High School Never Ends Ch. 06

Daniel's parents didn't approve of the relationship when he told them that he was serious about her they would make her life hell as long as she stayed with him. It had to end, if only for her sake. His parents knew their son well and likewise Daniel knew his parents. His parents would make good on their threat. They wouldn't believe him unless it was made a public spectacle.

Daniel didn't know she was pregnant until afterwards.

Nickolas knew how much it hurt Daniel to put Joanne through that ruse of a breakup, even if Nickolas didn't understand their relationship. Nickolas wasn't surprised to see Daniel sneak back into her bunk several hours later to tell her why he did it and his plan to see her anyway in secret until he graduated. When he came out, Daniel was white as a ghost. Nickolas knew something was wrong and rushed to him from their shared cabin. Unable to speak, Daniel could only point back towards the open door.

It was nearly simultaneous, Nickolas' reading of the letter and the whistled alarm blaring over the loud speaker.

The councilors had found her body.

The next impact of his fist hitting the wall didn't quite register fully. Nickolas was not going to coddle Daniel. He needed to grow up and own up to his shit.

No he didn't kill Joann, but he had a direct hand in her death, just like Daniel had a hand in what was happening to Skye. Only this time, Nickolas was going to make him face it.

She meant too much.

At the admission, his chest tightened. He needed to get his mind on something more productive than his tumultuous emotions.

"Nickolas!" He groaned at the sound of his father's voice bellowing from the speaker system. His father felt it was easier than picking up the phone and calling when he wanted something.

Nothing was going to be easy for him tonight.

There was a single rose waiting for Skye in her locker the next morning when Nickolas arrived at school. He had stopped by her place to pick her up, but she wasn't there and he didn't see her on the usual route she walked.

There was a fire in his chest when he saw her. No longer mousy, she walked with her head up, jaw set, her chest jutted forward in determination, ready to conquer. Her confidence called to him, a siren's song, drowning the trivial conversation of his team mates surrounding him and surely leading him to his doom. Her confidence, stroked the flames, threatening to consume him as his need for her grew and he could feel himself hardening as he watched the arch in her back deepening, emphasizing her curves, as she reached higher up in her locker.

The flames of desire morphed into an inferno of rage as he watched her silently admire the rose someone else had given her. Someone was once again trying to take what belonged to him.

She must have been able to feel the heat of his glare scorch her delicate skin as she looked directly into his eyes. If his green eyes held fire, her brown ones were ice cold, chilling the wildfire of his emotions.

He need to talk to her, get her to listen so he could help her. Compelled to act, Nickolas moved towards Skye, the conversation of his peers lost to him anyway.

"Skye! Wait up!" Undeterred by her abrupt about face, he called out to her. He had to move quickly so he didn't lose her in the crush of the students on their way to first period.

He caught her upper arm before she could turn the corner, his eye catching sight of the rose still in her hand and he had to clench his jaw, reeling in his irritation. Students slowed their steps to take in the scene developing.

"What!" Oblivious to their peers looks at Skye's outburst, their steps slowed to a complete stope in order to watch their exchange, Nickolas held up his hands in surrender, releasing her in the process.

"I just want to talk." He tried to keep his voice low in an attempt to keep their classmates from listening in. If Skye had any indication of that, she didn't care as she continued to stare him down.

"Then talk, no one's stopping you." The contempt in her voice was nearly tangible, her glare narrowing as he delayed his speech, gauging her.

She was not going to make this easy and Nickolas didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed by that.

"I wanted to apologize for how I've behaved." The side eye, Skye's oh so signature move, was at full force and he stopped short.

"You seriously think an apology is going to fix this?" The shrill sound of the warning bell caught her attention. "I have class." She didn't wait for him to step aside, shouldering past him and down the hall, effectively dismissing him.

Nickolas stood there dumbstruck at how the conversation played out. He knew one thing however, this was going to be harder than he thought.

