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36: What about Skylar?

Luca's POV

It had been about three hours since we got home after the game. Marlee had ordered enough pizza to feed a football team for a week which had resulted in everyone being induced into a food coma. Marlee had already convinced the girls, including Cleo, to stay over and watch a movie. They had put on some chick movie that Blake and Thomas had obnoxiously protested over but they too had gotten drawn into the overly pink movie about some ditzy lawyer.

I couldn't complain too much about the arrangement. Skylar was currently curled up next to me, her head resting against the arm of the couch, and her feet resting on top of my thigh. I somehow managed to drag her next to me instead of sitting next to Marlee and Cleo. I was probably being a selfish asshole by pulling her to sit with me instead of her friends but I didn't care. I would argue that it was Skylar who pulled me into her, not the other way around. I had no intention of getting involved with Skylar's life. I had shown up in that hospital room to give a quick apology paying for the hospital bills and moving on with my life. It only took one insult from the girl, and she had me wrapped around her finger. I just hadn't realized it until I drove her home that night and managed my way into sleeping in her guest bed.

Bailey and Marlee were sprawled out on the floor in a tangle of blankets, Blake and Thomas had claimed the recliners, and Cleo was curled up on the opposite side of the couch Skylar and I were currently occupying.

I'd tried to sleep, but my mind was going to have a hundred miles an hour. Between the events of the game and the strange confrontation with Arthur Everest, my thoughts were a chaotic mess. Careful not to disturb Skylar, I slid off the couch and made my way toward the kitchen, hoping a glass of water would help.

The house was eerily quiet, the only sound the soft creak of the floorboards beneath my feet. I reached the kitchen, filled a glass, and leaned against the counter, letting the coolness of the water soothe my throat and my nerves.

"Couldn't sleep?"

I nearly dropped the glass, spinning around to find Cleo standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed, and her sharp gaze was locked on me. She looked more awake than anyone had a right to at one in the morning. Cleo didn't like me on a good day and even a blind person would be able to tell that she was pissed at me.

"What do you think" I snapped, setting the glass down on the counter. "Why are you awake?"

"I'm a light sleeper. Especially in an environment I don't trust"

"No one forced you to come to our house," I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the cold countertop. "You could have gone home yourself after the game."

Cleo ignored what I said with a roll of her eyes. Typical.

"Even if I wasn't a light sleeper, you're hard to ignore."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It means you've got a knack for making everything about you," she shot back. "Even now, you're sneaking off in the middle of the night"

"I'm just getting a drink of water, Cleo. Relax."

"Oh, I'm relaxed," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm actually exhausted. I'm exhausted of everyone bowing down to you just because you can throw a stupid football. I am so sick and tired of you getting everything you want in life"

All I could do was stare at her. She wasn't the first person to say something like this to me nor would she be the last. However, she was the first person to throw around these remarks where I couldn't defend myself. I didn't want to escalate this conversation because, for some reason, Skylar cared about this girl.