Words of Promise

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

(SKATE'S POV)

I couldn't stop thinking about Whitney. Sure, I'd only seen her once, and I barely remembered it, but there was something about her that I liked. 

Our next show was going to be at a bar which I found pretty neat. It wasn't as much for profit as it was for publicity. Our manager didn't want us to have a squeaky clean image, so he broadens our audiences this way. Any fans are good fans, to me.

During the performance, I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was Whitney, of all people! She was holding a tray with glasses on them. She worked here? No, it couldn't be... she said she's from Chicago... 

Suddenly, I saw a guy, about my age, grab her and kiss her. I stopped singing. The response was confused murmurs and clangs of glasses. "Uhh...sorry. My mind went blank," I said and the crowd laughed with me.

After the performance I ordered a drink and took it to go. Sammy crutched after me. "What's the problem, dude?" he asked. "I saw Whitney...she was with another guy," I sighed. "I mean, I should've known...she's cute, she probably has a boyfriend..."

"Don't give up, bro. There are plenty dames like her around," Sammy smiled. 

I smiled back. "You're a good kid, Sam," I said. 

That's when Whitney walked out the door. She looked like she was in a hurry but when she saw me, she stopped. "Nate?" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Whitney! Hey!" I said, like this was the first time I was seeing her, too. 

"Nice performance at the bar! I had no idea you rapped," she said.

"Yeah, me and my bro Sammy perform together."

"Nice to meet you, Sammy," she said to him. 

"You're right, Nate. She's hot."

I elbowed him in the side. "Do you...work here?" I asked.

"No. My cousin does but she needed a hand. The bar is the last place I'd want to work," she laughed. 

"Who's your cousin?" I asked.

"Kelly Drew. I doubt you heard the name, she's not too well-known." 

"Cool. I'd love to meet her, too," I said.

"I bet you would. She's a real character. I gotta go, but maybe I'll catch you around?"

"Yeah, I'll see you around," I said, then stopped. "Wait! Can I get your number first?" 

She looked surprised. "Umm... yeah, uhh here's my phone, you put yours in," she said. I gave her mine too and we put our numbers in. 

"Thanks," I smiled. 

"Bye Nate. Bye Sammy," she smiled at both of us, then turned to go. 

I watched those hips walk away. She was so sexy and mysterious. I felt like there was so much more to her that I didn't know. 

"When is too soon to text her?" I asked. "Text her tomorrow, man. She's obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. Probably to see her boyfriend," Sammy teased.

"Alright, fine. But I doubt she's going to see a boyfriend. Did you see the way she looked at me? She totally wants me," I said. 

"She also totally got kissed at the bar," Sammy added. "I don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Well I know I'm not the only one who thinks she's something special."

(WHITNEY'S POV)

I got off at Sloane's house. Maybe she could help me. I was so freaking terrified and I didn't know what to do. 

Walker threatened me today. He was drunk, more so than usual, and he said he would hurt my family if I tried to break up with him. That was what he said right before I was about to break up with him, so the breakup obviously didn't happen. Ever since Walker's dad died, he's been drinking and smoking way too much. He thinks it's helping him, but it's driving him and others around him insane.

Walker wasn't always this way. He used to be a good boyfriend. He was tough, smart, and handy. He really looked up to his dad, though, and his mom walked out on them when he was 4, so he never really got to know her. I was the first girl he'd ever dated, and I'd taught him everything he needed to know about girls. He used to be so naive with these things. Then when his dad got cancer, he turned to drugs, even though I insisted he talked to a therapist about it. By the time his dad died, he was already far beyond help with his smoking and drinking problems. He started getting abusive and loopy and he just wasn't the same anymore. That's why I had to break up with him.

I knocked on Sloane's door. She opened the door and saw my face. "Oh honey, come on in," she said, guiding me inside. She took me to the couch. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Walker threatened me and my family," I cried. "I'm scared, Sloane!" She lightly stroked my back and said,"Walker is all talk, you're okay. You don't have to believe a word he says."

Sloane is one of my only friends who's always stayed with me throughout my life. She never abandoned me no matter how complex and stupid my problems were. She didn't even reject me when I told her I had severe depression, and anxiety, and ADD. She listens, that's what matters. She's the only one that listens. 

For a minute, I thought about that boy, Nate. He was so kind to me on the bus, even when I fell on him and looked like a freak. But as of today, I found out he was a performer, on tour. It could never work out. The thought left my head as soon as it came.