A/N: I listen to a song called HeadStrong by Trapt all the time when I work out. It get's me pumped up. :) Listen to it for dramatic effect if you want. It's a pretty good song. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Sky's POV
I had already did my pull ups, my sit ups and push ups. And I just spent a whole hour on the treadmill running. I was walking around the gym with my hands above my head. I was breathing in and out. I was already sweating bullets and my tank top was soaked at the top. I wiped my forehead of my sweat and looked at the punching bag. I put my hands on my hips as I stared at the bag. I felt like I haven't hit one in a while. And to be honest, I missed it. I looked at where it was hanging from. It was connected to a some kind of rail thing. The chains on it made the bag look steady. I touched it and pushed it a little. It slid across the rail and the chains rattled. I smiled. It moves. Good.
I looked outside and it was pouring. I loved the sound of rain. I turned back to the bag and got in my ready stance. I shook out my right hand and it felt a little tingly, probably because I wrapped it too tight. I ignored it and started hitting the bag. My right hand was protesting and I could feel it, the pain. Like everything else of that nature, I welcomed it and just kept hitting the bag. It was moving little by little and I followed it. I circled and did a quick kick and it moved even further. I went back to punching and for some reason, my mind chose this time to think about everything. From the day I got here, to last night. Some thought were good, some weren't. And as usual, my mind chose to override the good ones and let the bad ones take it's place. Anger, pain, rage and hurt filled me and I started hitting the bag nonstop, making it move back from me. The chains were rattling in protest.
I was doing roundhouse kicks and everything else I could do to get the bag moving, motivation and adrenaline in me. The bad thoughts were my motivation. I kept going and the bag was in the middle of the gym-I wasn't kidding, the gym was big-but I was making it my priority to get the bag to the other side of the gym. But I had to pause for a minute to get catch my breath, and plus, something made me look down at my tank top. All I could see was red seeping through my shirt. My eyebrows pulled together and I lifted my short up on my right side and looked at a small cut that was slightly open, blood pouring down. I turned around, still looking down at it. Funny, I didn't even feel this. Must have been one of my old stab wounds that re-opened. I touched it with my finger tips and just looked at it.
"Oh my god Sky! Are you alright?" I heard Jason's voice and my head snapped up and I saw him running through the rain into the gym and coming towards me.
I put my shirt down and wiped my hand on my sweats. I licked my lips and sighed. I shook my head and turned around to the punching bag.
"How'd you find me?" I asked, not bothering to turn to him.
"Adam said you were here when I ran into him at the auto shop." He said.
I started punching again, ignoring the pain in my right hand.
"Skylar, stop. Let me look at you." Jason said.
Instead of making the bag move I just circled it like it was a regular punching bag.
"Just go Jason." I huffed out as I kept hitting the bag.
"No." Jason said stubbornly.
i felt hands on my arms and I reacted quick, turning on my heel, my right hand flying out to hit Jason but was caught in mid air by a big hand. Jason glared at me and I glared back. I tried my other hand and he caught that one too and before I knew it we were chest to chest, the only thing in between us was our hands. His gripping mine. I was breathing hard.
"Let me go." I said in a final tone, looking past him.
"No. Skylar, I'm trying to help you dammit!" He growled.
I finally looked at him, the anger form earlier building up. I managed to get free of his hold and I pushed hard on his chest.
"Well just stop! Alright! Stop! Strop trying to help. I don't need and i don't want it. What will it take for you to get it?!" I yelled.
He glowered at me and said nothing. His hands balled into fists. If he was asking for a fight, he can have one. But instead I just shook my head.
"Just go Jason." I said, exasperated.
"Why?"
I groaned frustratedly and turned away from him. He doesn't listen for shit. Am I not being clear enough?
"Why what?" I snapped.
I walked over to the fridge which was by a small table. I opened it and got out a bottle of red gatorade. I opened it and took a big swig.
"Why do you keep pushing me away? Huh? One minute you're good and the next minute you're running away or you're pushing me away. As a matter of fact you push everyone away! Why?" Jason pressed.
