To Find the Lie, We Must Discard the Truth

I woke up a little early on Christmas and slipped out of bed. Before this day came I already knew it wasn’t going to be easy for me. My family knows that too. It was the day that things changed between Sky and I. The day she told me she loved me.

I quietly pass everyone’s bedrooms and go downstairs to watch the movies. Scary movies, yes, but it’s something that she gave me and maybe it’ll help me move pass it. Yeah, okay, that’s a lie, but still, I just feel like watching them.

About halfway through the first movie someone came into the room. “Ryan, why on earth are you watching Poltergeist at five in the morning on Christmas?” my mom asks. I stop the movie and turn to face her as she walks around the couch and takes a seat next to me. “well?”

I gulp, “um, it was the present that Sky gave me last year…” I mumble.

“oh.” I could hear it in my mom’s voice that she missed Sky too. Then she asked the question I'm sure she's been waiting months to ask, "why didn't you tell us the truth?"

"which lie are we talking about?" she gives me one of those 'don't make me change the subject,' looks. I take in a deep breath, "Sky had this saying 'to survive, it's best to keep to yourself.' let's just say it took me about two months to really learn anything about her. Another two months to get her to admit any type of feelings. and then she ran away. It happened so fast that I didn't have the time nor place to tell you anything. One minute she's finally opening up to me and the next she disappears. Also, it's not really something for me to tell."

"and it is something for Veronica to tell?"

"ah, I was wondering how you knew." she gives me a sly smile, "Veronica is open about a lot of stuff that isn't about Sky. I'm pretty sure they've met, but she won't tell me one way or another. She does know that Sky is my ex though."

My mom nods as if she understands though I doubt she does. “And about the other lie...”

“right. I guess I should have told you this one a lot earlier. You see…Sky wasn’t exactly my girlfriend.” I say the last bit fast but I know she heard me.

“she wasn’t?” my mother raises her eyebrows at me.

“no… we met back in elementary school. She walked into my classroom to give the teacher something. According to Blake, I had told him I’d marry her someday.” My mom smiles at that and so do I. “anyways, I sat with her at lunch that day. She was more open back then, more friendly. Her parent’s hadn’t turned against her just yet. Still though, she didn’t like hanging out around a lot of people and definitely didn’t let people get close to her. So, to stay on her good side I’d only talk to her about five times a year or so. I’d also sit in the back of class with her, making up random excuses to do so.” I pause, thinking back to the day we she actually shared something with me. “Last year, when she got bumped up a grade I had asked her how she was doing. So she told me. This was when you guys were out and I had the kids. I took them to the Frozen Yogurt shop where she used to work and her boss instantly thought I was her boyfriend. The kids heard this and passed it onto you guys. Then the play came and we got the lead parts, forcing us to work together. That’s why you met her and everything. It just all fell into place like a puzzle.”

She sits there for a moment, taking everything in. “Did you have an actual girlfriend?”

I nod, “her name’s Amanda. I caught her cheating on me on Halloween. She’s the girl who flipped out during the play, the one that was behind Sky’s accident.”

“oh yes, I remember her now. And you dated her?”

I shrug, “it was kind of one of those relationships that I couldn’t get out of without a really good reason. And I finally found that reason.”

“were you and Sky ever official?”

I laugh, “yeah… the night of the play actually. We forgot, well I forgot, about how we weren’t a couple at school. I kissed her and someone freaked out about it. We couldn’t deny it because you guys were right there, so we just let it happen.”

“and this was all for the wedding?”

“um, yeah. Rick actually found out quite quickly. The rest of you were totally oblivious, luckily.”

“and that’s why she fainted at Christmas, right? She didn’t expect to see her aunt and all.”

“precisely. That’s also why we fought and she slept in another room.”

It looked like my mom was thinking over something, what though, I did not know. “damn.”

“damn…?”

She looks back up at me, “how did you know about the marriage?”

“oh, uh, Sky told me in one of her letters.”

“I-I had told her about the arrangement that night. I had no idea they were related or anything. She was saying how you didn’t really love her and all that crap and so I just kind of blurted out about how we stopped the marriage so that you two could be together. I didn’t mean to, honestly.”

“I know mom. It’s all in the past now anyways. You’re lucky that I actually like Veronica.” Her face softens a little. “The only problem though is that she doesn’t think anyone likes her.”

“It’s just hard, ya know?”

I nod, “I definitely know. But she’s going to be my wife. We all miss Sky, and trust me when I say that I won’t be forgetting about her anytime soon. It’s just, she told me to go along with this marriage no matter what. I know it was directed to me personally, but I’m sure she didn’t want my whole family disliking Veronica either. Will you at least try to include her more?”

Then my mom blurted out the one thing I’d been wondering throughout the past three months. “What if she comes back?”

“she’s the one that told me to move on.”

“don’t we always tell those we love to move on?”

“if she comes back, she’ll have to deal with me being married to another.”

“and if she shows up before then?”

I stay silent. What would happen if Sky just came knocking at the door tomorrow? Would I be happy? Mad? Would I just forget about Veronica? I want to say that I’d be happy to see her, that I would hug her and cry tears of joy. But there was also this side of me that’s pissed at her for leaving. That wishes she told me more, gave me a clearer warning, anything. So what would I do if the girl I love just randomly popped in?

“I’d invite her to the wedding.” I answer simply and walk away.

I wish my life was one of those adventure stories where you get to choose which path to take. Then, I could at least choose the consequences.