Kaden Brooks was in her bedroom again. He didn't shy himself away from snooping through her room the first time, and there was nothing to stop him from doing it again. Skylar sat like a stranger in her own house as she watched him rifle through her closet. It was fairly large, a five by five walk in, but she shared it with her two siblings. Skylar's array of clothing hung on one pole, and there wasn't enough to fill the space. Huge gaps sat between each hanger. She recycled her clothing, typically wearing the same pieces but with alternative combinations. Nonetheless, her signature look consisted of bootleg jeans, a t-shirt, and a fuzzy cardigan. Those were the few options that Kaden surveyed. He yanked out each piece one by one, sending her an incredulous look over his shoulder before placing it back on the rack. "You don't have anything more... you know-" He motioned towards his non-existent breasts.
Skylar blushed on auto-pilot. "Excuse me?!"
"No tank tops? Nothing?"
"No."
"Tube tops?"
"Kaden, I have an Asian mother."
"Dresses? Every girl has at least one dress, come on."
Skylar paused. "Hold on." She dove to her knees on the bottom dresser drawer, finding one of the dresses she'd worn in church (back when they actually attended regular ceremonies). It was a modest white dress with elbow-length sleeves and a neckline that could've doubled as a turtleneck. She already knew what his reaction would be, and when she held it up to her chest, his face only confirmed it. "Woah. Okay. Definitely not the kind of dress I was thinking of."
Her arms sagged. The dress ruffled in her hands as she scrunched it up in tight fists. "So you'd prefer me to wear something more revealing, is that it? You believe the most proficient way for me to snag a male's attention is to dress half naked?"
He shrugged. "Doesn't hurt."
Fire coursed through her veins. She appreciated his graciousness to come here, pick her up, and offer to help, but she didn't want to change her appearance simply for male attention. "Forget it. I'm not going then." The last thing she saw before turning back around was the widening of Kaden's eyes.
"Hey, hey-"
Ignoring him, she knelt back down to shove the ruffle of white fabric and potent lace into
the mahogany wood. She forcefully jerked her arm back when he touched it. "Ok. I'm sorry. Look at me. I'm sorry."
Skylar glared at him, which was something she never did. But as he held her chin, forcing eye contact while simultaneously encouraging her to dress more revealing and go to some stupid party that she didn't want to in the first place was all beginning to spiral. This was definitely breaking rule #4 of their contract. "I don't accept your apology." Skylar huffed and shoved, shoved him away. While it was gentle and he barely budged, the action seemed to surprise Skylar- she didn't think she had it in her to be physical. Apparently, Kaden was taken aback too. "Did you just push me?" he asked, amusement in his tone more apparent than anything else.
"I meant what I said. I'm not going to this idiotic party if you're just going to have me on display like some breast-filled bozo. And if your entire wingman plot revolves around my fixing my appearance like some bad rom-com, then you can forget our whole arrangement." By the time she finished her rant, her chest was rising up and down. There was a thud down the hall. In the dead silence, with neither of them talking, she hadn't noticed that the whole house had heard. She forgot how thin the walls were.
Kaden was leaning against her bookshelf, lips quirked up. "This isn't funny!" Skylar cried.
"You're right. It's not. And if you want to go to the party dressed exactly how you are now, then go for it. Let's do it. I was trying to bring out some flare in you, show the guys what they're missing. Turns out your fire is coming through after all. No polyester or nylon will prove it better than just being yourself."
"My fire?"
He nodded once. "That was kinda hot, the way you just went off on me like that."
Skylar huffed loudly, shoving past him again, making sure her shoulder rammed into his. She tightened her fists at the sound of his snickering behind her. "Maybe I should piss you off more often."
"Shut up."
She stopped in front of the full length mirror that hung on the door. Turned her torso from side to side. She saw Kaden approaching her in the reflection but ignored him. His hands jerked towards her, but were then quickly shoved into his pants, as if fighting the urge to touch her. He seemed to do that out of instinct now- holding her hand in between classes, while walking to classes, he even moved seats in English to be right next to her. Skylar wasn't sure how she felt about this kind of commitment, fake or not. It was too...real.
Skylar studied herself in the mirror. She tugged on her plain dark blue jeans. Underneath her thin red cardigan was a plain white shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. It was comfy but cute. She liked it. She was going to wear it, whether Kaden approved or not. She couldn't care less about his fashion advice.
"I was just messing with you earlier. You don't need to change a single thing, Sky. If you're happy with how you look now, then I'm happy." He met her eyes through the reflection. "Okay?"
"Okay."
"Okay. Then let's get out of here." The clashing of metal erupted when he fished his keys out his pocket. The lanyard spun around and around his fingers. With a mischievous smirk, he leaned close to the nape of her neck. Just one more inch and his lips would be pressed to her skin. She froze. "By the way, I already think you look pretty good dressed like this."
* * *
Kaden was always watching her, but now she reversed the roles. She took note of everything he did- small mannerisms to speech. The way he spread his legs no matter where he sat to show the world that he owned the place. The way he sang at the top of his lungs to the song, screaming every lyric wrong but not giving a damn. He was confident. It projected off him. He could waltz into a new scene not knowing anything or anyone and still be the coolest person in the room.
As self-deprecating as it was to play the comparison game, it also gave Skylar a smudge of hope. At least now she knew that Kaden's self-assurance was something to be learned, not inherited. Who's to say that Skylar herself couldn't be like him? It might take time, but that's what baby steps were for.
