Sloan's POV
"I think we should do a car wash." Lillia suggested for the thousandth freaking time. Lillia is my friend, but imma be frank, she looks for any reason to be half naked. Coming from me, that means a lot.
"What about a bake sale?" Marci, my co-captain suggested. I wasn't really interested in baking for all the leeches in this school, but I had already shot down everything else, so I knew I needed to pick one soon.
"Yeah, that sounds good." I said, writing bake sale at the top of my notepad. I began making lists of everything we would need. Lillia volunteering to do the advertising, go figures. Knowing her she would probably come in with some cupcake pasties or covered in frosting.
"Ok, so Lillia will be handling the advertising. Marci with get the flour we need, Lindsay will be getting the sugar and chocolate chips, and everyone else, just get the things we left off the list."
If I had a gavel, I would bang it on the table to signal the ending of the meeting, but instead I just stood and gathered my things. I felt a pair of eyes on me, looking up I saw Marci standing at the doorway. "Did you actually want to do the bake sale? Or were you just tired of shooting down ideas?" She joked in a light tone.
Marci was cool, she was a senior like me. But she was super smart, and had like, two classes during the day. Plus, she was insanely beautiful. With her long brown hair, and her tanned complexion. It was a wonder why we've never really hung out before.
"Yeah, well I figured I should decide soon, or someone would flip ship or something."
She laughed before heading out the door.
Finally, time to go home.
Turning up the radio in my car, I pulled out, and started the the short drive home.
I felt bad for telling Megan she couldn't be with Skye, but both of them have been hurt enough already. Although, its obvious how much they like each other. Even if they don't realize it themselves. Skye is always a bit happier when Megan's around. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, I can see it.
As for Megan, ever since the Evan thing, she's been different. Every time I ask, she says she's fine. She's not. She's sad. But, until she admits it to herself, there's really nothing I can do to help her. She needs to face her problems head on, otherwise they won't ever go away. It'll just cause more pain in the long run.
"Megan! Skye! I'm home!" I called as I walked in the door. Tossing my keys on the counter, I noticed Skye sitting on the kitchen island. She looked up at me, narrowing her eyes.
"Who's Evan?"
If I had a drink, I would spit it out. "He's the douche you sit next to in art." I said simply.
"Right." She said before walking past me to her room.
What the hell? Why was she asking about Evan? Did he say something to her? Did she say something to him? Did something happen between him and Megan today?
Rushing up the stairs I bounded towards my room, but all I was met with was Megan doing homework on my bed. "Hey, how was the meeting?"
"Don't you 'hey how was the meeting' me." I said, narrowing my eyes as I stepped further into the room. She looked fine, so it probably wasn't something major that happened. But her eyes were rimmed with red, so either she was high, or she had been crying. And since Megan was too much of a prude to smoke, I'm guessing it was the ladder. "Have you been crying?" I challenged.
Her reaction told me the answer. She couldn't look me in the eye, and her shoulders slumped.
"Megan." I said sternly.
"I told her." She mumbled.
"Told who what?"
"Skye.....about the Evan thing."
My eyes widened at her words. Mostly because I knew how hard it was for her to even talk about it with me. And she already told me. "So this explains why Skye was all weird when I got home."
She laughed a bit before responding. "Sloan, I don't think anything can really explain Skye. Or her ways."
"So, you told her huh?" I was still amazed Megan felt comfortable enough to tell anyone, let alone Skye about something like this.
"Yeah, I just.....I don't know, I just wanted her to see she could trust me. You know?" She stopped writing, and looked up at me.
"Well, I'm glad."
"Don't worry, Sloan, I won't break my promise."
"Ok."
"So, how did the meaning go?"
"It was such a bore!" I groaned. "We finally settled on a fundraiser. And of course Lillia had to 'volunteer' for advertising the sale." I ranted for another few minutes, pacing back and forth.
"Don't you hate baking?" Megan quizzed after I sat beside her.
"Well, yeah, but I already shot down every other idea, so I was getting kind of desperate."
"I mean I knew cheerleaders were dense but...."
"Hey!" I yelled in defense, slapping her arm. "Some of the girls on the squad are actually pretty smart."
"Key note some. As in none."
"Marci is."
"Marci? As in co-captain?"
"Do you not even know their names?"
"I totally do." Megan joked.
"Calling them bimbo one and bimbo two, does not count."
"You do that all the time Sloan."
I shrugged, laying on my bed. Megan rolled her eyes as she packed up her work. "Yeah, well, I'm the captain. Its a trademark to be a bitch."
Laughing she shoved me slightly, before going quiet. "Sloan, does Skye talk to you?"
"Well obviously, I'm her sister." I could tell my sarcastic comment annoyed her, so I reworded it. "Yes, Megan, she talks to me."
"Like......personal stuff?"
"Sometimes."
I didn't know for sure how much my sister had told Megan, so I decided to tread carefully. Waiting until she brought something up, so I wouldn't accidentally leak parts of my sister past, that she wants to keep in the past.
"Has she ever talked about suicide?"
