Zoom out to see Adam taking his academic future very seriously.
Kaitlynn leaned over the table beside Sky, gesturing to his notes with the eraser end of her pencil. She was saying something about conjugating verbs, but he couldn’t make sense of it. It sounded, well, it sounded foreign. He was pretty sure he was actually asleep, just with his eyes open. How she convinced him that taking Latin would be fun, he had no idea.
Okay, he had some idea.
Kaitlynn snapped her fingers in front of Sky’s face. “Hey, you paying attention?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Look, Sky. I can't do this for you.”
“You sure?” he asked, dropping his chin in his hand. He smiled at her sweetly. “That would really help me out.”
“No.”
“What about English?”
“Sky, no.”
Sky flattened himself across his books. Kaitlynn had to snap her hand back before Sky could drag it with him. “Oh, come on. Please?” he begged. “I’m drowning in homework.”
He’d managed to pick up more hours bussing tables and between that and soccer, he had no time. No energy. Nothing. A mere shell of a teenage boy.
Kaitlynn straightened, setting her hands on her hips. “And I’m not?”
Sky looked up at her through his lashes, mustering up the most pathetic expression he could manage. Kaitlynn pursed her lips and stubbornly looked away, but she could still feel it; she was such a sucker for a sad face.
“Fine. One paper–” Sky couldn’t contain his glee, “–one! And only because I like the topic.” She dug through her backpack for her planner. Sky opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand as if already sensing what he was going to ask next. “I’m shit at math, you’ll have to find someone else.”
Sky sat back up, his brows furrowed. “Kaity, you have an A in that class.”
“Yeah, and those numbers don't make sense to me either,” she replied solemnly, flopping down in the chair next to his.
Famous last words: I'm just going to rest my eyes for a minute
December 10, 2004
“Kaitlynn–”
Kaitlynn turned her head away from the sound, burying her face deeper into the crook of her elbow with a whine. A hand pressed against her back, warm and rhythmically rubbing across the soft fabric of her sweater. After another moment of no response, the hand grew more insistent, but she fought to hold onto the sleep she was drifting out of.
“Kaitlynn, wake up,” the voice said again.
Kaitlynn jolted upright, her vision blurred against the low light. She blinked a few times, willing her eyes to focus. As the table in front of her came into view, she could see the cause of her nap in the textbooks and notebooks. It was a chaotic display, her highlighters and pens spread haphazardly across the dark surface. Squinting, she could see she’d fallen asleep in the middle of writing the word perché.
“Finally.”
“Sky?” she asked drowsily, turning her head back into her hand to rub out the fog, her knuckles digging into her eyes. The force made little gold stars dance across her vision. “What time is it?”
Sleep still heavy in her bones, she shifted her gaze to focus on the figure beside her. He loomed over her, one hand planted between her shoulder blades and the other braced against the mahogany table, the edge of his pinky brushing up against a wad of college rule she’d crumpled in a fit of irritation hours earlier. Her eyes drifted upward, taking in the soft mop of blond, the amused blue eyes.
His hand moved from her back to muss up her hair. She felt its absence. “10ish,” he told her. “I was gonna head back home. I wanted to say goodnight.”
Her hand shot out to grab his arm, sweeping a bright pink highlighter to the floor with a clatter. “No–” she started to say before stopping herself.
Sky hesitated, glancing at her hand then back at her. “You good?”
“It’s Friday,” she explained weakly, pulling her hand back, the expression on her face suggesting she was as surprised by the behavior as he was. "Stay here.”
Sky just smiled softly at her. “I told my mom I’d be home.”
“We can’t just keep him to ourselves,” Adam joked, and she jumped, not realizing her brother was even in the room with them. He leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, his dark eyes sympathetic as he took in the sight of her. “And you have to go to bed.”
“It’s so late,” Kaitlynn complained, a little more awake now, more certain that she wanted him to stay. She looked out the window across the room, desperate for more excuses. There was a nagging sensation deep in her chest. Something felt off, but she didn’t know what it was. “Look, it’s raining. The roads are going to be icy. Just stay here.”
Sky chuckled and cupped the side of her head to drop a kiss on the top of her hair. “Stop worrying. I’ll see you tomorrow to help with the Christmas lights.”
He moved to join Adam in the doorway, and Adam shoulder-checked him. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
"There's a terrifying thought," Sky joked.
"What are you talking about? I'm a great driver."
A scoff was the last sound she was able to make out as they left, their banter soon overtaken by the sound of the rain against the roof. She stared wearily at the books in front of her, her body tensed as a flash of light lit up the room, anticipating the crack of thunder that would inevitably follow.
