Chapter 8

Suspicions rise

Two days after the accident I was brought home. Brad carried me up to my room, because my ankle was sprained, and lay me down on my bed. Flowers and cards had filled the room, because my friends had sent them when they had heard of the accident.

"Home sweet home," he said cheerfully. I nodded, and looked down at my swollen ankle.

"How is it feeling?" he asked. I shrugged.

"It hurts."

"I bet. Well, I have to get home. Don't get out of bed unless you have to," he urged. He kissed me good-bye, and bolted out of the room. I sighed, and turned on my TV. Zach was gone at work. About 3 hours later, he arrived home, bringing up dinner to me.

"How are you feeling?" He kissed my forehead, placing the tray on my lap. I started to eat. Miss Turner entered the room. She whispered something in his ear, and he rushed out of the room. I finished my dinner quickly, not having much of an appetite. I put the tray on the floor, and heard whispering outside my door.

"Victoria, don't you do anything to upset her. She's gone through a lot," he whispered. Mommy grunted faintly.

"She's been through something! I've been through something! Just let me see my darling daughter!" She entered the room dramatically.

"Skye my darling!" she cried, and ran over to the bed. Zach shuffled through the room.

"I tried to stop her," he said tiredly. I sighed.

"Skye! Oh darling! I know what you've been through. I'm so sorry that I wasn't here," she wailed, hugging me. I kept my hands at my sides, and looked at Zach. He shrugged.

"Oh, you've changed so much!" I rolled my eyes. Her smile wilted.

"Aren't you glad to see me? I came to see you." I put on a fake smile.

"Yes, Mommy, I'm glad that you took time off of your vacation to see me," I recited.

"Wonderful. I'm going to get something to drink," she sang, and sauntered out of the room. I turned to Zach.

"I tried to stop her," he repeated, walking over to the bed. I closed my eyes. "Oh God, she's going to give you a relapse," he muttered, growling angrily.

"Just keep her from saying something stupid," I ordered, and opened my eyes. She walked in, carrying a glass of wine.

"I can't believe that someone so irresponsible would take an automobile and use it to hurt people." She shook her head.

"I don't think that it was intentional," I said softly.

"Well, whatever." I looked at Zach desperately.

"Why don't you let Skye rest?" Zach said quickly, taking Mommy's arm and threading his through hers. She glanced at me.

"Goodnight Skye," she said, giggled, and walked out of the room. Zach shut the door behind them. I picked up my phone, and called Brad.

"Hi," he said.

"Mommy's back," I sang.

"You're kidding me," he muttered.

"She took precious time out of her vacation to see me."

"Doesn't surprise me," he said.

"Yeah, well that's my Mom for you," I quipped. He sighed.

"Get some rest," he demanded, and said good-bye. I put the phone down, and closed my eyes, and went to sleep.

In the morning, Brad came to take me to school. Zach had bought crutches so I could walk around easily.

"Hello," he sang, and kissed me. I smiled.

"Is you mother still here." I shrugged.

"I don't know, she's probably still in bed."

"Ready?" He asked. I was going to school, because Zach didn't want me to fall behind anymore. I nodded, and started to crutch downstairs. Mommy was sitting at the dining room table, sipping some wine.

"Darling, you're up, good morning. Hello Brad," she greeted. She leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"Hello Mrs. James," Brad replied. She smiled.

"Do you need me to drive you to school today?" She asked.

"No, Brad is giving me a ride."

"Oh," she walked back to her seat. Zach walked into the room.

"Good morning everyone," he said, sitting down. The maids brought out the breakfast. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I muttered, and sat down. We all munched quietly, darting glances at each other. I finished quickly, my appetite still weak and I stood up.

"We better get going," I said, positioning the crutches under my arms. Brad stood up and nodded. He said good-bye to everyone, and headed out the door, opening it for me. I smiled, and crawled into his car. He got into the drivers seat, and started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

"When is your car going to be completely fixed?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know, Zach hasn't told me." He nodded. As we pulled up to the school, I saw that people glanced at the car oddly.

"Don't worry about them. They're just stuck up snobs," I informed him. He pulled up to the curb, and I opened the door.

"I'll see you later," he said softly, and kissed me. People around us hooted and hollered. I waved my hand at them, and smiled.

"Bye," I said, and he drove away. I turned around. People were crowding around me, telling me that they were so sorry about the accident. I brushed them off, and entered the school building.

All day long, the chatter around the school was about me, or the accident. Students gave me sympathetic glances. I told them to stop it, and yet they still looked at me. Finally, after the school day was over, Brad's car was in the parking lot.

"Oh thank God, I was about to be mobbed by people that feel sorry for me!" I cried. Brad roared, and opened my door. I crawled in the car and tossed my crutches into the back-seat.

