My Skylar (5 page)

silent understanding that we never talked details, and that was fine with me.

Everyone who knew me would agree that I spoke my mind. If my mother asked me if a dress

made her look fat, I’d tell her it did. When Angie said she overheard someone saying her

boyfriend, Cody, sounded like a girl, she asked for my opinion. I told her I thought he sounded like Mickey Mouse on helium, but that she shouldn’t give a crap what anybody said because she was

crazy about that dude.

So, for the most part, I didn’t mince words and was an open book—except when it came to my

true feelings for Mitch. That was my one sore spot. But I was sick of lying to Angie. I needed to let it out, or I was going to explode.

I plopped down on the bed. “Okay. You’re right. It does bother me when he goes out with other

girls.”

“I knew it! How could it not?”

I took a deep breath because it was the first time I would admit this out loud. “I have feelings

for him, okay? But see…I know Mitch better than anyone. We talk a lot. His parents’ divorce really

screwed him up. He’s worried he’s going to turn out like his father, and he’s seen his mother really hurt by things his father did.”

“But what does that have to do with you?”

“We’re only fifteen and sixteen. I know he cares about me and wants us to always be in each

other’s lives. He’s afraid to screw it up, and honestly, I kind of am, too. I can sense that he’s

sexually attracted to me, but I don’t think he’ll ever cross the line. The problem is…sometimes I

wish he would.” I exhaled.

“So, you both want each other, care about each other but won’t ever find out whether that

could lead to more? Meanwhile, he just dates a bunch of bimbos, and where does that leave you?”

I gave the only honest answer. “Screwed.”

***

mother pay the bills. He had to attend this intensive training so that he could learn how to

operate the fancy equipment. He was now an expert milk frother and made my vanilla latte

exactly the way I liked it: extra hot and foamy.

One Thursday afternoon, Angie, Cody and I decided to pay Mitch a visit at work. While my

friends usually took their drinks to go and walked around the mall, I loved to stay and watch him

in action in his red apron as he juggled the different orders, flipping cups, pushing buttons,

steaming milk.

Strands of his wavy brown hair curled under the red cap he wore. Mitch had the shiniest,

thickest, chestnut hair with a hint of copper when the sun hit it. Part of his uniform was a fitted, black polo shirt that hugged his toned chest. I loved the focused expression on his face as he

drizzled the caramel just right or carefully poured hot milk into a cup. His tongue always moved

slowly across his bottom lip when he was concentrating.

When he placed drinks on the counter, he’d look customers in the eye and flash his gorgeous

smile. It was no wonder why the lines were always endless. Girls lined up in droves to visit the

brawny, blue-eyed barista. Watching Mitch was a downright turn on.

The thing I loved the most, though, was the moment when he’d first notice me. The genuine

smile reserved for me was warmer than the one he’d give the customers, and his eyes always

lingered on mine like they were telling me a secret. Then, he’d go back to doing his work, stealing glances at me. He’d smile whenever he caught me watching him.

If he saw me get in line for a drink, he’d gesture for me to sit back down. He’d always make

mine before the rest and whistle over to me when it was ready on the counter. The cup would

usually have something special written on it in black marker. Sometimes, it was a goofy face or

random word like “ass” to make me laugh, and other times, it was a message. Today, he wrote,

Wait for me
. I nodded to indicate that I would hang around until he got off work, and he winked at me.

He would make me as many lattes as I wanted, and I would do homework or read my kindle

amidst the constant steaming sound of the milk frother.

At exactly 7:00, Mitch came from behind the counter with his coat on. “Thanks for sticking

around. I like it when you’re here. It makes work go by faster.”

Every time he said something nice to me lately, my heart would pitter-patter.

He grabbed my backpack. “Let’s go. I have a surprise for you.”

Mitch led me down a side corridor of the mall and stopped in front of the pet store with a big

grin on his face. “Guess who’s back?”

I gasped and ran to the back of the store. “Seamus!”

