I came home from the mall and plopped down on my bed at the hotel. Ike and Zac were in the room with me. Zac was reading comic books with his discman and chewing bubblegum. Ike was tuning his guitar. "Ike."I mumbled. "Yeah Tay."he sounded ill. "Can I talk to you about something?"The question sounded meek and I got the expected reaction. "Tay, you sound upset. What's wrong?"Ike sat his guitar down on the bed and turned to face me. "I met a girl at the mall today and I can't stop thinking about her. Everything keeps reminding me of her and she was gorgeous and there was just something about her. She seemed so perfect. Ike, I don't know what's coming over me." I rambled and pulled the pillow into my lap. Ike reached over and took it from me."Hey cut it out!"I barked. "You almost ripped it, you dip."he informed me and I felt my face turn a hue brighter. "Well, tell me about her."he added. "Well, she's about 5'4 I'd say. She has wavy brown hair and bright green eyes. She has a nice body, her skin looks silky and she has the perfect somplexion. Her name is Skyler and she's cool, not modest, out-going, considerate and there has to be a lot of things I haven't seen yet."I explained and I knew I had a dreamu expression on my face. I could feel it. I felt like one of those fans must feel like, looking up on stage and feeling faint.
"Um does she have a sister named Sidney?"Ike questioned in a worried tone. "Yeah why?"I was cautious, being that I was worried she was a whore or she had AIDS or something. "Well, I can't let you see her again and I don't know another brother who'd let you."he said. "But...why? What's wrong with her?"I was upset and Ike could tell it. I saw it in his expression. "She's been through too much and she'd be too paranoid and distant for a fist girlfriend. She needs somebody that knows how to help her and you need somebody who's happy and naive and just now starting out."he explained. "It takes more to want to help somebody than it does to know how and I'll do anything. I want to and I can at least try my best. I wouldn't hurt her Ike."I was ill, my throat got tight and I felt like I was going to cry. "Man Tay, you have it bad don't you?"he questioned. My head hung down and a tear rolled down my cheek. I looked back up at my older brother, "I don't know."
I met Skyler at the mall and we walked back to her house. I was upstairs with her in her room and we were listening to Jewel's new cd, Spirit when the doorbell rang. After about twenty seconds, the sound of a heavy person running up the stairs filled the air. A big guy about twice my size bursted in out of breath. "Clarke, you just got out, you aren't supposed to be excerting yourself. What's wrong?"Skyler was anxious and she ran up to him, placing her petite hands on his gargantuan shoulders. "Chad's out!"he gasped and hung his head. Her face grew pale and she let go of the guy, stumbling back to the bed and plopping down. Her breathing quickened and she looked up at me with sad eyes, then at Clarke. "He ran away from juvie last night and his friends said he's looking for you."he gasped again and collapsed in the doorway. Skyler's expression changed again and she looked like a frightened snowman.
I looked at her with sympathetic eyes and she slid into my lap, laying her head on my chest. My arms simultaniously wrapped themselves around her and I rocked back and forth, making a shhing sound until her tears slowed down a little. Clarke picked himself back up and walked over to the bed, where he plopped down next to Skyler. He looked at me and questioned, "Did she tell you about Chad?"I shook my head no and continued to calm her. "Clarke, I don't want to talk about it."she cried uncontrollably again and I squeezed her closer to me. "Shh it'll be alright. I won't let anything happen to you."I said. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I would help her if I could. I'd do anything. She looked up at me, wiped the tears from her face and sighed. A smile slowly arose on her beautiful, tear-streaked face. She laid her head back on my chest and cried herself into a deep sleep. I laid her down at the foot of her bed. "Do you want me to tell you about Chad?"Clarke questioned.
He went into a whole long explination about Chad and Skyler, making me cringe continuously. "And he excaped from his juvenille delinquent facility last night. The detective went around asking questions and found out that he's looking for her."he concluded his speech. Skyler started tossing in the bed and she mumbled something. Then a few minutes later she screamed, "Somebody HELP me!!"the sound went straight through our heads and Sid came bursting in the room. "What the hell! She's asleep."she exclaimed. Right at that moment, Skyler sat up in bed and panted continuously.Her hair was plastered to her face and she looked around nervously. "What's wrong?"Sid questioned. "I...Chad...nobody would..."