"Let's go out tonight, like to dinner," he suggested. I shrugged.

"Sure, where to?"

"How about somewhere fancy? Like. . . . Vito's. It's really fancy."

"OK, that's cool," I said, and smiled. He pulled up to the house.

"I'll see you later," I said, and kissed him. He smiled, and sped away. I wobbled into the house, and up to my room.

"Hi darling," Mommy shouted from inside the living room. I ignored her and went up to my room. I dropped my things, and flopped down on my bed. My phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Skye, I'm so sorry," Brian said.

"Why do you bother to call!" I shouted.

"Skye, just let me explain. That girl, Madison, means nothing to me. During the summer, I had slept with her. She had gotten pregnant, and my mother and her mother forced us to be together, so that I wouldn't abandon the baby," he explained quickly.

"Yeah, well I hope that the baby doesn't turn out to be just like you. He'd be a jerk," I said calmly, and slammed the phone down. I sighed, and decided to go downstairs. I sat down in the study, and started to do my homework.

"Have a lot of catching open to do?" he asked. I nodded, staring at my books. I heard Mommy singing in the distance to her favorite song.

"How much longer is she staying?" I asked.

"She hasn't told me when she is leaving. I think she actually might be staying this time," he muttered.

"Great, just what I need." I sighed.

"It wont be that bad, I think she's changed," he said optimistically. I chuckled.

"That's a good one Zach. That's what my father said before the divorce. She would drink herself away at the bars, and when she stopped going, he told me that he thought that she had changed. 3 weeks later, she announced the divorce."

"Maybe she has actually changed." I looked up at him.

"OK Zach, whatever you say," I said slowly. He walked out of the room. I closed my book, sat it down at the desk, and looked at the clock. I decided to call Brad. He told me to dress up really nice, and to meet him out front at 6 o clock. It was already 5. I hopped upstairs and got into the shower, and dressed in the red gown that I had worn for the wedding. I put up my hair, wore my earrings and put on the locket that Zach had given me. I waited downstairs, and heard Brad's horn. I hobbled out, and Zach was behind me.

"You look great, what's the occasion?" he asked.

"Brad's taking me out to dinner," I said.

"Well, since you look so nice, why don't you take me the limo?" he asked.

"I'll tell Brad," I said, and walked outside.

"Hey, Zach offered us the limo," I told him. He turned off the car, and stepped out. My eyes brightened, and so did his.

"You look great," we blurted at the same time. We laughed as the limo pulled up.

"To Vito's," Brad commanded, and sat down. I crawled in next to him, and smiled. I looked outside the window, as Brad snatched me into his arms, and kissed me. I giggled and the limo came to a stop. The driver opened the door, and let us out. Brad handed me my crutches, and we walked inside together.

"This looks kind of awkward. Me in a fancy dress and bringing along crutches. What a great accessory," I muttered, and Brad laughed.

"Who cares what the others think. It's just you and me as far as I'm concerned," he whispered. He led us over to the table, and pulled out my chair. I sat down, and leaned my crutches against the table.

"Just being here sounds expensive," I said. He laughed.

"Just relax, I'll cover the cost," he said. I smiled, and overlooked the menu.

"So, how long is your mother staying?"

"We don't know, she could be bolting out of the house just this minute," I muttered. He shrugged.

"Let's not talk about it," he said quickly, and smiled. I decided my order, and told the waitress. Brad recorded his and took my hand into his.

"Just think, this could be us in a few years," he said. I nodded.

"That would be great."

"Yeah, there's always high hopes," he mumbled.

During dinner, we talked a lot, and laughed, occasionally staring into each others eyes. After dinner, we went out for ice cream, and drove back home.

"I had a great time tonight," I said as the limo came to a stop. He pulled me towards him, and kissed me.

"I'll call you, OK?" he said, and kissed me again. I nodded, and hobbled into the house. I went up to my room, changed, and crawled into bed.

Winter Break came up very quickly. It seemed that time had flown by. Mommy and Zach continually had gotten into more arguments. One night, they were dueling it out in their bedroom.

"Zachary? Why can't we have a Christmas ball? That would be so much fun!" Mommy cried.

"No, Victoria. I spoil you too much. I'm putting my foot down on this one."

"But you give Skye all the things that she wants!" she protested.

"Because Skye is very special."

"I'm not special? I'm your wife!" she shouted.

"You're never around!" He sighed. "How can you say that I don't give you what you want? I send you to Europe! I give you expensive clothes, money, anything you want!" He retorted back.

"It's still not enough!" she screamed.

"You are selfish! I've never seen someone so selfish in my life!"

