A Summer Romance

Chapter Twenty-Six - Skylar

Chapter Twenty-Six - Skylar

"Truth is always strange, stranger than fiction."

-Lord Byron

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Skylar

"Skylar, tell me what happened."

I stared down at the cup of coffee in my hands and sighed, "When I got home from shopping with you, I walked in the house and overheard Ryan talking to someone, and he pretty much said that I'm nothing special and that he was just toying with me."

Chloe's face fell and she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, "Skylar, I'm so sorry."

After my fight with Ryan, I drove straight to Chloe's. I expected to ball my eyes out to her, but by the time I had gotten here, I was out of tears to cry.

I shrugged, "It's my fault. I should've known not to trust him. This is what I get for having high expectations."

Chloe shook her head, "No Skylar." I looked over at her, "It's not your fault. You believed in a human being. He went passed your expectations, so you raised them without knowing. You're human Skylar. People trust people. It's not your fault."

I looked down at my coffee and rubbed at my head, "All this crying has given me a huge headache, do you mind if I crash on your couch tonight?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Of course." She grabbed me some pillows and blankets and threw them on the couch, making me a bed.

"I'm really sorry Skylar." Ian apologized.

I smiled at his apology, "Thanks, but it's okay."

He shook his head, "No, it's not. When we went to play basketball, after your drunken kiss, he seemed ecstatic that you guys kissed, but really disappointed that you didn't remember."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "Well, he's a phenomenal actor."

Ian smiled and walked passed me, "I'm sorry, again. You didn't deserve it."

I smiled and Chloe patted my back, "Okay, beds all ready. You want me to tuck you in too?"

I shook my head and smiled, "No, I'm okay. Thank you." She gave me a hug, "Anytime."

***

The dream was different this time.

It was still a nightmare, trust me. The car flipped and landed on the top, trapping my dad under the medal, but I didn't hear anything. All the noise was blocked out, the fire, my screams, Luke's calming words, all of it.

My dad laid there under the burning car, mouthing the same words that I had tried to figure out every time I had this dream, but focusing on everyone around us too much to figure it out.. 

I squinted my eyes and tried to read them.

"Don't..."

The car exploded.

But not before I read the words on my father's lips.

I bolted up on the couch, panting loudly, and shivering with my heart pounding. I wiped at the sweat that was trickling down my forehead and sighed.

Why did I wake up so early? Why didn't I wake up when I usually do?

My mind reeled over what my father said over and over again, trying to make sense of it.

"Don't be afraid."

Was that just him telling me to not be afraid of him dying, or a future reference? A reference that could relate to anything and everything.