Only You.
Nine
Sitting in the car with Skylar was an occurrence I was getting used to. I couldn’t take my mind off that girl though. Skylar was in the background of my mind talking on and on about just random things. I notice myself slowly nodding off. I realize I’m remembering childhood memories, ones like my first slide down a pole on a jungle gym when I was 5. My loving mother before the accident, before my father died. My father was something important in this law firm in the city. He worked a lot so I don’t remember him much, but back then my mother she was happier, kinder, and loving.
I remember this one trip to the zoo we took when I was 6, my mother begged my father to take time off and come with us. After a while my father laughed and said “Alright Sara, I’ll do it for our son little Jack.” He said picking me up and hugging me. That following Friday I got to leave school early and go with my mother and my father to the city zoo. At first it started out normal, we saw penguins, elephants, lions, and bears. I was having so much fun, but when my mother turned to ask a lady where the souvenir shop was I took off running to go see the rhino’s across the way. I was so distracted by how cool they were I didn’t hear my mother and father yelling my name. “Jack!! JACK!! Oh Luke, I can’t find him anywhere!” Sara said to her husband almost in tears “What if he gets hurt or kidnapped or….” Her husband, Luke, wrapped his arms around his wife “We’ll find him Sara. We’ve got the zoo’s cops looking around as well. I promise we’ll find him.” he said trying to calm her.
It took an hour to finally find me standing near the rhinos. I feel someone tap my shoulder “Hey are you Jack?” I look at the lady in this tan outfit. I nod my head “Yes ma’am.” I said. “Well I’m Officer Dana. Could you come with me?” she held out her hand “Mommy said not to talk to or trust strangers.” I said matter of factly. She smiled, “you’re a smart boy Jack. I’m actually gunna take you to your mommy ok. I promise I won’t hurt you” she had a kind face to her. “Do you promise? Pinky promise?” I said holding out my pinky. She laughed and held out her own pinky “I promise jack.” She said as we promised. I held out my hand and she took it. She indeed walked me to my mother, and I felt instantly terrible when I saw my mother was in tears. “Oh my baby!!!” she said running to me. I felt tears hit my eyes and I started to cry “M-MOMMY!!! DADDY!!” I yelled as I ran to my mother. She picked me up and cried, I felt my father encircle us in his arms. “I missed you so much. I love you jack.” Those words repeat in my head when I feel someone grab my shoulder, I jumped.
“Woah, easy Jack. You ok?” Skylar asked me, I looked at him; I realized where I am and what I was doing. “Oh yeah….I’m fine” I say as he stares at me, I start to fidget “Wh-what were you talking about” I say trying to stop the tension in here. “Right, I said do you want to go out to eat?” he said, I could tell he was relaxed again “I don’t have any money though….” I admit. He laughed like it was a joke “That’s fine, cause if this is gunna be a date of course I’ll be paying.” He said smiling which only made me blush. Honestly I didn’t care if we were at home or at a fancy restraunt, I just love the feel of him being near me. “Alright…” I say smiling slightly and turning my head so he can’t see how red I am. I hear him chuckle and then I feel the warmth of his hand on mine “So The Olive it is!” he exclaimed, I sort of freaked “T-The Olive! That’s really expensive! You don’t have to spend so much money on me!” I say somewhat sweating at the thought of him spending so much money on me for a single dinner. I haven’t even really been to a restraunt let alone The Olive! I suddenly feel his hand on my cheek caressing it softly. “Let me do this for you. I don’t mind, really.” I melt under his soothing voice and soft touch “ok…” I gave in.
Pulling up to The Olive a little while later got me nervous because this is where you take someone on an anniversary dinner, not a date. Skylar must have noticed how nervous I was because after he pulled into the parking space he leaned over and pulled me into a kiss. The feel of his soft, warm lips against mine, I feel his hair intertwining with my own, his kiss always makes me relax. He pulls away and looks at me “You ready?” he said getting out of the car to let me out. “Ready as I’ll ever be” I say quietly as he leads me, by hand no less, to the building.