"Oh yeah! Well, you won't have to deal with my selfishness anymore. I'm leaving you! For good!" she yelled.

"Fine! Leave! I'm glad your leaving! I wish I had never married you! I feel sorry for the ass who marries you next!" he shouted. "Here, I'll help you pack!" I heard him throwing things in Mommy's suitcase. I sighed. Once they had packed what she wanted, she left the room, slamming the door behind her. She stopped in front of my room, then flung the door open.

"Skye, I'm leaving," she boasted, a suitcase in each hand. I stared at her and shrugged.

"Like I haven't heard that before," I said, standing up. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, if you haven't heard that before," she snapped.

I sighed. "What is it?"

"It's about your father." My eyebrows shot up. She sat down on the chair.

"Skye, I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time." She sighed. "OK. While your father and I were married, I met this dashingly handsome man. He was charming and witty, which made my attraction towards him stronger. When your father was on vacation, the man had come by for a visit. I let him inside, and we talked, over wine, and we all know what happens when I drink. Somehow, we ended up in bed together, and 2 weeks later, I found out that I pregnant, with you." My heart stopped beating. I stared at her blankly, my eyes beginning to burn. Daddy, wasn't my Daddy? I bit my lip.

"You father does know about this. He said on the day that you were born, that he would always be a father to you, biological or not. He always did love you, and he always will," she said, taking my hand. I snatched it away quickly, tears welling in my eyes. Mommy's eyes water.

"My own daughter doesn't even love me! This isn't my fault!" she cried, leaping to her feet.

"It's not your fault?" I asked calmly, standing. "It's not your fault?" I spun around to face her slowly. "OF COURSE IT IS!" I screamed, turning my gaze on her. She burst out into tears and ran out of the room, running with the suitcase. I slammed the door behind her, and flung myself on the bed, tears traveling down my cheeks. I sobbed for hours until Zach had finally noticed.

"Skye, what's wrong?" he asked, walking over to the bed. I didn't lift my head from the pillow. I sobbed harder and felt his hand on my hair, gently stroking it.

"What has she done now?" I didn't want to tell him. The words jumbled in my mouth, but nothing sputtered out.

"Just leave me alone, please," I moaned, closing my eyes.

"What has she said to you? I know that you wouldn't be crying over her departure," he demanded snappishly. I sat up.

"I don't have a father OK?" I screamed, bringing my knees to my chest. Zach sat at the corner of the bed.

"Everyone has a father Skye," he retorted childishly.

"Yeah, well I don't know who mine is," I muttered angrily, staring at the comforter.

"Rick Lawrence isn't your father?" he asked quizzically. I smirked.

"You're good." His face turned pale, paler than the moon.

"What?" I snapped. He shook his head.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "I'm so sorry." He embraced me, but I pulled away.

"I just need to be alone," I whispered, staring at the window, snow falling down. He nodded understandingly.

"OK, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," he said, and waltzed out of the room, that puzzling look still on his face. I sighed and flopped on my back, staring up at the ceiling, my tears slowly drying, but more came to the surface and dripped down my face. I felt weaker, pathetic, defenseless, without knowing who my father was. Why didn't Mommy tell me his name? Why didn't she tell me this news earlier? Questions raced through my mind quickly. What was I going to do?

Weeks after Mommy had left, I moped about the house, a somber expression on my face. Zach begged me, pleaded for me to cheer up, but I ignored his orders. But after a while, the thought of not knowing who my father was escaped my mind, and I began to be more cheerful, which made Zach happier also.

The phone rang in my room. I picked it up eagerly, expecting it to be Brad.

"Hi," I said cheerfully.

"I didn't expect that greeting," Brian muttered. I grunted.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I want to say I'm sorry, again," he explained.

"OK, that's about the 500th time you've said that, and still, it has no meaning to me, coming from you," I retorted.

"Skye! I still love you!" he cried.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before," I muttered.

"You don't need to be such a bitch about it," he said. I gasped.

"Oh really? Brian, you make me sick!" I yelled over the phone, and slammed it down. I smirked, and climbed out of my bed, going downstairs.

"Hello," Zach greeted, going upstairs with a cup of coffee and his divorce papers. I sighed.

"Hi," I mumbled, tossing my hand in his direction.

"Feeling down again?" he asked quickly, rushing to my side. I looked at him.

"I'm fine Zach," I said slowly, giving him an inquiring glance. He smiled.

"Good, I don't want you to get into your depressed mood again," he said. I nodded.

"Right," I muttered, and treaded downstairs. I grabbed something out of the refrigerator, and went into the living room to watch TV. The phone rang faintly in my room. I bolted upstairs, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Brad greeted. I smiled.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing. How about we go out tonight?" He asked.

