The Girl Who Read [And the Boy Who Kissed Her]

c h a p t e r 9 ; apologies, cheesy texts, and adorkableness

CHAPTER NINE, The Girl Who Read [And The Boy Who Kissed Her]: apologies, cheesy texts, and adorkableness

        ❝Get on your knees in the fire
         You can leave it
         All in your mind
         It is all in your mind ❞

                ―  High Highs by Open Season, song on the side

 

        3 AM. Spencer heard his phone beep.

        It had been sixteen days since last seeing Skylar. Sixteen days since he last touched her. Talked to her. Sixteen days.

        And he was nearly going insane.

        To be honest, he hadn't spent this much time apart from her since... Well, since never, really.

        Besides vacations her family had taken, he always had an eye on her.

        He rubbed a hand all over his face and ran his hand through his hair, yawning like a lion.

        His other hand fumbled and flopped on the table next to his bed, reaching for his blaring phone. He yawned into the device. "Hello?"

        "Hey."

        He shot straight up in his bed, rubbing his eyes wildly. "Wait- am I dreaming?"

        He heard her laugh quietly on the other end of the phone. "No, you're not dreaming."

        "Oh, um..." Spencer remembered their last occurrence with each other. "Why-" He cleared his throat. "-are you calling?"

        "I kind of missed you," She admitted. "You and your adorkable self."

        "I am not adorkable," He protested, actually grinning, grinning like the Cheshire Cat for the first time in what felt like years.

        Her voice grew soft and serious, something that was unusual to hear. He strained his ears. "I wanted to talk to you about the other day, Spencer."

        "Skylar, maybe we should do that in person."

        "I couldn't sleep because of it, Spencer. I don't want to stay up because of it again."

        It felt like someone had pinched and poked and prodded his heart. "I'll come over now if you want me to."

        "How would that work?" Spencer began pulling on his sweatpants and looping his arms through the holes of his t-shirt.

        "Uh, meet me outside your house, and... I'll be there in ten."

        Spencer ended the call as he dove into his oversized Bruins hoodie. He threw on a pair of dirty Nike sneakers and pocketed his cell. Inhaling deeply, he stealthily scooted out of his bedroom.

        [stealthily until he tripped over his old, notebook-filled backpack, resorting in him completely landing face-first in the middle of the hallway. Thank God his parents and sister were heavy sleepers.]

        As he tiptoed down the stairs he wondered if adorkable was a good thing. He hoped so.

        He silently cupped his keys in his palms and turned the knob on the door. He was out.