*Skyler's Point of View*
"I'm not getting on that," I said. I looked at him with my arms crossed over my chest. He laughed. "I have helmets," he said. I shook my head.
"No." I stared at his motorcycle. "I can die on that thing!" He rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. You'll be fine. And besides, you drove your truck when you had no idea what you were doing. If it makes you feel better I can put it on auto-drive."
I sighed. "You're not going to let up on this are you?" He shook his head and tugged on my arm. I let him pull me towards it and he took my bag. As he put my bag into a side compartment, I said, "Jake. I was programmed incorrectly. If this crashes, I can get hurt. I can even die."
Turning back to me, he took my hand. "I thought so. I am too. We have to talk, okay? Do you trust me, Skyler?" I nodded. "Yes."
He sat on his motorcycle and looked at me. Reluctantly, I climbed on the motorcycle behind him. "Wrap your arms around my waist." I put my arms around his waist and he pulled them tighter. "You don't want to fall off."
He handed me a helmet and turned around to help me put it on. "You don't have any idea of what youre doing, do you?" I shook my head as he secured a strap. My phone started ringing and I looked at the caller ID.
"Who is it?" he asked me. I nodded towards the bus and he looked behind him. He smirked. I accepted the call and held it up to my ear. "Oh my Manufacturer! What is going on?" She was pressed up against the bus window waving enthusiastically and giving me a thumbs up.
I sighed and hung up on her. I looked at Jake and wrapped my arms around his stomach again. "Let's go."
He smiled and said, "Hold on tight." He pulled out of the student parking lot and onto the main road. Wind roared in my ears and I felt the rush of adrenaline pumping through my system.
I let out a loud whoop and Jake laughed. "Enjoying it yet?" he asked. I smiled into his back. "Maybe a little bit," I teased.
He slowed down two streets before my house. Finally, he pulled up to my house. "How did you know where I live?"
"I don't know." I shrugged and gave him his helmet. "Alright," I said, because I believed him. He switched out the helmets for our bags and I led him up to the porch.
The front door was unlocked, so I just led Jake in behind me.
Mom was in the kitchen cutting vegetables for dinner and I assumed that Dad was still at work. "Hey, Mom. This is Jake." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, which was unlike her. "Hi, Jake. I'm Mrs. Hectin."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hectin."
"We're going to be studying and doing some homework in the living room." She nodded her head as she went back to chopping vegetables.
I led Jake into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Do you know my mom, Jake?" He sat down next to me and gave me a one shoulder shrug.
"Not personally." I leaned closer to him while I interrogated him. "Then how do you know her?" He bit his lip and held back from telling me whatever it was. "C'mon, Jake. What is it?"
"Well," he sighed. "It's complicated. I don't know how to explain it." I reached over and grabbed his hand, quickly squeezing it. "So just start from the beginning." He nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Whispering, he said, "Your mom works for the government." I nodded slowly, not getting where he was getting at. "Yeah, so?" He held up a hand, signaling that he was getting there.
"But she doesn't work for good people. She hunts people. People like us."
*Jakes Point of View*
I could see the confusion etched clearly on her face. "What are you talking about, Jake?" I cupped her cheek in my palm. "We're different, Skyler. We are so different from everyone else," I said softly.
"And there are people - bad people - who want to take us and experiment on us and use us for war."
I looked into her glossy eyes and stroked her cheek with my thumb. She looked so confused and I didnt blame her. I would have been too, if it hadn't been forced into my mind from such a young age.
"But why? What makes us different? And who would they go to war with?" I took my other hand and used it to grab her hand.
She wasnt ready, and I knew that. I just didnt know how to tell her that. I sighed. "Skyler, I don't know if you're ready for that kind of news. It's going to be a lot to take in. Just focus on taking in what I just told you."
She frowned and pouted out her lower lip. "You can't just drop a bomb like that on me and then expect me to wait."
I sighed and nodded. "Trust me, Skyler. Do you trust me?" She nodded. "Well then trust me when I say that ignorance is bliss."
"I trust you, Jake, but I need to know. Please?" I sighed and shook my head as I stood up, getting ready to leave.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me back down next to her. She kissed me slowly and pulled back. "How about now?"
"I gave her a look. Are you trying to bribe me?" She gave me a fake offended look and scoffed. "What? No! Can't I just kiss you because I want to and not because I want something?"