This place was so elegant but exotic! There were stone walls with vines winding up to the ceiling, and a small little fountain near the top “Wait right here.” Skylar says as he goes to check our reservations. I keep looking around at the beautiful scenery when suddenly I feel someone’s arm around my waist I go to look at the person thinking its Skylar when I suddenly hear “You here alone cutie?” I look up to see a man about and 5’8 holding my waist, I’m suddenly repulsed and start to shake thinking of what Kyle did to me I instinctively put my arms up and start to push him away “L-Let me go!” I say “Oh don’t act like you don’t like it.” He says smiling. I can smell alcohol on his breath, “I don’t! Now let me go!” I almost yell when I suddenly feel someone grab my arm and pull me away. Skylar is standing in front of me and his eyes, they almost looked frozen, somehow made me frightened “Don’t you Ever touch him again you pig.” He said with an icy tone that made my skin crawl from the power behind his voice. After the man left Skylar grabbed my wrist and pulled me to our table. It hurt but I decided to keep my mouth shut. We finally take our seat and Skylar orders a garden salad and I get a calzone. I want to ask if he’s ok, and yet at the same time I don’t. I decide to keep quiet. I let my thought drift to Blaire and his relationship with Kayden “I hope he’s alright…” I don’t realize I said that out loud till I see Skylar’s expression. It’s a mixture of annoyance and shock “What do you mean ‘I hope he’s ok’! He was touching you like a-” I cut him off so he didn’t get the wrong idea “I meant Blaire. He’s been different since he started going out with Kayden…” that’s when I saw a side of Skylar that truly scared me “Kayden! He’s with KAYDEN!!!” he stood up and looked truly angry. “That guy IS A LYING, CHEATING, SON OF A-” he stopped himself and sat down, I felt tears falling down my face because this side of him truly did scare me, and it came out because of my careless words. He noticed my tears and he grabs my hands “Listen….I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry it’s just…Two years back I had a girlfriend… ” I could tell this was hard for him to talk about “I truly loved her. And for a long time she loved me, until Kayden came into the picture. He got her doing drugs and drinking and she started to do radical things. One day…” he bit his lip “She tried to get me to smoke some drug and try heroin. I tried to get her to stop but she said no and let Kayden give her what ended up being a fatal dose of heroin and she slowly died in my arms. I yelled at him to call 9-1-1 but he broke the phone because he didn’t want to be busted for drugs.” He looked like he was gunna cry so I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the bathroom.
I remember this one trip to the zoo we took when I was 6, my mother begged my father to take time off and come with us. After a while my father laughed and said “Alright Sara, I’ll do it for our son little Jack.” He said picking me up and hugging me. That following Friday I got to leave school early and go with my mother and my father to the city zoo. At first it started out normal, we saw penguins, elephants, lions, and bears. I was having so much fun, but when my mother turned to ask a lady where the souvenir shop was I took off running to go see the rhino’s across the way. I was so distracted by how cool they were I didn’t hear my mother and father yelling my name. “Jack!! JACK!! Oh Luke, I can’t find him anywhere!” Sara said to her husband almost in tears “What if he gets hurt or kidnapped or….” Her husband, Luke, wrapped his arms around his wife “We’ll find him Sara. We’ve got the zoo’s cops looking around as well. I promise we’ll find him.” he said trying to calm her.
It took an hour to finally find me standing near the rhinos. I feel someone tap my shoulder “Hey are you Jack?” I look at the lady in this tan outfit. I nod my head “Yes ma’am.” I said. “Well I’m Officer Dana. Could you come with me?” she held out her hand “Mommy said not to talk to or trust strangers.” I said matter of factly. She smiled, “you’re a smart boy Jack. I’m actually gunna take you to your mommy ok. I promise I won’t hurt you” she had a kind face to her. “Do you promise? Pinky promise?” I said holding out my pinky. She laughed and held out her own pinky “I promise jack.” She said as we promised. I held out my hand and she took it. She indeed walked me to my mother, and I felt instantly terrible when I saw my mother was in tears. “Oh my baby!!!” she said running to me. I felt tears hit my eyes and I started to cry “M-MOMMY!!! DADDY!!” I yelled as I ran to my mother. She picked me up and cried, I felt my father encircle us in his arms. “I missed you so much. I love you jack.” Those words repeat in my head when I feel someone grab my shoulder, I jumped.
