CODY
If someone had said I’d be spending the New Year with the guys from Skylar Wyld and their families, I would have told them they were insane. Yet, here I stood, ready to knock on Skylar’s door.
Lindsay fidgeted next to me, wringing her hands and messing with her hair. “Are you sure this is okay?”
It was the fiftieth time she’d asked that question on the way over. “Yes. Skylar wanted you to come. She specifically told me to force you into my truck if I had to.”
Lindsay smiled and her face brightened. She’d been doing more of that lately. Blake had signed the no contact agreement and withdrew from school. Although, rumor had it he’d walked on to our rival wrestling team, Clearview, and that Chugger had followed him there.
Lindsay still hadn’t decided if she would come back after the holidays or just get her GED, but Skylar and I hoped tonight would encourage her to return. Lindsay had a right to be in school and learn without harassment. She had a right to graduate and to go to college and to live a full and happy life. They had tried to steal that from her.
The door swung open and loud music filtered out to the porch. Ricky placed his hand on the frame and gave me the once over. Decorated in Mardi Gras beads and a New Year’s top hat, he looked strangely normal. “Well, I guess you’re still around, huh?”
I returned his smirk. “Yep. I’m still here.”
“Okay, then, get inside.” He made a sweeping gesture with his arm, and Lindsay practically bumped my side as we entered.
She opened her mouth, and I immediately interrupted. “Yes. She wants you here.”
Zoe appeared out of nowhere with a top hat as big as her grin. “Cody! Lindsay!” She followed up her squeal with a crushing hug. I guess Skylar wasn’t kidding when she said Zoe had come over to our side.
Sliding her arm through Lindsay’s, Zoe began her verbal marathon. “Boy, am I happy to see you. I need a wing woman because Ricky’s nephew is h-o-t. And since Chugger was just using me so Blake could get to Skylar, I’m in serious need of an ego boost. And from what I understand, you could use some boy attention…”
They walked away with Zoe still muttering about things I had absolutely no interest in. What I was interested in was finding my beautiful girlfriend.
A stack of papers on the formal dining table caught my eye. I stepped forward and picked up the large envelope. ESMOD. The size alone told me she’d been accepted.
The air suddenly felt heavy. I knew it was coming. It was her dream, but I wasn’t ready to let her go.
I left the dining room and found Skylar mingling in the kitchen. I slipped my hand in hers and tugged her away from the crowd. The last week had been crazy, and we’d hardly spent more than a few hours together.
I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Is there a place we can talk?”
She pulled me out the back door and into the silence of the yard. A small porch lamp lit the area, but the light from the full moon stole the show.
I pulled her close until the heat of her body warmed the unease in my heart. “You’ve been crying,” I said, rubbing my thumbs under her swollen eyes.
She gave ghost of a smile. “Yeah. That grief thing is tricky. Gets you when you least expect it.”
I knew words couldn’t heal her hurts or minimize the loss of her father, so I just tucked her tight against me. We were the only ones outside, the noise of the party only a murmur through the windows. I pulled out my phone and found the song that played on repeat when I thought I’d lost her.
Piano chords drifted from the device, and I backed away to set it on the table. She cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows pinching with confusion.
I offered a hand. “Dance with me?”
A smile brightened her sad eyes, and soon she was in my arms swaying to the soft rhythm.
I grazed her forehead with my lips and trailed my lips down the side of her face until we were cheek to cheek. “I saw the package from ESMOD. Congratulations.” My heart raced with the words, but I refused to be the guy who held her back. Skylar was always meant for something spectacular, and I had been lucky to get even a piece of this amazing woman.
She rested her head against my chest and held me tighter. “Early admission,” she said in a sigh. “I think my dad was making his final wishes known.”
An ache pulled at my chest, and I had to bite my lip not to flinch from the pain. “When do you leave?” The words felt like vinegar rolling off my tongue. She’d been in my life for such a short period of time but had completely changed my world.
“I’m not.”
I froze, sure I had misheard the words. Pulling back so I could see her face, I searched for clues that I was mistaken. “What do you mean you’re not?”
She lifted her hand and softly ran her fingertips along my temple. “I’m not going to Paris.”
“But your plans? Your dream?”
“Dreams change. Tragedy does that sometimes. And what I want now is to be close to the people I love. Not halfway across the world.”
My heart felt like it imploded in my chest. I cupped her face, placed my forehead against hers. I wanted to just breathe in the scent of her until my mind could process what she was saying. “Are you sure?”
Her hands ran down my arms until each held my wrists. “Yes. I love you. The last few months have shown me that it isn’t my situation that decides my happiness. It’s the people around me. Those I love and who love me back. My family is here. You and Zoe are here. Dreams adjust.”
The music faded, as did the rest of the world. Skylar was staying. She had chosen me just like I had chosen her. We’d find somewhere that had both fashion school and wrestling. We’d have our dreams and each other. I’d make sure of it.
I stared into the eyes that saw past all my defenses and mistakes. Her face was illuminated by the moonlight, her skin a soft glow of perfection. I loved that tears glistened against the green of her eyes. I loved her honesty. I loved her selflessness. I loved that she’d found me worthy to love those things about her.
I kissed her softly on the forehead, then nose, then each porcelain cheek. I found her mouth, its warmth enough to brand my soul with her name forever. I could feel her heart beat in rhythm with mine until the flicker of the porch light and a loud bang on the window had me pulling away and looking toward the noise.
Ricky’s face was pressed against the glass, and his hand signal made it clear he wanted us to rejoin the party.
Skylar’s soft laughter brought my own to the surface.
I pulled open the back door and let Skylar lead us in. In two hours we’d count down to the New Year and to the promise of new beginnings for all of us.
THE END
Bullying is a crime.
If you are a victim or know someone who is, the greatest weapon you have is to TELL.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!
For more information on what to do if you, your child, or someone close to you is being bullied, go to this website: