Rival Hearts (Rival Love #2)

by Natalie Decker

  “Sky?”

  “Yeah?” I ask, just outside the door in the hallway.

  “Want to go get some breakfast or lunch when I’m done?”

  I smile. “That would be nice.”

  “Okay.”

  I close the door behind me and return to my room. Going to my laptop, I flip up the screen and log into Facebook. I haven’t been on Facebook since September, which is funny because I used to check it daily to filter photos I was tagged in. That was all before the move, though. There’s no need to filter photos since all my friends from my old school defriended me. So imagine my surprise when I find over two hundred friend requests and a crap-ton of messages in my inbox.

  Starting with the messages, I begin to read. “Damn girl, knew you had it in you! Call me.” Simone. She’s on my old softball team.

  “We took you in Skank, and this is how you repay us? You better never show your face around here ever again! If you do, we won’t be showing you any mercy, Bulldog!” That’s from Amber. Great! Well, no worries there, because the school feels me leaving is best for everyone. Obviously, they’re right with threats like these.

  I read and read and the messages seem to be the same, people congratulating me or threatening to put me in a body bag. But it’s the last five messages that really stand out. The first is from Kayla.

  “We miss you. We’re so miserable without you, but I hope NYC is treating you well. I hope you never forget about me, or Lance, or even Caleb. I’m sure you won’t, but in any case I want to remind you not to. The person responsible will be found, and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later. That way you might be able to come back to us. Keep in touch. Hugs, Kayla”

  I sniffle a little at her message. She’s such a great person and friend. God, I miss her. The next one’s from Lance. “Hey tutor. I’m sucking again at History. My parents are going to ground me if I don’t raise my grade to a B like it was when you were here. I tried to tell them my tutor is gone, but they tell me that’s just an excuse to be lazy. So, I’m blaming you for this. You made me too smart. Thanks though. For everything. Kayla included. I know that was your doing, and I’m glad. Call us sometime. Stop ignoring Caleb, he’s all nuts without you.”

  A message from Caleb is underneath Lance’s. “Hi. I hate Facebook. That’s another secret about me. I don’t see the need for everyone to know everything I’m doing. You haven’t been answering your phone, which is understandable, but I miss hearing your voice. I hate the silence in the house. I really hate hearing your mom laugh because it’s the same as yours, and I want you here, but you’re not here. I know this probably filled with grammar mistakes which you will point out because you’re so freaking smart like that. Sky, I’m lost. I’m not sure where we go from here. You won’t talk to me. And it’s killing me babe. I know this is hard, but I want to work on this. I want to do this whole long distance thing, because it’ll be worth it if I still get to have you. Talk to me sometime, okay? Love, Caleb.”

  Oh my God! I feel like the biggest ass on the planet. When I had the phone conversation with Caleb a few days ago, he probably thought I’d read this, but I hadn’t. He really wanted to try the long-distance thing. I wonder if he still does? Is that why he’s here—to convince me?

  My heart flutters at the thought, and my cheeks warm as a smile creeps onto my face. Maybe I can do this.

  Next, I read a message from Sam: “I’ve been an a-hole of a friend. I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but Sky we didn’t fuck up that stupid pool! Stop dragging me and Mikia through your shit!”

  What the hell is she talking about? I’ve no clue but frankly, at this point, I don’t care. They ditched me, not the other way around.

  I read the last message, which is from Kayla: “Hey! They found some new evidence. Call me! Also tell Caleb hi! And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do okay, or do, because seriously you guys belong together. But for real call me!”

  I snatch up the phone right as Caleb enters my room fluffing his hair with a towel. Our eyes lock and he asks, “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve got to call Kayla and then you and I need to talk.”

  He looks over my shoulder and swallows. “Uh, look, about that. I just … ”

  “Hey, quit.” I step closer and plant my lips on his. His body stiffens as if I shocked him. When I pull back slightly, he looks completely confused, mouth hanging open like he’s about to say something. I almost laugh. “Don’t ruin it. I need to make this call, okay?”

