Mateo's POV

Everything was back to normal. I was already sitting with the guys again. Jamal and I were bonding more these days and It was exciting. He spoke to me about taking therapy and we decided to do therapy sessions together. Everything was okay. Well, apart from the fact that I wasn't really speaking to Skye anymore.

I know, it seems so sudden and out of the blues but I had my reasons. Giving the fact that since we have become tight, I've not remained the same, all round. She made me feel something. Something I didn't have an explanation for. Something that was enough to set off an alarm in my head. An alarm that warned me about attachments. Now why that alarm kept going off in my head.

Jamal had unconsciously said something when he came by the last time that made me back track on my closeness with her. Something that hurt me deeply. This was the reason why I don't do feelings, why I make sure I don't fall for anyone. Elyon was just meant to be a fling but what I was felt around Skye was deeper, more intense and the deeper the feelings got, the more terrified I was. Now, the unexplainable feelings have been blown up in my face.

I guess they are useless now.

She noticed it. She noticed I wasn't excited to be around her anymore and she tried to talk to me. But I was too upset to even talk to her about it, too upset to act by my own words of not being a mind reader. At some point she stopped trying and that even hurt me more.

Urghh! You are such a confused fellow! Do you want her to be around you? Do you not want her to be around you? Pick a side! I I snapped at myself.

It was painful that she saw me the way she did see me, according to Jamal. I thought I was more than that to her, she made me feel like I was. Like I was so important. Or maybe I was just the one reading unnecessary deep meanings to her simple gestures and actions. Maybe Skye was just being her extra caring self and I was the one over thinking it.

Like always, I was spending more than half of my time in the music room. The Junior class music teacher had taken uncle Tega's place but he was barely around so I was still in charge of the keys. Exams were around the corner and to keep up my good grades, I needed to study. So, instead of library, the music room was my personal study hall. I would always lock the door when I'm in so that I won't be disturbed.

Because of the headphone I had on, jamming to some sick beats as I kept reading, I didn't hear anyone come in. Maybe because I thought I had locked the door. I felt someone watching me and I looked back to see Skye standing by the door. I almost fell off the seat in fear.

Run all you want, Mateo. She will always know how to find you.

"The fuck?! Skye, you scared me." I told her, trying to catch my breath and she shrugged. "I locked the door. How did you even get in here?" I asked her. She rose her index, twirling the keys around it, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips for a split second

"Jamal has keys as well. I just stole it." She replied, stepping further into the room. If I wasn't so upset with her, I'd have nodded in respect. I removed my glasses and rubbed my eyes.

She's smart. I'd give her that.

"How did you know I was even here?"  I asked and she gave me a look that said are you this dumb.

"Well, you don't have that much hiding spots. If you are not in class, you are here." She stated and I shrugged. She was right.

"Touché." I muttered. "What are you doing here then? I'm busy." I said monotonously and went back to facing my book. I heard her scoff.

"You have been cold towards me this past few weeks, Mateo. I really need to know why." She stated matter of factly, not beating around the bush. I looked at her and mustered a sarcastic smirk.

"Really? I haven't noticed." I replied with sarcasm laced in my voice and she looked at me with disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? You haven't noticed? I can even sense the sarcasm in your voice so don't play dumb with me." She was very calm and it was pretty irritating because I wanted her to snap at me so that I would be justified if I snap at her as well.

Yah mad! My subconscious told me.

"Okay, I'm avoiding you, so what? I have every right to be upset here not you, so don't come here and try guilt tripping me into avoiding you because that won't work." I closed my note and started to stuff things in my bag. I heard her sigh in frustration.

"I am not trying to guilt trip you. I don't even know what I did. That's why I'm here. I want to find out and if you are not going to tell me there is no way I'd be able to know and there is no way I would be able to make amends. Isn't that what you said the last time? We are no mind readers." She said, trying to reason with me but the hurt I was feeling inside made it hard for me to reason with her. I looked at her.

