Where the Skies are Blue

Chapter Forty-Two:

"You didn't show up last night." Ender says to me as he picks up a rock and skips it into a wave.

"I'm sorry. I should have. I just—"

"It's okay." He says. "You don't need to explain it."

"Okay." I say grimly. I feel horrible. Last night was a shit show. I can't believe I slept with Hunter again. After everything. I hate myself for it. I don't feel good about myself when I'm with Hunter. I'm left feeling like just a body. Like I'm nothing.

The rain clouds still linger today. Making the sea look black. "Do holidays make you sad?" I ask him.

"Yeah." He admits. "What about you?"

"Mostly pissed off."

We both laugh. "They make you pissed off?" He asks.

"Yeah."

"Well, thank God they're over then...until next time."

"Yep, those suckers just keep popping up every year." I pick up a rock myself and attempt to skip it, only for it to sink to the oceans floor.

"Here." Ender walks up to me; he places a rock in my hand then positions himself behind me. I hold my breath, my skin on fire as he drags his hand down my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps as he does, then positions my fingers correctly on the rock. "Turn your body sideways." He tells me and it takes me a moment to process his words. Once I'm turned sideways to the water he says, "Throw it at a curve. Make sure the flatter side of the rock is facing down." He pulls back my arm and I throw it at a curve, letting it slip through my fingers.

The rock bounces twice off the water before disappearing into the wave. I look up at him with excitement. "I'm a natural."

"I think you owe it to your amazingly skilled coach."

"I guess he helped a little." I grin at him, and he shakes his head with laughter. I pick up another rock and repeat what he taught me. The rock skips three times before plummeting into a wave. The sun is beginning to rise above the horizon. The sky shooting off sherbet colors. "Can I tell you something?" I ask him nervously, my eyes fixated on the sky.

I feel his eyes on me. "Always."

Breaking away from the water, I move over to a nearby rock and take a seat, pulling my knees up to my chest, I watch as Ender follows, sitting down beside me. "What is it?" He asks as I anxiously move my hands over one another in my lap.

I'm not one to talk about things going on in my life. I've never had someone I could confide in. I've never felt like I had a voice. But with Ender, I feel like maybe I can talk to him and he won't judge me. He'll listen and believe me. Swallowing down some air, I say, "Katherine's been having an affair with Hunter's dad."

I look over at Ender to see his reaction, and his eyes widen slightly. He makes a phew, sound as he scratches a hand through his sloppy curls. "Shit. Seriously?"

I nod. "It's been going on for a while now. I heard them hooking up in his office at the New Year's party last night."

"Did you tell Henry?"

"No," I say quickly.

"Don't you think you should?" He asks calmly, in a nonjudgmental manner.

My shoulders sag. "Yes. I want to tell him, but then that'll be the end of this. I'll lose everything. We'll have to move again, and I've really started to love being here and have gotten close with Henry. I know how selfish that sounds, but I can't lose this. I can't go back to living in a trailer or having the life we had in Arizona." I look at him because I realize I've never told him about any of that before. He's looking at me deeply, listening to every word. "Things in Arizona were really bad. Our trailer was a revolving door for Katherine's shitty, pervy boyfriends, whom she never protected me from, and we never had any food; the power shut off all the time. She's horrible. She's a horrible person, and she destroys people's lives, including mine. She doesn't care about Henry; all she cared about was using him to bring us here and taking as much money from him as she can and now she's moving onto George, who she thinks will give her more money, and I don't know how to get away from her—"

"Auden, hey," Ender grips my shoulders, turning me more towards him. He moves his thumbs back and forth along my skin, and I intake a heavy breath. I hadn't realized how quickly I had been talking. That's a lot for him to process. "I'm so sorry for everything you've gone through and everything your mother has put you through. I hate that for you." He genuinely looks like it hurts him to think about it as his face winces. He drags his hands upwards so that he's cupping my face gently. His touch is soothing, and I'm staring longingly into his gorgeous eyes. "I've known Henry my whole life; he would never just kick you and your mom out. He cares about you. Yeah, he's more than likely going to be really hurt. Your mom is the first person he's been with since his wife left, but he wouldn't just toss you aside like garbage."

"Katherine is so manipulative. What if I tell him and she just makes him believe I'm lying? What if telling him just makes things worse?" I don't want to explode everyone's lives. I don't want to be responsible for making Henry upset. But I think Ender is right. I can't imagine Henry tossing me out just like that. Then again, I never imagined Hunter would hit me that first time. I never imagined Katherine's old boyfriend, Zeppelin, would kiss me. People are unpredictable. You never really know what they're capable of. Who knows how Henry will respond if he finds out?

"Honestly, in this situation, it's going to get messy regardless. The longer they sneak around behind his back, the worse it will become. I'm not going to tell you what to do, Auden. If it was me, I'd want to know. But I know it's not an easy thing to do. I'm here for you, whatever you decide."

He's right. As usual. I know he is. I have to tell Henry, but I'm scared and don't know how. I hate Katherine for doing this. For always making our lives worse. I place my hands on top of his, which still rest on my cheeks, and nod my head silently. Ender then pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me in a warm embrace. I cling to him, breathing in his amazing smell, basking in his presence. I'm thankful for him and the friendship we've formed. He was so standoffish when I first met him that I never thought we'd be here. Confiding in one another and feeling closer to him than I ever have with anyone else.

"You'll get through this, I promise. It'll be okay." He says softly to me.

And, surprisingly, I believe him.