0.2

~ Skye

The moment I step out of the basketball courtroom, reality comes crashing down on me. I just kissed Ethan Reid. In front of everyone. I press my fingers against my lips and I shudder. Just this morning, I complained to Mum about not standing him and now...

"What the hell?" Harper runs after me, catching up to me, panting. "Skye, please tell me that was a hallucination."

I groan, unsure of what to say to her. "It wasn't part of the plan to kiss him," I murmur. We are both walking so fast right now.

"What plan? You had a plan?" Harper stares at me like I've grown a horn.

"Yeah?" I throw my ends up in exasperation. "I wanted to confront Liam, make him tell the truth, and maybe toss a pile of books in his face. I didn't plan on kissing Ethan freaking Reid!"

Harper nods, rubbing her temples like this is a lot to take in. "Alright, so... was it, like, a real kiss? Or just a barely-touching lips kind of kiss?"

"It... It was just... I don't know. He grabbed my waist." I whisper and Harper's eyes grow wide, her mouth hanging open.

"He what?" She gasps.

Before I can answer her, my phone buzzes and it's a message from Liam. I suck in my breath, as I read the text with a sour expression.

Liam: What the hell, Skye?

I scoff, deleting the text without responding. What nerves he had. I was wrong about Liam Parker all along. I thought he'd remain the sweet, perfect and charming boyfriend Mum disapproved of. And to be honest, I thought we'd get married. That sounds so ridiculous, as I think of it. Liam Parker has broken my heart. A tear escapes my eyes as I flop down on a bench in the school's garden. Harper slowly sits beside me, her phone in her left hand.

"Are people still talking?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

Harper peeks at her phone again and she sighs, rubbing a hand soothingly over my back. "Skye, it's all over the Lincoln High Gossip page."

Great! I grab my phone and she's right. The kiss was the topic in the group chat. It made me wonder. I went into the basketball courtroom, and just a few guys were present, right?

"I don't care about anything they say," I drag my words. "I can't believe Liam would do this. It's so hard to believe he would choose Ava..."

Harper nods. "Are you even okay? Look, Skye... I know how much you love Liam. I know he means the world to you,"

I sniffle. "Not anymore."

"If you're gonna cry then cry. Cry and let everything out, Skye. Then put on your big girl pants and move forward. Let's look at the reality of things. Liam was never the guy meant for you..."

A sob finds its way into my throat at her words. I break into a cry and she holds me still, comforting me. Oh boy! I never thought of the day I'd break down like this. Thankfully, I have Harper by my side during this period of my life. This is my first heartbreak and to be honest, it hurts. More tears escape my eyes, soaking into Harper's shirt, but she doesn't pull away. I feel so embarrassed when I've stopped crying and Harper is dabbing my eyelids with a facecloth.

"How do you feel now?" She asks.

"Uhm, surprisingly better. It kinda worked." I smile a response.

"It always works. So... now? We go back into the school and act stronger than before okay? Don't let Liam get into your head."

While we head back into the school, I mentally prepare myself for the chaos waiting for me inside those walls. And sure enough, when we step into the hallway, the whispers start immediately.

"Did you see them?"

"She kissed Ethan Reid—like, on purpose."

"Liam looked wrecked."

"I heard Liam cheated."

I glare at anyone who makes eye contact, but it doesn't stop the murmurs. Then, just to make things worse, Ethan rounds the corner—stupid guy. Must be fawning over the fact that I kissed him. Harper rolls her eyes when I glance at her. She grudgingly moves farther away from us, but close enough to hear our conversations.

"Are you okay?" He surprises me with his question.

"Why? So you can rub it in my face that your girlfriend is the best because every guy, including Liam, wants her?" I ask him.

"Damn, Anderson. I wasn't going to say that to you. And she's not my girlfriend anymore," He replies, casually leaning against the wall.

My eyebrow shoots up, giving him a questionable look. "We broke up after the kiss." He explains.

"That's... great Ethan. I never knew you'd still be breathing without Ava. You know... you both had were exhibiting what we call Mutualism." I say to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone knows you have sex with Ava while she uses your popularity here at school to gain more followers. Isn't that mutualism, Ethan? I suppose you wouldn't know since you're always missing Biology classes." I shoot at him.