"What you did is way too deep to overlook, Skye. This is the reason why I didn't want to get attached. I knew it would be nothing but bad news." I told her and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't understand you, Mateo. What did I do? Just tell me! I thought we were way pass this." She cried in frustration. I locked my jaw as the words of Jamal came flooding back to my memory.

...She told me she feels the need to help you, to stay by you because we are just very much alike...

...I guess the fact that she has spent years taking care of me makes it easy for her to take care of you...

"You want to know what you did? Fine. Let me ask you a question. Why the sudden interest in me?" I asked her and her brows furrowed again in confusion.

"I don't understand your question." She replied and I let out a snotty humourless laughter.

"Of course you don't understand. Well, let me answer that question for you, Skye and I'm going to use the words you told Jamal. You only felt the need to help me because I am just like him." I told her, watching to see her reaction, at least something that would give me a benefit of doubt. But when her eyes widened in realization, my heart ache increased and I scoffed.

"Mateo, that's not what I meant when I said that." She defended and I sneered.

"How convenient." I muttered, slinging my back pack over my shoulder and walking past her. She can have my reading spot for all I care.

"Mateo." She grabbed my hand and turned me around and I calmly removed my hand from hers. "You are misunderstanding this. I didn't mean it that way, I just needed to get Jamal off my back." She retained but I wasn't even hearing that. I was hurt.

"Now it all makes so much sense. You have always seen me as a charity case. That's why you were so interested in being the closest person to me." I growled out and she shook her head vigorously.

"Of course not! This is wrong. This is all wrong. That wasn't my intention, Mateo. You are misunderstanding the whole situation. Please just listen to me." She pleaded, tears brimming in her eyes. I didn't want to see that, I didn't want to see her crying. I would break my resolve. I shook my head.

"That's not exactly convincing Skye. I appreciate all you did. You changed me...but your motive, it really hurt me." I told her and walked pass her.

"I like you!" She screamed behind me and I stopped short. Silence followed what she said because I was confused if I heard well or not.

I turned around and looked at her. Her hands rested on either side of her and her fingers were shaking. A sign I have known to show that she's nervous. Her green orbs glistened with so much tears that just a blink would make them fall. All these signs enough to tell me that I heard well. Very well.

I was shocked, surprised, elated and terrified all at once by her revelation. I didn't see it coming, not even from a foot away. I opened my mouth to talk but I could only mutter one word.

"What..." She closed her eyes, the tears successfully making its way out in beads. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, looking at me without wavering.

"You asked me why I took sudden interest in you. That's the answer. I like you, Mateo and I like you a lot." She revealed, her voice coming out in quivers, showing how much she was trying to control her tears from affecting her voice but it wasn't working.

Once again, my voice caught up in my throat and I was rendered speechless. That did not stop her. She continued.

"I've liked you since forever. I've lost count of how many years it has been. But I didn't have the boldness to tell you all these while because you never saw me as a girl you'd like." Her voice came out pained and hurt and I didn't even know how to respond. My shoulder slumped and my bag slipped off my shoulder. She sniffed and looked up, trying to keep the tears in.

"You never failed to remind me how I was like a little sister to you. It hurt so bad but I had to take what I could get, anything to be closed to you even though I had to endure seeing you with other girls, seeing you get smitten by Elyon, seeing you and Tolani right here in this room on that day." She said and my eyes widened in realization as the events of that day came rushing back to my memory.

It all made sense. That was why she was extra upset. That was why she wouldn't speak to me. I've been hurting her all these while and I didn't know. She has liked me all these while and I had no clue.

Took you long enough. Ode. My subconscious mocked me but I wasn't even in the mood.

"Skye, I had no idea..." I muttered, not knowing what else to say. She let out a forced laughed and cleaned the tears off her face.

"Of course you didn't. When you dumped everything going on with you on me, your disorder and the family issues, I saw it as an opportunity to get closer to you, to be there for you. I thought, maybe, just maybe you'd see me as more than a baby sister or a friend..."

