Beautiful (16 page)

Her eyes darted back and forth between Jacob and me. “Um…thanks, Jacob. I really appreciate you doing this for Mitch.”

He smiled and replied, “No worries, and I’m not doing it for him, Sky.” When he turned to me, he nodded and said, “Wyatt, what’s up?”

My jaw was clenched tightly. “Not much,” I forced out.

After Jacob walked away, I looked at Skylar. “See ya around,” I barely said.

She reached for my arm. “Wyatt, please wait. It’s not what you think. I need to drop my car off at the dealership, and Mitch told me this morning that he couldn’t pick me up from there. Jacob overheard, and he offered to do it for Mitch.”

With a slight smile, I nodded. “I guess it’s really none of my business anyway.”

A look of hurt washed across her face. “Wyatt, don’t be like that.”

I let out a gruff laugh. “Like what? Bitter…angry…upset that your ex-boyfriend is picking you up when it should be me? And all for what, Skylar? Because you saw something that you wanted to believe but was far from it.”

“I didn’t want to believe anything.”

“Apparently, because you don’t believe me when I say it wasn’t what it looked like. Yet I get sent pictures of you in Mike’s arms at a party I had just left. You talk to him but not me. You’ll let some asshole dick who dumped you pick you up, but you won’t let the person who loves you help you. I’m tired of trying to figure it all out, Skylar. I’m tired of waiting.”

Turning on my heels, I walked away from her. When she called out my name, I didn’t stop.

I ended up walking straight out of the building and to my truck. I spent the rest of the day at the spot up at Inks Lake State Park where Skylar normally went to be alone.

I was confused, pissed off, and hurting. Most of all, I was stunned that I’d told Skylar I loved her. The look on her face when I’d said it was burned into my memory. Her eyes had widened, and for one brief second, I’d thought I saw something in her eyes.

Love.

Pushing my hand through my hair, I let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not giving up on you, Skylar Woods. I swear…I’ll never give up.”

Walking into the gym at the high school, I came to a stop. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Jacob. He was spotting Mike while he bench-pressed what looked to be too much weight for him.

“Hey, I thought you were picking up Skylar.”

His eyes lifted to mine. “No. Mitch told me their dad was going to pick her up.”

I tried like hell not to smile. Jacob did a good job of shooting daggers in my direction though.

“Where were you last period?” Mike asked, sitting up, trying to catch his breath.

“Appointment,” was all I said, glancing over to Jacob.

Jacob made his way over to me. “You say something to her or what?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t even try to act like you don’t. You got pissed off that I was going to pick up Skylar, so you said something to her. Why else would Mitch call me and tell me he didn’t need me to pick her up?”

With a shit-eating grin, I shrugged. “I don’t know, dude. Maybe because her father was able to pick her up.”

Mike stood in between us. “Okay, let’s not do this again, guys.”

Looking directly into Jacob’s eyes, I said, “She doesn’t even return my damn phone calls, so what makes you think I could tell her not to have you pick her up?”

Jacob narrowed his eyes at me and then pointed. “You fucked it up with her.”

“And I have every intention of getting her back,” I replied.

He shook his head. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

That was it. I lunged at him.

Mike grabbed ahold of me. “Wyatt! He’s purposely egging you on. Just let it go. Dude, let it go!”

A few other guys jumped up and held Jacob back.

“You had your chance with her, Jacob. You hurt her, and that’s the difference between us. I’d never do anything to hurt her, and I would never walk away from her. So, yes, I plan on fighting for her, and if that means blocking your attempts, then so be it. I love her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to show her that.”

Mike’s face dropped. “Dude…you just said you loved Skylar.”

Pushing Mike away, I fixed my T-shirt. “I do love her. And I will protect her, no matter what.”

Jacob stared at me with a stunned face. “You’re not the only one who loves her.”

Laughing, I walked up to him. “Nah, dude, if you really loved her, you would never have done what you did to her.”

I reached down, grabbed my duffel bag, and headed out the door. Walking around the building, I put my hand out, closed my eyes, and leaned against the building. Trying to calm down, I started counting. It was something my old football coach in New Mexico would have us do when we got pissed off.

“Hey, Wyatt. What are you doing?”

Opening my eyes, I saw Jenny was leaning against the wall.

Damn, this girl never gives up.

Laughing, I shook my head and pushed off the wall. Without saying a word to her, I walked away. One of these days, she’d give up.

Taking my phone out, I hit Skylar’s number. Expecting it to go to voice mail, I got ready to leave the same message I had been leaving for weeks.

“Hello?”

My heart jumped to my throat, and my mouth went dry. Clearing my throat the best I could, I choked out, “Hey. I wasn’t expecting you to answer.”

“I didn’t want you thinking I was with Jacob.”

My eyes closed while my chest felt like a weight was sitting on it. I was so confused by the signals Skylar had been sending me. She had been pushing me away, yet she wanted me to know she wasn’t with Jacob. My head was spinning.

“I didn’t. I saw him at the school gym.”

“Oh.”

“Was something wrong with your car?” I knew it was small talk, but I’d talk about the damn weather if I had to. I’d do anything to talk to her, to hear her voice.

“Mitch said the alternator was going out…or something like that.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. Working up the courage to ask her out to dinner, I dragged in a deep breath and was about to ask her when she started talking.