When they pulled up to Adrian Ford's street, she was both relieved (and surprised) to find that his home was average looking. It was no different than your typical suburban, white picket fenced neighborhood. Herds of teens clustered around the front lawn like ants, scattered about, feasting on the socialization of high school. The sun had set an hour ago, and the pale street light cast a silhouette over everybody. The entire street was lined up with convertibles, some of them breaking the law and parking near fire hydrants. It made Skylar itch with guilt, but she chose to stay silent.
Kaden killed the engine, and for a moment, they surveyed the scene. "Why is everyone wearing backpacks?" Skylar asked, squinting at the odd sight. This wasn't school. Why not bring a purse, or smaller bag?
"Welcome to your first ever party." He grinned at her lazily. "Rule number one: don't ask questions. So. You ready?"
"No. What do I do when I'm inside? Do I take off my shoes? Was I supposed to bring something? Are his parents home?"
He laughed. "Sky, you're fine-"
"The music is too loud, Kaden. The neighbours might get mad. Some people have to get up early for work on the weekends, maybe we should just go-"
"Skylar." He grabbed a strand of her hair and gently yanked it so she was staring at his darkened shadow. "You. Are. Fine. Don't stress, and don't overthink. It's just people."
Kaden had managed to huddle together every piece of useless advice to ever exist on planet earth and string them together in a single sentence. Telling someone who was an overthinker to not overthink was the equivalent of telling someone dying of a heart attack to 'just breathe.'
He got out of the car first to walk all the way around. At the passenger seat, his hand hovered by the handle as he exchanged small talk with a couple others in the driveway. Skylar couldn't hear much; the conversation was muffled through the car, but when Kaden offered his hand, and she slipped her fingers into his, the touch of his warm skin suppressed her panic.
Walking past the front door, Skylar marveled at how casual everything was. Kaden, clearly having been here more than once, led her through the crowd. They wove their way through the corridors and rooms, his grip tightening as if knowing she'd easily get swept away. In a way, it was just like how she pictured parties to be in the movies: there were people lingering about everywhere, those red plastic cups attached to their hands. Awful rap music thudded from an invisible speaker, to the point where she felt the bass vibrations through her skull. In the kitchen, people were seated comfortably on the counters, and the basement had people throwing ping pong balls and chugging shot glasses. There were quite a few people just lounging about on sofas, immersed in conversation or scrolling through their phones. A group of guys in the back were loudly playing a game of rum.
While nobody was dressed up, Skylar still felt out of place. She recognized many people from school, but she doubted anybody knew who she was. Actually, on second thought, ever since her ordeal with Kaden, her reputation had likely risen to the surface, except now she was just known as "Kaden's girlfriend." This was exactly like school, except less PG and minus the adult supervision.
The guys were dressed in their usual lazy hoodie and slacks attire. The girls had on leggings and revealing shirts, either tube tops or super cropped tees, tanks with skinny straps and the occasional bandana wrapped around their chests. Weren't those for your hair?
Skylar fidgeted with her cardigan, feeling like a grandma in her sweater. Plus, it was getting hot. All the bodies in one location made for sweltering humidity. "So, um, what do we do now?" She had to stand on her tip toes and yell into his ear to be heard.
"Let's have a seat and scout out some potential dates for you" he hollered back. They strolled through the house, Skylar keeping her eye out for somebody who was a potential outsider. Somebody in an isolated room, or someone reading a book instead of socializing. But everybody seemed to be having the time of their lives. Everybody except her. They'd only been at Ford's house for less than ten minutes, and she was already having a sucky time. What was the honest appeal of these parties, anyway? Why couldn't the conventional norm for fun these days consist of going to bookstores and having picnics in the park? Going to the library and blindly picking out books for one another, then getting frozen yogurt afterwards to read together?
"What about that guy?" Kaden pointed to a dude wearing a beanie. He was reading a book, and from the spine alone, Skylar knew it was "Catcher in the Rye." A classic. Boys + reading? That was a combination that she had thought was extinct. Skylar perked up, getting ready to mentally pep talk herself over there, before a girl wearing overalls came over and pecked his cheek. "O-kay. Nevermind then" Kaden whistled. "We'll just keep looking."
Around and around they went, but to no avail. Everybody seemed to come to parties in groups or pairs. Nobody was solo. When they circled back to the kitchen, one of the few places that wasn't jam packed with people, a guy offered Skylar a beer. "Um, no thanks."
"Come on, this party will be more fun if you're tipsy!"
She ignored him, allowing his hand to dangle in mid-air, the beer visibly shaking in his hand from the weight. Eventually, Kaden took it from him instead. Like some kind of cop, he used his teeth to take off the lid before giving the drink a strong whiff. "Whew. Definitely too strong for a light weight like you."
"How would you know if I'm a lightweight? I've never drank."
"And that's exactly how I know."
"I wasn't going to try it anyways."
"I figured as much." Kaden left the beer on the counter and helped himself to the fridge. "You want something else to drink? Soda? Maybe some apple juice in a sippy cup?"
Skylar heaved herself onto the counter. She kicked her dangling legs. "Soda sounds good." She ignored his condescending remark, as well as the sting that followed. So what if she didn't want to damage her liver? It didn't make her any more or less cool. She just wished others would stop judging her for it.
