The Girl Who Chased Stars

VI

I wake up in the morning to find Skai's face looming directly over mine. "Wake up, Amy."

"I'm up... are you alright?"

Skai smiles warmly at me. "I am. You know, you're the only person whose ever really taken care of me like that."

"That's not true. No way."

She looks down at the ground, clearly embarrassed. "I'm serious Amy. Most people I know would just tell me to go home."

She fiddles with her fingers, and I run a hand tiredly through my tangled hair.

"Also..." she begins, "I want to thank you... I- I know that Paris was probably here last night and I know Wolfe told you about me and her. And, and, thank you, you know, for stopping me from doing something stupid."

"Wait. I'm confused. I thought you liked Paris."

Skai wriggles in an uncomfortable way. "I do, but I know that she doesn't, that she isn't...."

"Into you... like that." I finish for her.

"Jesus! It's like I'm just some game she plays with, like I'm disposable and she can throw me away when a better game shows up! I'm not fucking disposable."

Skai's outburst startles me, and I stare at her utterly surprised. I've never seen her angry before.

"Hey, you're not. You're not disposable."

"Yeah? Well tell that to your stupid sister."

I watch her sit down in a defeated heap. "I like her, you know? It's killing me, but no matter what I do I just can't stop thinking about her. And it's so... so frustrating."

Skai sighs, and I want to laugh. Of course, I feel for her, but it's ironic too.

" You like her but she's too oblivious to see or care."

"Yes! Exactly! How..."

I sigh, and look away from her.

"I'm sort of dealing with the same type of thing right now."

Skai gives me a sympathetic look. "Sucks, huh?"

"Totally."

"So..." she sits beside me, and crosses her legs. Her normal aura is slowly returning. "Who is he?"

She smiles at me playfully but I can still see the lingering pain in her eyes, I figure she's obviously trying to change the subject.

"Um... it's a she, actually."

Skai's eyebrows raise in surprise. "I didn't know you liked girls! Must run in the family," she jokes.

"Well, yeah."

"So. Who is it?"

Uncharted territory. Oh no.

"Um..."

Tell her! Confess! Do it!

"It's just this girl I met a few weeks ago."

"Yes, but who?"

It's you! Skai it's you!

"Just some girl I met at a party." Lies. Freaking lies.

Skai frowns, and looks at me. "Oh. That's lame, Amy. C'mon explain. Give me the details, like, tell me why you like her, you know, what she looks like."

"Why I like her? Well, I mean...." I sigh, and decide to just give in. "She's beautiful. Inside and out. Honestly Skai, She's the most interesting and amazing girl that I've ever met."

Skai stares at me, completely intrigued. I find myself unable to stop talking.

" And her eyes, her eyes are crazy and seductive and I love it so much, Skai. It's her eyes that really drive me crazy."

She throws her head back with laughter. "The eyes are my weakness too! It's the best part of a girl!"

"No way." I argue. "It's the personality. The personality is the best part, because trying to figure her out is like an endless page turner."

"What? That makes no sense!" laughs Skai.

"No! It does!It's like you want to know what she's thinking in that beautiful head of hers, so you keep reading, but you never find an ending. Because then there would be nothing left, and theres always another page in her mind. There is no 'The End'. It's just her, and everything she does is different. It's like she's always got that certain element of surprise. She's always doing something or saying something that you'd never see coming."

Skai bites her lip, and looks at me for the longest time. "You know," she says quietly, "You really are amazing."

My cheeks go red. "How so?"

"You're so unlike anyone I've ever met. You... you see the world in a different way, and..." She looks at my dingy sofa like maybe it will help her get out the words that are stuck in her throat.

" I don't think you realize how beautiful you honestly are, Amy. The girl you just described? It's you. It's completely you all the way through."

My breath hitches in my throat, and I want to confess to her. I want to tell her that I don't think I'd be able to see the world the same without her. I've been living in black and white without her.

The air is thick and we're both left in an uncomfortable silence. After a moment Skai laughs in a fake way and says loudly,

"No homo though, let's not get too mushy."

I want to reply to her that I love it. That I love the mushy.

Matter of fact, I practically live for it.