SKYE.

I sorted my clothes from the last suitcase on my bed, separating my pajamas and work clothes. I realize that I packed way too much for this trip, when all I'll really be wearing is a blue scrub suit my dad provided for me. Just as I was thinking about dad, he suddenly opens my door.

"I don't wanna talk right now, dad. It's been a long day." I say.

"Why are you unpacking?" Here we go.

"I'm not going to take the internship anymore."

"Let me guess, Ashton told you not to? This boy is driving me insane."

"No, do not blame him for this. I decided on my own. I have so much time in my hands, dad. I'm an incoming freshman, which means I have 2 years to get into a decent dental school."

My dad sighed in disappointment and sat next to me on the bed. "What is going on with you? You're not like this, you are losing your focus."

I take a deep breath before talking, "so maybe I do want to spend the rest of my summer with Ashton."

"You're kidding, right?"

"You've felt this way before when you and mom were dating, I'm sure?" I defend, my anger starting to build up inside me.

"Well yeah of course but I was done with dental school and I already passed the board exam when I met your mom."

"But my life is different from yours, dad. I've never felt this way before, I just need more time with him."

"You're sacrificing your future career for a boy you just met? I don't even know you anymore."

I look away from my dad as he walks out of the room, slamming the door shut.

\\

"Wake up, Skye!! We're going to the rest house!" Patrick knocks repeatedly on my door. What did he say?

I get up from the bed and run downstairs, I see mom packing groceries in a big bag while Patrick helps Nicole load their bags in the car.

"Oh honey pack your things, we're leaving in an hour." Mom says.

"What? Why are we going to the rest house? For how long? This is dad's idea, isn't it?"

"Probably a few weeks, just go and pack, no more questions!" Patrick answers, handing me an empty bag.

I run outside to see dad loading the groceries, "we need to spend time together as a family and I don't want to hear anymore complaints, young lady. Pack you bags and let's go."

"I can't leave now! You know that! You're doing this on purpose!" I shout back.

I couldn't argue with dad anymore because he wasn't giving me a choice, so I had a crazy idea that I know will piss him off even more.

\\

We arrive at the rest house after a 2-hour drive. A house with a beach front, what more could you ask for? This was our summer getaway when we found out that Rena was ill. She needed the fresh air, the city had too much pollution, not very safe for her health.

"Ah, our second home." Patrick says, breathing in the scent of the ocean breeze.

We suddenly heard a doorbell after we had settled in, "I'll get it!" I say and dad follows me to the door.

I open it to reveal none other than Ashton, a body bag slung on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Dad asks.

"Skye invited me, sir. I-I thought you knew." He answers in a shaky tone.

"I'm sorry but this is a family vacation," dad says, voice angry.

"Nicole's here too, so it's fine that Ashton stays." I defend, and I did have a point. Nicole and Patrick weren't married.

I welcomed Ashton in and mom greets him with a warm hug, dad not being able to do anything to make him leave. If he didn't plan this trip, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Patrick started a camp fire by the beach and we were all roasting marshmallows and hotdogs, telling stories about our lives.

"I met your mother at a club, I'm not even kidding. I'm not a party animal, I swear to the gods. But I was invited by my college classmate and I was introduced to his other friends, your mother included." Dad tells us details of their love story and it was quite interesting hearing it from dad's perspective.

"I didn't ask for her number because telephones weren't a thing back then, but I was too shy to ask her out either. You know what I did? I got drunk to have the guts to ask her out. It was very effective." We all laughed at dad's confession, no one knew about that story because mom never told us.

"Were you really drunk or did you just fake it so I would say yes?" Mom asks, nudging him on the shoulder. Just as he was about to answer, a couple, about their age, arrived and greeted my dad. He got up and greeted them and the story was cut short when he escorted them into the house.

"We have fireworks in the basement, do you want to fire them up?" Patrick suggests and we all agreed to do so.

Sparklers were given out and the night was surreal. Ashton was by my side the whole time and I'm glad I invited him. When his sparkler lost its light, he ran to the semi-wet part of the sand near the water and spelled out I LOVE YOU with the end of the stick. I ran over to him to peck his cheek, "I love you too." I whisper and wrapped my arms tight around his waist.

"Ash! We're out of sparklers! Go get some in the basement!" Patrick shouts, clearly busy with setting up the fireworks for his big finale.

Ashton lets go of me and says that he'll be right back.

~~

ASHTON.

