Less than Perfect, S. J. Evans [classic literature books txt] 📗

you. It’s my gift to you. My happiness. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to discover it. I love you, as my friend. And sometimes I wish I loved you more, because after you saved me I felt like I needed to love you more. But I just can’t. I’d already started falling in love with someone else. And it’s unexplainable how much I feel for him. Remember one thing, Bryan. I’ll never forget you, okay? You’re in my heart, forever and always

.
The rain finally stopped, the thunder far in the distance, and from the light that tried to peek through the clouds, Skye felt the closure she’d wanted so badly. Bryan was happy. And so was she.

Back at the house, Jules accompanied Skye to the door. They walked up the steps, hand-in-hand, and stopped at the door. Skye turned around, a glowing smile spread across her face. She let go of his hand, stepping close enough to him.
“Thank you for tonight, Jules. I really needed it,” she said warmly.
He shrugged, glancing around the house before meeting her gaze again. “It wasn’t a problem, Skye. In fact, I think I quite enjoyed it, don’t you?” he replied briskly.
She chuckled, nodding. “I do.”
“Would you like to do it again sometime?”
“Of course,” she beamed. “Although, next time, let’s not go to a graveyard to hangout. I don’t know about you, but to me it’s a little freaky.”
“Sounds fine with me,” he agreed. “I must say that I enjoyed freaking you out a little more on the way back though, too.”
Shoving his good shoulder playfully, she scoffed, “Hey! It was already creepy enough there!”
“I rest my case,” he said. He winked, snaking an arm around her waist in reeling her into him. “Shall I say goodnight?”
“You should. Though I don’t want you to,” she admitted.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he kissed her cheek, “Get some good rest and tell your mom I said ‘hello.’”
“Fine,” she muttered.
“Goodnight, Skye.”
Standing on her tip toes, she kissed him on the cheek and watched as he walked away. “Goodnight.”
He left her, drove off in his car, and separated the space between them drastically. Something felt off when he left, like part of her was missing. And when she brought her hand against her heart, felt the rhythmic beating, she felt a warm feeling she could only imagine was her love for him. It was so clear to her now; she didn’t have to second-guess it. She loved him. Jules

.
Unlocking the front door, she went inside, immediately taking off her wet and muddy shoes. A warm shower sounded impeccably swell to her in the drenched state she carried on in. Before she made it to the first step of the staircase, someone stopped her. She barely had time to think about who it was before her heart started beating quicker. But when she realized how small and gentle the hand on her shoulder was, she calmed. Leah was awake.
“Mom,” she sighed, spinning on her heel and opening her arms for a hug. But before she could hug her mother, Leah stepped back, smiling at her daughter.
“You’re soaked,” she complained.
Skye looked at herself, biting her lip. “Right,” she mumbled.
“Who were you out with? It’s fairly late.”
“I was with Jules, Mom. We visited Bryan’s grave and I guess we just kind of lost track of time. I’m sorry I worried you.” Skye brushed her damp hair out of her face, head low.
Leah rested her hands on Skye’s shoulders and chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’m glad you went to see Bryan; it was probably a good idea. I just wish I could have been with you more. I feel like I haven’t been around enough.”
“It was a good thing,” Skye replied. “But don’t worry about that, Mom. You needed your rest and we could use the money from your job. You’ve simply been working for the family.”
“I still should have been here. Especially when what happened to you happened.”
“You couldn’t have known though, Mom. Don’t worry about it. I’m feeling much better now; it’s all in the past now.”
“I should have,” Leah added, wearily. She didn’t look healthy, Skye realized. She knew that her slumber must have put a lot of stress on her and a day of sleep couldn’t be an instant cure, but something seemed a little off still. Around her eyes the skin was rimmed with blackish blue, a sign of a little more of a problem than just stress and lack of sleep. Her skin was also porcelain white, too white for its usual tone.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Skye asked, worry replacing any feelings she’d had a moment before. “You don’t look so well.”
Leah murmured something, lips stumbling over words to make out, and her skin turned a sheet of white lighter. Her eyes went heavy and droopy, struggling to stay open, and from the wobble of her stance Skye knew she had to do something as quick as possible. Something was incredibly wrong with her mother.
Without thinking, she grabbed onto Leah’s arms and tried to hold her upright. “Johnny!” she gasped. “Johnny, hurry! It’s Leah, something’s wrong.” Her heartbeat sped, racing against time in a frantic pounding. Fear took a chokehold on her vocal chords but she fended it off, crying out in a desperate plea for help. “JOHNNY!”
She heard footsteps rushing down the floorboards in the hall, far away, too far. Leah’s eyes rolled back in her head, her body went limp, Skye’s arms desperately trying to keep her up. “No, Mom, stay with me! Don’t do this, please don’t do this! WAKE UP!”
When she heard Johnny rushing down the stairs, in a rampage, tears had already began pouring from her eyes. She couldn’t understand what was happening. Just a few moments earlier Leah was fine, smiling and giving remarks at her, and in that moment she was limp in her arms. It was terrifying to even think that something was wrong with her health, especially so soon after Bryan’s passing.
She couldn’t lose Leah too.
“What happened?” Johnny demanded, rushing to her side and picking Leah up into his arms. He glanced fanatically back at Skye, eyes dark and full of fear and urgency. “What happened

