Tree of Wishes

Calmer Than Words: A Skylar Perspective

When I was kid, and I got so angry I would throw my toys everywhere and have a tantrum, my mom would say, "What's wrong? Use your words, Skylar." After I'd figure out that crying wasn't going to get me what I wanted because I wasn't a baby anymore, I'd tell her what was making me angry, which for a kid was just dumb stuff like being hungry or my shoes being too tight. Then she'd comfort me, get me whatever I wanted, and once I was all good and happy, she'd say, "See? Don't you feel better now that you told me?" And I really couldn't say no to that.

I guess it's because of parenting like that I'm a little more open than most teenagers my age. I mean I still have my secrets, like what I do on the computer behind closed doors (shitposting memes mostly), but if I ever needed someone to talk to, my parents were the first people that came to mind. I came out to them about being a lesbian, being bullied at school, and how I felt like I didn't belong in school and I was never going to have any friends. They sat there and listened to my teenage drama, doing what they could to support me and offer any advice they had. It's not like they were perfect, especially with my dad being completely clueless on the mushy, girly bits, yet they tried their best because they cared. I know it sounds lame, but I wouldn't give that kind of love up for the world.

So when I found out my girlfriend hadn't come out to her parents yet, I didn't know what to say. When I tried to ask her more about it, she admitted that she was waiting to turn eighteen and leave to avoid it altogether. Meanwhile I couldn't bear the thought of hiding such a huge secret for another two years. I wished I knew what to say like my parents did. Somehow, I didn't inherit their great advice-giving skills. I didn't know much about her parents, yet if she didn't trust them with something this important, I could only assume the worst. You'd think the whole 'be honest and tell them the truth' would work like in the movies, but like... have you seen the statistics for gay teens? Harsh.

Even so, I knew I had to do something. I was determined to not let go of the smartest, funniest, most beautiful girl in school who is also gay. And the fact that she actually wanted to date the raven-haired goth looking chick on top of all that? That's a one-in-a-million chance, probably. It was when I was brainstorming ideas that I heard rumors about the tree that grants wishes. All you have to do is give it something you love, and it'll give you powers based on that thing. Pretty sweet, if you ask me. I mean... yeah. It's risky. I could wind up with an enlarged head or a freaky power like shooting out my eyeballs, but when I imagined stroking those golden blonde locks and gazing into those ocean blue eyes as she smiles back at me, I knew it'd be worth it.

With those sappy romantics in mind, I started my hike up the mountain once I figured where to even find it, which were both easier said than done. It had to be at least a twenty-minute walk up the place, and for someone who never exercised outside of gym class, that was practically torture. While the weather was cooling down as it got later in the year, giving me the perfect excuse to wear my favorite black hoodie and matching jeans, they were weighing me down by the time I hit the halfway point. Maybe the reason why some people give up the goth look isn't because it's a phase, but because it's too much work. Not that I would know. I swear I just like black, okay?

I'm glad I cut my hair short, or it'd be glued to my back by the time I reached the top drenched in sweat. On the other hand, the hair gel I used to spike up my hair was probably melting, and that wasn't going to be fun to deal with later. Thankfully, I was able to ignore how much of a hot mess I was for a moment as soon as I was greeted by the cutest dog on the planet. The way those tiny paws pattered about while he grinned up at me turned my heart into mush. I couldn't not pet him, you know? Like it would be against the law on dogs. He was more than happy to reciprocate anyway, plopping his tiny butt on the ground while I pet him from head to back. Not really the fluffiest puppy out there, but who cares?