[banner by the amazing 

One of the best feelings in the world is when the person you love, loves you back. I feel so lucky that I met Skye, let's just say that she's the light at this dark tunnel I've been stuck in for so long.

Patrick told me that the sparklers were on the top shelf beside a large toolbox. I wasn't so sure what the toolbox looked like so I had a hard time searching. I suddenly heard a faint clink behind another door. I pick up a wrench from a shelf near me and slowly open the door, that's when I saw them.

Skye's dad making out with the lady that arrived earlier. Mister Nixon hears my gasp and I quickly ran out of the basement, praying that he didn't see me.

"Did you get the sparklers?" Skye asks.

"We're all out." I firmly say, still wrapping my head around what the hell I just saw. I feel so angry and confused, how could he do this to his family? To Skye?

The next morning, I woke up before everyone else. Or so I thought. By the time I entered the kitchen, mister Nixon was already there sipping on his cup of coffee.

"You're up early," he says.

"I couldn't sleep last night, been thinking about some things." I lie.

"I bought this rest house for Rena when she got sick, I just felt like we needed some place to go where everything was just... Good." He shares as I pour myself a cup of coffee as well.

"Why don't you just ask me about last night, sir. I know what I saw." I clench my fists together.

"You saw nothing, and there is nothing to tell. I swear to God if you mention anything--"

"I'm not going to tell Skye, or anyone in your family. But if she finds out, she'll be very disappointed. You'll break her, mister Nixon."

He threatens me even more but I wasn't scared, what he did was wrong. Misis Nixon has been such a good wife and she doesn't deserve all this pain he's about to cause, or is already causing. I wonder if she knows, because I'm sure Skye doesn't, not even Patrick. I'm a nobody in their family to tell though, I'll keep my mouth shut but I'm not going to forget about this dark secret.

"You need to leave. Now." He demands.

"I am not leaving Skye's side."

"If you don't leave before they all wake up, I'm going to tell Skye about what happened to you five years ago."

"I-I don't what you're talking about." Again, I lie.

"Do you remember when you saw your father arguing with his co-worker? You beat him up real bad, son. You got arrested and got put to juvy. I'm sure Skye doesn't know about that, huh?"

~~~~

SKYE.

"Has anyone seen Ashton? I can't find him anywhere and his phone is dead." I was in a state of panic and I hated this feeling. "Dad, where's Ashton?"

"He went home."

"You made him leave, didn't you? What did you tell him?!" I slam my hands against the table as I demand for an answer.

"I told him that you were leaving for the internship whether he liked it or not, so he just left."

"You are a terrible liar, dad." I tell him weakly.

"I also have to tell you something about him. Skye, he's a dangerous kid." Dad starts. He tells me about what happened a few years ago with his dad and some other person. How he beat up the guy and he went to jail. I don't know if I should believe him or not, but I don't give a damn either.

I run out of the house, knowing that there was a bus stop on the other side of the road. I was just on time and the bus was about to leave. I hear my dad calling after me but the door was already shut and the bus took off.

By the time I arrived back, I dialed Ashton's number but his phone was still dead. I went to his house and asked his dad where he was but he didn't know and thought that we were together. He hasn't been home yet. Where could he be? I tried the coffee shop and there he was, sitting next to Macy. His eyes landed on mine when I entered the shop and he shouted my name, but I was already running away.

"Skye, stop!" He gets a hold of my wrist but I try to pull back.

"Wow, Irwin. You move on pretty fast."

"Calum called her, not me. Your dad made me leave, he didn't give me a choice."

"That wasn't your choice to make! You're my guest, not his! What did he tell you? Did he threaten you? And about your dad, why didn't you tell me about that? I would not have cared if I knew because I know that you're not like that, or at least, not anymore if the story was true." I try to fight back the tears I've been holding for so long. Ashton doesn't say a word, he just looks at me with guilt. I shake my head and pull my arm free to walk away again.

"Skye, you don't know what your dad is like."

"What did he do? Tell me. What did he do that made you decide to leave?"

No answer again. This conversation isn't even going anywhere.

"I didn't tell you about what I did before because it was humiliating. I'm not an angel, Skye. If you think that I am, then you shouldn't have let me in your life from the start. I'm not good enough for you, and I never will be." He says and starts walking away.

"That's it? You're just going to leave? You're a coward, Irwin! You don't fight for what you want, you don't fight for the people you love!!" I shout and he makes a turn on the first corner of the sidewalk and disappears.