"Megan, I'm not sure talking about this will do any good."
"So she has." Megan said softly. Picking at her nails. Being her best friend I know that's what she does when she wants to know something but doesn't know how to ask.
"Ok, fine. But best friend code on this one." Best friend code is basically whatever is said between us, stays between us. No matter what.
"Of course."
"Ok."
***Flashback***
"Girls! Come down for breakfast! Uncle Rob is here!" My mother called up the stairs. Twelve year old me came bounding down the stairs. Drooling at the smell of bacon wafting through the air.
"Good morning mom!" I called to my mom, as I joined my father and uncle rob at the kitchen table.
"Good morning sweet Sloan." Rob said, digging into his plate of eggs.
"Skye! Breakfast!"
Little thirteen year old Skye quietly walked into the kitchen. Taking her place next to dad. She kept her head down and slowly brought her food to her mouth, in small unsteady bites.
Which was weird, because usually at breakfast time, Skye stuffed her mouth like a pig.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" My mom asked from the stove. Walking over with a plate full of bacon.
"I was planning to take Skye out to the art store. Lord knows how she loves to doodle." Rob said.
"Awe, no fair!" Little me proclaimed. Admittedly, I did sound like a child, but back then I was jealous of Skye getting to go on all the wild adventures with uncle Rob.
"That's alright dear. Tomorrow I'll take you to the mall. Just you and me." Rob soothed. I always thought he was an amazing uncle. He always spent time with us.
"Yay!"
"Ok, well, Skye go get dressed dear." Mom said, finally sitting down to enjoy her own breakfast.
Skye just stared at our mom, before slowly walking away from the table. Grudgingly heading up the stairs.
I never really noticed how Robs eyes always followed her.
~~~~~~~~~~
I was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons while my parents were cooking together in the kitchen. It was six o'clock, meaning Skye and uncle Rob had been gone all day. Causing me to get even more jealous of her at the time.
Finally, at around seven, Rob walked through the front door, with a sullen looking Skye behind him.
As he walked into the kitchen to say hello to my parents, Skye bounded up the stairs to her room. Slamming the door shut.
My mom coming out of the kitchen with a quizzical look on her face. "Where'd your sister go?"
"Upstairs." I said, turning my attention back to the TV.
The last thing I saw, was my mother walking up the stairs, before I heard the worst sound ever.
My mom was screaming her head off, calling for my dad, uncle rob, hell, she even called for me. Most of what happened next was basically utter chaos.
I could only catch a few glimpses, but what I saw was enough. I saw Skye, with what I assumed was her bed sheets or a rope of some kind around her neck. My dad rushed her out of the from door in his arms, and out to his truck. As he hopped in the front with me, my mom hopped in the back. She began CPR, as Skye wasn't breathing.
As we got to the hospital, the nurses and doctors took her away to a room.
So we waited. And waited. And waited some more.
***End of Flashback***
"Eventually the doctors let us see her. She wasn't awake yet, but even when she did wake up, she didn't talk for weeks." I explained, watching Megan's reaction. Her face remained neutral, but she was tense. She don't say anything so I continued. "When she finally did speak, she told us everything. How every time uncle rob would take her out, he would do things. It went on for a while, and eventually, she just had enough. Of the lying, the pretending she was ok. I guess he made her think that our parents would take his word over hers."
"Where's your uncle now?" Megan asked softly. I know she was trying to tread carefully, 'cause she was afraid to say something wrong. She shouldn't be though, she's my best friend. I'd tell her anything.
"He's in jail." I answered.
"Good."
"Not for her though." I said.
Despite having the complete support of our parents, she still felt at blame for putting him away, and taking him away from our lives.
"Do you ever talk about it?"
"No." Skye doesn't talk, its not her thing. "Not unless she has to."
"What do you mean?"
"Skye is not the type of person to talk. She resorts to much more......forceful tactics."
"Like her vast array of sluts." Megan joked.
I laughed, slapping her arm slightly.
"Yeah, well she tries."
"We all do."
"One good thing, tomorrow's Friday!" I said excitedly. Normally Megan and I go out on Fridays, and get shitfaced.
Its kinda our way of washing the week away.
"You know what we should do?" Megan said.
"What?"
"We should invite Skye. You know, get her out there." Megan propositioned.
I nodded, getting up from my bed, I headed over to her room, knocking lightly on the door.
A muffled "come in!" Sounded from inside.
Popping my head in, I saw Skye sprawled out on her bed. "Hey big sis." I teased, leaning in the doorframe.
"What do you want?" She quizzed, glancing up from her book.
"I just wanted to tell you, you're coming with Megan and I to a party tomorrow. And before you interrupt I already told Megan you would." Knowing Skye wouldn't refuse knowing Megan wanted her to go.
"Whatever." She eventually gave in.
Leaving her room, I kind of felt bad using her feelings for Megan to trick her into going to a party. But, in reality I felt much worse for making Megan promise not to act on her feelings. Because it was obvious how into each other they are.
I just don't want anyone to get hurt.