She looked at me and I saw the pain in her eyes and I realized how oblivious, how selfish I had been. The signs were there, they were all over but I closed myself to them because I was so caught up in my own world. She gave a sad smile and shrugged.

"I guess I will never be more than a friend to you." She said and an alarm went off in my head, a warning alarm. She was giving up, for good.

If you let her go now, you might loose her forever.

She flashed me another sad smile and made to walk away, side stepping me. I was quick to grab her hand, stopping her. She stopped, not turning around. Her head hung low and her shoulder shook in sobs. My heart broke, into a million pieces.

"Skye let's talk about this, please. You can't just leave." My words were not making any sense but I said it anyway. Anything to keep her from leaving this place.

...from leaving me.

"There is nothing to talk about, Mateo." She turned around to look at me, gently pulling her hand from my grasp. "I totally get it. You are not the kind of guy that does commitments. You are probably still hung up over Elyon. I understand." She said, her tone dejected, it held resignation.

"No, Skye... Let's talk about this." I pleaded with her. She shook her head.

"For the record, I never saw you as a charity case. Never have, Never will."

With that, she turned around and left the room, leaving me conflicted, guilty and sad. My bag dropped to the floor and my legs gave way, my knees dropping to the floor as well. I dragged out a long sigh and buried my head in both my hands.

What have I done?

*****

Jamal's POV

"Why didn't you tell me Skye liked Mateo." I asked Elyon immediately I saw her coming out of the staff room. She rolled her eyes at me and smiled.

"Hello to you too." She replied, sarcasm laced in her voice and I sighed.

"I'm sorry." I wrapped my hands around her shoulder and drew her close, subtly pressing a kiss against her head as we were still in front of the staff room. Busy body teachers have their eyes roaming everywhere like the devil himself, seeking for whom to devour.

"You had better be." She pouted and I chuckled, taking my arm off her shoulder but dragging it down to hold unto hers. She unconsciously laced her fingers with mine and I smiled. She did that a lot, even in her sleep.

This level of intimacy is deep. Very deep.

"Back to my question though. How come you didn't tell me Skye liked Mateo?" I asked her and she looked at me.

"She's your sister, how come you didn't figure it out earlier?" She threw a question back at me and I rubbed the back of my neck out of nervousness.

"I didn't notice. I guess I was too caught up in my own world, I neglected hers." I replied and she looked at me, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"You should be more observant with your sister just like she has been with you. Sometimes, I think she feels neglected or maybe it just me. Liking Mateo is part of it." She told me and I sighed.

"I've never imagined Skye to like Mateo. Apart from the fact that Mateo isn't a one woman kind of guy, Skye is obviously too good for him." Elyon gave me a disapproving look.

"That's not so nice." She chided and I rose my hands in mock surrender.

"I know I'm supposed to be a supportive friend and brother but I don't want Skye getting hurt and even though Mateo and I are already chill and good, I still don't know if he's the one from my sister. This is a very delicate situation." I told Elyon and she nodded in understanding.

"Was that why you did what you did?" A hurt familiar voice asked and Elyon and I looked back to see Skye behind us, staring at me with a pained expression. I became confused, I looked at Elyon who shrugged in similar confusion.

"What are you talking about, Skye? What did I do? Why are you even crying?" I started to walk towards her but the murderous look she shot me had me always falling down that Elyon had to hold my hand.

"Don't play dumb with me, Jamal. I thought you were my brother. Why would you decide to hurt me this way, when I've been nothing but supportive to you!" She snapped at me, gathering the attention of students close by. My expression switched from confused to annoyed in a Nano second.

I don't even know what I did and she's shouting at me in front of everyone.

"Chill. Back up a second. What the fuck are you yapping about? Instead of you to snap at me in front of everyone, why don't you just tell me what I did wrong and we would go on our ways happy?!" I retorted and she let out a snotty laugh.