“Congratulations on Baylor. I haven’t had a chance to tell you that.”

With a soft sigh, I replied, “Thank you.”

“I need to run. My mother is waiting on me. It was nice talking to you.”

“Yeah. I’ll see ya around.”

Hitting End, I wanted to throw my phone. I had heard it in her voice. She missed me as much as I missed her.

Tomorrow, I would not give her an option. We were going to sit down and talk. I loved her, and I was going to tell her so. If she could look me in the eyes and tell me she didn’t love me, then I would walk away and never bother her again. Until that moment, I would not give up.

I was almost to my truck when I heard Jenny calling out, “Wyatt! Wait!”

“Son of a bitch. What does it take to get this girl to leave me alone?”

Opening the door, I threw my duffel bag in. Turning, I watched her run up. “What’s up, Jenny? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

She smiled and glanced around, like she was waiting for someone. “I was wondering if you might want to go to prom with me.”

With a grimace, I stood there. “What?”

Standing up taller, she repeated, “I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom with me.”

I looked away and tried hard to think of a way to get it through her head that I wasn’t interested in her. When I focused back on her, her smile faded.

“Listen, Jenny, I don’t know any other way to tell you this other than to just come out with it. I’m not interested in you. I’m interested in Skylar. I care about her, and she is the only girl I want to be with.”

Her face fell. “Wh-what? She isn’t even talking to you. She ignores you!”

“Because of you and that little stunt you pulled. You can try all you want to keep us apart, but it’s not going to work. I don’t want to be such a dick, but honestly, please just move on because nothing is going to happen between us. I love Skylar, and I always will.”

She let out a sarcastic laugh. “You can’t be serious. You’re in love with a girl who slept with a guy and then cried rape? Who knows how many other guys she has been with? She’s a whore.”

Keeping my anger in check, I took stock of the person in front of me. I felt sorry for Jenny. She was obviously jealous of Skylar and had made it her mission to hurt Skylar every chance she got.

“Sometimes, it does us good to look in the mirror before we start throwing stones, Jenny.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get going.”

Jenny placed her hands on her hips. “You are going to be so sorry you said that to me. You love your precious little Skylar? Well…let’s see how much you love her when I get proof of what a little whore she really is.”

Before I shut the door, I looked into her eyes. “Good luck with that, Jenny.”

Closing the door, I started my truck and drove off. I pushed my hand through my hair and let out a frustrated moan.

Why do I have the feeling I just poked the monster and woke it up?

Skylar

Mom and dad were talking when I walked into the kitchen. Both of them looked at me and smiled.

“Your car is ready. We can pick it up on the way to school if you want.”

Smiling, I nodded. “Sounds good, Dad.”

“I can take her, Dad,” Mitch said, coming up from behind me. He made a beeline straight to the pancakes mom was making.

“Want some, Skylar?” mom asked.

With a quick glance down to the yummy-looking pancakes, I slowly shook my head. “Nah, I’ll pass.”

“You sure? They’re cinnamon vanilla,” she said with a wink.

“Positive. Unlike Mitch here, they will go straight to my thighs.”

Mitch laughed. “Hey, I need you to help me come up with a great way to ask Michelle to prom.”

Rolling my eyes, I sighed while I poured my orange juice. “You’re dating. Isn’t it a given that you’re going together?”

Mom and Dad both chuckled.

“Yes, but I’m sure she still wants to be asked. Don’t you think, Dad? Aren’t women like that?”

Placing her hands on her hips, mom cleared her throat. “Like what?”

Mitch shrugged. “You know…they expect things.”

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” I said, taking a seat at the kitchen island.

An angry look moved over mom’s face. “Expect things?”

“Yeah, like when it’s Valentine’s Day, and they say they don’t want anything, but they really do. And if you don’t get them something, they get pissed.” He was digging himself deeper with each word.

Dad stared at him in shock.

“Or prom, for instance. Last year, I didn’t ask Michelle. I just assumed we were going together. When I asked her what color her dress was, she wanted to know why I cared since I hadn’t asked her to prom. It’s stuff like that. Women expect men to know what they are thinking all the time.”

Dad chuckled, earning a dirty look from mom “Um…my advice would be to ask her and have flowers in your hand when you do it. Then, bring some home to your mother.”

I couldn’t help it. I busted out laughing. “Mitch, are you about ready? We should leave a few minutes early.”

He nodded while shoveling in the pancakes. “I have a feeling I said something wrong,” he said with a smile. Kissing my mother on the cheek, he chuckled and said, “Love you, Mom.”

She sighed and replied, “I love you, too.”

Once we got into his truck, I laughed. “I would take her to that special spot y’all have. Maybe set up a picnic, bring one single rose, and ask her. She’ll like that.”

Mitch looked at me and smiled as he started to drive. “Thanks, Sky. What about you?”

Pinching my eyebrows together, I asked, “What about me?”

“Prom. Would you go if Wyatt asked you?”

I gripped my arms, as if in pain. The idea of going to prom with Wyatt had once been a dream. There would be nothing but whispers and stares if I went now. “I seriously don’t think Wyatt will ask, and if he did, I would say no.”

“Why?” he asked, frustrated.

With a gruff laugh, I shook my head and looked out the window. “Why would I go? So I could hear people making snarky comments? Jenny would have a field day if I showed up at prom.”