Rival Hearts (Rival Love #2) (22 page)

I carry her up to the stands and sit her down beside Erin. “I think she bumped her head pretty hard,” I whisper so only she can hear.

Erin prods and examines Sky then starts to ask her questions. Sky giggles her answers. Erin shakes her head. “I don’t know; we might have to wait it out. Take her to the H-O-S-P—”

Skylar bursts into a fit of laughter. “Pee! Hahaha. Mom, you’re so weird!”

“Oh my,” her dad says.

“Caleb, do you think you can pick her up and carry her to the car?” Erin asks.

“Yeah.” I scoop her up, my uncle throws a blanket over her, and we all march to the SUV. Erin collects Sky’s things and her dad, well, he hangs back and waits for Erin.

None of this matters, though. I focus on Sky. Make sure she’s awake and talking to me. About whatever she wants. Hell, I don’t even care if she starts calling me an ass and every name in the book, as long as she’s talking and doesn’t go to sleep on me.

“Caleb, my dad is here. Did you see?”

“I know. It’s great. You did so great!”

“I need to do better tomorrow. I hit my head. I can’t believe I did that. Lidia, I hit my head!” she yells in a giggly voice.

“I saw,” Lidia says with a smile. “Is she going to be effed up in the morning?”

I shake my head. I hope the hell not. Sky rests her head in the nook of my shoulder. I shake her a little and whisper, “Baby, don’t go to sleep, remember?”

“I’m not. Just resting.”

“Nope. Babe, you can’t rest.”

“Keep me awake then. Tell me something. Kiss me. That will wake me.” God, if she’s for real I’d gladly do it. But if she’s only teasing, I don’t want to upset her.

I drop my lips to her forehead. “Later. I promise.”

Lidia helps me with the door. I move Skylar and me into the back. Lidia shuts the door and slides into the other seat. She glances over at Skylar and slaps her leg.

“Malcom says hey. By the way. You need to call him.”

My fists tighten. “How is Malcom?” she asks.

“He’s good.” Lidia smiles like she has a secret.

Sky stares at her then up at me. “Caleb, my head is throbbing.”

“I know.” I kiss her forehead again. “We’re going to get you all taken care of.”

She smiles and looks over at Lidia. “Thanks for coming, Liddy.”

“Sky, I know there’s a good chance you won’t remember this conversation but I hope you do. I know you think I hate you, but I really don’t. Yes, I’m spoiled, sometimes forget myself, and say crap that’s really mean or hurtful. I only do that stuff because I’m jealous. You have your shit altogether, know where you want to go, get good grades, are great at everything, and all Dad does is harp on about how I should be more like you. He’s always telling everyone how proud he is of you, and it’s hard. I felt like I was constantly living in your shadow, and for what? You weren’t even there. So yeah, I thought I could get you back by being a total bitch.” Lidia places her hand on Sky’s and squeezes. “Today, though, I can see what Dad means. You were awesome out there, and I am so proud you’re my sister. I just wish you could teach me to swim like that. One day.”

Sky’s eyes water and she sniffles. “Liddy, I’d really like that. I’m so sorry I never tried to be a better sister to you. Even when I was there. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Anyway, it wasn’t all my idea to come here. Malcom talked me into it. So I convinced Dad to bring us.”

Sky laughs. “Malcom is good for you. You know that, right?”

“He is. I know this.”

The girls seem to chat without anger, and with the baggage of the past settling between them. My uncle and Erin pile into the vehicle without complaint that Lidia’s going to the hospital with us.

We arrive at the nearest hospital within ten minutes and get out. I carry Sky to the ER, and everyone else follows. Once Sky’s admitted, I lay her on her assigned bed and leave her with her parents and the doctors looking her over.

Lidia, my uncle Brian, and I wait around in the waiting area. Eventually, Erin and her dad are told to wait with us. It doesn’t make my nerves any better. Some simple tests and a few hours later, a doctor comes out to tell us the results. He pulls the adults to the side and starts talking to them.

Lidia texts someone on her phone while I sit in agony, wanting to know what is going on. Is Skylar going to be okay?

“You can go in and see her,” Erin whispers to me and Lidia when she returns to us. “We just to have to sign some paperwork and we can take her home.”

