Catch Me If I Fall

by Daniele Lanzarotta

  I nod.

  He grins. “Well, I guess I better get you home then.”

  This is the time of the year when it starts to get cold at night; but when I get home and spot Alec sitting on the roof, grabbing something warmer to wear is the last thing on my mind. I go to the side of the house where I climb up the ladder. I sit next to Alec and turn to face him.

  He doesn’t say anything.

  “Have you been here long?” I ask.

  He nods. “Since I got back.”

  “Are you okay?” I ask and he nods.

  “Did you tell your mom about the results?”

  “Yes. I called her at work on my way here. And I got an earful about not telling her that I had the tests done already. She knows I usually avoid it, so she was giving me some time before she made me schedule the appointment.”

  There is an awkward silence and then he asks if I’m hungry.

  “No. Kyle and I stopped to get something to eat.”

  “You are shaking,” he says. “Let’s go get you something warm.”

  “Alec?”

  “Please?” he begs.

  We get down. He goes first and helps me down. When we get on the ground, he turns me around, and places his hands each on one side of my face. His hands are warm and feel so good against my skin.

  “I love you, Sky. You have no idea how much. And I’m so sorry. Will you please let me make it up to you?“

  “I—”

  He interrupts by kissing me.

  “I love you too,” I whisper against his lips when he pulls away, but he still looks sad.

  “Are you okay, Alec?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just have this bad feeling. I hated being apart for that long and I ended up making things even worse. I thought things would be easier. At least until baseball season.”

  I bite my bottom lip and look up at him. I know what he means because I feel the same.

  “You are still shaking,” he says. “You should go back.”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” I say.

  He moves a lock of my hair behind me ear. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  I sigh, not knowing what to do. I want to invite him in, but I don’t want to deal with my parents.

  “Do you want to come to my house? Mom and dad are both at work,” he says and I hesitate, but not for long.

  He grabs my hand and leads me to his house. He closes the door behind him. “I’m going to grab you something,” he says.

  I sit on the couch, in the dark, and wait for him to come back. Even though I’m inside, I’m shivering more than before.

  “Here,” he hands me one of his sweatshirts and sits next to me.

  He sighs. “This baseball season is going to be hell.”

  I feel stupid and on the verge of crying. I don’t want him to see me cry. This long distance stuff is hell. To keep from talking and him noticing that I’m crying, I kiss him.

  ALEC

  I can taste her tears. I hate this. I don’t know how we are going to make this work for two years, but I know that we have to. She is ‘the one’ in every way imaginable.

  I pull away just long enough to make sure she is okay. She smiles, and I lean over and I start to kiss her again.

  “Do you know how hard it was going a month without kissing you?” I ask.

  She pulls me toward her and kisses me even more.

  The lights come on, and I quickly sit up. Mom shakes her head and takes a deep breath. We can’t catch a damn break.

  Sky sits up and fixes her hair.

  “This is a terrible idea, Alec.”

  “We were not doing anything, Mom.”

  “Honey. It is very close to her curfew. You promised her parents that you’d be respectable of the fact that she is a couple of years younger than you.”

  “Two years, Mom.”

  “You are in college. She is in high school. There is a huge difference. We are trying to help you make this work, but not like this. And now that Skylar isn’t grounded anymore, you can’t keep going back and forth all the time. As much as I love having you home, you have school to worry about and you should focus on that.” She pauses. “Walk her home and come back here.”

  I’ve always been close to my mom and I’ve never seen this side of her before, but I know that by now, Skylar is blaming herself for mom having to say all of this, and it is not fair to her. “That is harsh, Mom. I get good grades. I work. If I have free time to get back home and see her, there is no reason why I shouldn’t. And it’s been weeks since I’ve seen Sky. I have to go back to school tomorrow and this is the only time we will have together for the next two weeks.”

  As soon as those words are out, I expect her to get even more upset, but she doesn’t. In a much softer tone, she says, “You should walk her home before her curfew.”

  I grab Sky’s hand and stand up. I then lead Sky outside. She holds my hand even tighter. “Sorry about all that,” I say as we slowly walk to her house.

  “I don’t want you to fight with your mom because of me, Alec.”

  “I will talk to her when I get back. Don’t stress over it. Please.”

  I really don’t want to leave her alone tonight.

  When we get to her door, she starts to take my sweatshirt off.

  “I put my hand over hers. “Keep it.”

  SKYLAR

  I look over and see that his mom is waiting for him at the door.

  “Can you come back?” I ask in a low tone. “After mom and dad go to sleep. I can sneak you in through the kitchen.”

  “I don’t know, Sky. I wish, but your dad would really kill me.”

  I look away.

  He shakes his head. “I can’t say no to you.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After mom and dad go to sleep, I text Alec telling him that it is ok to come over. I go by the kitchen door and hear someone outside. I unlock the door, and I’m about to turn the knob when I get a text from Alec.

  ‘Can’t get out yet. Mom wanted to talk… trying to get out of it.’

