Don't Look Back

Please Don't Make Me Choose

Ross’s POV

I woke up, and I was on the couch. Sky was on the other end of the couch, she was curled up in a ball. She only slept like that when she was upset. I must really be stressing her out with this relationship thing. It was one of our last days in France. I shook her thigh, “Sky, wake up.” She sat up, her eyes still half closed. She had tear stains on her cheeks. I said, “What’s wrong?” She wiped her cheek, “Nothing, I didn’t sleep well last night. Um, I should get back to my place. I need to pack.” I said, “Do you want any help? My stuff is easy to pack, so I can do it later.” She rubbed her arm, “I can do it by myself, thanks for offering though. You wanna walk me back to my place though?” I said, “Sure.” She grabbed her clothes from my bedroom and headed towards the bathroom. “Sky, those are some pretty elegant clothes, just keep on what you’re wearing, it’s a five minute walk.” She smiled, “Your socks and your t-shirt? I look homeless.” I said, “Then give me back my socks and put on your heels.” She said, “Ok?” she took off my socks and put it in my dirty clothes pile. Then she slipped on her heels. “Now I look like a hooker. Can I at least borrow some shorts?” I took one of my longer hoodies off the coat rack and helped her put it on. “No, look. It looks like you’re just cold and wearing shorts or something.” She smiled, “Ross, always the creative one.” I laughed, “What are you talking about? Remember in third grade in Mrs. Stanley’s class we had that project where we had to make the little diorama and everyone else’s was just clay and pictures they printed off of the internet all in a shoe box, and in walks Skylar Reed with a full city she sculpted all by herself with such precision and detail. Every building was different, and even the 3-d people had faces, all carved out of clay. To perfection.” She laughed, “I can’t believe you remember that.” I said, “How could I forget, mine was the second best in the class, you stole my first place prize.” She said, “Right, that free ice cream bar from the cafeteria. Wait, didn’t I end up giving it to you anyways?” We both started cracking up. Right as we opened the door, everyone was already standing there, Riker in front, his hand up in the air, about to knock. Rydel said, “Well, look at that timing.” They all came in. I said, “What’s up guys?” Kelly held up a big paper bag. “We come bearing gifts.” Ratliff said, “We thought we could all eat here instead of in the bakery.” We all set up around the couch.

Ross's POV

I got a phone call from a phone number I didn't recognize. I ran upstairs and walked into my room, I picked up even though I didn’t know the number, "Hello?" I said. I heard a girl crying, she said, "It's me Ross, its Alana." I said, "Alana?" She said, "Yes, I need to tell you something." I said, "What is it?" She said, "That night Sky had a nightmare and she was by the lake. It was my fault. I was on medicine at the time, that's why I was insane. I dragged her to the lake, she started freaking out so I left her and ran back to my spot." I said, "That’s insane." She said, "I was. But I'm better now." I said, "Why are you telling me this?" She said, "I’m back." I said, "Really?" A part of me was angry because she tried to drag Sky into a lake, the other side, happy that she was back. I said, "Will you meet me when I get back from France?" She said, "Sure. I'll text you." I ran out of my room, "Guys! She's back, Alana's back!" Sky nervously said, "That’s great Ross. I gotta go." And she got up and walked out the door. I looked out the window, I saw her wipe her eye, she was crying. I opened the door and walked outside, "Sky, what's wrong? Come back." I yelled after her. She didn't turn around, "I’m fine, I gotta go, bye." I didn't know what to do, so I let her leave. I felt like it was a mistake. So then I ran after her, "Sky! Stop." She looked back, "Ross, just let me go." And she took off running.

Sky's POV

I felt like I was about to throw up, she was back. I ran down the street into a telephone booth and shut the door behind me. The rain streamed down the glass like the tears ran down my cheek. I sunk down to the floor and sat up against the glass. I watched as Ross ran past me. He yelled, "Sky!" He looked around, I covered my face with my hoodie, no, it was his hoodie. He looked around some more then ran away looking. I sat there for two hours, knowing he'd give up and go home. My phone rang, it was Riker. "Hi." I said, he said, "Hey, I was just wondering if you knew where Ross was, he said he'd meet me but no one seems to know where he, oh, wait, I see him. Ross! Ross!" He was trying to get Ross's attention. I heard running footsteps getting louder. The phone was away from Riker's mouth, but I could still hear them. "Why are you running?" Riker said, Ross said, "Do you know where Sky is?" Riker said, "I’m on the phone with her right now." I heard a scramble, then Ross's voice, "Sky?" I hung up. He'd been looking for me this whole time? I got a text from Riker's phone. "Are you okay?" I texted back, "Physically." He texted, "Where are you? Do you want me to come and get you? It's raining." I answered, "No." I put my phone in a zip lock bag in my pocket and started walking. How could she be back, she moved. Who moves back? She was gonna take Ross back. I was going to lose him again. When we go home, she'll be there. What do I do? I got to my apartment building, went up the stairs and was about to go down the hallway, but I saw Ross sitting against my door on the floor. He was asleep. I walked over to him. I put his wet hoodie next to his leg. Then I stood up and walked to Riker and Rydel's place. I knocked on the door. Riker opened the door. "Sky, come in, gosh, your soaking wet. I gotta call Ross, he's been looking for you. He's worried." I said, "Riker, don't. Please. I don't want to talk to him right now. Is Rydel home?" He said, "No, she's out with some of the other instructors. Let me grab you some dry clothes.  Go take a shower, then we can talk, you're gonna catch a cold if you don't get dry." He let me use his shower then he gave me a t-shirt and some sweatpants. I dried off my underwear and bra with his hair dryer. I put on the clothes then walked out into the living room. Riker was in the kitchen that is connected to the living room. He looked up and walked over to me, he had two mugs. We went over to the couch, he handed me the hot mug, I took a sip, it was hot chocolate. He said, "You don't want Ross to know you're okay?" I said, "Alana's back." He said, "Do you want me to text him that you're okay?" I said, "Sure, tell him I said my key is above the door frame, he can stay there tonight, I don't want him to sit in his wet clothes all night outside my door. And tell him I put his duffel bag with his extra clothes on the second shelf in my closet." Riker said, "He keeps a duffel bag of his clothes at your place?" I said, "We've been doing that since we were kids, for emergencies. I mean, I borrow clothes from you guys all the time, but usually at your actual house, I have a bag of clothes there, but here you guys are all separated, so, I only have one at Ross's place." He said, "Oh, so what’s wrong?" I said, "I don't know how to fix my problem with Ross. I just, keep running away. Our friendship is falling apart."

Riker's POV

I said, "Sky, things are tough right now, but you guys always make up." She said, "I guess so, but, what do I do when we go home? The problem will be around us 24/7." I said, "They broke up, yeah, they'll talk, but there's no way they'll get back together after she dragged you to the lake at camp." She said, "She what?" I said, "Oh, shit. Ok, so, at camp, I saw her dragging you to the lake that one night. I don't know what she was going to do, so, I waited to see, then you started to freak out, and she ran back to her spot." She said, "You were awake for that? And you didn't stop her?"  I said, "Don't get mad at me, I've been helping you this whole time! Ross is the jerk here. I didn't do anything wrong!" She said, "Riker, I’m not mad at you, you're the one yelling, I'm just confused." I yelled, "That’s all you ever are, you don't even see that, she came back for a reason! She's not just back for Ross she's here for you. She wants to finish what she started!" Sky got up and went into my bathroom, I knocked on the door, "Sky, I didn't mean that." She came back out in her wet clothes, she handed me mine. She said, "I’m sorry." Then she walked out of the apartment.