6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lacey

"Lacey?"

I glance up from my book and find a guy standing a few feet away. Shining my flashlight in his direction, I catch a glimpse of loose jeans and a blue button-down shirt.

There's probably a cautionary tale about a girl reading alone in a parking lot somewhere, but for some reason, I don't feel afraid.

Maybe it's his voice. This guy's got a really nice voice.

"Do I know you?"

I wince, knowing with absolute certainty that's the question that gets you featured on a true crime podcast.

"Sorry, that came off as rude." Closing my book, I hug my knees closer into my chest, "It's been a long night."

He goes to take a step forward then pauses.

"Is it okay if I come closer? "

My skin is dry and irritated from my earlier tears and yet this one simple question puts a warm glow back in my heart.

"Go ahead."

He takes three steps then stops. There's still five feet of space between us, but he doesn't make a move to come any closer. My shoulders drop in relief.

"I don't really know how to say this." He shuffles his feet, never taking his eyes off my face, "But I think you might be the person I've been writing to for the last few weeks."

I blink and he gives me a shy smile.

"I'm Skylar."

My mouth opens and closes but no words come out. Skylar shoves his hands into his pockets and drops his gaze.

"I know I'm probably not what you were expecting."

The disappointment in his voice has me sitting upright.

"No, it's just… you're a guy?" Stating the obvious like the idiot I am, I can't stop the rest from falling out, "I thought you were a middle-aged woman with a barn cat."

He tilts his head, "Did I give off lonely cat vibes in my letters?"

Laughter bubbles up and slips past my lips, "I think we were both giving depressing cat vibes."

"Not wrong." Skylar gestures towards the spot across from me, "May I?"

I wave my hand like I'm not sitting in a dirty parking lot, "Make yourself at home."

Watching him like a creeper, my heart starts to race as I register the two facts I grossly overlooked .

Skylar is a boy.

Skylar is a very cute boy.

My cheeks flush when I think about all the secrets I shared. Skylar made it so easy to open up that I just assumed he was a girl. It was a biased assumption but that doesn't change the fact that Skylar is my friend.

Even if he is really pretty.

Skylar settles himself down on the dirt across from me and I can't help but stare. The white-blonde colour of his hair brings out the high cheekbones and mesmerizing colour of his eyes.

One blue. One brown.

Equally beautiful in their own right, the combination of them together takes my breath away. He's not handsome but he's striking. Different.

The most beautiful human being I've ever seen.

I should feel bad for staring, but I don't. Skylar is doing the same thing, staring at my face as if I might disappear at any moment.

Silence falls between us until he clears his throat.

"Are you okay?"

For a moment, I think he's questioning my inability to look away from his face, but then he continues, "I heard Walsh went after you."

The night's events filter through my mind and I start blinking rapidly, "Oh, that."

He doesn't say anything as a tear hits my cheek, just watches my expression carefully. Most people would push for an answer, needing to hear the false confirmation of being okay, but not Skylar. Just like in his letters, he lets me not be okay.

"It just… it brought back some painful memories, that's all." I swallow, letting the darkness of the night sky give me courage, "I have a bad habit of freezing. When things go sideways."

He doesn't push for more, just waits patiently.

"I froze again tonight and that makes me angry. A girl nearby ended up distracting Walsh long enough for me to get away, but if she hadn't?" I blow out a breath, "Then I'm no better than where I was two years ago."

"It's okay to be angry sometimes. If you don't let it out, it will find a way to control you." Skylar clears his throat, "But the fact you recognize the problem shows you are better than where you used to be."

I smile, "You're even smarter in person."

He shrugs, "Not really. I just go to therapy."

Laughter takes a hold of me and soon my tears become positive ones. Wiping them away with a smile, I find Skylar studying me.

"What?"

"You keep laughing."

I laugh again, "That's because you're funny."

He blinks, "Most people don't get my sense of humour."

A smile breaks across my face, "Most people don't appreciate deadpan humour. I love it."

Skylar's eyes light up and I feel it all the way to my toes. A lot of people have a tough time interpreting deadpan humour because they don't look beyond the surface. Skylar might not joke with his smile, but his eyes tell a different story.

My eyes dance between the blue and brown irises, soaking in the warmth radiating through them. There's something precious about him, something that makes me think there's a minefield of gems hiding beneath the quiet exterior.

"I actually drew something for you." He shifts uncomfortably, "I don't have it with me, but you were the inspiration behind it."

"It's not a cat lady, is it?"

"I'm saving that for the next one."

I throw my head back and laugh, nearly giving myself a concussion against the hard exterior of Ava's car. Skylar watches me with bright eyes and I feel myself start to blush.

"You'll soon find out I'm not the most coordinated. Or graceful."

He shrugs, "Coordination is overrated. I was always picked last for sport teams."

"Me too! God, I hated gym class." I laugh, feeling my embarrassment ebb, "There's always that one person who sucks at everything. That was me."

"I'm sure you didn't suck at everything."

"Oh, no. I was the worst. You know the king's court? When you move up a level every time you win?" I shake my head, "I was a permanent resident of the toilet bowl."

Skylar pauses, thinking it over.

"Okay. Maybe you did suck at everything. "

I laugh, "That's what I'm saying!"

He huffs out a chuckle, a rusty baritone that sounds like it hasn't been used in a while. I stare at him, feeling my heart swell with the knowledge that I did that.

I made Skylar laugh.

The edge of my purse brushes my hand and I glance down to see the sunshine tissue peeking out from the silver clutch. Skylar follows my gaze and stills, his eyes locked on the bright piece of material.

"Is that…?"

"Your last message." I quickly grab the tissue and offer it to him, "Karen stole it from the flowerbed, so I kept it. I hope you don't mind."