  I look up as I hear another sound coming from the backyard. I quickly lock the door again and look through the blinds. I can see someone’s silhouette by the swings, but it is too dark out to make out who. When this person steps away from the swings and starts to move toward the house, I panic.

  My heart is racing and I don’t know what to do.

  Finally, I rush upstairs.

  “Mom! Dad!”

  “Yes?” Mom says sleepily as dad quickly sits up. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

  “There is someone in the backyard.”

  Dad quickly gets up and rushes to the window in the room that faces the yard. He looks through the blinds.

  “I don’t see anyone,” he says. “Stay here.”

  Dad grabs his rifle and goes downstairs. Mom and I ignore his instruction and follow him anyway.

  “Stay here,” he says.

  He looks through the blinds again before turning the porch light on and opening the door.

  He takes a step forward and looks out for a few seconds.

  “Call the cops,” he says.

  With shaking hands, mom calls the police as dad comes back in and locks the door.

  “What is it?” I ask him.

  “Whoever it was, destroyed the yard. The swing is torn and all of your mom’s plants are all over the place.”

  Mom gasps. “Does it look like they took anything?”

  “I don’t think so,” says dad.

  I get another text from Alec. ‘She is in a talkative mood tonight. Sorry. I will text you as soon as I can.’

  Dad asks me to get mom a glass of water, so I just put the phone away. Within minutes, I hear the cop’s car outside.

  Dad opens the door and says hi to Officer Barrett. Dad went to school with her. He briefly tells her what happened while her partner takes a look around. Shortly after, Alec and his mom are at the
door and they both look terrified.

  Alec is trying to look over dad’s shoulder and once he spots me, he looks more relaxed.

  “What happened?” asks his mom.

  Officer Barrett looks at dad.

  “It’s okay, Jane,” says dad. “They are like family. You know that.”

  Officer Barrett tells them what happened as her partner comes from the side of the house.

  “Alec, that is your truck next door, right?” she asks.

  “Yes.”

  She nods. “Whoever it was, slashed all of your tires.”

  His eyes widen.

  “I want y’all to stay here for a while. I’m going to take a look around your house too if that is alright.”

  Alec’s mom nods, then gasps. “I left the front door wide open.”

  “If you don’t mind giving me your keys, I will take a look inside and lock up before I come back.”

  “Thank you,” she says and hands her the key.

  They all come in the living room and sit down.

  Officer Barrett pulls out a notepad and pen.

  “You mentioned that you didn’t believe that anything was taken from your backyard. It could be personal. Is there anyone you think might have done this… besides the guy you complained about?”

  Dad shakes his head.

  “Have you spotted him around town since last time, Skylar?” she asks.

  I look at Alec and he looks confused and worried. I look back at Officer Barrett. “Just once, when I was at the cemetery. I can’t remember what he said his name was.”

  “You talked to him?!” asks dad.

  I look down. “Sorry. I was caught by surprise. It was on Kristi’s birthday. He said that he knew her.”

  “Do you remember him saying anything else?” asks Officer Barrett.

  “Just that he used to talk to her online about whatever she was going through, but it seemed off because Kristi wasn’t allowed to use the Internet at home or on her phone.”

  Her partner comes back and says that besides the tires, everything else is clear.

  Officer Barrett nods. “We are going to take another look around. And we will have someone drive by for the next couple of nights. Make sure y’all lock the doors and keep an eye out for anything that seems unusual.”

  They leave after that.

  “Can someone tell me what is going on?” Alec asks in a serious tone.

  I tell him about the three occasions when this guy was around, and that the diner’s owner said he was causing some trouble.

  He nods and I know exactly what is on his mind.

  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. You should understand that,” I say as I realize that we just did the same thing to each other. He didn’t tell me about his doctor appointment for the same reason I didn’t tell him about this.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Alec texts me first thing in the morning. ‘Good morning, beautiful. Can you meet me outside? I have to leave soon.’

  ‘Oh. You’re still going back today?’

  ‘Have to. Trust me, I hate leaving with all of this going on, but…’

  ‘Be right out.’

  He is standing by the door when I open it and he seems distant.

  “Are you leaving right now?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I have to ride with Kyle and he has to work today. It will take a few days for the new tires to come in.”

  “Sorry about your truck,” I say.

  “It’s not your fault,” he says, but he is clearly upset about it. His truck is his baby. “I was wondering if you could come over for a minute so we can talk before Kyle gets here.”

  My stomach drops. “I—okay. Just give me a minute.”

  I go to the restroom to wash my face and as I look in the mirror, all I can think is ‘He is going to break up with me. We are sucking at communicating lately, my parents are always hovering, and he probably thinks this isn’t going to work anymore.’

  I move with the motions. I put my hair up in a messy bun, and go outside.

  I see him sitting on the steps leading to his front porch, playing with his phone, and for some reason, my stomach drops even more. I feel like I should run the other way. But I just stand here, staring at him, thinking that I am about to lose the best part of me.

