Blue Sky and Other Things That Are Good For You

Ryan ignored the topic of before and we continued to rehearse other scenes from the script until dinner. I was sitting between Ryan and Scarlet, picking at my food.

“so, Sky, have you decided about Thanksgiving yet?” Mr. Richards asks.

Thanksgiving. It was a day I usually celebrated with other families in the apartment building. We’d make a big feast together and eat it, while enjoying games and stories.

Ryan looked over at me apologetically, not being able to help on this one, “actually, I haven’t because I have yet to be told exactly what I’m being invited to.” I say, glancing at Ryan. I would end up saying yes no matter what, but I had a need to put him on the spotlight for the moment.

“you still haven’t said anything? Didn’t we talk about this at lunch?” Lydia complains.

“Lydia, some other stuff came up okay? Sorry I forgot about a stupid holiday.”

Mrs. Richards ignored their little fight, “Basically, my family, and Donalds family all meet up at a resort on Ashland Mountain and have a big feast. This also include Ricks parents, of course, if they want to come. They’ve joined us in past years. The whole resort is ours, so it doesn’t really matter if you come or not, we’ll have the space. But it would be nice to know ahead of time.”

I smile politely, “I’ll be there, wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I answer.

“sure you don’t want to talk it over with your parents?”

“I’m sure. We just spend it with some neighbors, they won’t mind at all.”

“well then, I’ll add you to the list. It’ll be great to have you meet everyone, they’ve heard so much about you and are dying to see you in person.”

That was basically the end of dinner. Charlie and Sydney came running up to me as I was making my way upstairs, “will you come play a game with us?” Charlie asks.

“pwease?!” Sydney begs next to him. I look up at Ryan and see him shrug. What was up with him?

“I’ll be there in a second you two.” I say and turn around to talk to Ryan but he was gone. The kids ran back to their play room and I walked into Ryans room where he was now sitting on his bed, staring out his window.

I sat down next to him and I knew that he knew I was there, since the bed moved when I sat on it. “what do you think about when you stare out your window?” I ask quietly. I move my hand so that it’s laying over his, intertwining our fingers.

Ryan looks down at our hands together and then back up at me. “you.” he replies simply.

I gulp, that hurt in more than one ways. “Ryan, I think your making this more complicated than it needs to be.” I say.

“aren’t you the one doing that?” he counters.

I take a deep breath, not wanting to have this fight with him again, “I’m going to go play a game with the kids, would you like to join?”

“no, I’m good.” Ryan says and I slip my fingers out of his. I pause at the doorway, looking back at him. He was so vulnerable in this state and it hurt to seem him like that. I close the door before I head down to hang out with Sydney and Charlie.

“okay guys! That was the last round, time for bed.” I say, standing up after a long game of disney’s Scene it.

“but we want more!” Charlie complains.

“nope. I need my rest, and so do you two. Come on, I’ll race you to the bathroom!” the two kids were up and running before I could set down the remote and follow. They beat me and were brushing their teeth when I entered. I tucked them into their separate bedrooms and then went back to Ryans.

He was sitting in the same position as I left him but this time had a pile of clothes next to him. I walk over and notice they were a pair of sleeping boxers and a tank-top from Scarlet.

This kid was not moving without some motivation and I honestly didn’t feel like walking all the way back to the bathroom at the moment. My underwear and bra covers more of me then my swimsuit, so I just decided to change right there. I took my time slipping out of the dress and slipping on the boxer shorts and tank-top. But Ryans’ head didn’t even twitch.

“oh come on! I practically stripped right in front of you!” I complain, throwing the dress I was wearing at his head.

He chuckled and finally turned to face me, “oh, I know. I was watching your reflection in the window.” Ryan says, grinning like a fool.

“I hope you didn’t stay in here the whole time I was playing with Charlie and Sydney.” I say, sitting down very close to him.

“of course not. Obviously I got clothes for you. and talked to my dad and Rick about the Thanksgiving trip.”

“what about it.” I ask.

“please, I beg you, don’t ask that.”

“now you made me really want to know. Please?”

“hell no.”

I run my hand up and down his arm, knowing that would make him tell, “really Ryan, I’d rather you tell me, then say, your sister.”

He bit his lip, holding back a moan. Darn, it didn’t work. All I had to do was up my act. Instead of letting my hand run back down his arm, I ran it across his shoulder and to the buttons of his shirt, unbuttoning them slowly. I didn’t even get to the third one before he grabbed my wrists to stop me.

“this is what they were talking to me about.”

“me seducing my fake boyfriend into telling me something? When did parents get so literal?”

“sex Sky, I had to have a sex talk with my dad and Rick. Happy now?”

“not really. You don’t look too good with two buttons undone.” I smile and he rolls his eyes. “come on Ryan, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“the buttons or the sex talk?”

“the buttons, duh.” He still had my wrist locked in his hand on his chest. His heart was beating faster, I realized, which made my smile grow even bigger, “does your heart always beat that fast?” I ask, knowing the answer already but wanting to hear it from him.

“only when I’m around you.”

I giggle, “so yes?” I take my pinky finger that was being held against his chest and flick the third button with it, letting the button come all the way undone, “much better.”

“God Sky! Why are you doing this!?” he roughly throws my hand back onto my lap.

Surprisingly, I actually had a true answer for this question. “well, two reasons. One, you’re too nice of a person. No one can be that nice all the time and not have anger built up in them. It really is good to let your anger out Ryan. Two, I’m trying to prove to you that I’m your weakness, since you don’t believe me on that. But I do wonder why you get so mad at me when I’m playing around with you.”

He looks at me like I just leaped into another subject. “you’re such a sophomore!” he yells.

“oh come on! I may not have dated the school slut before you, but that doesn’t mean you can bring my age or inexperience into this Ryan!” I respond.

“at least she would finish ‘playing around with me’” Ryan counters.

That was harsh. I mean, really, really harsh. “It’s not like you’ve been begging me to continue.” This made him shut up, and I smiled victoriously. “actually, if I recall, you’re the one who grabbed my hand and stopped me.”

“will you just stop it Sky!” I stopped from head to toe when he said this. The tone in his voice actually frightened me. There were tears filling up in Ryans eyes that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Ryan?” I ask, my voice changed to worried, “are you okay?” I think it was the first time I ever actually asked him this. He was always okay, always happy, always nice. So why ask? Until now, until he’s weak and in tears.

“I wasn’t good enough for her.” He mumbles.

“you weren’t good enough for who? Amanda?” he nods, “Ryan, you were more than enough for Amanda. She just had a way of life that wasn’t the same as yours.”

“we dated for three years and she’s f*cked almost every other guy in the school, except for me.” He states.

“oh. Well, I was always taught that you saved the best for last. So she was probably saving you as like the big trophy. Her reward for shagging every other guy, she finally got to shag you.”

this actually made him smile which was a relief. I wasn’t good with people crying, especially guys crying, “Sky, was that supposed to make me feel better?”

“um, yes?” I answer hesitantly.

He laughs and then swiftly grabs me from around the waist and pulls me down with him. Soon after, we were cuddled up under the covers with the light off, my back facing him. He was stroking my hair slowly, like if he sped up I would disappear.

he whispers in my ear, saying his line perfectly. Afterwards I felt his lips against my hair and trail down to my neck and shoulders. I giggle and feel tingly from his touch.