It wasn't until lunch that he saw her again, passing through the cafeteria to the courtyard. It was an unusual warm day in the middle of winter and he didn't blame her for wanting to soak up the sun.

"Can we talk please?"

"Why should we?" Her voice was cold and her demeanor hard from where she sat, seemingly unaffected by all that has transpired between them.

Quite frankly, it rattled him. Her sudden switch up was unsettling.

"Because you need to know I'm not the demon you want me to be. I know I've been a real prick to you and I don't expect you to be ready to jump up and forgive me. That would be too easy. I'm only asking that you keep an open mind about me and that maybe I can actually prove my worth to you."

Her silence felt like a death sentence, and the look she gave him condemned him to the electric chair. He ruined any gentleness she may have had towards him and he may have ruined any chance he had left with her before he even knew it.

The shortness of breath and constricting pain in his chest took him by surprise. The thought of losing Skye nearly brought him to his knees.

If she denied him this time...

If she told him No...

What could he do? He was done forcing his way on her, realizing only now he didn't want her broken. He would leave alone if that made her happy... No matter how miserable he would be. Inhaling, he braced himself against the rejection that was sure to come.

"Fine." He almost didn't hear her, having her repeat it against so he could be sure.

"I said fine. Why not let you try and win me over on my terms." Nickolas was so stunned at her accepting his proposal, he would've done anything as long as it gave him a chance, gave them a chance. He could do this, he could be decent to her— more than that, he would grovel at her feet and worship her for the goddess she was, if only to show that she deserved as much.

"Anything." His voice low, breathless, carried all of his hopes for the two of them. The words left hanging in the air as she made him wait.

"If I, at any point and time, feel uncomfortable about anything, you stop immediately. No if's, ands or buts."

"Done." She stood then, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders. The were impossibly close to not be touching, the scent of her shampoo wafting its way into his senses.

"I have to get going to my next class." Eyes straight ahead, directly past him, she refused to make contact. He had to clench his fists to keep from touching her, from lifting her chin so that their gazes connected once again.

"Can I walk you to your class?"

"I'd prefer that you didn't." Eyes still looking forward, she walked away from him.

That rejection didn't damper his mood however, Nickolas was nothing if not persistent.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, he continued in his line of pursuit, never failing to ask if he could walk Skye to class. Her answer, however remained the same.

It amazed him most days, he had never accepted no for an answer from anyone not even his father, but he did for her. He would do anything for her if she asked.

Every morning he would greet her by her locker and inquire about her evening, however she normally wouldn't respond and every afternoon, at lunch, he would ask, only once to walk her to her class, making every attempt not to push her even when his instincts yelled at him to do just the opposite.

This was what she needed to heal. She needed control of what he had taken away from her, her right to say no.

For months this went on until the chill of winter gave way to the warmth of spring. She had changed so much from the girl he had first met. She had finally stopped hiding, becoming assertive and social, popular in her own right during her final semester of high school, almost as if she was preparing for he mother to come back and not be disappointed in what she found upon her return.

"Would you mind if I walked you to class?" It was their routine over the last three months. He would ask to walk her to her next class after lunch and she would respond with no. There was no reason for today to be any different.

"Yes."

"Are you... Are you serious?" He had to ask her again just to be sure. Scrutinizing the many emotions the flittered quickly across her eyes. He had watched her closely for so long, Nickolas pretty much knew every look she had. This time it was no different. He had watched her conquer many obstacles and saw the pride in her eyes as she did so and as he watched her closely, saw the peace settler within her and the pride flashing in her eyes. he realized this moment was no different for her. She had cleared another obstacle, conquered another goal.

It bothered him that, that was all he was to her now, another check mark off her to do list. He wanted to show he was more than that, more than someone to forgive and forget. He wasn't just another mountain to climb, but that he would be her stronghold to weather any storm.

"Look do you want to or not?" Irritation was clearly there, Skye it seemed did not like to repeat herself and Nickolas was sure with this moment being as difficult as he thought it was for her, he wasn't being to bright by asking her to do so. So instead, he took the books from her hands and waited for her to lead the way.

