished getting dressed.

We entered the gym and sat at the bleachers. Coach Bullafarht was beginning his announcements about the agenda. Apparently, he wanted to test the new kids today; which meant we had to do pacers. Jasmine raised her hand, Coach called on her but was looking down at his clipboard. "Skylar isn't feeling well today. I think she should sit this one out" she informed him.

He was writing something down and didn't look like he cared much. "If Skylar wasn't feeling well today, I'm sure she would've told me herself" he pointed out. Jasmine turned to me, mouthing the word asshole. "Try your best, Skylar" Coach said halfheartedly.

I nodded my head as we all stood on the endline of the basketball court. Pacers were simple, we ran from the endline to the division line. I was fine until we got to twenty. My footing faltered, but I blamed it on my clumsiness. Jasmine noticed. "Step out" she suggested.

I shook my head, telling her I just lost my footing. She looked skeptical, but didn't argue. We continued running, making boring conversation and making fun on Bullafarht. We were almost at 50 when I got really dizzy. "I need to sit" I told Jasmine, grabbing ahold of her arm to keep me upright. She tried to help, but my legs couldn't hold me up.

She slowly moved down as I sat on the floor. Coach blew the whistle two times, causing everyone to pause all movement. He jogged over to us. "Help her to the nurse's office. I'll excuse you both from today's activities" he helped me stand and Jasmine guided me out of the gym. My head pounded and Jasmine handed me that water bottle again.

"Drink it" she demanded. I sighed and took a long sip. Instead of going to the nurse's office, we stopped at some benches and just sat as I drank water. "I told you to sit out" she pointed out. I chuckled and continued to drink the stupid water.

We sat in silence as Jasmine texted someone on her phone. "Is that Carson?" I questioned, seeing him talk to someone on the phone. Jasmine shrugged and made her way over to him. They were out of earshot, but Carson seemed mad about something. I tried to stand, shutting my eyes when dizziness took over.

Slowly, I made my way over. I barely took two steps before they were both at either sides of me. "I can walk" I said, swatting their hands away. However, I almost fell when they stopped touching me. Carson ignored my objections and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Thanks" I muttered as he helped me sit back down.

"I was gonna skip last period. I can take you home" Carson offered.

I agreed since it was just art class. "Oh, wait. I need to change and get my stuff. And I wanted to bring Allen some soup" I stated. Jasmine said she'll go get my clothes, which left Carson and I alone.

"Why do you want to bring him soup?" he questioned. I reminded him that Allen was sick and a look of realization crossed his face. "He's feeling better now. But if you wanted to go see him, I can just drop you off home after that" Carson suggested.

I complied just as Jasmine returned with my things. Carson held my stuff and supported me by keeping his arm around my waist. His skin was warm, sending tingling feelings through my body. We said a quick goodbye to Jasmine as we slowly stumbled towards his car. He helped me into the passenger's seat and put my things in the backseat. "Thank you" I said sincerely as he eased inside the car.

He flashed me a smile. "Anytime, cutie."

_______________

"Never give up. You only get one life. Go for it!"

-Richard E. Grant

I am still alive guys. I just had major writer's block.

This was long overdue. I just spent all morning writing finishing up this chapter. Now I'm going to buy myself some coffee and eat brownies and take a nap.

But before all of that. Since it's been a while, I should give some more weird life advice. I had writer's block for months, and I still hadn't given up. I deleted a lot of writing that I didn't like; but I finally came up with something that I approved of. The point is. I didn't give up. It's cliche. But it's true. You work hard at something and eventually you'll get to the point where you'll look back and just think 'wow, I actually did this. I actually made it.' And everyone should strive to get to that point in your life. Everyone should keep going until they are proud of who they've become and what they've done.

Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz

~A.J.