  He shrugs. “Okay.”

  Chapter 11

  Caleb

  As soon as I enter her room, her eyes are wide like she’s seen a ghost. I ask her what’s wrong, but she just tells me she needs to make a phone call. I’m not entirely convinced that’s what it is so I look over her shoulder. There it is, my message to her. Shit!

  I thought she already read it. But if she hasn’t, and she’s just seeing it now? Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover what would happen between us.

  She lifts her cell to her ear and says, “Kayla! Hi! Sorry, I just got your message.”

  She pauses for a second then says, “What? You sent me text messages, too? My phone is such a piece of crap, I didn’t get any of them. So what’s up? … No way! They did? Oh, but … well … what’s that all mean?” There’s a long pause and then she goes on, “Kayla, I can’t come back. Unless they really catch the person responsible, it’s not safe for me to be there. … Yeah, he is. Uh-huh. Well, he’s staring at me right now, probably wondering what’s going on.” Then Sky giggles and hands me the phone. “Someone wants to talk to you.”

  I take the phone from her and she presses her lips to mine. I want to deepen the kiss but someone yells, “Hey, jackass!”

  I almost tell Lance to call me later because he’s interrupting something, but Skylar is already making her way back to her bed. I’m about to stop her, but Lance is distracting me saying, “Dude, your uncle is flipping out. You need to call him and tell him where the hell you are.”

  “I can’t tell him. Besides, I’m eighteen, who cares. He can’t do anything to me legally.”

  “Yeah, but my parents can. I’m not eighteen and I don’t need to get into trouble. Just call him. Please. I actually like being able to see my girlfriend.”

  “All right, all right. Calm down.”

  “Good. And hey, they found some evidence leading to someone on the Bulldogs’ side. Sky might be able to come home after all. We’ll keep you posted. Good luck.”

  The phone clicks and I stare at Skylar. She’s braiding her hair. I make my way to the bed and take a seat beside her. Placing her phone on her nightstand, I notice a few picture frames. One is photo of just her and me. I pick it up and laugh. “I remember this.”

  “Me too.” She’s finished with her hair and leans in close to me. “Caleb, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course. You can ask me anything.”

  She nods. “Why are you here?”

  I sigh and rub my hand through my hair. I’m not sure she wants the real reason, but I’m going to give it to her anyway. “Because I miss you. I want this … us … to work. If it doesn’t, then okay, at least I tried. And I wanted to see New Year’s in New York City so I can say I’ve seen it in person. I also needed to be face to face with you to tell you that—” There’s a loud knock on her door interrupting my monologue.

  “Sky-lar … Dad says we need to be ready in twenty minutes because he’s taking us out to lunch. You’ve got five minutes to sneak out with lover boy, but you’ll owe me.”

  “I’d rather eat dirt than owe her a damn thing,” Sky mumbles. “I’ll go greet my dad before the snake does. We can talk some more later, hopefully.” She smiles and pecks me on the cheek then darts out the door.

  ***

  We’re all at a diner. Lidia is smirking at Sky and me. Sky is avoiding her father’s stares, and her stepmother glares over at me like I’m a criminal. “This is the kind of stunt I was warning you about when w
e agreed to take her in,” she huffs.

  “Skylar, you should have told us beforehand that your … ” Her father pauses, flipping the page on his menu and then setting it down in front of him with a very loud sigh. “ He’s your mother’s new boyfriend’s nephew, right?”

  I nod.

  “Fiancé, but who’s really looking at corrections here?” Skylar answers. “Caleb isn’t going to be a bother. He wanted to visit some schools. Mom thought since I was here and lonely that it would be a good idea to see a familiar face.” She lies like a professional. It makes me curious if she’s ever lied to me about anything.

  “Well, I don’t appreciate your mother’s lack of notice,” the stepmother snarls. “She can’t just send whoever she wants to come into my home whenever she wants. We have engagements, parties, and social events to attend. We don’t have time to entertain your unwanted guest on top of all that.”