  He looks in my direction and when those chocolate brown eyes stare into mine, I feel like a force is pulling me toward him and I finally move.

  I sit next to him.

  “How long have you been watching me?” he asks and I blush.

  I shrug.

  “Sky, I’ve been thinking and—”

  “Are you breaking me with me?” I ask bluntly.

  He hesitates. “Yesterday, when mom and I were talking she told me that she thinks this is too hard on you and that maybe I should leave you alone for a while.”

  I look him in the eyes. “And you think that would make things any easier? Would it make things easier for you?”

  He shakes his head. “Not at all.”

  “Is that something you want?” I ask.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so serious. “I hope you know the answer to that, Sky.”

  I take a deep breath. “Maybe we should just pretend that we’ve broken up. It would take some of the pressure off by not having our parents watching us like a hawk.”

  He grins. “That is actually a pretty good idea.”

  “Do you really think that will work?” I ask.

  He reaches for my hand and entwines his fingers with mine. “I think we can make it work. And I’ll be back in town in two weeks. I can come Saturday morning and spend the weekend. Kyle is coming too so he can help me get you out of the house,” he winks and then laughs.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Are we broken up yet? Or is it safe to kiss you in public one more time?”

  I laugh back. “It's only fair that we have one good farewell kiss.”

  He leans in and smiles against my lips.

  “You’re the best part of me, Sky. I’d never willingly break up with you.”

  Our lips clash together in a kiss full of hope.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I don’t have to pretend to be sad over the next two weeks. Mom and dad back off, which gives me the opportunity to talk to Alec without anyone knowing about it. The only one who knows we are still together is Kyle. I don’t even tell Sebastian because I don’t want to put him in a position where he has to lie to my parents.

  The creepy guy also seems to have disappeared again. I hope it stays that way. But just to be on the safe side, Sebastian now gives me a ride to and from school.

  When Friday comes, I’m in a really great mood considering that I get to see Alec the next day. My good mood vanishes when I get the mail and see a letter from Mike. I hadn’t gotten one of those in a while. After reading his last letter, I decided to just put it away and not answer it. I figured once he didn’t hear back from me, he would stop writing. It’s just too hard having the constant reminder of what happened. And deep down, I know he isn’t the same person I used to call a friend. My friend would never have done what he did.

  I open the letter and it simply says, ‘I miss you. Can you come see me?’

  I throw it toward the trashcan under my desk and lay down on my bed to take a nap, hoping that I can at least make time go by faster.

  Mom calls me down after she gets home. I look by the front door and see suitcases.

  “Did I miss something?” I ask.

  “Honey, I told you we’re going to Atlanta this weekend to see your uncle.”

  My heart drops. “No, you didn’t.”

  “It’s alright. Just get your things ready. We have a little while before we have to leave.”

  “Mom, I don’t want to go.”

  “Honey, you need a weekend away as much as we do.”

  I feel like I’m going to hyperventilate.

  “Are you okay? You look pale.”

  I take advantage of th
at. “I don’t feel very well.”

  “Well, we are not leaving you home alone; especially not if you are sick, and not until the police catch that guy.”

  She grabs the phone, probably to call dad.

  “I probably just ate something bad. I'll be fine. I guess.”

  “Okay. Well, just grab some things. Your dad will be home soon.”

  I go to my room and text Alec.

  ‘I can’t even believe this. Mom and dad are dragging me out of town for the weekend.’

  ‘What!?!’ The reply comes right away. ‘Where to?’ he asks.

  ‘Atlanta.’

  He doesn’t text anything for a while.

  ‘Alec? What do I do?’

  He FaceTimes me. I almost don’t want him to see me this upset and I definitely don’t want mom hearing us talk.

  I avoid looking at him. He is so disappointed. We both are.

  “Any chance they will leave you home alone?”

  I shake my head. “Not with the possibility of that guy coming back around.”

  He pushes his fingers through his hair. “Argh!”

  I don’t know what to say.

  “I could see if Kyle wants to go to Atlanta for the weekend. I don’t have much money for the rest of the month after getting the tires, but maybe if we split—”

  I hear the front door, “My dad is home. I'll call you back.”

  I feel so sick to my stomach that I just lay down on the bed.

  Dad knocks on the door.

  “Come in.”

  He opens the door and looks at me. “Do you really think you just ate something bad?” he asks and I nod.

  He walks over and sits on the bed. “You mom doesn’t know this, but I have a whole anniversary weekend planned. I think she forgot.” He laughs. “And I thought guys were the ones who do that kind of stuff.” He shakes his head.

  I feel bad. I know they haven’t been out in ages. “It’s okay, dad. I will be fine,” I lie. “I'll start packing.”

  “What if you stay next door? Would you be okay with that?”

  I nod.

  He calls Alec’s mom from my room and puts her on speaker.

  “Hey, Are you going to be home this weekend or are you going up to see Alec?” I hold my breath in at the sound of his name.