Conveniently Inspired

Chapter Twenty

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Skylar jolted awake with a startling speed. She sat upright, black stars dotting her vision. The voice came from her mother, no doubt about that, as she was hovering by the threshold, glaring at her daughter like some intruder. Skylar didn't know why though, at least, until she looked to her left and saw Kaden there.

What the hell was Kaden still doing in her house? He was supposed to leave last night! He must've fallen asleep- his disheveled hair and dark shadows under his eyes pretty much gave that away. He scrambled to his feet, shooting Skylar's mother an apologetic look.

Ms. Lin went full on Asian mom in this instant. Cantonese swear words spat from her mouth at a volume that was sure to be heard by nearby neighbors. And then, in English: "Did you two sleep together?" Right afterwards, Kaden unleashed a fierce blush.

"No!" they simultaneously screeched.

Ms. Lin chose to single out Kaden. "Then why the hell are you in my daughter's room?"

Now that was the question of the decade. Here was the tricky part: if Skylar told the truth about her being intoxicated, then she'd get in trouble. But if she didn't tell the truth, then she'd have no valid reason for why Kaden Brooks was in her bedroom all night. And that would circle back to the 'sleeping together' accusation. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

Kaden apparently realized the same thing because neither of them had an excuse to give.

Ms. Lin scoffed. "You two think I'm stupid?" And then, in Canto: "Nieu, I can smell your alcohol from here! I saw your vomit outside my store too! What has gotten into you?"

Aaron appeared in the room, adding yet another layer of awkwardness to loom in the air. He grabbed Ms. Lin's arm in a let's calm down and talk this through manner, which only seemed to anger her more. Ms. Lin pivoted towards Kaden. And then, in a quiet voice, like she was ashamed of what was to come, she said, "I don't want you seeing my daughter anymore."

Skylar flinched. "What?! Mom!"

In Canto, Ms. Lin snapped "Just wait until I get to you, young lady! You are not the daughter I raised. You never partied or drank alcohol until you met this boy. Obviously, there is some correlation. If I ever catch you with him again, then you can pay for your college tuition by yourself."

To Kaden, she went, "I want you out of my house and out of my daughter's life in five minutes."

And then to Skylar: "After school, you come straight home. No more going out. No more socializing. All your free time will be spent working here at the store. Do not disobey your mother."

Skylar turned to Aaron, but of course, the bastard was too hooked around her mother's pinky to speak out against her. They all left her bedroom. Aaron casted one last sympathetic look in Skylar's direction before leaving.

A bulge was lodged in her throat. "I'm so sorry" was the first thing she could think of to say.

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry. It was my fault for falling asleep."

"If I had just listened to you and not gone to that party, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Hey, stop, it's not your fault. Look, we'll figure something out okay?" He gently glucked her chin in what she assumed was an attempt to cheer her up. "I'll still see you at school. You won't be able to get rid of me that fast, Lin."

Lena suddenly appeared in the room next (did nobody know what privacy was?) apparently having overheard the conversation. Soggy tears mixed with concerned expressions of "When will I see you again?" took over. Kaden was doing his best to console Lena, but it was evident that he really was in a rush to get home. Skylar wondered if his sudden impatience had to do with his step-father. Would Kaden get in trouble for being home late? Would he get punished? Based on his last interaction with Paul, she doubted that he'd let Kaden go with a slap on the wrist.

"Listen, I have to go. I'll tell your mom this was all my fault, okay? Just, hang tight until I see you on Monday." And then he was out the door and out their house.

Skylar watched from their bedroom window as Kaden fast-walked to his car. His hand was shaking as he fumbled for his keys. From this view top angle, it looked like he was starring in some commercial for Magnesium chocolate ice cream. His frantic strut coupled with his white collared shirt in their downstreet area looked oddly scenic. He yanked the driver's seat open, and she was 99% sure that he sped down the street without putting on his seatbelt.

The rest of the weekend was spent in lockdown. Ms Lin remained true to her word and sent her siblings to spy on Skylar like she was some federal prisoner. Even Aaron came by a couple times to poke his head in and make sure she wasn't trying to sneak out of her window. Of course, this was Skylar, and each time someone came to check up on her, she was in the middle of the most mundane task: either annotating her book for English, writing up her next essay, or typing away at her short story. In a way, she was thankful for her mother's outburst and harsh lockdown parameters. It gave her characters some flaws and her plot some spice.

In a nutshell, her short story was a modern retelling of Romeo & Juliette. It centered around Ranee (whose name was non-existent for now) and her journey falling in love with the one boy who was off limits: Jamie Carter, the boy whom her family had a long-existing feud with. Their enemies-to-lovers arc was a slow burning tale fuelled with passion and tension. Well, as slow as you could put it in a 5,000 word count limit. Throughout their forced, intimate interactions, Ranee realizes that she cannot live life without Jamie. And not in that misogynistic, girl–who-depends-too-much-on-her-boyfriend type of way, but one that showed Ranee parts of her life that were missing. He had brought joy and fun into her life that had previously been consumed with money and drama. He taught her what living was meant to be.

As she typed up the words "THE END", her fingers hovering over the keyboard, a burning sensation washed over her. She scrolled back to the top and skimmed her story from the start, each word and sentence absorbing into a sense of nostalgia. As if she'd read this story before. As if she'd lived it before. As she absorbed the familiarity of the storyline, she realized why- she'd essentially written the story of her and Kaden. Duh. It was a no-brainer. Kaden was the knight in shining armour who taught Ranee how to live with ferocity and wanderlust. And it wasn't far from the truth. Before Kaden entered her life, she hid behind words and books, fine with getting by each day with her head down. But Kaden brought out a side of her that had never existed before. It was a version that must've been suppressed, aching, waiting to show the world her true self. She liked who she was when she was with Kaden. He made her a better person, and she hoped that he could say the same from her presence, too.

The contest deadline was the following week, and after that, she and Kaden would no longer have a reason to continue this fake dating charade. At least, on her part of the bargain. But it seemed like Summer had officially gotten off Kaden's back, so from his end of the deal, he no longer had a use for her either. And suddenly, a sadness swelled up inside, threatening to swallow her whole. Because without the short story contest and Summer's threatening overbearingness, it meant that Kaden would no longer be in her life. They would go back to strangers. And the mere thought alone absolutely terrified her.