Chapter Six: War of Words
Monday.
At lunch, Sky went to visit Mrs. Getty. The Volkswagen GTI was surprised; Sky actually requested the meeting herself, which could mean any number of things for the young girl. When Sky entered the counselor's office, she didn't carry that usual frown Mrs. Getty was so used to seeing. In fact, her body language almost seemed to scream 'nervous.'
"Hello Skylar." Mrs. Getty greeted warmly.
"Hello Mrs. Getty." Sky greeted, sitting at the chair in front of the counselor's desk.
"What did you want to talk about?" Mrs. Getty asked.
Sky looked down, fidgeting in her seat. "I…uh…I wanted to thank you."
Mrs. Getty stared, surprised. "Oh?"
"I don't mean to be a problem child." Sky said, still looking down. "It's just I never knew how to let my anger out. I still get teased and I probably always will be, but I think I'm getting better at handling my anger. I know a lot of people already gave up on me, but you never did. So….thanks…." She cleared her throat, shifting awkwardly.
Mrs. Getty smiled warmly. "Skylar, it is so good that you came to me with this."
"It is?" Sky asked, confused.
"You're finally talking to me." Mrs. Getty said. "Do you know how many times you've been in here and not once have you ever truly talked to me? But now you have. And I am so proud of you."
Sky felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment and sheepishness. "Thanks."
"Don't for one second think I would ever give up on you." Mrs. Getty continued. "I've seen quite a few children come into this office, and even more in my entire career as a counselor. Not once have I ever given up on a child. And it's not because of my job; it's because I believe nobody should be left alone with everything that's upsetting them. Everyone needs someone to be there for them, and I like to be one of those people. Especially for children. It's why I became a counselor."
Sky smiled warmly. "I'm glad you were always there to talk to me, even when I didn't want to talk at all."
Mrs. Getty chuckled. "My pleasure, Skylar."
Sky thanked the counselor and left the office, her thoughts wandering. Chug and Sparky picked her up after school, per the usual, and the three of them talked the entire drive to Propwash Junction.
Skipper actually greeted her with a soft smile when she approached. "Good afternoon, Skylar Amelia."
"Sup." Sky greeted with a curt nod.
"Today, for your last two questions, you get to work a very special job." Skipper said in an unusually cheery tone that made Sky nervous.
"And…..that would be…?" Sky asked.
"You get to help Mayday and Max clean the firehouse." Skipper said.
Sky hung her head. I should've known. Still, she didn't complain as she handed her backpack to Sparky and walked with Chug over to the fire house. Mayday and Max greeted her warmly, and Sky offered a warm smile in return. Luckily, Sky found the two firefighters insisted on helping her as they swept, dusted, and organized the fire house. The three of them talked the entire time, including the story of when Max's hat caught fire during training and he ran about screaming. Sky laughed, so hard she ended up hurting her stomach, while Max just rolled his eyes and muttered something about Mayday telling that story too many times. When they finished, Max and Mayday surprised Sky with a gift: one of Max's old firefighting helmets. Sky initially wanted to refuse, but Max insisted, and the girl stammered a few "thank you's" before hurrying back to Skipper and Sparky to show them.
"That's awfully nice of Max." Sparky noted. "He and Mayday must really like you."
Sky shrugged. "I guess." I really like them too. She shifted back and forth a little on her feet. "So…I should be heading back to the orphanage now, huh? Unless you have another job for me." She tried to not sound hopeful at that last part.
"Yes and no." Skipper said. "Why don't you stick around and we'll help you finish that report?"
Sky perked up, and she quickly took out her notes and half-written essay. The three of them sat in the main room of the hanger, talking about the essay and important aspects to include. Sky ended up rewriting most of the essay on a new sheet of paper. But when she read it back to Skipper and Sparky, all three of them agreed it sounded much better. Sky couldn't help her wide smile. With this paper, she would pass the fourth grade. It was a little sad to think about; would she Skipper again after this? He didn't seem like the kind of plane that liked to travel if he didn't leave his hanger often. Sky tried to not think about it. Yet, something tugged at her stomach, and she had a feeling if she didn't ask soon, she wouldn't get another chance.
"How about we go out to dinner tonight?" Skipper offered. "To celebrate your work."
Sky smiled softly. "Oh, I don't want to be a bother. Besides, Rosa already offered to make me my favorite dinner tonight because I apparently did such a good job."
"You really did." Sparky assured. "I'm real proud of you, Soarin' Sky."
Sky's smile grew at the sound of her nickname. But she looked to Skipper and her smile disappeared. She exhaled softly. "Um….Skipper?"
"Yes?" Skipper asked, a bit surprised Sky called him by his name instead of "crankshaft."
Sky looked down, suddenly nervous. How do I even start this conversation? But she gathered her bravery and spoke with confidence. "I'd like to make one last deal with you."
"And what's that?" Skipper asked, now more confused.
"I…" Oh come on, Skylar Amelia, just say it. "I want you to give me one more job in exchange for using my psych-man powers to look into your memories." Sky said, staring at Skipper.