  “He’s wanted. I want him. I asked him to come. And as for your stupid gatherings, they won’t be harmed in any way because, as I told you before, I’m not attending them.”

  “Now, Skylar, that’s no way to speak to your mother.”

  “Stepmother. And I can speak to her how I wish since I have never and will never forgive her for how she came to be my stepmother in the first place. Excuse us.” Sky grabs my hand and pulls me away from the table with her. Her stepmother’s jaw is completely unhinged. Lidia looks as if she won the lottery, all giddy and loving every single moment.

  We rush out of the diner and Skylar exhales loudly. “I couldn’t breathe in there. I’m sorry.”

  I rub her back. “It’s okay. Has this been happening a lot lately? The fighting and stuff?”

  “Yeah. Since I moved in. She’s made one sour remark after another. She thinks I’m going to ruin Lidia’s social life.” She narrows her stare and looks down at her feet. “Most of the time I want to tell that woman what I really think of her. How she’s a conniving evil witch, and that she better watch her mouth or I’m going to take a baseball bat to all her precious artwork.”

  The image of Skylar swinging away at canvases has me smiling. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?” she asks.

  “Just trust me.”

  She nods and follows me.

  We return to her father’s brownstone. I go to her room and get her guitar and mine along with her swim bag. I shove my own shorts and towel into the bag. Skylar doesn’t question me when I return with the stuff. She follows me out the door, and we hail a cab.

  About fifteen minutes later, we’re outside a local YMCA. Skylar gives me a look. Her eyebrows are quirked upward and her nose slightly wrinkled. “What are you doing, Caleb?”

  “I think we’re going to release some of your stress. So here is step one.”

  “The pool?”

  “Yes. The pool. Now go get suited up.”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re so weird.”

  I pay for us to swim laps, she hands me my stuff, and then she disappears into the locker room. “Would you like a locker?”

  My attention returns to the girl waiting on me and I nod. “Yeah. That would be great. How big are they?”

  She looks over her desk at the guitars and smiles. “Oh. You can get one of those in there. I’ll give you two lockers.”

  She hands over the keys and I head to the men’s locker room. I place Sky’s guitar into a locker and lock it. Once I change, I place my things inside the other locker, along with the other guitar. Walking out of the room, I spot Skylar across the pool sitting on a long bench. I make my way to her. Her eyes look me up and down and then she asks, “Well?”

  I can’t stop studying her body. I kiss her forehead and whisper, “Pick a lane.” She sighs. “What’s wrong? I thought this was a good way for you to relieve stress?” She told me this when we learned twenty-five things about each other.

  “It is. It’s just … I haven’t been at a pool since the whole vandalizing stunt. And I haven’t swum since the Saturday before that. I don’t know if I want to.”

  “Sky.” I pull her to me and whisper, “It’s like breathing to you. You need this.”

  “I know.” She stands and looks around. I check inside her bag, searching for a place to put my locker keys, and find two towels and two sets of goggles and caps. I laugh and shake my head.

  “Prepared much, babe?”

  She looks over at me with a slight glare. “Don’t mock me.” She snatches her bag from me. “I’ve broken more caps and goggles than I’d care to count. And don’t get me started on lost towels. Most swimmers have sticky fingers, which you wouldn’t really know until you went to a swim meet and all your things just magically disappeared from the bench.”

  I smile. “I’m glad you have extra towels. I was beginning to think we might have to air dry ourselves.”

  She tosses me a pair goggles and puts a cap on her own head. We walk over to a lane and I ask, “Should I swim in another lane?”

  “No. Just don’t get pissy when I pass you.”

  I laugh again. “Me? Pissy? I would never.”

  “Yeah, uh-huh.”

  We slip into the pool. The water isn’t freezing cold, like it was at my school when she pushed me in. But the cool water does envelop my skin and send chills throughout my body. Sky smiles and pushes herself off the wall. Zipping through the water like a bullet, she sprints down to the other end of the pool.

