Sweater Weather (BoyxBoy)

Ch 8 [Hold Both Your Hands]

AUTHORS NOTE-- SORRY THIS ONE ISNT AS LONG AS THE OTHERS, BUT IM HALF WAY THROUGH THE NEXT CHAPTER. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OR WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE, I LOVE TAKING SUGGESTIONS.

Skylar's POV

Competition was a success. Like I expected, there was some actual competition in New Mexico. I ran into some minor rivals and their unpleasant mothers, but overall it was a good day. Well, up until the car ride home with my mom. The plane landed in Centennial, my mom had a cab waiting for us as soon as we made it through the gates. The car ride isn't long, it's just that I know how my mom likes to talk my ear off every chance she gets. Yesterday I used focusing on the competition to avoid her, last night I was too tired. But every since we left the hotel this morning she's been yapping away on any subject that comes to her mind.

As the driver put our luggage away in the trunk I climbed in the back. Frisking through my pockets, I searched for my headphones before my mom tried to start another conversation with me.

"Oh honey," she began sliding in the backseat next to me. I gave a big sigh and let my head fall over to the window. "I can't believe I forgot to tell you, the Retreat moved up. I'm leaving Tuesday."

"The Retreat?!" I sprang up gaining a sudden interest. "Your company retreat?"

"Yeah, the resort could only be booked for this week. It's not going to be as long as a vacation, but I'm sure I'll still enjoy myself."

Every year my mom's company goes on a week and a half Retreat to a resort in Florida. They basically use it as an excuse to avoid faxing and making phone calls for a while. Mom sees it as a break from work, we see it as a break from her disciplining. Kyle, Carly, and I usually run a muck and then just get our act right a day or so before she comes home. Dad is powerless with out mom, he's too lazy to nag at us so everything's pretty much on the table. Kyle stays out all night, Carly usually invites friends over. It's also the rare time of the year where we all go out of town for the weekend for my competition. This particular weekend I'm going to Ohio for the Junior Artistic Gymnastics Cup. It's a pretty big competition, I won the All-Around and Floor in it last year, and got silver on Vault.

Usually when mom goes on her Retreat the rest of us fly down to wherever my meet is either early Saturday morning or late after the game. It's like a mini vacation for the Bauer kids. Dad rarely goes to the actually meet, Carly and Kyle rides with me and the team on a bus. Last year was Kyle's first time coming, he checked me in and says he stayed to check out the girls. Carly came for "support".

"So what about Ohio?" I asked.

"Yes, I have to book the flights when I get home." she fiddled with her phone and shook her head. "I swear you picked the most expensive sport."

"No, you picked the most expensive sport and forced it to embed in my DNA." she giggled at how true it was.

"But seriously, that's six plane tickets, not including mine to Florida." she let out a not so pleasant grunt.

"Six?" I may be blonde, but I know how to count. Six members of the Bauer family minus one is five.

"Well we can't just leave Jackson." The competition made me completely forget about him. Thinking about it, there was no way we could all go out of town and leave him at our house.

"How do you feel about him?" my mom asked throwing me off.

"What?"

"Jackson, how do you feel about him? He's become like a son to me and your daddy. He and Kyle are like brothers, Carly can't stand him, what about you?" I felt my body tense up at her sudden curiosity. Does she know something? Did she see or hear something? I felt like my heart was attacking my chest with a jackhammer.