Kaden passed her a sprite. She flicked open the tab and drowned half the contents in a couple gulps, surprised at how thirsty she was. When she brought the soda can away from her lips, she startled. Kaden had been watching her the whole time, his arms forming a cage around her body, palms flat on either side of the counter. He was so tall that they were close in height, despite the fact that she was sitting down. "What?" she asked nervously. She already felt the sugar bubbling up her insides.
"Nothing. I just... I felt bad about what I said. Back at your place. Listen, forget about earlier, I'm a complete dick. You don't need to change anything about you, appearance or personality wise, to get a guy. And if you ever do meet somebody who makes you feel less than perfect, then he's a dick, too. And you should leave him ASAP." There was no smile or smirk at the end of his sentence like usual. He was being completely and wholeheartedly serious, searching her eyes for forgiveness.
"Okay." Slight pause. "Thank you."
Somebody called Kaden's name just then, demanding he join them for a game of poker, but he waved them off.
"It's fine. You can go play."
"What? No. No way. I'm not leaving you here alone."
"No, really, I'm fine. Parties aren't as scary as I thought. Besides-" she pulled out a book from her shoulder bag. "I have my own company."
Kaden watched her with shining amusement. "Only you would bring a book to a party, Lin."
"Go with your friends. I'd feel bad for holding you back, anyways."
"What?" Kaden looked hurt. "You're not holding me back." But even he didn't sound convinced. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder at the cheering coming from down the halls. There was a longing in his eyes. Turns out Brooks was a terrible liar, too.
"Just go!" Skylar shoved his chest with the toe of her shoe. He walked backwards, keeping his eyes on her, waiting for her to change her mind and call him back. She didn't. He was halfway in the hall when he cupped his mouth and cried, "Text me when you wanna leave!"
She simply shooed him away once more with her fingers. While she hated feeling alone in public settings, Skylar felt relief knowing that she could always fall back on a book when lonely. Skylar wove her way through the halls, glimpsing behind once over her shoulder to spot Kaden at the poker table, throwing his head back in laughter. His back was turned to her, which was probably a good thing, because she didn't want him noticing the sadness reflected in her eyes. If she had asked Kaden to stay behind with her, he would've. She knew that for a fact, which only reaffirmed her previous thought. That she was an anchor, weighing him down.
Skylar followed the sea of people moving in sync until she found her way to the front porch. Thankfully, all the others who were lingering outside on the driveway earlier were long gone. It was just her, the darkness, and the vacant street. Comforting. Fitting for someone like her.
She wedged herself sideways on the stairs, propping the spine of the book on her knees. The porch light flicked on with her motion, and soon she was immersed into the fantasy world of magic and bloodlusting creatures. Skylar always preferred reading over watching TV, even as a little girl. It was one of the few bragging rights her mother had. Whenever the aunties would be visiting for dinner, Ms. Lin would tsk her mouth together and go, "Look at my daughter. Always with her nose in a book. Much smarter than the other kids her age, always pew pewing on their devices. It rots their brains, you know!"
Skylar had just finished the scene where a long awaited war had fleshed into a full blown battle. The female protagonist was injured and bloody, sparring with her awaited enemy who just happened to be devilishly handsome. With metals clanking and their bodies dancing in defensive rhythms, the girl fell to a heap in an injured haze. This would be a convenient opportunity for the antagonist to raise their sword and finish her once and for all. Of course, the enemy takes this moment to realize that he was in love with her this whole time, and scoops up her fragile body to take her inside. Skylar knew that no matter how swooning and romantic these stories were, they simply weren't real. It just wasn't realistic for an enemies-to-lovers arc to blossom in the natural world. If you hated someone, then you truly hated someone. Besides, men in real life were only put on earth to break hearts. Skylar quickly came to realize that the swoon-worthy stories found inside fictional paperbacks were meant to stay in book form.
"Ouch!"
Skylar snapped her book shut. In front of her, a couple steps down, stood a boy (a cute one, too) hopping on one foot, rubbing his ankle. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" She quickly stood up. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I shouldn't have been sitting there-"
The boy shook his head. "Hey, you know what, don't worry about it. Accidents happen." Skylar studied his features, noting the freckles doting his cheeks and his lanky form. Judging on appearance, he definitely knew how to skateboard. She recognized him- what was his name? Tom? Trent? Travis? She knew he sat at Kaden's table. He had defended her when Adrian made that racist comment.
"Whatchu reading there?" He pointed towards her book. She held the cover out. "A King of Crowns and Glory. Huh. Is it any good?"
She didn't feel like telling him it was about grown men who possessed wings and magical powers, so she simply nodded. "Uh-huh. Real good."
"What are you doing out here at night anyway? You know there's a party going on inside, right?" There. That lopsided smile again. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was teasing her.
"Oh, I know. I just much prefer the solitude out here."
He glanced at the ground shyly. Kicked a pebble. "Yeah. I get what you mean. The people and the noise, it just gets too much sometimes, you know?"
She had to resist the urge to drop her jaw. "Yes. Yes, exactly." Was it possible that this guy could be her date? The spark for her story? She was already getting that tingly feeling that started low in her belly when inspiration struck. Already, Skylar itched to get home and write. Even now, she was fighting the urge to pull out her phone and type down a bullet list of certain moods and tones, character traits and dialogue lines that flooded her mind. She didn't think she'd actually have any luck finding a potential suitor at this party, and now look at her. God, Kaden was going to be ecstatic once he found out.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed in her pocket. "I'm, uh, Thomas by the way." He stuck his hand out, and after a few delayed beats, Skylar shook it. She ignored her phone for now.
