The Vale Of Tears

Chapter 5: Hope

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world; someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."

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A month had passed since Skye had moved to her new home. She had been slowly adjusting to the school with the help of Kyan and his friends. They had easily welcomed Skye into their group and it was clear that she was now part of their crowd as well. She had been bonding with each one of them and so far, she liked everyone. With the number of people in the group, it was no wonder that all of Skye's classes had at least one of them. It made it a lot easier for Skye to interact with and get to know them.

As per usual, Skye's parents had been busy with work and were hardly ever at home. On the outset of their move, Skye had been expecting, or rather, hoping that they wanted a fresh start and that they'd want to be more involved in her life. Over the last few days, though, that hope had dwindled into nothing and she now knew that she shouldn't hope for them to ever choose her over their work. Some nights they would come home and eat dinner together but most night it was just Skye dining alone with only silence to accompany her.

For Skye, the only times she felt like herself were when she was hanging out with her new friends at school. Unexpectedly, school had fast become an escape for her. Especially when she hung out with Kyan, since he was the one she was closest to. Skye had soon learned that Kyan was an only child and that the Avery that everyone in the group talked about all the time was Kyan's best friend. She had moved to Seattle before senior year had started. Whenever Kyan talked about Avery, there was a spark in his eyes that showed his affection towards her.

"Ave's really amazing, don't get me wrong, but she can be such a hardass at times," Kyan said to Skye as they took their seats in their English class.

"From everything I've heard about her, she seems like a really nice girl. You've known her for a pretty long time, huh?" Skye said, taking out her notebook.

"Yeah, since we were like six," Kyan said before waving to Toby, who had just walked into class. Skye smiled as Toby waved at Kyan and winked at her. He was always fun and he had a way of making people laugh with no effort. His mischievous brown eyes would light up as he joked around and got a laugh out of someone. His sandy blond hair was always messy as he had a habit of running his hands through it.

The day went by like a breeze and before Skye knew it, school was over. She was just putting her books back in her locker when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She anxiously turned around to see Flynn grinning at her. Huffing out the breath she didn't know she was holding, she turned back to her locker and finished putting her books inside.

"You scared me, Flynn." She closed the locker and started walking out of the school.

"Skye, please wait. Sorry about that. I thought it'd be fun." Flynn grabbed her hand tightly.

Skye gave him a playful glare at him but his smile didn't waver. She sighed and gave in, her lips forming a smile.

"What's up, Flynn?"

"Well, Kyan and I, we're heading out to grab a bite. I was thinking you could join us, if you want?" His tone was hesitant and he glanced at her.

"Sure, I haven't gone out much since I moved here. Maybe you guys can show me around," she suggested.

"Great, Kyan's bringing his car around. Let's wait in the parking lot," he lightly put an arm around her shoulder and guided her outside.