I set the gatorade on the table. and laid my hands on it.
"Jason, I don't need this right now alright. Just, please go." I said calmly. All the energy of arguing with him was drained. We had the same argument over and over. Sort of.
"No. Not this time Sky. I thought you said you were done running?"
I licked my lips and sighed heavily. I turned around and leaned against the table and crossed my arms over my chest, a slight sting on my right side where my cut was. I ignored it.
"Yeah, I thought I was too. But old habits die hard." I said carelessly, looking at him with a blank expression.
His hands were still balled up into fists and he was staring impassively at me. He said nothing for a moment and i shook my head.
"Look, why don't you just go back to Avery or whatever. I have to workout." I said dismissively.
I walked to the punching bag again, turning my back to Jason. I started punching, hoping Jason would just leave me alone.
"Who's J.D.?" Jason asked.
I was already breathing out and I stopped punching and held the bag in place. Shit! How did he know about J.D.? I never said anythin-son of a bitch. It was last night. I know it was. I don't remember telling him anything. Everything form the time I was on the roof to the time I knocked out was a blur. What the hell did I say to him? Did I tell him everything? About the fights? The origins of my scars? Why I am the way that I am? Why it's so hard for me to let anyone in? I was afraid to even know what things I told him. It couldn't have been a whole lot because he's still standing here, talking to me, trying to help me.
Well he can help someone else. I don't need his help. And someday, he's going to get that through his thick skull. PLAY IT COOL SKYLAR!
"I don't know. One of your friends maybe?" I huffed out, punching the bag again.
Way harder than I did before.
"Don't lie to me Sky. You mentioned him last night when I brought you to my house." Jason said.
I kept punching the bag. Anger and rage resurfacing. It wasn't towards him though. It was at myself. I let myself become vulnerable to my emotions and I let them get the best of me. If I just went by that one damn rule like I've always been doing, I wouldn't have any problems!
"Yeah, well I was drunk." I said as an excuse. I punched the bag harder with my left hand.
"There are only two kinds of people that will tell the truth. Children and drunk people." Jason said sourly.
My dad always told me and Luke that when we were kids. He said that in hopes that as we grew up, we'd be truthful with the ones we love and in general. But no one ever really is truthful.
"Still believe that little white lie my dad's been telling us since we were kids, I see." I huffed out.
"It's not a damn lie Sky. Why's your hand messed up then? Got mad because your brother said something he didn't mean last night?" Jason said. His tone turned accusing. "You know he didn't mean but you went up to the bathroom and broke the mirror anyways, right? Then you came down and saw something that shouldn't have happened and instead of letting me explain, you turn to the bottle. And once again, you ran away. And now we're back at square one. You pushing people away when they're trying to help you. Blocking everyone out as soon as you they get close enough to you."
I kept punching harder and harder with every word he spoke.
"You can't let me help you. You won't even let Jasmine, your best friend, help you. Hell, you won't even let your damn family help you! We're here for you Sky! We've always been here! Because we lo-"
I stopped and held the bag in place. "Don't! Don't even say it!" I yelled back, trying to catch my breath.
He stepped towards me and the bag. "Why? Why is it so hard for you to hear it? Huh? I know that's what you're really running from Sky!"
"Just shut up!" I argued back.
"Stop running and I will!" He yelled.
I stepped to him and glared up at him. He was very tall compared to me. "I'm not running from anything! Or anyone! You don't know a damn thing about me Jason!" I screamed at him.
"Because you won't let me get to know you!" He growled.
I can feel myself calming down little by little but the anger still lingered. "Maybe it's for a reason, Jason! God," I groaned. i was so frustrated with him right now. With everything! I just wanted to be alone. "You know what, I can't do this right now. I'm done." I said and walked past him, towards the parking lot.
"And there you go! Running away like always. Fighting, like you always do!" Jason yelled after me. "You are so frustrating!"
I turned to him with my arms open, glaring. "Then why do you even care?!" I asked and yelled back at him.
