S

"Goal!" Skylar shouted as her brother managed to kick the ball.

"And it's Leo for the win." Leo said, grinning for the first time in days.

Ever since that stupid email, he'd been sulking. Skylar had tried everything to get him out of it; she got his favorite candy, she helped him prank Dash and Jordi, and she told him the most terrible pickup lines she had heard around school.

But playing soccer was helping him. And it was kinda killing her.

She remembered what it was like when Leo was healthy. He had been popular, girls falling at his feet, getting invited to all the best parties, and 'friends' around every corner. She had felt like the loser twin, staying at home and doing her assignments early.

Skylar didn't like to admit it, because it sounded really bad, but a small part of her liked that she got to spend more time with Leo. The circumstances sucked, though. How sad was it that he had to get sick for her to even manage to be around him?

"This doesn't count, you know," she breathed. "We both know I suck at sports."

"Unless you count speed reading." Leo joked.

"Which totally counts."

"Well, I gotta go. I have PT again today." Leo carefully reached down for the ball.

"Yeah, okay. I was going to help Emma with some stuff too." Skylar watched Leo go. As soon as he was gone, her smile cracked.

She sat on Leo's bed with a sigh. Back to being the loser twin, then.

S

As soon as Leo left, Jordi figured it was safe to head back to his room. He hadn't been avoiding Skylar exactly…it was just awkward.

Here he was, getting chemo, being babysat by his mom, and just trying to keep his lunch down. And there was Skylar, so happy and bright, always there for Leo and everyone else at the hospital. She talked to Charlie, she did homework with Emma, she joked around with Dash, she brought flowers to Brittany, and she even got Nurse Jackson to smile. Regularly, which was starting to scare people. She even brought fashion magazines to Kara.

So when he got back to his room and he found Skylar crying, it was like the world was broken.

"Hey," he paused. Are you okay was not a valid question.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jordi. I um…I won't bother you."

"Skylar, what is it?"

"I'm just having a bad day is all. Oh god, I'm sorry. I am sitting in a freaking hospital, and I'm complaining about my day." She put her face in her hands.

"Just grab a random needle and put me out of my misery now." She grumbled, and Jordi had to laugh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jordi asked, wincing at how lame it was.

"No. But I'd be happy to just talk to you." She said softly, and Jordi took that as an invitation to sit next to her.

It was quiet for a minute or two. Then Skylar turned to look at him, brown eyes still a little dewy.

"Do you ever feel like a second choice? Say, if something better comes along, you're the one who always gets left behind?"

"I know about getting left behind." He said.

"Leo, well, is Leo. He's fun and outgoing. You should've seen him in school. He went to every party, could get any girl…and with all that, who wants to be around the kill-joy sister?" She sniffled a little.

"Skylar, you are fun. And you are the most ridiculously cheerful person I've ever seen. I wonder where you even get it."

"I suck the souls out of people."

"How do they taste?"

"Surprisingly like chicken."

"Can I tell you that I love your sense of humor?" Jordi said, and Skylar smiled.

"Yes, you can."

"In all seriousness, though, you aren't second to anyone. Everyone is really glad that you're here." Jordi smiled kindly, and his heart cracked at the soft expression on Skylar's face.

"You think so?" Her voice was stronger now.

"Well, maybe not Kara. And, you know, Nurse Jackson's face probably hurts from smiling so much. Charlie might be laughing so hard in his head at your jokes that he can't get enough sleep. Dash might even run out of ways to hit on you."

By the time Jordi had finished his speech, Skylar was clutching her stomach in a fit of giggles. Every time she got her breathing under control, Jordi widened his smile or quirked an eyebrow, and it started anew.

"Stop…it." She wheezed, and Jordi pretended to think it over.

"Nope. This is too much fun." With that he waggled his eyebrows, and Skylar doubled over again, with happy tears streaming down her face this time.

When she could finally breathe again, she shot him a mock glare.

"Don't do that again." She said sternly, but he could see the way her lips turned up at the edges.

"Don't get sad again."

"Deal." She said, leaning into him with a sigh. He stiffened, then tentatively put his arm around her. She gave a small keening sound, and shifted slightly so that her head was on his shoulder.

S

Leo dashed back into the room, startling Skylar and Jordi from…snuggling? Whatever, he didn't have time to think over that.

"Skylar, Kara and Brittany are going to homecoming, and Emma is going and she's in this dress…" He trailed off, a moony look in his eyes.

Skylar jumped off the bed like it was on fire. Jordi looked flustered, but Skylar had on her cat-with-a-bowl-of-milk grin. It made Leo both calm and afraid.

"Oh, that dress? I helped her pick it out. You like?" She winked at him.

"First, yes, very much. Second, you are never going to any school dances."

"Okay, brother dear, we'll leave that discussion for later. Now, do you want to hear my idea or not?" Skylar crossed her arms and smirked a little.

"Yes, please." He folded his hands together and mimed kneeling.

"You are going to go to the dance as Emma's date. There's a suit in your closet," She pointed. "You'll be her hero, but be careful not to screw it up. Also, one flower is more romantic than a bouquet."

"Where's the flower?" Leo asked, reaching to pull out the suit.

"Do I look like a florist? Figure it out, bro. And you so owe me." She grinned at seeing him holding the suit.

"Go get changed and I'll help you with the tie." She laughed as Leo eagerly left the room.

"That was interesting." Jordi muttered from where he still sat on Leo's bed.

"Yeah. I hope they all have fun." She sighed wistfully.

"Hey, Skylar, I was wondering-" Jordi started, just as Leo came back. Skylar clapped her hands and gave a little squeal.

"Leo! You look so cute!" Then Leo shot her a glare.

"Fine, you look handsome. Definitely not cute at all." She amended. Leo nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's go get you to that dance." Skylar said as she grabbed her keys. Leo said goodbye to Jordi and hobbled from the room.

"And Jordi?" Skylar turned, focusing on the dark-haired boy in front of her.

"Thanks for talking with me. That was the most I've laughed in a long time." Skylar glanced at her shoes before looking through her lashes to smile at him. Jordi had trouble breathing for a second.

"Glad I could help." Jordi said quickly. He managed a weak wave as she left.

Then, in an attempt to keep himself from daydreaming about how Skylar's hair smelled (like honey and pastries), he went looking for Dash.