Where the Skies are Blue

Chapter Sixty:

"What if they hate me?" I ask Ender nervously as I twirl a piece of string that fell off my shirt. I tie it around my finger, pull it loose, and then repeat the same motions.

"They won't hate you."

I look at him. "How do you know?"

He reaches out and places his hand on my leg in a comforting gesture. "They would never hate someone I love."

I slouch back in the chair and fan myself like I'm about to pass out. "Want to say that three more times?"

When he stops at a light, he leans closer to me, planting a kiss on my cheek before whispering softly in my ear. "I love you, I love you, I love you, Auden Rhodes."

My neck and cheeks flush as I wrap my arms around his neck and smother his lips with mine. My heart soars and flutters in my chest. I smile widely against his lips. "I'll never get tired of you saying that." As I say this, a car honks behind us, signaling to Ender that the light has turned green.

He continues driving with his hand still on my leg. "Who are we meeting again?" I then ask and twirl the bracelet around my wrist. It's one of the handmade ones that are sold in nearly every shop along the beach. It's made of strands of pink, orange, and yellow and barely fits around my small wrist, despite me tying it as tight as it will go. Ender bought it for me at the gas station we stopped at on our drive down to Pismo.

There's a spring concert happening on the beach that is a tradition for him to attend every year. There's music, food, and lots of other things to do. I'm excited to spend a night alone with Ender, without our parents or anyone we know being around. But I can't calm the nerves growing in the pit of my stomach and the anxiety swelling up inside when I think about meeting Ender's friends. Getting a glimpse further into his world and the people who have known him a lot longer than I have.

What if they hate me? What if they tell him he could do better? What if, what if, what if.

I want them to like me. I want them to see how much I care for and appreciate Ender. It's important that they don't despise me.

"We'll be staying the night at my friend Sam's house. His family is pretty much my other family. I've known them my whole life. Then there's Kaden; I met him through Sam when we were kids. They're next-door neighbors." He puts on his blinker and turns down a winding road. I notice how he shifts slightly in his seat. "Lucy might be there too."

"No backstory on her?"

His eyes glance at me briefly before looking back out at the road. "Same story. I met her through Sam as kids."

"I'm nervous." I admit it and wipe my sweaty palms on top of my thighs.

He gives my knee a squeeze. "Don't be. It'll go great."

When we pull up to the curb of a cute two-story house near the coastline, my nerves haven't ceased in the slightest. In fact, they've only gotten worse, as I feel like I might throw up. Why am I wigging out so bad? Maybe because people don't normally like me.

Before we get out of the car, I run a hand through my messy waves and reapply ChapStick for the thirtieth time.

Ender gets out and opens my door. When I nervously step out, he places a hand on the side of my neck while the other rests on my hip as he pulls me closer. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"Me too," I force out, my voice shaking.

He smiles lightly. "Auden, remember to breathe, and just try to relax. We're going to have a good time. They'll love you."

"Breathe, relax, enjoy myself; I got it. Easy." I recite it in my head like a checklist.

He chuckles lightly then kisses me.