Don't Forget Me

{chapter 7: coincidence}

For the rest of practice, we just dove off the diving board and swam around a bit. I tried as hard as I could to get out of awkward situations with Nathan, of course it did not work.

At the end of practice, Peyton headed with me to the locker room to get our stuff. "Okay, this has officially been the most awkward swim practice I have ever attended." Peyton said while grabbing her brush out of her bag and running it through her short blonde hair.

"That's for sure." I said, grabbing my sweatpants and slipping them on over my suit.  "I think that Hayes is better than Nate to be honest." Peyton added. "Ditto." I whispered under my breath as we walked out of the locker room.

"Aves! Jonah! Weston! Let's go!" I said, looking over at my siblings who were. chatting with their friends. I watched Avery and the twins as they walked towards me. "What time is my dance recital?" Avery asked me.

"I'm pretty sure it's around 5ish." I said while opening the driver door. The boys sat in the back again and Avery in the front. "I'm excited!! We are doing the nutcracker!" She said jumping around in her seat. I hate watching ballet. It's painfully boring. I don't know if I want to go.

"Cool." I said blandly. Jonah and Weston were in the neck seat playing Rock Paper Scissors or something and Avery was on my phone. Just then, my phone rang. Avery handed me my phone, it was Mom.

"Hey, mom!" I said pressing the phone to my ear. "Hi sweetie! I'm not feeling well, can you please go to the grocery store for me?" She asked me. Her voice sounded raspy. "Sure. Just text me the list and I'll stop at Safeway." I said, turning into the Safeway parking lot.

"Sounds good. Bye Sky!" The line went dead before I could say anything else. "What are we doing?" Weston asked curiously. "I have to stop at Safeway for a couple things." I said. They got out of the car and followed me.

~~~

Once we were home, the kids helped me take in the grocery bags. "Mom?" I asked around for her. "I'm in my room!" She yelled back. I walked into her room to see her laying in bed drinking tea and watching TV.

"Hey, what's up." My mom said, pausing the TV. "Umm I was wondering if I could just go to Peyton's tonight instead of going to Avery's ballet thing." I said, hoping she wouldn't get mad at me.

"I would say yes, if I was feeling better. The recital is at 5. You're probably going to have to take Avery to the recital because Dad is taking the boys camping with Uncle Jared and Miles and Ben." Miles and Ben were my cousins. I really didn't want to go, but I guess now I have to. 

"Oh, okay then." I said calmly and walked out of her room. I didn't want to start a fight with her right now, because she's not feeling well. I ran up to my room and hopped in the shower. I rinsed out my chlorinated hair and body. I turned off the water and wrapped myself in a towel.

I picked out my outfit for the day: Shorts, a light pink crop top with a knot in the corner of it, and a gray sweater. I had no plans, so I took my time getting ready. I put on some makeup and listened to music. I decided to curl my hair to take up time. I curled tiny pieces and took as long as possible.

I slipped on my converse and checked the time. It was 1:36. I had like 3 and a half hours to kill. I went into the garage and took my bicycle off the rack my dad had made. The house was super quiet because the boys and dad were gone, and Avery went to her friend's house.

My bicycle was a light baby blue, and the paint was chipped. There was a pastel yellow basket in the front that too was chipped. It was very old and vintage, but I like it. It was my moms old bike when she was my age. I plugged my earbuds in and listened to City by Sara Bareilles.

I took my bike and rode it to the direction of a big hill in Oceanside. Everyone loves there, but I love further out in the country. I rode to my favorite spot, which took about 10 minutes. There is a side of the hill where no one lives and there is a beautiful view.

Once I got there, I took in the scenery. There was a grove of trees and it was beautiful. There were flowers everywhere and bright green grass. I parked my bike next to a tree and started climbing the tree. Once I reached the top, I could almost see all of Oceanside.

I sat up there for a while, just taking in the beauty of the earth, realizing how lucky I am. The air was so peaceful, there was a slight breeze. I let my mind wander, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep, surrounded by branches and beautiful scenery.

~~~

"Aves!! Let's go!" I yelled. I sat down next to the garage door and sipped from my Mountain Dew bottle. I was soon greeted by my beautiful little sister, with her hair pulled up into a ballerina bun, a white costume and bright pink tights, and even a bit of makeup.

"Whoa there, you look like a princess!" I said, leaning over. "Give me a twirl or whatever you call it." I said. She quickly spun around and her tutu flattened out. "Beautiful." I said. "Now let's go!"

Once we got to the high school auditorium in San Diego, where her recital was, she ran out of the car immediately. I grabbed my purse and keys and walked into the high school behind her. The high school was huge. I walked into the auditorium to see a bunch of people and little girls in sparkly outfits.

I took a seat more towards the back. Once I sat down, the lights started dimming. A few seconds later, the curtains opened, revealing a stage with pretty fairy lights strung on the curtains. Music played, and I watched my sister step onto the stage. She danced her little heart out.

When she was done with her number, she met me back in the auditorium. "Can I please stay with Audri and watch the big girls dance?" She said, begging me to stay. I didn't really want to watch more, but I knew she really wanted to, so I said, "Sure, why not?"

After watching about three more dances, I was bored. I walked out of the auditorium and to the restroom. I just sat in there for a bit, and decided to explore around a bit. I walked out of the bathroom and noticed a trophy case near the auditorium. I glanced inside, recognizing one of the names. It was a football recognition.

Just then, I heard a voice that matched the name. "Skylar?" I turned my head, and my eyes met those familiar blue eyes. "Hey Hayes." I said calmly, with a smile. "What are you doing here?" He said walking closer to me, and pulling me in for a hug. He paused holding me for a second.

"Nice to see you too." I whispered sarcastically in his ear. He pulled away, saying, "Oh my bad, let me start over." He walked back to where he stood when I first saw him.

"Hello Skylar, you are looking lovely today." He said, quickly walking towards me. Before I could even take another breath, his hands cupped my cheeks and crashed his lips against mine. I pulled away, and whispered, "Much better."

"And to answer your question, my sister had a recital." I said. His arms were around my waist and mine around his neck. "What a small world, mine did too." He said. "Oh, our sisters probably know each other then! What's your sister's name?" I asked him.

"Skylynn." He said. "Oh I like that, it sounds like my name." I continued, "Mine is Avery." I couldn't help but feel so blushy every time Hayes looked into my eyes. "Well I hope they become good friends so we can see each other more often." Hayes said.

"Definitely." I said, as he pecked my cheek. "What do you say we ditch this place and go see a movie?" He asked me. "Like a date?" I asked. "Yeah, like a date." He said. I checked the time, it was 8:30. "I'd love to." I continued, "Just let me go ask one of Avery's friends to give her a ride, I'll be back."

I walked into the auditorium, and the audience was clapping. I guess the recital was over. I walked over to where Avery was sitting with her friends. I walked over to Audri's mom, Natalie, she was close friends with my mom. "Hey, Skylar!" She said, while giving me a hug. "Hey, I was wondering if you could give Avery a ride home?" I asked her.

"Oh sure! I'll have her home by 9, is that okay?" She asked me. "Yeah that's great! Thank you so much!" I said. "Bye!!" She waved. I waved back and headed towards the door. I quickly texted my mom and let her know Avery was going with Audri. She said it was fine. I walked out and met eyes with Hayes again.

"I'm all yours." I said, and we walked out.

{a/n: so this chapter was really long, much more to come!! thanks for 100 reads, you guys are the best!! xx}