"That's great," I said, sitting down on my bed. "Where do you want to go?"

"Let's just drive around."

"OK."

"Great. I'll honk my horn when I get to your house," he said, and hung up. I followed, and stood up, going into my bathroom to make myself presentable. When I walked out, Zach surprised me by sitting on my bed, his legs crosses.

"How many more times are you going to scare me?" I cried, craning my neck. He smiled.

"I'm sorry. I don't intend to scare you," he replied, standing up. I shrugged.

"Going out tonight?" He asked walking over to me. I nodded.

"Just gonna drive around," I replied. He placed his hands on my shoulders, and peered deeply in my eyes.

"What?" I asked, darting my eyes away.

"Skye, don't let him do anything that you don't want to do in your relationship," he said. "It can lead to bad things. I can tell something has already happened."

"Zach!" I cried, trying to tear away from him, but he held onto me firmly.

"I'm serious Skye." He drew his face near mine, his lips barely brushing my cheek.

"I don't want you to leave. I don't like not having you around," he whispered, kissing my cheek twice. Alarms went off inside of me.

"I have a date," I blurted.

"You should stay home tonight, you've been going out a lot lately, and that's bad, especially since your recent incident."

"But I'm better now," I replied quickly. His hands slid down my shoulders a little. I sucked in my breath, and heard Brad's horn.

"I have to go," I said quickly, tearing away. There was a longing in his eyes.

"I love you Skye, always remember that," he said, stepping out of the room.

"I don't want to," I whispered, making sure that he wouldn't hear. He flashed me a smile, and went down the hallway. I bolted downstairs, and leaped into Brad's car. I didn't kiss him.

"Drive," I commanded, and leaned back into my seat, taking deep breaths, my heart racing beyond it's normal speed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, glacing at me.

"Zach," I breathed. He blew air from his lips.

"You better be careful," he commanded.

"I have been. He's been acting strange since Mommy left. My suspicions are rising quickly," I muttered.

"Remember, you always have that gun I gave you," he reminded. I nodded.

"It's still under my bed." He nodded, and pulled into a small diner. He tugged me inside, and sat me down in a booth. He saw how tense I was, because I was still thinking of it.

"Relax, you're safe," he said, reaching for my hand. I let him take it.

"Somehow I feel that I'm not," I muttered under my breath so that he couldn't hear. He smiled, and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

As we were eating, I remembered the dream that I had a while back, when I was still with Brian. I had a dream that Zach forced me to marry him. Mommy said that dreams tell the future, and I had a feeling that she was right this time.

"What are you thinking about?" Brad asked.

"Nothing," I replied, biting into my food. He shrugged, and stood up, paying for the bill. He took my hand, and led me back to the car. He drove me home, and held me for a minute.

"I love you," he said, sealing his words with a kiss. I smiled warmly.

"Brad, I'm scared," I whispered shakily, receiving a shiver up my spine as I looked at the house.

"Don't be scared Skye, everything will be OK," he crooned, kissing me. I closed my eyes.

"I better get going," I said softly, pulling away from his embrace slowly. He cupped my face and kissed me.

"Goodnight," he said, and smiled. I repeated him, and slowly crawled out of the car, turning around and blowing him a kiss. I looked up at the house, something catching my eye. Zach was peering out of his bedroom window. Once he saw me, he stepped away quickly. I closed my eyes, sighed, and walked into the house. I didn't announce my arrival. I crept up to my room, and softly shut the door behind me. Someone touched my shoulder, and I screamed, spinning around. It was Zach.

"Zach!" I flared angrily, folding my hands across my chest. He raised his eyebrow.

"What?" he questioned.

"Why do you keep sneaking up on me?" I snapped, taking off my coat and tossing it on my chair. He followed.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you," he implied, smiling impishly. I grunted.

"What is it that you want?" I asked impatiently.

"I just wanted to say goodnight, that's all," he said, holding up his hands. I rolled my eyes.

"Alright." He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, his lips near mine. He pulled away after a second.

"Goodnight," he said softly, and walked out of the room. I watched him leave, and turned around. I sighed, and started to dress for bed. I crawled in, and turned on the TV, watching some before I went to bed.

During the night, I heard my door open. I froze, holding my breath, and waited to see if they would reveal themselves. They crept over to my bed and stopped. I closed my eyes quickly, and pretended to be sleeping.

"Ah my dear Skye," Zach said, touching my hair. "So beautiful, yet so young. My future plans for you will be great, you wait and see darling. Everything will be wonderful. You'll see." He left the room. I sighed, and lay on my back. What did he mean? Questions raced through my mind, but I blocked them out, and went back to sleep.