  As I watch her go I realize all I want to do is chase after her.

  Chapter 12

  Skylar

  The pool time was perfect, and yet it wasn’t. How could he take me there knowing I can’t do that anymore?

  “Is something wrong?” he asks as we meet up in the front lobby area.

  “Nope.” I stomp off but not very far. He snatches my elbow and pulls me back to him.

  “Hey. What’s going on? Did I do something?”

  Tears start to form and I can’t stop them from falling. “Why did you bring me to this place? You know I can’t swim here in New York. I told you the school is all academic.”

  “Sky, calm down.” He guides me out the doors. My back is pressed against his chest while his arms are locked around my waist. His lips brush against my earlobe. “Babe, I didn’t realize this was going to upset you. I just wanted to unwind. This place has been stressing you out ever since you got here.”

  “No, it hasn’t! You have.” I whip around and face him, drilling my finger into his chest. It’s completely unfair, I know this. But I feel myself falling hopelessly in love with him. And he’s going to leave me. So I do the only thing I know will protect my fragile heart. “The phone calls, text messages, and that Facebook message, what the hell was that? Caleb, I can’t do this. There’s no room for you and whatever me I’m supposed to be here. Don’t you understand?”

  He runs his hands through his hair and screams, “No! I don’t fucking understand. We had something, Sky. We still do and you want to throw it away. Why? Because someone made you run away, someone got the best of you, and you escaped here thinking it would be better. News flash, it’s not fucking greener on the other side, Sky. You’ve got to fight for whatever you want. That’s how this shit goes from bad to great!” He reaches for me, but I stumble backward. He stops and stares at me. “You’ve got to fight, babe. Not run.”

  “You don’t get it.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re wrong about that. I do get it. More than most.” He walks over to a bench and takes a seat. I tell him there is bird crap all over it, but he doesn’t seem to care. “My parents died, I was angry. I didn’t know how to get a grip on things. I didn’t want to do anything but be alone in my room. I hated my uncle’s house. Hated the school. Hated the people. But then my uncle said he’d had enough and made me go to the field with him. He told me a story about himself, one I sort of heard in passing through town, but it was different coming from him. He blew out his knee in a game and could no longer play again. His future in the minors was over with and h
e had to rethink his life plans. He came back to his hometown with a teaching degree, but he still felt like a failure. He thought about leaving town and starting over new somewhere else, but then my parents had me.”

  “What’s this have to do with anything that’s going on with us?”

  He smiles. “Patience. I’m getting there.” He sighs. “I was his fresh start. I’ve never seen my uncle as a failure and will never look at him as such because he’s the best person I know. He taught me how to be a damn good baseball and football player. When we were out on that field he said, you can give up. You can always give up, but you’re going to disappoint yourself and them. Your parents aren’t dead, Sky, but if you keep trying to be this person, living or not, you’re only going to disappoint them and yourself in the end.”

  I cross my arms. “What do you know?”

  “I know you’re trying to be a person your father wants. I know you’re fronting. This isn’t you. Yes, you worry about your grades. But since when do you give up? Sky, you never gave in. Not when people pushed you into corners at school. You could have told, but you didn’t. You held your ground. When you thought you couldn’t be part of a team, you looked for other ways.”

  My eyes meet his. He shrugs. “I overheard a conversation. Point is, you weren’t giving in. So why are you now? Who gives a shit that someone destroyed that pool? Everyone knows it wasn’t you.”

  “Caleb, stop it.” My voice cracks. “You don’t know what it was like for me. I can’t go back to that. And it’ll be ten times worse because they’ll want answers. Answers I can’t give. I honestly don’t know who did that.” Plus, it’s not like any of my old friends would tell me if they did have a hand in it.

  He stands and wraps his arms around me. “I know. But you are forgetting three people who weren’t in your corner before. Three people that will stick up for you, escort you, and take whatever slack you need them to.” His lips brush against my forehead, and he whispers, “I got your back, Fletch. ’ Cause you got something of mine that I need to keep undamaged.”