The Sky is Blue

Chapter 10

Evelyn

"What are you doing down here?" Brooklyn asks, sitting down at the island in the dead of night, across from me. I smile, trying my hardest to ignore her limp.

    "If you scrape off the top it's really good, and still warm" I tell her and she smiles.

    "Really? You aren't just saying that?" Does she mean was I just trying to make her feel better about the burnt lasagna she'd been beaten over just a few hours before? because i would definitely lie to make her feel better.

    "It's truly good, Brooky" I tell her like I used to call her. I came up with the name to piss her off but she needed up liking it and somehow it stuck. but I rarely called her that anymore, I guess just part of growing up. Giving up on the kid nicknames.

    He always stops, Evelyn, I remembered my sister's words as I walk into the cafeteria the next morning. So, he'd done it. He'd laid a hand on me. It was a decision I'd made, and how he would always do it. But I'd done it for Brooklyn. it was so much scarier to see than to hear.

    "So, what was that yesterday? Brooklyn was in a huge rush" Alana asks, sitting down across from me.

    "She'd been working on that lasagna all day and really didn't wanna burn it" I say, with a shrug. "She cares a lot about anything he'd worked really hard on" I finish, seeing Jackson sit down beside me. I sigh, smiling, hoping he was my way to change the subject, plus since everything that had happened last night, I hadn't spoken to him since before the school day.

    "Hey, handsome" I smile, squeezing his thigh. I figured, I had to show him a little affection, show him i still cared about it. it was never about Brooklyn finding out, I'm sure she'd tell me to be careful and keep it secret at most. But no, I was more worried about the kids that would find out and who would tell their parents. my parents are friends with a lot of theirs, Jackson's weren't but they were friends with quite a few parents that mine were.

    "What's up with you?" he asks.

    "Nothing" I shrug, biting my lip, as I stare into his eyes. "i just wanna feel closer to you today" I say, and slowly he smiles.

    "I love you" he says and I frown.

    "What?"

    "Evelyn," Alana draws our attention and I'm about to give her a 'thank you' face, when I see she's staring at my right hand. The one I'd burned last night, wrapped in gauze. "What happened?" She asks, looking at me alone. I look to Jackson as he cautiously takes my hand in his, kissing the palm where most of the gauze lay. I scoff.

    "Relax, I merely fell and burned my hand-"

    "On what?" Alana pushes, she was good at cutting through the shit, like her older sister, Hope. it was the reason I rarely spoke to the girl.

    "The oven, Brooklyn had it open when she was getting the lasagna out" I explain and she seems to buy it. Alana nods.

    "You should probably get it checked out by the nurse" She offers and I nod.

    "I'll go do that now!" I exclaim, pulling my hand from Jackson, kissing his temple as I grab my stuff and leave.

    I was in the hall before I realized I'd kissed him in front of everyone. It will be only 20 minutes before Brooklyn's heard 9meaning everyone else has too), and only 10 minutes more until my parents do. I close my eyes, leaning my body against the wall, sighing as I do so. Why was it so hard to keep a secret, or even to live?

    As expected Brooklyn is calling me not even 40 minutes later. I ask to go to the restroom, adhering as soon as I make it to the hallway.

    "Hey, get Alana to take you to her house and get an invite to somehow stay there tonight" She whispers, I scrunch my eyebrows, wondering why she's whispering, although I guess she was in class. But then I heard something in the background, something I know too well. it was the squawk of my dad's recliner, it only squawked that way when he was getting up suddenly. "I lov you" She whispers quickly.