Rising Sun

Chapter Twelve

What does it mean when you kiss another girl on purpose?

Skylar refreshed her Google search for the one thousandth time. She couldn't bring herself to click on any website links, not wanting to read what anyone on forums would inevitably have to say. She was going crazy, unable to tell anyone or talk about what was going on. She really just wanted to talk to her sister, but Lindsay had been so distant the past few days. And what would she think? Her sister wasn't exactly forward thinking.

Skylar groaned in frustration and cleared her search history before shutting off her computer monitor. It was Friday afternoon, and she'd been trying to avoid both Tom and Hayley as much as possible during the day, claiming she had a lot of work to catch up on from missing a day for a dentist appointment. She had an appointment, sure, but she was really milking the "late assignments" excuse as much as she possibly could. And with less than two hours before she was supposed to be supporting her boyfriend at his game, she was panicking.

Was Hayley going to be there? She'd messaged Skylar earlier in the day about the game - it was the biggest game of the season, after all. They were playing Clairmont at home tonight, which was their biggest rival and closest neighboring school district. Hayley didn't seem to be big on high school football, but boy was she invested in parties and all forms of socializing. She reminded Skylar of Lindsay in that aspect; always the center of attention without even trying. People just naturally gravitated towards her bubbly personality, it seemed.

Skylar struggled to get up from the comfort of her moon chair. She had to put layers upon layers of pillows on it to be able to even see her computer from the lounger, but she was at maximum levels of comfort at all times. She sifted through her closet, wanting to find something cute to wear under Tom's jersey, in case someone threw a party or had a bonfire afterwards. Inevitably, they would, so it was best she came prepared. Pulling out a burgundy turtleneck and light wash flare jeans, she settled on the pair. Did she style herself after Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Daily.

After what felt like an hour, Skylar was finally dressed and had put on enough makeup to cover her newly-formed stress pimple on her chin, and make her nonexistent natural lashes black. She wanted to look like she'd slept the last two days, instead of tossing and turning at night thinking about what happened between her and Hayley, and what she was doing to Tom. She'd never been a liar before, but she was definitely starting to become one.

As if sensing she was ready to go, Lindsay burst into her room with a giddy grin on her face and plopped down on her bed like she owned the place. "So, Charlie asked me to wear his jersey tonight." She gushed, mentioning one of the most sought-after seniors on the team. Charlie Eplin was every girl's not-so-secret crush. It could've been that he looked like a younger Nick Lachey, or it could've been the red Mustang convertible his parents had bought him for his birthday.

"No way, Charlie Eplin? He couldn't have asked you, he's dating Heather or Sarah or some other cheerleader." Skylar said in disbelief.

"I think it's more of a 'I want them to get jealous' kind of thing, but I don't care. I'll be wearing the prized number thirty seven jersey tonight." She shrugged. Lindsay didn't seem to mind that she wasn't actually asked in a good way. Skylar worried about her sister often, since she was always seeking affirmation from her classmates. She never focused on making herself happy, she just worried about what Charlie Eplin, Heather Mowry or Melissa Chang thought about her. Her constant need to please people stressed her out a lot.

"That makes sense. Maybe I'll be worthy of sitting next to Charlie's trophy tonight in the student section when I wear Tom's jersey." Skylar said nonchalantly, turning her attention toward her vanity to pin her hair up in a messy ponytail.