?” he repeated.
“I—I don’t know. She just passed out. Please help her, Johnny. I don’t think she’s breathing.” Her voice was jumping octaves, fear screaming from underneath her words.
“Call 911, now.” She hesitated, frozen in fear, compelled by the oppressing worry that overtook her. “Now

, Skye!”
Her head was pounding, heart aching, ears ringing, everything falling apart around her. Why was it that one moment everything could be so perfect and the next be so terribly messed up? Under the circumstances, all Skye could do was ask that same question over and over again, praying for an answer. And a miracle.

Lifeline

“Skylar,” Johnny’s quiet voice came from behind Skye, waking her from her restless slumber. She lay curled on two chairs in the waiting room at the hospital, eyes closed, mind wandering through waves of dark thoughts, heartbeat pounding around her temples, sleep too far away from her worried spirit. “You should get some real rest, Skylar. Go home, Princess, Leah’s going to be alright; doctor’s words, not mine.”
Vaguely, she felt Johnny’s large hand touching her shoulder, but she didn’t slap it off, exhaustion having deprived her of much strength. “I can’t leave, Johnny,” she murmured, eyes still shut. “I have to be here when she wakes up; she’s too important to leave.”
He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, assurance. “You need your rest, Skye; Leah will still be here when you come back. Only when you’re back, she’ll be awake.”
“I am

getting rest,” she whispered. The room was cold, chilling her more than she already was. Thoughts drifted through her mind, wandering in the darkness of what a life would be without Leah. She wanted to be there when her mother woke up; she wanted to stay. “Please don’t try to get me to leave, Johnny. I’m staying here, waiting for her. I’ll catch up on my sleep when I know for a fact that she’s going to be okay.”
“Are you sure?” his voice echoed in her ears from above, a soft sound. Johnny’s softer side was actually making itself known again, allowing Skye’s relaxation process to begin a little. “Because the doctors said that it may be awhile before she wakes up; they gave her a sedative to stay under. She needs her rest too.”
“But what’s wrong with her? What have they found out?” Skye’s voice was caked with worry, following along with the rest of her body as she opened her eyes and sat up to look at Johnny. The room was bright in her eyes, causing her to blink a few times. Johnny looked just as bad as she figured he did: eyes heavy and rimmed with dark circles, hair in disarray, face a sheet of pale cream, lips chapped. He looked tired and utterly wasted.
Rubbing a hand over his face, Johnny sighed heavily. “I’m not sure. They said that Leah should be there, so that she can give us the news. But whatever it is, they say she’ll pull through.”
“So she’s going to be okay?” She exhaled a breath she hadn’t even noticed she’d been holding. “We’re not in danger of losing her?”
“No, Skye, I don’t think we are,” he admitted. “Now if you’re not going to go home and sleep, you should get some sleep here. Go ahead, Skye, lie down and rest. I’ll be right over there.” He motioned to the lounge chair across from her and walked around her chairs to the other.
Skye, taking long, deep breaths, settled back in the chairs, letting go of the tension she felt from the worry for her mother. “Maybe you’re right,” she mumbled, quietly. Her eyelids went heavy, closing as she slid down in her chair, lying down to rest.

“Skylar?” a low voice called, stirred Skye from her heavy slumber. Warm breath washed over her face, the smell of breath mints and medicine full in it. For a moment, Skye thought that the voice belonged to Johnny, but when she bolted upright slightly, on her elbows,