"Skylar. Skylar Lin." Another buzz. Then another.
"Yeah, I know." He flashed her a crooked grin. "You're Kaden's girl."
Her smile faltered. This would certainly bring up some issues. "Yeah...."
An awkward silence hung in the air. Some teenagers passed by, blowing smoke in their faces. Thomas made an exaggerated motion to cough, loudly, which made Skylar's respect for him run even higher. "So. Where is he?" Thomas glanced over her shoulder, as if he were lurking on them this entire time.
"Inside. Playing poker with his friends." As she said it aloud, she winced. It sounded bad, and the last thing she wanted to do was make Kaden sound like the villian.
Thomas seemed to be upset. His frown pulled his eyebrows together. "He just left you outside like this?"
"No, no, he um- I told him he could go off without me. So it's fine. We're fine."
"Hm."
"Really, we're okay. He's great. He's a fantastic boyfriend, yeah. So.... I mean, I basically had to push him to go off with his friends." Her phone went off again, but this time it was an incoming call. Without bothering to look at the caller ID, she silenced her device.
Thomas seemed to be growing more unconvinced by the second. "Just saying, but if my girlfriend was sitting out here by herself, reading a freaking book in the dead of night, I'd be taking her home and buying, like, a thousand chocolates and flowers to make up for it."
"Oh. So, you have a girlfriend?" Skylar cursed herself for the abrupt change in conversation, but at least it was working.
Thomas hesitated. "No. I don't. That was just a hypothetical situation." This time, it was his phone that rang. His face lit up as he checked his phone. He scoffed before texting back. "Well, speak of the devil." He showed her the screen. It was a text from her supposed boyfriend, asking: "Have u seen Sky?"
Underneath, Thomas replied: "Outside. Porch. Come get her, it's cold." This was preceded by the rolling eyes emoji. Only thing was, Skylar wasn't cold. It was a perfect September night- one of those days where the temperature was exactly right. She didn't understand why Thomas had to add that last part into the text. Was he trying to guilt trip Kaden? The three bubbles popped up, then disappeared. Apparently, it was working if he was at a loss for words.
They were silent for a minute, and Skylar didn't know what to say, so she sat back down. Thomas was still scrutinizing her, more in a curious manner than anything else. "Sorry, I know we just met and all, so I don't mean to overstep my boundaries, but... as someone who's known Kaden for a few years now, I think it's best to stay away from him."
"Why?"
Thomas sighed. "Well for one, he just got out of a relationship, you know? I don't think he's in a good headspace. If he dated someone for nearly two years and bounced back so quickly, what's to say he won't do the same for you?"
There must've been a wince on Skylar's face because Thomas threw his hands out. "Not trying to scare you or anything! Just... looking out for you, is all."
Skylar was hurt, but not for the reason that Thomas thought. Since this was all pretend, there was no damage to her trust like he might've believed. Skylar was just taken aback at how Kaden's supposed close friend was backstabbing him. You don't talk shit about your friends like that. You're supposed to bring them up, not tear them down, least of all to their girlfriend. Whenever Thomas brought up Kaden's name, there was a falter in his tone. She could sense some tension in their relationship.
"He's been really good to me" is all she said.
Thomas wasn't convinced. He tilted his head. "You know, Kaden never really mentioned you before. Usually, when he's into a girl, he won't shut up about her. And then all of a sudden you guys are holding hands like you've known each other all your lives." His gaze fell to the book in her hands. "You don't seem his type, either."
Skylar stumbled to her feet. What? Because I like books? Because I'm Asian? Please. Give me and Kaden some more credit than that. Her heart beat madly. It felt like her body was in paralyzation mode. Of course, her mouth stayed shut.
A door banged open behind them. Both Skylar and Thomas whirled around to face a sweaty Kaden. When Kaden spotted Skylar, relief flooded his face. "There you are. Why didn't you answer my calls? I was looking everywhere for you!"
"I put it on silent. I didn't want my phone to distract me from my book."
Kaden ripped the book from her hands. "When you said you were gonna go read, I thought you meant in the living room! I didn't think you were gonna sit out here. Fucking christ, Sky, you shouldn't be outside by yourself." He glared into the abyss like wild coyotes and perverted men were creeping just behind the bushes.
Skylar yanked the book back. "I'm fine." He seemed genuinely concerned, but it was probably because they had an audience. Thomas was still lingering a few steps back, watching the two of them like some halftime special.
Kaden was still shaking his head, glaring at her in disbelief. "Luckily Thomas here had my number. He told me where you were." Kaden rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "Are you cold? He said you were cold."
"I'm fine-"
"Come on, let's head back inside."
"Um-" Skylar couldn't even say goodbye to Thomas. Kaden was already leading her back in the house, and they both left him alone on the front porch.
Some drunk guys were making fools of themselves on the sofa. One stumbled past them, his shoulder accidentally shoving Skylar on his way to the bathroom. "Sorry!" he hollered.
Kaden tightened his hold. "You see why I was worried now? There's too many drunk people here. Too many drunk guys trying to take advantage of drunk girls."
"Yeah, but I'm not drunk."
"No, but you're Skylar."
She stared up at him funny. What was that supposed to mean? "Come on. I feel bad that this is your first ever party and yet the most exciting thing you've done was read about-" Kaden stopped to snatch the book again, raising his brows at the cover. "-fire slaving fairies rescuing the Kingdom of Mazda."