Silence accompanied them as they walked, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it allowed Nickolas time to think about his next move going forward. Even though she was out of that zombie state-like cocoon what metamorphosed, was not the girl he once knew. Her beauty was still there however, it was even more vibrant as her confidence and strength began to grow. It was still fragile and he knew if anyone could shatter what was growing so stunningly, it would be him.

As he continued to carry her books, he decided to allow Skye to take the lead moving forward. It was the only logical thing he could think of. If he was the opposite of the controlling prick he was to her in the beginning, maybe she would get closer to him. He would allow her to build up trust in him and this time, he wouldn't fuck it up.

She made to speak, once they finally stopped in front of the entrance, but stopped short. Instead she nodded her head in acknowledgement of his gesture, before walking into the classroom.

On it went, the two of them would walk in silence to Skye's next class after lunch. She started to talk more to him. Nothing along the lines of a grand speech, but more than the one to two word sentences she would normally grace him with and he would indulge her in whatever she said.

It gave him hope.

It was when she began asking him questions about himself that he began to clam up, becoming a one word sentence master in his own right. He wasn't used to talking about himself, he let his actions do that. But when he thought back to what his actions had already shown her, he realized he had to give her something. He did say he would let her call the shots.

"No I'm originally from New York. My dad moved us here when I was four." Well that was more detail than he had given anybody. Sure that had to count for something, relinquishing that much control. He was pretty good at letting people think they knew him without actually giving anything away.

"Oh." They were at her class now and it was time for him to go.

"Have a good day." He paused, taken aback that she had seen him off.

"You too."Nickolas left her then for his own class, but try as he might to focus on his own studies, he could only focus on Skye and ways to show his remorse. Daniel would've been the perfect person to bounce these sort of thoughts off of. He was better at this sort of thing than Nickolas was.

As much as he wanted to go and talk to Daniel, Nickolas knew he brought back a lot of bad memories and suppressed feelings and Daniel needed time to deal with his own demons.

And Nickolas needed time to face his.

There was no point in attempting to focus with the class being nearly over. Books closed and his eyes nearly so, Nickolas replayed his entire relationship with Skye and every mistake he had made.

Why he didn't just simply ask her out?

Because she would've said no.

He knew that the instant she told him the shop was closed. It was in her rigid posture when he first met her, most girls practically fell out when he showed even the slightest ounce of interest. Skye, she seemed almost frightened at his, initially, casual attentions, or at best, she seemed uncomfortable, her eyes rarely staying on his face for long. Whether it was fear or discomfort, she did her best not to show him how he affected her. A rumble sounded from his chest, the memory humoring him from his more morose line of inquiry.

Why did he want her?

He simply did. It was the best answer he could come up with, or so he told himself, still refusing to look deeper into his own emotions regarding Skye. His subconscious took note, changing the line of questioning to a less direct approach on the subject.

What did he like about her?

She's brave. When she is unsure or scared, she still stood her ground. She's decisive and opinionated and beautiful and kind and open.

His response instantaneous as he remembered every encounter they shared together.

And again he was right back to where he started.

Why did he want her?

If he was going to man up, now was the time to do it. All he had to do was be honest with himself and admit what he was so scared to.

Why did he want her?

She was the exact opposite of him. Her warmth, her bravery, her openness...

And he craved it. She was water to a man lost in the desert and shore for one lost at sea. There would be no tide without the moon and he was a shell of a man without her. He didn't want Skye.

He needed her.

That he finally admitted it was all well and good, but what had he, a self professed coward, an unkind, and close hearted man, done to deserve her? He sighed, as his head dropped to the desk in front of him.

And there's the rub.

She couldn't focus.