"You told Mateo what I told you, didn't you?  I told you I felt the need to help him because he was just like you and you went ahead to tell him, probably figuring out that I like him. You don't want to see me with him because of your fücking insecurities, so you found a way to make him think I only saw him as a charity case!" She snarled back and I widened my eyes.

Oh fuck, no!

"Skye, you have got it all wrong. I must have mentioned it unconsciously. I am not denying the fact that I mentioned it to him but I didn't mean it like that. This is all a huge misunderstanding, okay." I defended myself and she scoffed, folding her hands across her chest.

"Spare me the sermon and stop lying, Jamal. You just admitted it to Elyon. I heard you loud and clear. You don't want me to be with Mateo. You think you are trying to protect me but no, you are just being a very selfish idiot!" She said every word emphatically, pointing at me and I stopped, surprised and shocked that my twin sister had just insulted me in front of people.

"Skye, me." I pressed my index to my chest, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my twin sister just called me names.

"Okay guys, I don't think this is the best place to do this. Let's go somewhere else..." Elyon said but Skye rolled her eyes and hissed.

"Oh buzz off! Little miss perfect." Skye snapped and Elyon opened her mouth, her brows furrowed in confusion and surprise. She looked at me but I was looking at Skye, deliberately within me on the possibility that my sister must have be cloned. She started to speak again.

She isn't even done.

"Everyone loves Elyon. She's pretty and she's talented and she's just so special that even my own love interest is still smitten by her and my brother cannot seem to take his eyes of her. It's has always been about you!" She bellowed, pointing at Elyon who on instinct placed her hand on her chest. I looked at Skye in utter disbelief. I moved closer to her and she looked back at me, as if warning me not to come closer.

"Skye, what the hell is the matter with you?! This isn't you! What's going on?" I asked her, trying to hold her hand and she pushed me away.

"Don't you dare come close to me! You don't know me! You have never taken the chance to know me! It has always been about you!" She glared at me and I was rendered speechless. Elyon held unto my hand, trying to calm me down but nothing was working.

Somadina and Vanessa were already standing beside us. I heard Nessa ask Elyon what was going on and Soma asked me as well, but I didn't reply. I was trying to figure out where everything went wrong, what was making my sister this bitter and dark. Now that she was unbottling all her emotions, I knew exactly why.

"Since the accident, you have had mum and dad wrapped around your little finger and I've tried to be the perfect supportive sister to you! But you have never for once asked me what I wanted! You are so selfish and I hate you!" She screamed at me and I widened my eyes.

"Skye!" Vanessa snapped but Skye had already taken off, her loud sob following after her. I felt Elyon remove her hands from mine and run after her, followed by Vanessa. The students who had watched that degrading moment gradually dispersed, carrying something to gist along with them.

I couldn't move.

Her words had hit me like a brick and I felt my heart clench in pain. Every fear I have had since the beginning of my problem now came back to haunt me. I feared this day would come. The day my sister would not be able to accommodate me anymore. It was already starting with her.

Next my parents...

My friends...

Elyon...

Somadina shook me and took my hand, leading me away and I felt my legs follow him, trying to get away from that place, hoping Skye's hurtful words would remain there.

But I was wrong. I could still hear them ringing in my head.

I felt them leech on me...

Following me like a curse...

A/N

👀

Mehn! I don't even know what to say.

I swear, this chapter wasn't supposed to turn out this way. I don't know what happened, I was sha typing and bam!this happened. Chai! Ina ehn, things are getting more intense.

So Skye finally confessed her feelings to Mateo and it was done under a very odd circumstance. Skye overreacted though. Mehn, in front of everyone. Kai! I still don't know why I wrote that.

Do you think she's going to be sorry or remorseful because Skye is honestly not like this. Please bring back out sweet Skye! 😪😪😪

Don't worry, it's not yet over. Hopefully, things get better in the next chapter. I don't know when I'm going to update sha, but pray it's soon.

Don't forget to vote, Comment and share.

I love y'all!