The wince in his voice satisfied me so much. But Ethan, being Ethan, always had a comeback for every of my banter.

"You're one to talk, Liam did you dirty. And I can imagine you curled up in your bed, hugging your teddy close and crying out your eyes when you're home."

"Immature much?" I raise my brow at him.

"Look, we're the hottest couple in school now, thanks to you. Congratulations." He smirks.

I cross my arms. "We are not a couple, Ethan."

"You're sure?" His eyes flicked to my lips. "Because you seemed pretty into it."

I gape at him. "You kissed me back!"

"Can't blame me. You were practically throwing yourself at me." He shrugs, and I can hear Harper gasp from where she stands.

"Kill him, Skye." She says with her eyes.

I cross my arms. "We are not a couple, Reid."

"You sure?" His eyes flick to my lips. "Because you seemed pretty into it."

I gape at him. "You kissed me back!"

He shrugs. "Can’t blame me. You were practically throwing yourself at me."

Harper whispers, "Kill him."

I exhale. "You know, for someone who just broke up with his girlfriend, you're doing a pretty job acting sober. Shouldn't you be crying? Or calling Ava like her puppy you once were... And Listen, Ethan, that kiss? It meant nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Got it?"

And with that, I walked away, Harper running to catch up with me. She grabs my arm and I turn to her, already so exhausted. "I hate to say this but..."

"What?" I sigh.

Harper bites her lip. "You and Ethan Reid? Might not be the worst idea."

"Harper, no."

"Think about it, Skye. If you pretended to date him, Liam would go crazy with jealousy. And Ava would die seeing you take her place in Ethan's life. I would love to see her face..."

I shake my head. "Not happening."

The last bell rang, signalling it was the end of the day, and I dragged myself out of the building. Phew! Such a long day. My head is still reeling with everything — Liam's harsh breakup text, my kiss with Ethan, the rumours... Harper walks with me towards the parking lot, and she's still throwing out arguments for her not-so-brilliant fake dating idea.

"Think about it," She urges. "Liam's face when he sees you in Ethan's arms? Ava's face when she sees you both together? Utterly priceless."

I shake my head in disapproval. "Harper, drop it already."

"Fine. But I still think you should think about —oh, hey, it's your mum."

I spot Mum's car pulling up. She waves, grinning, and I can already tell from her expression —she got the job.

"Skye!" She calls as I walk up to her. "Guess what?"

"You got it?" I smile.

"That's right. I got it!" She squeals, pulling me into a hug. I start next Monday. Oh, baby, this is huge for us. No more stressing over the bills."

"No more coming home late," I chip in.

"We can finally breathe a little, Skye," Mum says and I can't help but swallow the lump in my throat, nodding as well.

"That's amazing, Mum." If she notices how fake my enthusiasm is, she doesn't say anything. I climb into the car, waving goodbye to Harper before shutting the door. Mum pulls out of the lot, and she starts talking about her new office, her coworkers, and all the benefits that come with the new job. And I'm honestly trying to listen, I'm trying, but my mind is somewhere else.

I can't believe Liam and I are over for real. It's so stupid how I believed every damn word he told me. All lies now. I grip my phone in my lap, trying hard to resist the urge to check my messages. Not like Liam's text earlier wasn't enough proof of what he thinks.

We get home, and the second Mum disappears into her room, I run upstairs, shutting my bedroom door behind me. I let out a shaky breath, finally breathing out.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out, expecting another text from Liam. But it's not Liam. It's from Ethan.

Ethan: Baby

My stomach drops. What the hell is he thinking?

Another message pops up before I can even react.

Ethan: Because as of now, we're officially dating.

I scoff, my hands tapping my screen furiously.

Me: WHAT??

Ethan: You'll see, Baby.

And that's when Mum decides to call me from downstairs. I wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt as she keeps calling.

"Skye, honey, come here for a second."

When I reach the living room, she's standing in front of the TV, the remote in her hand. I follow her gaze. And it's the Lincoln High Gossip page. Someone recorded the kiss. It's playing on the news.

And the caption was...

"BREAKING: Ethan Reid confirms relationship with Skye Anderson."

I stare at the screen speechlessly. Mum turns to me, raising an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"