I don’t wait. I hop out of my chair and hurry to the room where Skylar is. She’s lying against the pillows, sighing up at the ceiling when I walk in. She looks over at me and smiles. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I breathe.

“I’m glad you were there today. Even if your efforts at heroism were a little wasted. I’m fine. Just had a little dizzy spell come over me, and my head might have a little bump from colliding with the wall. Still, I’m glad you were there. You’re always there when I really need you.”

“I love you, Sky. I’ll do anything for you. Anything. Even if you say we can never be together ever again, or if you’re so mad at me you never want to speak to me. I will never stop watching over you.”

She smiles. “Never?”

“Never.”

Chapter 39

Skylar

To say this week has been a little, well, crazy would be an understatement. First, Districts was total madness. Not only did my dad and Lidia come to my meet, they’re coming to State, too. Lidia and I have slowly started to come to terms with being sisters and are trying to become friends. It’s not perfect, but it’s coming along.

I’m swimming every event I do at State. So are Kayla, Amber, and most of the girls on the team. Coach Grim says it’s because we’ve been helping each other and working like a unit. I think it’s a little more than that. I think it’s because we realized that we all want the same things, so we should strive for it.

Kayla and I are sitting in my room with Sam and Mikia when my door opens up. My mom looks at me with crossed arms and mumbles for me to get out into the hallway.

I honestly don’t know what I’ve done, but I join her in the hall and say, “Yeah?”

“Well, I want to run something by you before I do it. During State, would you like me to rent a suite for you, Kayla, and Lidia to stay in?”

“That’d be cool. Kayla’s mom says she can come down, but only on Saturday. She has to work during the Monday meet and can’t get off.”

“I know. I talked to her mom. The hospital is being flexible with my schedule, but Brian and Caleb won’t be there for Monday’s meet either.”

I nod. “It’s fine.”

She rubs my shoulder. “You sure?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

She smiles and walks off. I re-enter my room with a deep pain in my chest. Caleb won’t be there. Not on Monday. I swim so much better with him watching. It’s hard to explain but, every meet he’s at, I feel like I can do anything. Beat any time. But when he’s not there, I swim “eh,” not my best.

Sam snorts. “Oh, wow, you want him to bite you?”

“What?” I ask.

They all look up and Kayla is blushing. “Oh, nothing. Just … okay, so you know Lance and I’ve been getting some nights where it’s perfect alone time. Like his parents are chilling upstairs and we’re watching movies or playing video games in his basement.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Well, we got to make out a few of those nights, and it was amazing. Like, oh my God, I can’t believe he can kiss like that, it should be downright illegal! Anyway, the other night his—”

“Teeth were scraping at her shoulder and Miss Kayla here was super turned on,” Mikia teases.

Kayla’s blush deepens. “It was unexpected but yes, I liked it. I think he thinks I didn’t, though because I hissed. And we’ve kind of not had that intense of a make-out session again.”

“If you want him to do it again just tell him or, better yet, bite
him
,” I suggest. “I don’t know.”

Sam brings up Alex, but I haven’t told Kayla about Alex. She stares at me in disbelief, but I just sigh. “Nothing will happen with Alex.” Because someone has my damn heart and no one else can have it.

“So, I need to tell you something,” Kayla says.

Mikia pushes her arm. “We’ve heard enough about you and Lance.”

“No. That’s not it.” She looks at me with worry in her gaze. “Never mind.”

“Say it,” I tell her.

She sucks in a breath. “Well, it’s kind of bad.”

“Spill it!” Sam and Mikia both yell at her.

“I don’t think Danielle is really pregnant.” She covers her mouth as soon as the words come out.

I give her a look. “Why would you say that? She obviously has a bump.”

“Caleb has been begging to go to her appointments, and she keeps dodging him. It’s just weird.”

The information hits me in the face. It shouldn’t haven’t been news to me, but it felt just as shocking. As far as I knew, Caleb didn’t want to have anything to do with the alleged child growing in Danielle’s belly. Now, it seems as if I’m wrong.

It should make her happy that he’s attempting to be a good dad, making an effort, but it only makes my stomach knot. God, what if they’re like those people who don’t realize how much they like each other until they have a baby?

“Sky?” Sam asks.