And it progressively got worse as the day wore on. She really didn't want to think about him, about either of them, honestly. But try as she might, and she did try, her thoughts still circled back to Daniel and Nickolas. She had managed just fine for however many months, to ignore the two as if they didn't matter to her at all. When in reality, every time she saw Nickolas in the halls, of the school they both shared, it left a hollow feeling inside of her and when she saw Daniel on her front door step every evening, begging for forgiveness. Forgiveness that for months, she had none to give, it made the empty void grow.

They all fell into their own routine during that time. A sort of twisted dance, the performance relying on each key figure to play their part, and they all knew their roles: Daniel, the beggar. Nickolas, the broken, and Skye, she was the avenger. She would make them suffer and deny what they most craved.

No forgiveness.

No warmth.

Only cold.

Her fury was ice, burning just as hot as fire, destructive to exposed flesh just the same.

That was what she had to give and the cold made her feel.

It was the only thing that could...

Nickolas had just barely managed to prevent her from self destructing when he brought up how her mother would react to seeing her daughter so weak and distraught, falling to pieces because she was away and Skye let a pissy tailed boy get to her. That was not how Janine raised her daughter to respond to adversity.

No it wouldn't do for Skye to self destruct, not when she could use that energy towards something more productive...

He was waiting for her outside the front door when she got home. Just as he had been for the last few months. He looked tired, she noted, taking in his blue eyes, now dulled, cloudy from what she could only hope was guilt, was rimmed with dark circles and that mischievous twinkle she remembered from when they first met, now gone. His cheeks were becoming more hollow and she knew he hadn't been eating. For the second time that day she felt a twinge, a flutter, a slight tug pulling at her heart and she felt something. It was the same thing that urged her to say more to Nickolas than she normally did.

Sympathy maybe?

He looked so lost, his eyes pleading with her silently, the light from the setting sun illuminating his own despair clearly to her.

He looked so lost...

She closed her eyes, disconnecting herself from his raw and exposed emotions, in order to try and compose herself. She could not afford to get caught up in someone else's well being when they couldn't give two shits about hers.

"Daniel, you should go home." His eyes widened as Skye's closed, a frustrated sigh leaving her deflated. She hadn't said a word to Daniel in all this time, literally stepping around him to unlock the front door and leave him on the porch. It didn't matter if he was trying to speak to her, in the middle of a sentence, or dead silent. She didn't care then and she wasn't supposed to care now.

What was with her today?

She was giving both Daniel and Nickolas more than what she wanted to.

"Skye please hear me out—"

"Not today, Daniel, I am not ready to hear you." She was still facing the door when she spoke, refusing to look at him.

The silence that stretched between the two was thick and tense. It was a moment still before she walked inside, never seeing his nod of compliance before he left her to himself.

Immediately her forehead thudded against the other side of the door as she slowly regained her composure.

Someone was forgetting their role.

The nights she spent alone also didn't help any. The silence was deafening and the isolation was taking its toll on her. In the dark, while she struggled, tossing and turning, to find sleep that usually came too little too late, she often found herself thinking of Nickolas while she lay tangled in sheets. Her skin practically vibrating for something she could not describe and it agitated her to no end.

Maybe that was why she broke out of character. Her earlier actions, the verbal exchanges with Nickolas over the week and now her talking to Daniel, replaying in her mind.

Sunlight pierced through the dark that held her dreams. The night had been relentless, a dazed and somewhat disoriented Skye tried to process the confusion that muddied her sleep fogged brain.

When had she fallen asleep? She didn't remember it happening and yet it was 11am and 6 hours had been lost somewhere.

She would be seeing the sheriff today. It was her new routine on the weekends. The time she used to spend helping her mom in the shop, she now used to help her in other ways, by badgering the sheriff and or his deputies for any new leads on her mother's whereabouts. She had been doing it for some weeks now and managed to get to deal with Sheriff Dupont personally since he felt he could handle Skye better than his deputies could. He seemed just as worried, if not more so, about finding her mother.

It was good to know someone was still invested in finding her mother, even if that person seemed to be withholding details on what he knew.