Blue Sky and Other Things That Are Good For You

I grab my last bag from the trunk of Ryan's car and set it on the sidewalk.

“you sure about this?” he asks for the millionth time, holding my hands in his.

I nod against his chest, “I'll still see you Ryan.”

“I know. It just won't be the same without you.” he pouts, trying to convince me to come back.

“not going to work this time. But, you'll be seeing me tonight anyways.” his parents somehow got me to agree to having them meet my parents. So, we were going over to his house tonight for dinner. All I had to do was make sure my parents weren't drunk or drugged.

He smiles a little, “and you and I can sneak away for a bit.” I roll my eyes at him.

“I've got to go.” I say, pulling back a little but he wouldn't let go of his grip on me. “Ryan, come on. We already talked about this.”

“I just don't want to go. Last time I let you walk up those stairs by yourself you almost died.”

I laugh, “then why don't you come in for a cup of coffee or something. Will that help you out here?”

he nods and we start our way up the stairs of my apartment. When I unlocked the door I found my parents sitting on the sofa watching some movie on T.V. It was only eight in the morning so I knew they were sober.

“hey guys.” I say, setting my keys in the bowl next to the door.

The two of them look up at the sound of my voice. “hey Blue.” my dad says, switching the sound on the T.V. to mute. “how are you?”

There was a very short amount of time to which I could have a civil conversation with my parents. This time was usually in the early morning when they first got up, like right now. Though I was at school mostly and wasn't around for this magical moment.

“good.” I turn to Ryan and hand him my bag, “can you put this in my room please? I'll see you there in a sec.” he nods and walks over to my room.

“who was that?” my mom asks. I sit down in the chair across from them.

“my boyfriend. You met him on Halloween, his name is Ryan.”

“oh yeah, Ryan Richards, right?”

I nod, “um, yes. Ryan Richards. Which brings me to what I want to talk to you guys about.”

my dad's face drops, “you're not pregnant are you?”

“what? No, I'm not pregnant. It's nothing like that.”

“oh, okay. That's good.”

“yeah, that is good. Back to what I was saying.” I take a deep breath, “I need you guys to stay sober for today.”

“why?”

“because Jane and Henry, Ryan's parents, want to meet you tonight for dinner. And I can't have you two drunk or drugged.”

“and when did we agree to this?”

“just please. Can you do this one thing for me? I don't ask anything from you two, all I want is one night where you're my parents and not some teenager.”

“and it's just for today?” my mom asks.

“just today. That's all I'm asking. The minute the dinner is over you guys can run off and do whatever you want.”

she looks over at my dad, “we should do this sweetie.” she tells him, squeezing his hand.

“fine.”

“and just so we're clear, this is the Richards family. Got it? Think back to when you two were growing up and had to go to all of those fancy parties and dinners. I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight.”

My dad smiles, “we know what to do Blue.”

“okay. I'm going to go unpack now. Remember, no drinking, no drugs. Nothing.” They both nod and I get up, walking to my room.

Ryan was looking around at the different stuff and currently had an empty can of Blue Sky in his hands. He turns to me when he hears the door closed. “what's this from?” he asks.

I take the can from his hands and set it back down, “this sweet boy who sat with my this one time in elementary school.”

a smile spreads across his face, “you kept the can?”

I nod, “I thought you were cute.” I admit, making his smile grow.

“so, did you talk to your parents about tonight.”

I sit down on my futon and he follows, “yeah. They promised to be on their best behavior and everything.”

“that's good.” I shrug and look out my window. “is something else bothering you Sky?”

“no, I'm fine.”

“really now? Because I can totally tell when you're lying and that right there was a lie.”

I turn to face him, “whatever happens, just remember that I love you and that I'll be safe.”

“Sky, what are you talking about?”

“I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen and I need you to know that I'm going to be safe.”

he pulls me into a hug, “Sky, nothing's going to happen.”

I wanted to believe him but I couldn't. I knew this day was coming and I had been ready for it for years now.