Mitch laughed at my reaction. “I heard him on my way into work earlier and couldn’t wait to

tell you.”

Seamus was a blue-fronted amazon parrot I had fallen in love with over the past few months.

I’d visit him every time we went to the mall. Besides his bright-colored feathers and beautiful,

black beak, I loved his attitude. Apparently, the pet store had been trying to get him to mimic

common human phrases like some of the other birds. Seamus wasn’t having it. The only thing he

said was
“Holy Toledo!”
He must have picked it up from a previous owner.

A few weeks ago, when I had come in to visit him, he was gone. The salesperson told us

someone had finally bought him, and it had been heartbreaking to see his cage empty.

“Why is he back?” I asked Mitch.

“They told me the person returned him.”

“Strange.” I turned to the woman at the counter. “Do you know why he was returned?”

“They just didn’t want him anymore. We have a thirty-day policy.”

I pouted my lip. “How could anyone not want you?”

I broke into laughter as he flapped his wings.
“Holy Toledo!”

Mitch put his hand on my head and playfully messed up my hair. “You’re so cute. The simplest

things make you happy.”

There was the pitter-pattering again.

Mitch didn’t touch me a lot, but when he did, even for a second, my body responded.

After fifteen minutes of getting reacquainted with Seamus, we left the store. Mitch waited on a

bench for me while I used the mall bathroom.

I was in the stall when I heard two girls talking as they washed their hands.

“Did you see Mitch Nichols out there?”

“Yeah. He’s so damn hot. His eyes are insane.”

“His body, too. I heard he asked Amber out.”

“She’s such a bitch. Wait…I thought he was dating Brielle?”

“No, they just hooked up once.”

“Oh. Well, I wouldn’t mind being next.”

“Get in line.”

I actually blocked my ears, so I couldn’t hear anymore and sat on the toilet frozen until I heard

the door slam. My heart was pounding, and I could feel the adrenaline rush as jealousy hit me like

a ton of bricks. I breathed in and out slowly until I composed myself enough to get up and wash

my hands.

Sure, Mitch cared about me, and I was pretty sure I had at least a piece of his heart, but that

wasn’t enough for me anymore. I wanted all of him. As I looked in the mirror, I decided it was

time to give my friend some of his own medicine.

CHAPTER 6

MITCH

Davey dropped a bomb on our way home from school. “Did you hear Aidan asked Skylar out for

this Friday?”

I fell off my skateboard right as we arrived at my house. “Say what? Aidan Hamilton?”

“Yeah. Apparently, he’d been trying to go out with her for months, but she’s always said no. He

asked her to go to the fall carnival Friday, and she said yes.”

Shit. Aidan went to Crestview High with me. She must have met him through Angie’s

boyfriend, Cody. Aidan would trip people in the cafeteria for laughs and talk back to teachers. He

was a douchelord. He’d been with a lot of girls, too, some of the same ones I dated. I would admit, he was a good-looking guy, but he sure as hell didn’t deserve to go out with a girl like Skylar.

“Really…” I was so angry I was practically foaming at the mouth.

“That’s all you have to say? Dude, your face is turning colors.” Davey followed me into the

house and headed straight for the refrigerator.

A dozen thoughts raced through my head. Namely, how I was going to stop this.

Davey knew how protective I was of her. He lived two houses down from us, was our only

mutual friend and a go-between. Skylar’s friends were mostly girls from her private school. Davey

was our common denominator. I didn’t like the idea of Skylar having guy friends because they’d

all want in her pants eventually—myself included if I were being honest. But Davey was almost as

short as Skylar, roly-poly and harmless. Think Pillsbury doughboy with long, black dreadlocks he

never washed. That was Davey. Let’s just say, Skylar wasn’t going to be tempted by our furry little friend, and I liked it that way.

Aidan, on the other hand, was a serious threat, and even though I wanted to spew venom, I

tried to play it down while I cleared my head. “Technically, Skylar can go out with whomever she

wants,” I said coldly.