I paste on a fake smile. “I’m fine. Dodging him is probably just her way of getting back at him for not being there in the beginning,” I suggest.

Kayla shrugs and I need to get some air all of a sudden. It’s freezing outside, but I need it.

***

In sixth period, Ms. Andres is talking about mixing components together and making some sort of anti-acid liquid. Honestly, I’m lost after the first couple steps. I wouldn’t be if I were listening, but I’m not. Instead, I keep drawing swirls and squiggles that end up spelling “Fletcher loves Morgan.”

Ugh.

I rip out the page and start to crumble it when I spot him walking into my classroom. He hands Ms. Andres a note, and she tells me to collect my things and stop by her desk. I shove everything into my bag, turn off my Bunsen burner, and go toward the large lab table at the front of the room. She hands me a note and shoos me out of the room. Caleb is silent the entire time.

I feel like we should say something. I mean, since the incident at my last meet we’ve barely spoken.

“So, what did I do this time?” I joke as I nudge him.

“You’re not in trouble. We’re leaving early.”

“Why? It’s not Thursday.” Today’s Wednesday. I didn’t have to be at State until Thursday evening.

“I know.”

He goes back to being silent, which drives me nuts. Why are we always doing this to each other? Push, pull together.

When we reach the parking lot, he sighs. “Erin said you needed something before your meet tomorrow. She said it was tradition and since she couldn’t do this tomorrow before you left I said I’d do it. I know how much tradition means to you.”

“Caleb. Are you taking me to Dave and Buster’s?”

He nods.

I squeeze him to me and kiss him. Then I pull back quickly and whisper, “I’m sorry.”

He smiles. “Don’t be.”

He tells me to follow him to the house. I do and then we take his car to Dave and Buster’s.

After a few games of Guitar Hero, air hockey, and skee ball, I am no longer a ball of wound up nerves. Caleb stands next to me at the skee ball game. “I bet I can get a higher score than you.”

We’ve been doing this ever since we strolled into Dave and Buster’s. My adrenaline surges. This is what I need. Someone who’s going to challenge me and push me. It’s like he knows this is what I need.

“Ready?” he asks as he swipes his card and picks up a ball. He rolls it in his palm and it makes me laugh. Oh, this boy is going down.

I swipe my card on the lane next to him and the balls come shooting down the tube. I grab one of the smooth, green, wooden balls and whip it up the lane. It hits the bump and sails to the back in the five-thousand marker.

“Ooo, our lady can play,” he says with a cocky grin on his face.

I stick my tongue out at him and continue to launch my balls into the markers. I hit the hundred-thousand marker and the fifty-thousand markers and keep racking up the points. Tickets are spilling on the floor. By the time I’m done, I’ve got over eight hundred thousand points.

He only has ninety-five hundred points. Ha! I win. I do a little victory dance and then stop when I notice not only is he staring, but several others around us are staring. I drop my hands to my sides, grab my tickets, and march over to the table. Caleb slides into the booth with a grin.

“So, what are we? Two to one?”

I make a sound. “Psssh! More like I’ve won four rounds and you’ve beaten me twice.”

“I’m taking it easy on you.”

“The hell you are.”

He smirks. “I might be.”

I slap him. And move toward the open air hockey table. “Now.”

He tilts his head and sighs. “As you wish.”

We line up at each end of the table. I stare him down and grit my teeth, ready for him to make the first move. His puck will not make it past mine.

At least this is what I chant to myself. Of course what I chant to myself and what actually happens are two completely different things. When that jerk slaps the green disk down to my end, I maneuver my blocker to stop it from reaching my goal but my hand isn’t quick enough and I overshoot, missing the puck. It slides right into my goal and the buzzer goes off. One to zip. U
GH
!

I keep doing this, but after he scores his fourth goal I decide to play a little, shall we say, dirty. I slowly shed my sweater, revealing my very cute but low-cut tank top. Caleb’s eyes expand for a minute then a blush forms across his cheeks. I smile and he swallows, making a loud grunting sound.

“Ready?” he rasps.

“Sure.”

The next one he misses, and I take full advantage of this, bending just low enough to let him get a peek of my cleavage—only to distract him. It works, too. Next five goals are mine. I’m on top and he’s scratching his head.