"That's mine" she snapped, taking it away again and slipping it into her bag. For good measure, she transferred the strap to her opposite shoulder, far away from Kaden's reach.
"Let's go do something fun. Socialize a bit. You know, actually talk to people?" He nudged her gently, taking her hand and leading her down the basement steps. On one end of the room, there was a group of people playing beer pong. On the other end was a cluster of sofas and bean bag chairs, but most chose to sit on the ground. They seemed to be in the middle of some game.
There was only one spot left on the sofa, only room for a single person. Kaden sat down first and patted his lap. Skylar, flustered, rapidly shook her head. Kaden's laugh was so booming it cut through the pumping rap verse of Juice World. "I'm kidding." He stood back up and motioned for her to take his spot. She did, but not before shooting him a piercing glare. Kaden gladly hopped up on the sofa armrest, and whispered in her ear, "You're so easy to fluster."
They were playing truth or dare, except all the dares involved taking a shot of vodka. Kaden tried to coerce Skylar into joining, but she told him that she'd much prefer watching. After only three rounds of the game, she had learned quite a bit about him. Kaden loved to pick truth, answering even the most embarrassing questions without an ounce of embarrassment.
"Truth or drink?"
"You know me, Bryon. Truth."
"Where's the weirdest place you and Summer have had sex?"
Skylar tensed, thinking he wouldn't answer that question, since his supposedly real girlfriend was only sitting a couple feet away from him. But he didn't move a muscle and answered, "Her parent's bathroom" like he was doing geographical trivia.
"What's your body count?"
"Three."
"What's the real story of how you got the scar on your forehead?"
"Took a trip on the curb. Me and a couple buddies were playing street hockey, a car was coming and I face planted right there." Kaden had faltered on this answer, and it was so obvious to Skylar but subtle to everyone else. As if on cue, Kaden made eye contact with her right afterwards, like they had some telepathic connection to sense when the other was lying. There was a gleam in his eye, a silent command to not ask further on the topic.
When it was Michael Chen's turn, and he failed to answer which teacher he supposedly had wet dreams about, he had to drown half a bottle of vodka. As the group fell into an arm pumping chorus of "Chug, chug, chug!" Kaden sprang to his feet to join Skylar on the couch.
She took one look at his panic stricken face. "What's wrong?" she hissed.
"Summer. Door" was all he said. Skylar turned to the front door, searching for her.
"Other door" he hissed. She whipped her neck, and sure enough, Summer Marshall, sporting a white bandanna around her chest with low rise jeans that highlighted her abs, sauntered towards their group. It was a simple outfit, but only Summer could make it look sexy enough for a runway.
Skylar had moved to the armrest of the sofa, a surprisingly comfortable spot. But Kaden sunk into the far right seat, and with one tug, yanked her down onto his lap. "Kaden," she snapped. "Let me go-"
He was looking at her like some sappy, dreamy puppy. Through a forced smile and gritted teeth, he pleaded, "Just five minutes. Please. Just til' she's gone." She rolled her eyes but relief flooded through Kaden's face. "Laugh like I did something funny."
Her laugh was soft. "Harder" he whispered. She gave a belching laugh where a snort accidentally slipped out. Flushed, she concealed her mouth with a crooked finger.
"Kaden." They both heard Summer's voice, but they chose not to look at her. "Kaden."
Alas, he tilted his head up, feigning astonishment. "Oh. Hey, Summer."
Summer ran her fingers through silky, blonde hair. It fell perfectly across her shoulders. "Can we talk?" She jerked her manicured fingers towards the door.
"Mmmm. No."
"Kaden."
"Can't you see I'm a little busy here?"
"Well, it's important."
"We're playing a game." Skylar shot Summer a bold look. She had no malicious intent behind the sentence, but Summer apparently took it the wrong way.
"Fine. I'll play too, then." And then Summer plopped down on the ground. Wow, Skylar thought. Even when she's sitting she still has abs.
Skylar was sideways on Kaden's lap, and he had one arm looped protectively around her waist. He squeezed her hip softly. She wasn't sure what the message behind that one was. It was definitely an apology, but for what? Summer's sudden appearance, or the fact that she still had to sit in his lap?
Though she'd never admit it, being wrapped in his arms felt nice. It was like a warm cocoon. Usually, physical touch made her shrivel up, but with Kaden, it felt...right. Safe would be the best description. His thumb made slow circles against her hip bone. She didn't know where to put her hands, but there was another couple right across from them showing PDA, so she copied the girl's movements. Skylar put her own arm around Kaden's neck, which seemed to startle him, like he hadn't been expecting it. With her other arm, she played with his hair. It was soft, and if it was any longer, she'd had fun braiding it. Remembering what she read in one of her romance books once, she raked her fingernails lightly across his scalp. She felt him shiver beneath her. "Is this okay?" she whispered, worried that she'd hurt him.
"Um. Yeah. No. Yeah." He sunk back into the sofa and closed his eyes a bit. Skylar continued the motion, wondering if her touch really had that much of an effect on a person. After all, this was Kaden Brooks. Kaden Brooks who just revealed through a game of truth or dare that he was very much active in sex before his 'relationship' with her. Summer was no doubt a good person in bed. And then there was Skylar.... who had never even kissed a boy. Her mind flashed back to the day she and Kaden wrote up the contract, and how taken aback she was when mentioning the 'no PDA' rule. Was he fed up with her? They weren't really dating, but this fake relationship was probably child's play in his eyes. The most they'd done was hold hands. Teenagers these days were already onto third base about a month in. Skylar's chest filled with humiliation at how slow they were going. Summer would never believe their act if she was still squeamish at the idea of sitting in a guy's lap.