“Woah, easy Jack. You ok?” Skylar asked me, I looked at him; I realized where I am and what I was doing. “Oh yeah….I’m fine” I say as he stares at me, I start to fidget “Wh-what were you talking about” I say trying to stop the tension in here. “Right, I said do you want to go out to eat?” he said, I could tell he was relaxed again “I don’t have any money though….” I admit. He laughed like it was a joke “That’s fine, cause if this is gunna be a date of course I’ll be paying.” He said smiling which only made me blush. Honestly I didn’t care if we were at home or at a fancy restraunt, I just love the feel of him being near me. “Alright…” I say smiling slightly and turning my head so he can’t see how red I am. I hear him chuckle and then I feel the warmth of his hand on mine “So The Olive it is!” he exclaimed, I sort of freaked “T-The Olive! That’s really expensive! You don’t have to spend so much money on me!” I say somewhat sweating at the thought of him spending so much money on me for a single dinner. I haven’t even really been to a restraunt let alone The Olive! I suddenly feel his hand on my cheek caressing it softly. “Let me do this for you. I don’t mind, really.” I melt under his soothing voice and soft touch “ok…” I gave in.
Pulling up to The Olive a little while later got me nervous because this is where you take someone on an anniversary dinner, not a date. Skylar must have noticed how nervous I was because after he pulled into the parking space he leaned over and pulled me into a kiss. The feel of his soft, warm lips against mine, I feel his hair intertwining with my own, his kiss always makes me relax. He pulls away and looks at me “You ready?” he said getting out of the car to let me out. “Ready as I’ll ever be” I say quietly as he leads me, by hand no less, to the building.
This place was so elegant but exotic! There were stone walls with vines winding up to the ceiling, and a small little fountain near the top “Wait right here.” Skylar says as he goes to check our reservations. I keep looking around at the beautiful scenery when suddenly I feel someone’s arm around my waist I go to look at the person thinking its Skylar when I suddenly hear “You here alone cutie?” I look up to see a man about and 5’8 holding my waist, I’m suddenly repulsed and start to shake thinking of what Kyle did to me I instinctively put my arms up and start to push him away “L-Let me go!” I say “Oh don’t act like you don’t like it.” He says smiling. I can smell alcohol on his breath, “I don’t! Now let me go!” I almost yell when I suddenly feel someone grab my arm and pull me away. Skylar is standing in front of me and his eyes, they almost looked frozen, somehow made me frightened “Don’t you Ever touch him again you pig.” He said with an icy tone that made my skin crawl from the power behind his voice. After the man left Skylar grabbed my wrist and pulled me to our table. It hurt but I decided to keep my mouth shut. We finally take our seat and Skylar orders a garden salad and I get a calzone. I want to ask if he’s ok, and yet at the same time I don’t. I decide to keep quiet. I let my thought drift to Blaire and his relationship with Kayden “I hope he’s alright…” I don’t realize I said that out loud till I see Skylar’s expression. It’s a mixture of annoyance and shock “What do you mean ‘I hope he’s ok’! He was touching you like a-” I cut him off so he didn’t get the wrong idea “I meant Blaire. He’s been different since he started going out with Kayden…” that’s when I saw a side of Skylar that truly scared me “Kayden! He’s with KAYDEN!!!” he stood up and looked truly angry. “That guy IS A LYING, CHEATING, SON OF A-” he stopped himself and sat down, I felt tears falling down my face because this side of him truly did scare me, and it came out because of my careless words. He noticed my tears and he grabs my hands “Listen….I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry it’s just…Two years back I had a girlfriend… ” I could tell this was hard for him to talk about “I truly loved her. And for a long time she loved me, until Kayden came into the picture. He got her doing drugs and drinking and she started to do radical things. One day…” he bit his lip “She tried to get me to smoke some drug and try heroin. I tried to get her to stop but she said no and let Kayden give her what ended up being a fatal dose of heroin and she slowly died in my arms. I yelled at him to call 9-1-1 but he broke the phone because he didn’t want to be busted for drugs.” He looked like he was gunna cry so I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the bathroom.