Opening Up

Skylars POV

Allie Mae and I woke up after sleeping for so long very groggily, but after waking up more, and connecting to my wifi, we watched a little bit of Netflix while we sipped our coffees, I brewed inside the house.

After we officially woke up from the dead, we immediately went upstairs into the next spiral staircase leading upstairs and were shocked to see a mini fridge, and a little mini oven alongside mini cabinets stationed on the walls. We were completely blown away by how much the workers thought about this.

It also made me wonder if they went all out like this just because we were polite and nice, I wondered how everyone else treated people around here.

I ignored a bad feeling in my stomach and continued looking around, and had to flat out laugh, they built us a better two toilet system, with actual sliding doors, well curtain doors.

The two buckets were the same, but they were now a station on the floor, with a nice plastic rim over the top, so we didn't have to hover over the opening. We mustered up the courage to climb the rest of the staircase and we found much to our liking, was a two-person sitting spot on top of the roof of the treehouse, where nestled into four-chair like positions, the workers built it more like a chair resembled and even put a few cushions on the seats.

We were both very happy with the results, I mean who wouldn't?

Allie Mae ended up taking a nap on one of the beds in the treehouse, and I got dressed and went for a walk around my old neighborhood. I didn't go fast, I kept a leisurely pace, just watching and soaking everything up, how people interacted with one another.

I was surprised to find, a movie theatre that was in a little cubical area, that was attached to a McDonald, is now where a Dunkin Donuts and a small KFC place stood. I was crushed, as a little kid, I would go to see movies all the time in there, granted whenever my mother would give me the money.

With moist eyes, I turn around and walk a couple more blocks, fingering the end of my light gray hoodie, and pull the sleeves over my hands, bunching them in my hands. I didn't really have a destination in mind, but my mind and feet did, as I subconsciously walk to the very park where Kade and I ended up finding a salamander, a yellow and black one.

I was digging around the dirt with my shovel at age six and Kade, being Kade picked it up after I dug it out of the dirt, and chased me around with it, holding it out to my back. I didn't think he meant any harm, kids do dumb things, but I screamed and cried all the way to my mother.

She and Kylie, Kades mother both scolded him, and Kylie made him apologize to me, with a popsicle. Grape flavored. My favorite. Of course, me being six at that time, I thought it was the ultimate apology so I forgave him, and we played until the sun went down, all forgiven.

I chuckled and shook my head at the memory flooding through me, like a wave. I was so young, so innocent. I didn't have a care in the world. Young me was so pure and amazing.

Now, I'm so far off track I have no idea who I was anymore. At just twenty-one I was so lost, I had no idea what I was doing, I had tampered with alcohol, going off the rails for the longest time, before being able to slow down enough so I don't lose control. I've noticed though, for a few days, I've been so out of control, I almost want to be anywhere other than here.

And even now, a year later after everything I've done to fight for control, I'm spiraling and I don't even know how to stop it.

I was always too busy, listening to my parent's fight, tearing each other down, then loving each other later that night, to ever really think about what I wanted out of life. The endless cycle of abuse and anger twirled me around and around and around. I didn't know which way was up now. I was getting lost in my thoughts, just standing there in the open like a weirdo, but I got interrupted by somebody.

"I scared the shit out of you with that salamander." I hear a voice boom out behind me. Kades.

Instead of being bothered that he was here, when I was here I shrugged it off and shrugged my shoulders, "I was scared of just about everything Kade." I smiled.

I could hear his footsteps coming around to face me, and when he did I looked away so I wouldn't look at him. I'm supposed to be avoiding him. I didn't even deserve to be his friend.

"Yes, you did." I chuckled though and tried to be light and happy. But sad memories flooded my mind.

"That was all before shit got screwed up." I suddenly say out loud.

"What are you talking about," Kade asked confused.

I brought my head up, "Kade, you don't know what happened." My voice starts to break, and I take a shaky breath in trying to steady my voice.

Kades' eyebrows are furrowed, but his dark eyes held a sense of familiarity that I recognized, just because we split apart in life, we grew up together. We will always hold each other close to heart, but I could tell even now in some way I had never stopped being his friend.

"What are you talking about Skylar? You are literally not making any sense." Kade says and he does seem very befuddled but it just makes me even angrier.

"My father used to be a nice man. He was always the father of the year whenever he brought home toys for me, after being away for so long. Do you remember that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral, trying so very hard to keep myself in check.

Kade smiled, "Yes I do. I would be around so often, that I would witness the way he called you princess, and always told you he loved you, even in death." He recalls his eyebrow furrowing even more.

My own eyes widened. He didn't even realize what he just said.

My eyes closed as if feeling many sharp knives stabbing my heart and I swallowed and forced myself to continue on, "Yes. Kade. But, the reason why I left. He said he would kill me. Then kill himself. You want to know why?" By this point, tears were making themselves prominent, finally able to talk about this.

But I was doing more than talking, my voice held malice. At who I had no idea, but I knew I felt complete hatred for my father, tears started rolling down my cheeks.

I still went on though, not letting Kade have even a split second to interject with anything he had to say. I suddenly felt the need to tell Kade why I left and stayed away for so long.