Silence enveloped the hanger. Sparky nearly dropped the mug he held in shock. He warily looked to Skipper, who developed a dangerous glare in his eyes. Sky stared back, looking firm despite the voice in the back of her head that said she shouldn't have asked.
"That is none of your concern." Skipper finally said.
"But I—"
"I said no!" Skipper snapped, making Sky jump a bit. "There's no reason for you to look into my memories."
"There is a reason." Sky insisted. "I've learned so much from the past week, but I feel like I don't know anything about you. I want to know you before I turn this essay in."
"Not happening." Skipper said stubbornly.
"What are you trying to hide?" Sky demanded curiously, her patience beginning to dwindle. "Why is it nobody in town seems to know anything about you?"
"Because they don't need to know anything about me. And neither do you." Skipper's tone carried subtle growling. Sky glared now, standing up so Skipper didn't tower over her so much.
"Sky?" Sparky asked, concerned and trying to warn the girl. But if past experience was any indication, there's no way he could stop them.
"Why is this such an issue?" Sky demanded. "You can't hide your past forever."
"Watch me." Skipper snapped. "Now leave it alone if you know what's good for you."
"When I was upset about that human couple and my parents, you wouldn't leave me alone." Sky reminded him. "You wouldn't even let me struggle with my math homework; you felt the need to order Sparky to help me."
"This is a heck of a lot more complicated than anything you've gone through." Skipper protested.
Sky scoffed. "More complicated than being abandoned by my own parents just because of what I am?"
"Much more complicated."
"You're just making up excuses because you're afraid."
"I am not afraid of anything!"
"Because you're a warplane? When I told you I was an orphan you didn't seem very impressed."
"Orphans don't have to go through what I have!"
"And what would that be?"
"You have no right—"
"This isn't about right! It's just me wanting to know you better."
"Not interested."
"Why the hell not?"
Skipper jerked a few inches closer to Sky, and the girl flinched. He glared hard at the girl. "Why would I show my memories to a kid like you?"
"Like me?" Sky repeated, glaring.
"Someone who doesn't know when to leave things alone!" Skipper snapped. "Someone who always has to stick her nose into other people's business. Someone who can't take a hint. Someone who…who…"
"Who what?" Sky demanded. "Who doesn't know when she's not wanted? News flash: that's kind of my everyday life!"
"Oh enough with the sob story!" Skipper shouted.
"It's not a sob story!" Sky shouted back. "It's just how my life is! We established that already!"
"And it's never going to change with your attitude!" Skipper yelled.
Sky's glare deepened, her blue-green eyes seeming to be made of fire. She suddenly grabbed her backpack and essay and marched out the door. Just as she stepped outside, she spun around and glared at Skipper. "Crankshaft!" That was the last word she spoke before breaking into a sprint towards town.
Sparky's shock at the cataclysmic fight prevented him from moving for a moment. Then he glanced up at Skipper, who continued to glare. "What do you want to do?"
"About what?" Skipper muttered bitterly. "Never gonna see her again anyway." He turned from Sparky, staring out the window. His gaze caught Sky as she ran off, and for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away. Sparky stared at the Corsair for a moment before hurrying out the door to follow Sky.
The raven-haired girl didn't stop running until she reached the Fill N' Fly, plopping down outside the garage to wait for Chug. She looked to her essay in one hand, the paper partially crumpled in her fist. Sighing in frustration, Sky pulled out her math textbook and stuffed the essay inside, slamming the book shut and stuffing it back into her backpack.
"Hey Sky!" Sparky called as he approached the young girl. "Hey, about what Skipper said—"
"I wanna go back to Sterling, Sparkplug." Sky said, her voice mostly void of all emotion. "Please?"
"Not yet. I want to talk about what just happened." Sparky said firmly.
"Well, I don't want to talk." Sky said stubbornly.
"Then don't speak. Just listen." Sparky said. Sky didn't look to him, but he could tell by the way her body relaxed that she listened. "You and Skipper have a lot more in common than you think. One of the things you have in common is you both react to things on instinct. The good news is you both have some pretty good instincts. The bad news is you both get clouded by anger easily." He rolled closer to Sky. "People say things when they're angry. Unfortunately, most of what they say is usually what they really feel. Other times, they're just speaking without thinking. You…you and Skipper both…you need to think long and hard about what you meant to say and what you actually meant."
Sky finally looked up to Sparky, and she sighed heavily. "I can't control my emotions, Sparky. You know that."
"Emotions aren't meant to be controlled." Sparky said. "They're meant to be felt, experienced. Skipper….he doesn't like to experience them. So, like you, he tries to hold back what he's feeling to make it look like everything's okay."
"So what's your point?" Sky asked tiredly.
Sparky smiled and gently patted her head. "My point is you can't give up on him yet. Just like he can't give up on you just yet. And you know I'm never going to give up on either of you, because you're my friend and I love you very much."
Sky stared off into space. Sparky's words made her hard heart crack, but once again she did everything in her power to hide her feelings. "Can we go back now?"
Sparky nodded, a warm and understanding smile on his lips. "You bet, kiddo."