I turned back around and walked out into the rain. I didn't exactly quite know where I was going but I just wanted to get the hell out of here. I heard footsteps behind me getting closer.
"Dammit Skylar!" Jason said frustrated.
And before I could make a run for it, I was turned around and soft wet lips were on mine. Hard. Demanding and desperate. Jason had my face cupped in his hands tight making it impossible to escape. His tongue slid into my mouth and in a moments notice I could feel all the heat, the anger, the passion, the frustration, all bound into this kiss and suddenly, I didn't want to escape. I just stood there in the pouring rain, getting soaked and let him kiss me.
I could feel my clothes getting soaked and so was my hair. Jason's warm body was pressed against mine, soothing that little pain on my right side. His hands craned my head upwards and his lips finally left mine. He leaned his wet forehead on mine and he was breathing as hard as I was.
"Because I love you." Jason whispered strongly.
I opened my eyes and so did he as he leaned his head back, but kept his hands on my face. Water was dripping down his nose and his hair onto his beautiful face.
"W-what?" I whispered.
"You heard me." He said.
I shook my head and looked down. I could feel a lump in my throat. "No, you can't-"
Jason made me look up at him. He looked right into my eyes and spoke slowly. "Yes, I can. I love you Skylar Dawson. I've loved you since we were kids and when you were finally found, I loved you even more."
"Jason..." I croaked.
"Don't fight this Sky. Not this. Please." He begged and leaned his forehead to mine.
Something inside me was racing extremely fast and it took me a long time to know what the hell it was. That it had just came alive in so little time because of three words said by one guy. Jason Jones. It was like there was a light inside of me and it felt beyond good as the storm that was within me started to die out, letting a blossom of some sort of humanity rise in me. My heart was aching. In a good way and it was a strange sensation because I thought i didn't have a heart. After everything I've done in the past, I thought it was frozen over, never to be unfrozen no matter what. And no matter who managed to snake their way through my brick wall.
But leave it to Jason Tyler Jones to find a way around it. I realize now that I'm tired of running. Although I am a little afraid of the idea of love, Jason's right. I have to stop running. I keep doing that and I'm going to end up no where. Just the same as always. Lost inside myself. And I came back because somewhere deep down inside of me, the little eight year old girl that was locked up, had found her way to freedom and it took me until now to figure that out. She was getting stronger within me. And trust me, she was surfacing fast. It was a bittersweet feeling because a huge part of me still didn't think i deserved this amazing and caring guy's love and that it should be pointed at someone who was deserving of it. But there was the other part of me that has been waiting for a long time to hear someone say those words and actually mean it, after everything I've been through.
Everything I thought I knew and was taught, just went out the window. And I learned something. Self awareness doesn't reveal my indiscretions, exhaustion does. And I knew that sometime soon, Jason would know of my indiscretions but at this point, I was just tired of fighting.
I felt tears sting my eyes as I looked up at Jason. He looked down at me with so much love in his eyes it hurt to even look at him. I stood up on my tip toes and cupped his face in mine and kissed him softly for what seemed like forever. Although my face was already wet and cold from the rain, I could still feel the warmness of my tears as they slid down my face. Jason's arms encircled me and I was being lifted off of the ground. I continued to kiss him, passionately. After a moment in the air, I felt the floor again and I broke the kiss off, my breathing more ragged than before. Jason brought his hand up to my face. He leaned in and gave me a slight peck. Although Jason couldn't really tell, tears were still streaming down my face like a waterfall. It's so strange, crying. It's something I haven't done in a long while.
"I love you, Sky." Jason said strongly. "And I know you love me too."
My mouth opened in a small O and I was completely taken by surprise. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and yet again, the sting of reality hits me like a wave. I bit my bottom lip as I stared into Jason's brown eyes. I said I was done running and I meant it. This time.
"Yes, I do." I whispered, my voice barely audible. I wasn't quiet ready to say the words just yet so I settled for agreement.
Jason smiled a little and leaned in to give me another kiss. Then he pulled me into him and we stood there holding each other, getting more soaked by the second. Ah, fun in the rain.