"He couldn't stand your mother being my mother's best friend. He didn't want to lose her, and that's how he felt like what was happening. I knew nothing about all that, at first. It took me years of listening to my parents fighting and my own interpretation to understand everything. He was mean and abusive to my mother before I was born. But once he found out about the pregnancy, she knew he wouldn't let her go. Back then she had sense and she wanted to leave him. Kylie was helping her, that's why she initially befriended her." I paused for a moment.

"What?" Kade asked weakly, to no one in particular, as he sits down by the bench a few feet away. Staring wide-eyed at me, speechless.

I followed, "Yeah. Some father." I scoffed and then continued, "Some husband he was to her. I never knew they had problems growing up here, they always seemed so happy. Anyways, My father found out about Kylie, and apparently, she was getting help from some type of police official, but dad threatened to kill me before she could even think of running away, and then he would kill himself to make it look like she did it." I took a deep breath in

She would go down for murder. And apparently, she believed him. I have no idea what he used to do. It was something very secret and not good. She's been brainwashed by him ever since that he will change. But Kade. It was so bad, it got worse when we moved." I cried out, and saw out of the corner of my eye Kade was reaching out, I instinctively moved away.

Kade was listening intently but upon seeing me and hearing my pain, he probably wanted to comfort me, but I wasn't going to let him touch me again. I fucked up. Kissing an almost married man. I had thought of doing so much worse, and I needed to keep my distance for a very long time until I can figure out what was wrong with me.

Kade nodded his head and dropped his hand, "My mother didn't tell me this. Why would she not tell me any of this? You were my best friend growing up." He asked and his own voice shook.

I shrugged, "I don't know Kade. I don't know everything. But I know enough to put just about most of the pieces together. I came back so that way I could get over my wounds from the hell of a life I've had, and figure out what I want to do with my life. I never had a break to think about what I want." I said.

Kade nodded but I could tell there was something on his mind, "What is it?" I asked.

"Why didn't you text me, or call me? You had my number, my mother told me she gave it to you long ago. I could have still been there for you Skye." Kade insisted and I shook my head, sadly.

"I could ask the same for you. But to be honest. It was fear for me, I didn't want to talk to anybody about it. I was scared for my life and my mothers that would be robbed from her if something did happen. I couldn't do that. I had to protect her, although much that did as she is still with him, subjecting herself to it all still." I say bitterly and shrug my shoulders again.

I then fix my gaze on Kade's warm dark eyes, "Why didn't you, text or call that is?" I asked quizzically, holding my breath.

Kade dropped my gaze and stared down at his hands, "I didn't know what to say. Not to bring up old memories, but that day, at recess I kissed you. You moved the next day after. Without saying a word. I thought I did it, that I made you move. You complained to your parents. I thought that when I kissed you, you decided you hated me. Or didn't like me the way I liked you." Kade says after a moment's hesitation, and I smile softly.

"Quite the opposite. I actually thought you hated me when you stopped at the slide, you never did that. Then when you did uh that," I said referring to the kiss, "I couldn't stop thinking about it. I didn't hate you. I liked you as well, so don't think you were an idiot." I slapped his arm playfully and laughed, getting lost in the memory of feeling sick thinking he hated me when he stopped chasing me.

Kade smiled at me, his eyes shining and it had me smiling wider, a warm feeling spread across my face and settled in my chest.

"You want to go boating?" I asked mischievously, smirking from left to right.

Kades eyes flew open and he started laughing. Light bubbly laughter left his mouth and had me springing up on my feet, and leaning down to snag Kade's hands in mine. I pulled him up and with little to no effort, was able to pull him up to stand beside me.

"You seriously want to do that again? At our age, we'll get caught, and quite possibly thrown into jail." Kades eyes opened wide and he spluttered out.

That sentence had me doubling over in laughter, "You say that like we're already forty. What the hell happened to the last twenty years?!" I asked, incredulously.

Kade looked down at me, smiling goofily, "Well I mean we did do that at ten to thirteen, a little over ten years ago Skye." Kade mused.

I kept pulling him however and was able to eventually make it so I was leading him down to the town docks, I love 'going boating'. We did this all summer, for a couple of summers actually. The town was so small back then everyone knew exactly who did it, but since it was us, we knew how to handle a boat, as our parents have cruised all their lives. They let us do what we wanted. The town was always so nice and welcoming.

Everyone always went out of their way, to do extra for even a stranger. Always so warm and welcoming. That's why it was so shocking when dad turned out to be a violent person. The community wasn't, so he had no reason to be.

Shaking my head, I clear my head of the negative thoughts. My mind centered around Kade and me, as kids we would 'steal' and I mean, well we thought we were stealing boats to take out for the day, but little did we know the town had already known. Because of good old-fashioned cameras. They weren't enhanced like the security cameras we have now, but it showed enough to show the two kids looked identical to us.

We would steal a few boats a few summers before I left, and did it last the summer I did leave. I had a mischievous hunch that I just couldn't quite scratch until I did it. I wanted to go boating with my old best friend.

We called it that to our parents because we couldn't flat out say we were going to steal a boat, and instead make it sound like we were just going down to the small docks and going boating on a lake we lived nearby. It became just a regular thing to say, instead of stealing so that way, we could ask anybody who was near that was an adult if we could go boating.

"Come on. Let's go!" I exclaimed and an amused Kade follows after me.