I gulp back the tears that were trying to escape. “if you say so.” I say, holding him tighter. No matter what he said or thought, I knew that tonight would be the last night I would see Ryan Richards.

~~~

After he left I packed up a bag with some of the fancier, more expensive, clothes of mine. I put my essentials in there too and tossed in my savings of about two thousand dollars. Like I said, I had been waiting for this day to come.

Before I got ready for the dinner I re-wrapped the picture that Charlie gave me for my birthday, and wrote a short note to Ryan, slipping it into the package. I wasn't sure that anything would happen tonight. Maybe Ryan was right, maybe it was nothing. But I couldn't risk it. I had to be ready if anything occurred.

When I finished packing, I slipped on a white dress of mine and quickly curled my hair. Everything was simple yet elegant, and totally fitting for the dinner tonight. I grab my clutch and walk out of my bedroom to find my parents standing there looking like they just stepped out of some magazine. I mean, I remember when they would dress up, but this was way more than that. My dad had on an actual suit while my mom wore a long knee length navy-blue dress that looked amazing on her.

“breath?” I ask and they both open their mouths. I didn't smell a drop of alcohol. “okay, your eyes are good... mom, your clutch.” she hands it to me and I check for any bottles. She was clean. “and dad, empty out your pockets.” he does so and there was nothing. “okay, I am very proud of you guys. Plus you two look stunning.”

“let's just say I knew we'd have to keep our expensive stuff for something.” my mom smiles at me.

I was borrowing Alisa's car for the night so that I could drop my parents off at the clubs and they'd pick their car up there. That way I didn't have to drive with them everywhere tonight.

We already made a deal that I was driving and my mom sat in the back. “so, who all is going to be there?” my dad asks.

“well, Ryan, his parents Jane and Henry. Then his older sister Lydia, her husband Rick and their two kids Sydney and Charlie. Then there's his younger sister Scarlet.” I name everybody, “and just so we're clear, you're last name is Reynolds, got it? Mom, you were never a Collins, and dad, you aren't related to Reynolds Appliances. Got it?”

my dad chuckles, “and may I ask why?”

“because they know both families and unless they recognize you, then you're not to say a word.”

“how do you know that?”

“let's just say that I met some family during Christmas. But don't worry, they didn't recognize me.”

My mom let out a small gasp, “who did you meet dear?”

“your sister, Mary, and her two kids Mark and Grace. But that's besides the point. If they do recognize you from past events then just tell them that you guys were cut from the trust because you didn't follow in your parents footsteps or something like that.”

“I feel like we're going to be lying a lot.”

“good, lie. That's perfect.”

“what do they know about us?”

“that you were teenagers when I was born and yeah, that's pretty much it.”

“great, they get to judge us off of being teenage parents.”

“they aren't like that. They actually think you guys are great parents because you raised a girl like me.” I pull into the driveway and park the car. “ready you two?”

they both nod and we get out of the car. I ring the doorbell and Jane answers it in a heartbeat. After quick introductions I notice that Ryan wasn't in the room. Henry must have seen me looking because he told me Ryan was still in his room. I thank him and excuse myself to go upstairs.

The door to Ryan's room was closed, so I slowly opened it to find him standing there, looking out his window. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his torso, “hey babe” I say, kissing the only thing I could reach which was his shoulder. I saw him smile in the window reflection and he set one of his hands on top of mine. “what are you doing up here?”

“waiting for you.” he answers.

“well I'm here now.”

“so I've noticed.”

For some reason I wanted to stay like this forever. Just the two of us, looking out the window as if there was something exciting happening on the other side. I was content, he was content. But nothing can last forever.

Before I could say anything more, Jane called for us to come down to dinner.

Surprisingly, the dinner didn't go too badly. Jane and my mom talked about some big fashion person who went bankrupt for most of the night while my dad and Henry spoke about business stuff. It all seemed to be going smoothly.

By the time we were leaving, everyone had had a great night.

“so, I'll pick you up for school on Monday, right?” Ryan asks, his hands holding me at the waist.

“yes, that is the plan we made.”

“and I'm supposed to survive without you until then?”

I laugh and press my lips against his, “bye Ryan.”

He doesn't let go and instead pulls me in for another kiss. I pull away before it got to intense. “you're going to be fine tonight. I promise.”

“fine.” he gives me one last short kiss, “I'll see you bright and early Monday morning. Love you.”

“Love you too.” with that I walk back to the car.

The whole night became reassuring to me, making me think that Ryan was right. That nothing would happen.

But it was still early, and no one could have guessed what tragedy would hit