Blue Sky // Josh Kiszka

Flower Power

"Can I talk to you?" my eyes go from the book in my hand to the door. Venus is standing there, her face is unreadable, lips tight in a straight line.

"Come in." I sit with my back on the headboard, watching as she takes a place near my feet.

"How are things with Josh?" I feel one of my eyebrows going right up; this is certainly not what I was expecting. Well, I don't even know what I was expecting to be honest. "You haven't left the house in three weeks," she continues, probably noticing my confusion.

"We're taking a break. I needed some time to think."

"Is this about Jake?" There it is. She doesn't sound mad, angry nor sad, but it's obvious she is trying to get to me. I feel the room getting smaller, like the walls are closing on us.

"Not everything is about him." Her eyes widen a bit at my harsh tone, but she quickly let a small smile appear.

"It's ok if it is, that's what I'm here to talk about." She puts one hand on my knee, looking at me with loving eyes. "I didn't know you liked Jake when we first got together, but Star kind of let it slip that first time he came for dinner. I saw the way you two got along when we spent the afternoons here with us and I started feeling intimidated by you."

"Venus," I shake my head. "How can you feel something like that? Look at you."

"Jake is not like the other guys I know, Sky. He doesn't care about looks, I don't even know why he got interested in me in the first place. I don't even know why I got interested in him, if I'm being honest. Well, anyways, I was feeling a bit intimidated and then I got home that day and you two were alone in your room. That was the end for me, that's when I said he couldn't come here anymore."

"What about prom? You were so nice to me back then." She takes a deep breath, I don't know if I'm breathing.

"When Josh invited you I thought all of my problems were solved, but the way Jake looked at you that day-" she sighs, looking at the ceiling before locking eyes with me again. "You two disappeared at some point and I asked Josh to go look for him, because I knew you were together and I didn't want to see it. After that day, you and Josh got really close and I thought you were feeling things for him, which was great for me, but the closer you were, the worse my relationship got. And when you started dating, he broke up with me."

"Why are we talking about this now?" I ask, not really understanding the point of the whole conversation.

"I was mean to you and I was wrong. You liked him before I did and you've never done anything to get in my way. Jake was the one bringing you music, he was the one looking at you in a way he shouldn't and he was the one who broke up with me. You were dating his brother, you were minding your own business. It was him I should've been mad with, not you. I'm sorry."

I can't explain the weight her words took off my shoulders, I haven't realized that until now, but I needed this, I needed closure. These three weeks without Josh were essential for me to be sure it's him. There's no room for Jake in my life anymore, but still, I couldn't go back to Josh; still, I couldn't stop thinking about my last encounter with his brother. But now, it's clear what I need.

Closure.

"Thank you, Ve, you have no idea how important it is for me to hear this. And I feel like I have to apologize as well. You were right, Jake was doing things he shouldn't - more than you're aware of, if I'm being honest -, but I guess it was my role to make him stop and I was too weak to do that, so I'm sorry."

The way she smiles at me is so honest, I think she never looked more beautiful. Her blue eyes are shining when she takes my hand, squeezing it the slightest. "I'm going shopping," she says. "Wanna come with?"