Michael accomplished the whole bottle, smashing it to the floor where the glass tipped into hundreds of shards. "Oops" he slurred. Everybody butt-scooched away from the mess. Nobody made any efforts to look for a broom.
"Alright, who's next?" Jenna asked, scanning the faces.
"Me" Summer called out.
"Okay, Summer, truth or drink?"
"Drink."
Summer sucked on a lime in a seductive fashion, lingering her gaze on Kaden the entire team. Skylar felt him tense underneath. Then, Summer downed a glass in one easy stroke. Wiping her pink lips on the back of her hand, she slammed the glass back down and pivoted her whole body. "Kaden." Summer's tone was dripping with venom. "Truth, right?"
He paused before giving a reluctant nod. Tension was swirling thicker in the air by the second. Skylar knew they had dated for a while, but it was still weird that Summer would know more about Kaden better than anyone else in this room.
"Thought so," Summer smirked. "Is it true that your father cheated on your mother?"
The entire half of the room went silent. Someone whistled. Another person coughed. "Seriously, Summer? Do you have to be such an ass?" a guy that Skylar didn't know called out.
"What?" Summer feigned innocence. "That's the point of the game. What, did you expect me to ask him his favorite color? Favorite sex position?"
"Summer-" Kaden started.
"It's missionary, by the way," Summer said, all nonchalant, while checking her nails. Dudes snickered and girls giggled. "You already knew that though, didn't you, Skylar?"
Skylar froze. "Um-"
"Okayyyy, whose next?" Jenna, always the peacekeeper, started to stand. "Louise, why don't you go-"
"No, no, no, Kaden never answered my question," Summer protested. They all stared blankly at Kaden. This time, nobody intervened. His confidence and swagger was gone. His thumb had stopped moving, and instead, his whole hand was palming the side of Skylar's thigh. Hard. He probably didn't realize how hard he was squeezing, but she didn't give any indication that it hurt. Summer was being difficult, and she only wished that they had stayed home instead of attending this dumb party in the first place.
"Yes" he gritted out, after what felt like five years. Skylar stared at him, but his gaze was fixed on the floor. She had assumed that he lived with both parents. A loving couple, the picture perfect happy family. That only explained how Kaden had turned out so amazing. This new information was startling. She began running the thought process through her mind, wondering if she should ask him about it in the car-
"Skylar," Summer said sweetly, cocking her head. "Truth? Or drink?"
"She's not playing," Kaden replied harshly. Great. Now all predatory eyes were trained on her.
"Who comes to a party and doesn't play?" Summer scoffed. "Come on. One round won't hurt. Unless you're really that much of a pussy?"
Skylar heard Kaden release a slow and controlled breath. "Do you wanna get out of here?" he whispered in her ear.
To his and her own shock, she shook her head. "I'll play. I pick dare." Skylar knew she made the wrong decision when Summer's smirk broadened.
"I dare you..." Summer tipped her head back lazily, those blue eyes drinking in the crowd. She took her time, but something told Skylar that she already had her cruel plan hatched a while ago. "....to makeout with Lewis Clark."
"What?" Skylar's voice rose four octaves. "It's truth or drink, though. I have to drink."
"Well, Michael just chugged the whole bottle, so we have to improvise with limited resources."
"No. I- I'm dating Kaden." Skylar had thought that was a good excuse, until Summer suggested: "You make a good point. Make out with him then."
Skylar's ears rang. "What?"
"Make out with him."
"Who?"
Summer slowed her tone like she was speaking to a child. "Go kiss your boyfriend. You know, the one you stole from me?"
There were some Oooos from the audience. Kaden was whispering in her ear again, saying something about leaving if she wasn't comfortable, but the words slipped past her ears. She couldn't focus. A different girl could be heard saying, "I volunteer as tribute." More chuckles.
Skylar had been quiet for so long that the others were looking concerned for her. Summer, however, was more smug than ever. "Not even a small peck? You guys have been dating for like, a month now. Who hasn't kissed by a month? Or- wait, unless you two aren't even together?" She tapped two slender fingers against one another.
"No, no, we are, it's just- we're taking it slow."
"Slow?" Summer giggled. "Kaden Brooks does not do slow. Remember when we did it in the back of my jeep on our second date? Remember that, babe?"
Okay, this was officially making Skylar's top ten most embarrassing moments.
Adrian Ford, host of the party, ambled over just then. "Hey, ho, my peeps! What are we doing over here?"
"Truth or dare. And Sky-lar here chose dare, but she won't even do it. How lame." Summer rolled her eyes.
Adrian's gaze wandered until they landed right on Skylar. "Oh? And what was the dare?"
"I just told her to kiss her boyfriend, but she won't budge. It's just a small peck. I don't get what the big fucking deal is."
With a small smirk, Adrian's eyes lit up. "Let's change the dare then. We'll do something else." Skylar visibly breathed out. Her lungs were on fire, like she'd been underwater for a long time.
"But no more freebies after this one, alright? Whatever this next dare is, you gotta do it. And don't worry, this one doesn't involve kissing."