I smirked. "Haha, very funny, but I can't be bribed. Not that easily at least. I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, standing up again. She smiled.
"Yeah. I'm taking the bus if you want to join me?" I smiled. "Ill be looking forward to it." I bent down and pecked her lips quickly. "Jake?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I have your number?" I smiled and grabbed her pencil. "Only you. Just don't give it to anyone else, okay?"
"Alright." She wrote her phone number down and handed it to me and then led me to the door.
She pecked my lips again at her front door. "I'm not going off to a war I dont know about, right?" She smiled and shook her head. "No. Can't I kiss you?" I smiled.
"Trust me, that you can definitely do." I leaned in to kiss her again and she put a hand on my chest and backed away. "Hey!" I protested.
She smiled and shook her head. "I guess you'll just have to wait until tomorrow." I stuck out my tongue as she shut the front door.
*Skyler's Point of View*
I sighed happily and leaned against the door as I looked down at what was now my most prized possession.
At dinner that night, my dad brought up the question on both of my parents' minds. "Why are you so hyper and giddy?"
I shrugged and smiled. "I don't know. I guess I just am today."
"Really? Because you looked ready to fall back asleep this morning when you left for school."
Mom scoffed and shook her head. "It's that boy isn't it?" Dad looked over to her. "What boy?"
"Skyler had a boy over today after school and claimed that they were 'working on homework.'" I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
"What else do you think we were doing? It's not like we were alone in my bedroom with the door locked. We were just on the couch in the living room."
She glared at me and turned back to my father. "She's too young to have a boyfriend." I felt my cheeks redden. "He's not my boyfriend! And I'm seventeen! I am not too young!"
My father gave my mother a look, meaning that he was leaning towards my side. "She is seventeen..." he pointed out.
"Fine! But not that boy. Any other boy, just not him." She stood up angrily and her eyes told me to agree with her, but I was not going to let this go.
"Why not? Why not Jake?" I stood up with my hands on the table. "Because I said so!"
She stomped off and I pushed my chair in angrily before I stomped off to my room.
I slammed my door before my phone rang. I answered it quickly, hoping it was Jake.
"Hey, Kid."
"Oh. Its you." I heard him scoff and I could see him shaking his head in my mind as I turned over.
"Who were you expecting? Your boyfriend?" he teased.
"Well..." I trailed off.
"What?" he asked, clearly very shocked.
I sighed. "Keith? Do you think that I deserve to be happy?" I asked.
"Yeah, of course. Doesn't everyone? Why? Who said otherwise?" I sighed.
"Well, I mean, she never said it like that, but there's this boy and I really like him. And I don't know why but she hates him. I don't know what to do."
He sighed. "It's probably not going to last Skyler. You're inexperienced and you'll end up hurt." I sighed.
"You're supposed to be the big brother that gives me amazing advice that I actually want to hear."
"Well, on a scale of one to ten, how much do you like this guy?"
"A 15," I said, smiling.
"And has he tried to get into your pants yet?" I scoffed. "No. He wouldn't do something like that."
"Sky, all guys would." I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, he wouldn't. And besides, you wouldn't do something like that."
"And that's what makes me a man and not a boy." I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, okay. But seriously, what should I do?"
"I think you should do whatever makes you happy, but that doesn't mean that I won't say I told you so." I smiled.
"You're the best! I would hug you right now if I could! Do me a favor? Dont tell Mom and Dad. Please?"
He sighed and silently debated it. "Fine. As long as it doesn't come back to bite me," he said reluctantly. I squealed and then covered my mouth as I let out an excited laugh.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the absolute best! I love you!"
He let out a loud laugh. "Alright, I want to meet this guy sometime, but I have to go finish some work. I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight, Sky."
"Okay. Love you too, goodnight." I heard scratching on my door and smiled when Styx ran through his doggie door. He jumped right up on my bed and pinned me down to lick me all over. I laughed as I ruffled his fur and pushed him off of me.
He tilted his head and started sniffing me, smelling Jake's scent on me. I waited until he was done and then got up to brush my teeth and change into pajamas.
I plopped back down on my bed and sighed. I rolled over on my side and looked at Styx. "What am I going to do? Huh, boy? What am I going to do?"
He made a sad face and rolled over on his back and became playful again. I played with him for a while until I decided it was time for me to go to bed.
I reached over to turn the lights off while Styx curled up at the end of my bed. "Goodnight, Styx."