He leans forward and gently takes it from my hands. Our fingers brush and I pull away, suddenly feeling shy.

"My response is on the back."

Skylar doesn't say anything as he turns it over and reads it. I hold my breath, thinking about the words I had written, the ugly truth I left there for him. If he was ever going to turn and run, now would be the time.

Skylar slowly lifts his eyes back to mine and I wait for it. The hounding questions, the look of pity, the awkward change of subject. It happens every time.

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

His question catches me off-guard, and it takes me a moment to realize that Skylar is the exception. He isn't going to interrogate me and make sure I'm okay like everyone else. He just accepts me for who I am.

Broken pieces and all.

"Yes." I breathe out the word, knowing this is the pivotal moment I will always look back on.

The night I finally found my friend.

The night I found Skylar.

Skylar

She's so beautiful it hurts.

I can't help but sneak glances at her as we walk through the parking lot. Up close, her features are immaculate, the big green eyes framed by thick eyelashes and a smile ready to be released at any moment. I knew she was resilient from her messages, but I hadn't expected the driving force of her personality.

Even if we hadn't exchanged notes via therapy, there's no doubt in my mind that I would have been drawn to her. There's a darkness that lurks just beneath the surface, the achingly fragile strength of a survivor.

I saw the way she shied away from my touch. The fear in her eyes when she thought I might get too close.

It's just like my mother.

"Is it okay if I grab something from my car?" I glance over and wait for a nod of confirmation .

"Of course."

Lacey gives me another smile, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe. She has a way of looking at me that makes me feel like the hero I will never be.

And she thinks I'm funny.

Warmth seeps through my chest as I think about her confident response. Nobody likes deadpan humour and yet this girl insists that she does.

No. She said she loves it.

Punching the button on my keys, I quickly pop the trunk and grab the Saber sweater I'd stashed away earlier. Doing my best not to look awkward, I offer it to her with a shrug.

"Thought you might be getting cold."

She blinks, a look of pleasant surprise crossing her face, "That's so thoughtful."

Gently taking it from my hands, I try not to stare as Lacey pulls my favourite hoodie over her head. I'm not that tall for a guy, and with her impressive height, we're about the same size. By the time she tugs it down past her waist, it almost fits her perfectly.

"Thank you, Skylar."

She hugs the material tighter, the smile taking over her face making me wish I had a hundred more to give her. I sneak a glance at her bare legs, the short skirt making them seem impossibly long.

"I didn't think to pack extra pants. Will you be alright?"

"I'm good. "

We fall in step beside each other as I lead us down Silverwood's main strip. The mom-and-pop shops have all closed up for the night, but the dim glow of the streetlights helps to give the town an ethereal feel.

"I've always wanted to explore Silverwood more." Lacey studies each boutique we pass, "It's got the small-town charm Taber lacks."

"People are going to think you're a Saber with those fighting words."

She laughs and I quickly glance her way to capture it.

"Oh, I'll always be a Tiger but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate what the other side has to offer." She gasps, pointing towards the end of the street, "You have a bookstore here?"

I nod, "Betty's Books and Nooks. The same family has run the store since the 80s."

"I'm so jealous. The closest thing Taber has to a bookstore is the university library." She blushes and shoots me a glance, "Sorry. That's super nerdy."

"I don't think being passionate about something makes you a nerd." I pause, choosing my next words carefully, "If you ever want to visit Silverwood, I'd be happy to give you a tour. In the daylight, I mean."

Lacey beams, "I would love that."

"Consider it done."

We branch off at the end of the street, taking a sharp right that leads to the university's residential buildings. Built to match the rest of town, the student apartment buildings are long and wide with old-fashioned trimming along the side.

"Wait. That's the university?" Disbelief fills Lacey's voice as the glistening structure comes into view.

I sigh, "Ruins the aesthetic, doesn't it?"

"It looks like a spaceship." She scrunches her nose, "Why is it so… metal?"

"Wish I could tell you."

Silverwood University rises above us like a great metallic wave. Sitting right in the centre of a clearing, the imposing structure does resemble a spaceship that crash landed among the quaint small town.

The ultra-modern structure was built only a decade ago, and while the monstrous school looks completely out of place in Silverwood, it offers advanced geothermal technology that helps to draw in students from around the country.

As much as I hate to admit it, our town needs the revenue university students provide eight months of the year.

"Is it a good school at least?" Lacey glances at me, "Do you like it here?"

I shrug, "All the auditoriums and classrooms are brand new so I can't complain."

"But do you like it?"

Her green eyes scan my face, hunting for an honest answer. There must be something in the air tonight because for the first time in my life, I don't feel like brushing it off with a nonchalant answer .

"Not really." I meet her gaze, "The facilities are nice, but I don't love the people. They're either from a big, glamorous city or we went to preschool together. Either way, it feels suffocating."

She nods, "I get that. I followed my brother to Taber so I wouldn't have to see the same people anymore."

Lacey ducks her head but not before I see the pained expression on her face. My mind flashes back to her last message and I feel my stomach clench.

A looming structure rises in the distance, the unmistakable outline of Silverwood's one and only football stadium piercing through the night sky.

"Oh my gosh, is that the stadium?" She whips her head around, "We have to go."

"You want to visit an empty stadium?"

Lacey grins, "Pretty please? This is the only chance I'll get to be a varsity athlete."

I stare at her, taking in the raw excitement spreading across her face. Even if I was the strongest man in the world, I wouldn't be able to say no to this girl.

"Does this mean you're competing as a Saber?"

"Obviously." She points to my sweater with a smile, "I've got the merch now."

My eyes drop to the university logo plastered across the grey material. It's resting on the shoulders of a rival and I don't think it has ever looked better.

"Let's go find an empty stadium."