Skylar was already nodding. The 'no kissing' part was a deal breaker to her.
"Take off your clothes." Okay, maybe she shouldn't have accepted the new conditions so fast. Adrian eyed her like candy. "Do a little strip tease for us. Come on. There's gotta be a bod underneath that granny sweater of yours." He gestured towards her outfit.
Summer pulled out her phone. "Oh, this oughta be good."
Skylar wasn't going to do it. Her last shred of dignity would remain intact, and she'd rather die than have creepy Adrian Ford see her half-naked. Plus, no way was she going to allow Summer to post her vulnerability online where hundreds could see. She was about to verbally refuse, but Kaden beat her to it. "No," he said, loud and clear. He pushed Skylar to a standing position and then got up himself. "Come on, we're leaving" he grumbled.
Adrian, visibly wasted, wearing a hockey jersey that was somehow inside out, stumbled to his feet. "Come on, sweetheart, just one peek. Here, I'll even help you-"
Kaden was a typically composed guy. No amount of prodding or poking from Summer broke him, but the second Adrian made a move towards Skylar, extending his arm, he snapped.
Kaden used one arm to push Adrian backwards, the force propelling him backwards. Adrian's system was filled with liquor, so his movements were already drowsy. Combined with the force of Kaden's push, he was caught off guard and slammed into the wall. But Adrian was an athlete, and despite being under the influence, he jumped back to his senses pretty quickly. "The fuck?! Did you just shove me?!" They were getting all up in each other's faces, Skylar too stunned to move. She was only a couple paces behind Kaden, his arm held back, a sign for her to stay as far away as possible (which she didn't mind doing at all) but the close distance allowed her to hear every threat uttered from his lips. It didn't even sound like him. The sweet and polite Kaden that she grew to know was gone, replaced by a cold and menacing reflection of himself.
"If you go near her again, I'll beat the shit out of you."
"You need to learn how to take a fucking joke, man-"
"Does it look like I'm laughing? Try me. You touch her and I'll kill you."
Kaden swiveled back, his arm back around her waist. He held her tight to him, so close that she felt their hips pressing together. She was watching him, but he was scanning the room with a malicious intent, as if daring anybody else to test his threat. "We're leaving" he announced to both no one and yet everyone, making a direct beeline for the door. She didn't argue. Nobody protested. Skylar risked one glance over her shoulder and saw that even Summer was stunned by the whole ordeal. Her phone was still on flash, but it dangled uselessly in her frozen hand.
It wasn't until they were safely inside the car that Kaden sighed. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"This party was a bad idea. You're right. It's just nothing but drunk people and terrible music. Next date, you get to choose the activity. Deal?"
"Deal." In her head, she already had the itinerary planned out minute by minute. "But, I mean, before the truth or dare game, I actually was having a good time. Just so you know."
Kaden was leaning back against the headrest, and without moving the rest of his body, he swivelled his neck lazily to look at her. "Don't tell me it's because of your fairy porn book."
"It's not fairy porn!"
Kaden smirked. "Please. I stopped on a very explicit page."
"It's not!"
He eyed her tote bag with a mischievous grin. "Should I read it out loud to you then?"
"No." Her feet rested on top of the bag, just in case. "And before you came out to the porch, me and Thomas were having a very civilized conversation."
"Thomas?" Kaden frowned. "Thomas Saunders?"
"Yeah. You texted him asking if he'd seen me. See? I can socialize when I need to."
"That's...great. What'd you guys talk about?"
"Just... you know, school and whatnot. The boring party." She didn't want to tell him about Thomas' real words. The last thing on her agenda was to break up a friendship.
"Huh. So you two hit it off then?"
"Sort of. We talked, but I feel like it could go somewhere. I think we have our target." Skylar felt her cheeks widen.
"Well, there you go." The car rumbled to life and they tore down the street, away from the party and its wild inhabitants. When they missed the turn to Skylar's house, she stared at him. "Where are we going?"
"Now that we have a name in mind, we need to plan out the next phase in our plan. Right?"
"Oh. Right."
"Well we can't do that on an empty stomach."
"You're taking me out to eat?"
"Yes, m'am. Unless you're not hungry?"
She pondered. "I could eat."
"Atta girl."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Only one of the finest 24 hour diners in town." Ten minutes later, they pulled into a retro diner that screamed 1970's John Hughes. The "Angel's Diner" sign glowed neon red, flickering on and off. The bell chimed behind them, and a waitress wearing those old fashioned dresses brought their menus to a red booth in the back. It was freezing in here, and for that, Skylar was glad she brought her cardigan. A jukebox played some 80's rock music from the back. The entire interior was colorful and vibrant. Not a single wall wasn't decorated with framed autographs or trophies or black and white photos. An electric black guitar was strung diagonally on the other far wall.
"This place is so pretty," Skylar said in awe.
"Yeah. My father used to take me all the time for my birthday" Kaden muttered, flipping intensely through the menu. She suddenly remembered what was revealed at the party, about his father being unfaithful. While curiosity itched her scalp, she chose to let it go. Clearly, this was a taboo topic for him.
Skylar decided on french toast, and Kaden got a cheeseburger with fries. For a while, they ate in silence. She always found it uncomfortable to eat with others, but with Kaden, it was a comforting peace. Halfway through the meal, the waitress came back to ask if they wanted anything to drink. Skylar was about to say water, but Kaden went: "Two banana chunky monkeys, please."