“Not true,” Davey said as he helped himself to a soda.

“What?”

“She wants
you
, you dillweed.”

My pulse quickened. “She told you that?”

Davey shook his head. “She doesn’t have to say it.”

The way she looked at me sometimes with those beautiful almond-shaped eyes made me

wonder if she did.

“You know I can’t go out with Skylar.”

Davey burped. “What I do know is that you mess around with girls you don’t even like to get

her out of your system.”

Maybe, but that was the way it had to be.

“Skylar is like family to me. Going further with her…there is no way that could end well. We’re

too young, too many years ahead to fuck things up. It would destroy us.”

Speaking of destruction, I had to figure out how I was going to keep Skylar from getting mixed

up with that dick, Aidan. If I couldn’t have her, he sure as hell wasn’t gonna get her. I texted

Amber to cancel our movie date Friday night because now I had work to do.

I put my phone in my pocket. “What are you doing Friday night, Dave?”

“Let me check my phone.” He lifted it and pretended to check his calendar. “Oh! Waxing my

ass.”

“Yeah. Postpone that. How do you like cotton candy?”

***

Devito from that old movie,
Twins,
because I towered over him.

The fall carnival was held in a big field about a mile from where we lived. It was full of people

we knew from school and the last place I’d have been were it not for the fact that Skylar would be

here on what I was pretty sure was her first official date.

She had told me about her plans, and I played it cool. It wasn’t like I could tell her I was going

to show up and spy on her. I swore to myself I’d stay away unless I saw Aidan make one wrong

move, at which point I would deck him.

It was dark, crowded and chaotic. The bright lights from the rides combined with the dinging

sounds from the game booths made it hard to focus on my mission.

I hadn’t spotted her yet, and it didn’t help that Davey had gotten separated from me in search

of funnel cake.

He looked like he had gone swimming in a vat of powdered sugar when I found him. “Davey,

can we please focus on finding Skylar? You can eat later.”

“Try this,” he said, pushing the fried dough into my face.

I waved it away. “I can’t think about food right now.”

He spoke with his mouth full. “Man, can’t you see you have it bad for her? This isn’t a normal

reaction to your
friend
going out on a date.”

“I’m just trying to protect her.”

“You’re gonna do this every time some guy asks her out?”

“No, just when he’s an asshole,” I said as I continued to look around.

“Is there really ever going to be a guy good enough for her in your eyes?”

I thought about it. “Maybe not.”

Fuck no.

Davey waved the funnel cake as he spoke. “That’s messed up. Just admit that you’re not here to

protect her. You’re here cuz you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Then, it shouldn’t bother you that she looks like she is having a really good time right now.”

He pointed over to the ticket booth.

I turned around and saw Skylar laughing at something Aidan was saying while they were in

line. My chest tightened, and it felt like I couldn’t breathe. When I could make her laugh like that, it normally made me all gooey inside. Seeing her face light up for another guy made me want to

kill someone.

I grabbed Davey. “Come on, I don’t want her to see me.”

“You should wear green more often. It suits you.”

“Shut up.”

Davey and I walked back over to the concession stand where he ordered a caramel apple. “I

should have gotten the one with the nuts.”

The crunch of his teeth sinking into the apple made me cringe. I shook my head at him.

“Seriously?”

“Look, I’m here for you, but I’m hungry. Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it. In the

meantime, I’m eatin.’”

Aidan had taken Skylar over to a game booth. It was the one where you had to shoot water into

the clowns’ mouths to see which player could fill the biggest balloon. The first to pop won a prize.

He sat down to play while Skylar stood next to him.

Her long, straight hair fell loose down her back. She looked sexy as hell, and I might have

drooled a little as my eyes traveled from top to bottom. A tight, red shirt hugged her firm breasts, and she wore a short, denim skirt that made me want to pull my hair out. I wanted to scoop her