The Sweet Escape

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

As soon as the bell rang during her chemistry class, Skylar rushed out of the class, relieved that it was finally lunch time. Not that she would be joining the rest of her classmates in the cafeteria, after all, she didn't really have any friends...anymore.

She went out into the courtyard, which was practically empty due to the fact that it was a gloomy day and no one seemed to like those. So she sat down under a tree, resting her head on it. Some peace and quiet at last.

Skylar hated everyone at her school. She'd never done anything to them. Not really. She was just labeled an outcast because she wasn't into the latest trends, because she didn't know what the latest "cool" song was, but was able to sing every My Chemical Romance song from memory. That, and because her only friend had died in the middle of their freshman year.

And it was her fault. And everyone liked to remind her of that. Not that she needed any reminding, she relived the moment every night before she went to bed, and every morning when she woke up.

"Don't get too close to Grant, girls!" Tracy Carlisle had yelled during P.E. in the middle of a soccer game. "She might just kill you like she did with Ingrid!"

She'd tried her hardest not to scream and cry in front of everyone. But she was alone now. Or so she thought.

"Hey, you okay?" came the familiar voice of Gregg Peters, a senior guy at school that got along with everyone. And the only person at school that didn't torture her everyday.

"Just great," she said sarcastically. "May I help you?"

"It's kind of crowded in there," Gregg explained, pointing a thumb back at the school. "Mind if I join you?"

So she agreed because Gregg Peters was nice, and she wasn't about to reject company. She also didn't want to push away the only guy that ever bothered to try to talk to her.

Dinner with Ian had been great, he'd been the perfect gentleman. He'd been so sweet to her too, making her blush in return. He was charming and the nicest man she had ever met. It made her feel so happy to finally have confessed to him about her feelings. Having him feel the same way was just magnificent, really.

She'd forgotten all about Gregg that night, that was until she woke up the next morning in her room. She tried to push those ugly thoughts to the side, think about Ian. They were supposed to spend time today as well seeing as it was Sunday, no work, no school, no distractions.

So she hopped into the shower letting the hot water relax her muscles.

"Don't think about him," she chimed to herself. "Ian is nothing like him."

But Ian was really nice and cared about her. And hadn't Gregg been the same way at first?

When she was done with the shower, she stepped out and covered herself in a towel. But something caught her attention. Pale lines on her arms, almost invisible now, unless someone paid close attention.

Before she could feel sorry for herself, she thought about lyrics from one of her favorites bands: "How stubborn are the scars when they won't fade away? Or gentle reminders that now are better days."

Yes, now were better days. She was finally happy. She had friends. She was on her way to being a lawyer, the career she had always wanted for herself. She had Ian now. And Ian was an amazing man.

Pick you up at 12:00? Ian asked through a text.

She smiled and replied: Sure. I'll be ready by then.