When the waitress left, Skylar raised her brows at him. "Trust me" he winked. "You haven't lived until you've tried their chunky monkeys."
"I'll trust your word on it," she laughed. She grabbed a napkin and a stray pen from the other table. They were sitting in opposite booths, so Kaden, while still holding his burger, craned his neck at a funny angle in an attempt to read her writing.
Target: Thomas Saunders.
Mission: Get him on a date
How:
"Any ideas?"
Kaden swallowed and rolled his eyes. "It's not rocket science, Sky. You just go up to him and ask, hey, wanna go out sometime? Trust me, guys are easy. And we like it when girls take the initiative. It's attractive."
"I can't do that. It's not like me to just walk up to a boy and ask for his hand. I need a more organic approach."
Mouth full of burger, Kaden eyes her all funny. "Organic approach? Okay, rule number one, if you're going to score a date, you gotta dump weird ass words like that."
Refusing to succumb to that statement, she scribbled down possible 'meet cute' scenarios: she spills her drink on him, she secretly asks the teacher to partner them together, they get sent to detention together (Kaden snorted upon reading this one), and-
Kaden read the last one aloud: "Set Thomas up with a different girl, then give him Skylar's number instead by, quotation marks, accident, and fall in love via instant messaging?" He shook his head. "How do you come up with this stuff?"
"I watch a lot of TV."
"Clearly." He scoffed. "Well, unless you want a restraining order, we're crossing half of these off the list."
"But-"
"No, Sky. Trust me on this, you gotta wing it the old fashioned way. Walk up to him, say, hey, you're cute, and then ask for his snap. Boom. Dating in this generation is easier than most people make it out to be."
A downside to reading quite a few romance novels was that Skylar's expectations were through the roof. She was sure that when the time came for her to actually have a boyfriend, the standards would lower tremendously. Truthfully, all she really wanted in a guy was someone she could talk all day and night with. A conversationalist who she was never tired of listening to, and someone who was never tired of listening to her.
"Fine," she sighed. "I'll do it the old fashioned way."
"Atta girl." Kaden slapped his hands together, allowing crumbs to fall onto his plate. "No need to sweat anything. I'll be by your side to show you the ropes. How to Talk to Men 101." More like how to talk to boys, she wanted to snide back.
"So what's lesson number one, then?"
"Lesson number one is: confidence. Call me cheesy, but it's all about strutting your stuff."
Skylar moved her untouched toast around with her fork. "We both know I don't possess any of that."
"Wrong." Kaden wiped his mouth on the napkin. "You do have confidence. Just not the type where you walk into a room like you own the place."
"Isn't that the only kind of confidence?"
"You have the type where you're sure of yourself. You know who you are and what you want. Your morals are intact, and you respect yourself, which makes people respect you."
"That makes me sound... I don't know... boring. If I know who I am, that means I'm a predictable person. And people hate that. Everybody wants someone spontaneous who can break the rules every now and then."
"Not everyone." Skylar waited for him to say more, but he just finished his burger in silence. He forced her to eat a few bites, and when it was clear that her appetite was suppressed, he hailed over the waitress for a takeout container. His jaw ticked, and eyeing her full plate, said, "Summer had eating problems. I had to sit there every meal and watch to make sure she didn't-"
Gulping, he turned away, not shy, but more like he revealed a secret. Skylar didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence to know what he meant.
Summer Marshall with an eating disorder? Skylar felt guilty for ever harboring negative assumptions about her. Guess it was true- everyone was fighting their own inner demons.
"OK. Back to this. I have an idea. What if I invited him over to have lunch with us, just the three of us? Then, I'll leave to go to the bathroom" -he paused for dramatic effect, using air quotes, "and you two will live happily ever after. Deal?"
She pondered this for a moment. The waitress came with the container, and both of them vigorously thanked her. "Okay. Let's do it."
"Perfect. See? Forced proximity is a real matchmaker."
The milkshakes came last (it was apparently best served cold) and Kaden stared at her, bug-eyed wide, awaiting her reaction. She felt pressured, but took a tiny sip. She wasn't a fan of sweet food, nor did she go out to eat regularly, so the brain freeze caught her off guard. However, the salty sweetness of the hazel chocolate dissolved on her tongue, leaving her mind in a joyful haze. "Wow. Wow."
"Right?" He grinned wide before digging into his own drink. Another fact she learned about Kaden recently: he had a huge appetite. She marvelled at how fast he inhaled his drink, finishing it all off within a couple slurps. Afterwards, he sunk his own straw into Skylar's glass. They played a game where they guessed the lives of the customers around them, and at one point, he made her laugh so hard she snorted chocolate liquid out her nose. It sprayed her dress, which only made them laugh even harder. "God. I feel like I'm five-years-old again" she giggled.
"You say that like it's a bad thing, Lin."
Skylar excused herself to go to the bathroom. There was a stain from the milkshake on her shirt, and she spent a long time there drying it off. When she eventually returned, the cheque book was gone. Kaden was already standing, holding her cardigan over his arm, handing over their renewed contract.
It wasn't until she got home later that night, and, lying down on her bed, noticed that Kaden added something:
Phase One: Get Skylar to woman up and talk to Thomas
Phase Two: Get comfortable enough to go on a date together
Phase Three: Skylar and Thomas will fall in love
Phase Four: Skylar and Thomas will live happily ever after and she will win the scholarship
Phase Five: Skylar will finally let Kaden read one of her books