________________

Bailey's POV:

"You know I just might kill your parents, it's very tempting. Just letting you know. But where is she don't you two come to school together now?" Carmen and I sit at our spot waiting for the bell to ring.

"First off don't kill my parents as much as I don't like them either, I still wouldn't be able to do much and Skylar is on a trip for work with Sage and Dean." I explain.

"I mean you're turning eighteen very soon so why don't you just move out?' She asks, "Because where would I go?" I look at her and she looks at me like I'm the dumb one.

"Uh with Skylar duh." You're with her practically all the time, well you sneak out and sneak around to see her somehow so might as well just live with her and I'm sure she doesn't mind sharing a bed with you." She chuckles bouncing her eyebrows and I scoff looking away.

"Also what's the trip?" She asks and I shrug, "I don't know, she didn't even know how long she'll be gone for. She said Sage didn't tell her and that she wouldn't be gone for more than a couple of days." I explain taking my phone out to send a text.

"Sounds like what my dad and I do, we don't go across the country like we used to, and also does Sage happen to be single." She nudges me before I can send my message.

"Uh I don't know if he's single I don't think he is though. I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend." I think back to the picture of him and Liliana. I wonder what happened to her.

"You think?" Carmen questions and I nod, "Yeah I mean, there are pictures of them together which I think is really cute but relationships aren't really something they talk about so I don't have much to say." I tell her.

Talking about Liliana seems to be an undiscussed topic always. I think I understand but I don't know, it's obvious she meant something important to them. Important to Sage. I hope I can meet her, she looks sweet.

"So what I'm hearing is that he's off-limits?" Carmen leans onto me and I nod my head, "He's definitely off-limits plus he's older than you like a lot older and you don't have a chance with Dean either because he's gay and Skylar is mine." I laugh and she rolls her eyes, "Ugh Dean was cute too and you can keep Skylar, you two are cute together." She cups my face pressing my cheeks together.

We do look cute together. I managed to get a picture of her smiling last night before she had to leave since my parents came home early and caught us. Not doing anything but we were in the kitchen messing around getting flour and melted chocolate everywhere.

*FLASHBACK to last night

"Wait so how much flour goes into the bowl?" Skylar asks jumbling the measuring spoons around, "Just a tablespoon, the dough just needs a little more." I tell her moving the bowl of melted chocolate out of the way, I can't wait for the fruit we dipped to be set. "I think that's too much." Skylar shows me her over-heaped spoonful and I nod my head.

"It's okay though you can just get rid of a bit." I move the bowl with the dough in front of her and she pinches the top of the heap with three fingers and looks at me with a smirk. "Whatever it is that you're thinking, stop it." I hold my finger up taking a step back, that smirk means trouble. "Okay okay fine." She rolls her eyes and I take a step back towards her but then I quickly shut my eyes seeing the flour come at my face.

"Skylar!!" I whined breathing out wiping my eyes off, "I can't believe you." I say as she chuckles, I eye a 1/2 cup of flour left for another part of the recipe but I think it could be of use now. I grab it and toss it at Skylar making her shoulder flinch to her ears and she does the same expression as me, "Two can play at that game." I mic drop the 1/2 cup huffing in satisfaction.

"You're right, two can play at that game." She shakes her entire body then dips her hand into the bag of flour and I eye her fist full of flour, I feel my heart drop knowing the amount of mess that one handful can make, just at this point there's a noticeable amount of flour on the floor and on the counter.

"Put your hand down." I demand keeping my hands up in hopes they block enough of what's in her hand. "Well, I can't put it back in the bag now can I." She winds her arm back, "Put it in the trash can!" I squeal as I see her hand launch but nothing got on me, I sigh seeing her smile.

I'm going to have a heart attack because of her. "I can't do that either, it would be a waste." She innocently shrugs, she's anything but innocent.

"Then I don't know, just don't get any of it on-" I couldn't finish my sentence as a clap interrupted me and I held my breath puffing my cheeks out feeling a cloud of flour hit my face.

I'm going to kill her. I flutter my eyes open trying to avoid any flour from actually hitting my eyes and I hear Skylar's laugh grow louder, she keeps a hand on her stomach with the other pointing at me.

"I'm going to kill you." I mumble but she doesn't hear instead she's still laughing gripping the edge of the counter all her might keeping herself from falling. I huff dusting as much flour off me and I grab the spoon in the bowl with the melted chocolate and I fill the spoon holding it up right and I pull the head then flinging it forward making a blob of it fly at her.

She instantly stopped laughing as the blob landed right in the middle of her forehead then I burst out laughing at the way her eyes widened and her movements stop, it's just a brown splat on her face, "HEY!" She yelled trying to look at the damage. "You started it." I calmed down gripping the spoon in my hand.

I took a lick from the spoon humming at the taste. "Mmm this chocolate is really good." I say teasing her and her face drops, "Oh really? It tastes that good?" She rolls her eyes and I nod putting the spoon down.

"In that case do you want some more?" I watch as she swipes her finger through the blob scooping it at the edge of her finger. "Skylar put it down!" I tell her backing up against the sink.

"But you said you wanted more so here you go!" She lunges at me and I escape from her before she could touch me then she starts chasing me around the kitchen.

I really wish I could parkour right now. It would be really handy. "Come here Beans!" She reaches for me and I bend under her arm.

"Ahh!" I yelped feeling her arm wrap around my waist and I hide my face in my arms as she tries to get the chocolate close to me. "Come on Beans!" She grips my hip and I shook my head but then we both froze at the sound of the garage door opening. Oh no, are my parents home already? She let me go and I stood up straight beside her.

"No Daniel, we're not taking that case it's too risky with a lot of room for error and we just got done with a big case. I don't think our team is ready for that kind of stress again." I hear my mom's heels tap on the floor and I glance at the kitchen seeing the mess we made. "Just follow my lead." I hear Skylar whisper to me and I nod pulling the tips of my fingers.

"But this case could help all of those victims." I watch as my parents come into view and they both stare at us as we stare back. "What is this mess? And Skylar what are you doing here?" My mom flicks her heels off, "Beans- I mean Bailey left something at school and I came to return it." Skylar spoke up cupping her hand over my fiddling ones.

"Okay that's fine, I just wish I was told but please clean this up and shouldn't you be home." She looks right at her. "Her brother or cousin wasn't home so I told her she can stay for a little." I butt in hoping my lying helps. "Of course she can stay." My dad smiles giving her a thumbs up, "Not tonight but any other time is fine." My mom made a disgusted look and walked away.

*FLASHBACK ENDS

I sat in Mr. Bloom's class working on my powerpoint while Tyler's talking to me about some modification he's made on his car. Sometimes I think I see more of Tyler than I do Skylar which makes me a little upset even though I just saw her yesterday. Am I becoming too dependant on her? I just like being with her, I like being around her, dammit I miss her.