________________

Bailey's POV:

"Thank you for today." I got off Skylar's bike and I gave her helmet back, "You're welcome, now you know that place exists just give me the word and I'll bring you right back." She gets off to walk with me towards the front door. "I think the next time I go I might not leave." We get to the front, "Beans you already didn't want to leave I had to drag you." She says and I deny it.

"That is a little exaggerated." I tell her and she gives me a 'really' look. "Okay well, it was still pretty early before we had to leave." I try to defend myself.

*FLASHBACK to a few hours earlier

"Beans let's go." Skylar stands up looking at me as I lay on the grass like a starfish. I don't want to leave, I don't ever want to leave. I can't leave. "I can't leave, you can't make me this is where I belong!" I tell her not bothering to move.

"Fine, then I'll drag you." She walks up to me and holds my ankles. "Fine. Do it, just know that you ruined my day." I cross my arms over my day, "You're being dramatic, this place isn't going anywhere and we can always come back." She says pulling me slowly and quickly putting my arms back out hoping the drag will slow her down.

"NOOOOOOOO!!" I yell, "BEANS!" She yells back, "WHAT?!" I ask, "I NEED TO GET YOU HOME!" She says and I lift my head up. "THIS IS MY HOME NOW!" I try to roll over, I don't feel like wasting my energy trying to get her to release my ankles.

"YOUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL US!" She yells once more and my eyes widen. She's right. We ditched the whole day. And we didn't try to even say that we were absent in any way to the office. "You're right they will also how dare you use them against me." I get up brushing my clothes off with my hands.

"It was the only way to get you up and there you go, you're up." She smiles like she's done nothing wrong. "I hate you." I mumble walking away from her back down the hill and she caught up to me intertwining her hand with mine and plants a kiss on my cheek. "You love me." I catch her smirking from the corner of my eye. Yeah, I do love her but I hate her for that.

*FLASHBACK ENDS

"BAILEY ELLE SKEELS!" I hear my name the second I opened the door. I glance at Skylar and she gives me a soft smile before we both walk in. "Hi, mom." I say walking slowly into their view with Skylar's hand on the small of my back. She's here it's going to be okay.

"Hi dad, what are you doing here Ty?" I see him sit at our dining table. I swear he's everywhere, I can't take this. "I couldn't miss your birthday and I got you a present and I'm sorry." He keeps his hands on his lap and I look back at my parents who are again disappointed, they don't need to say anything because I already know.

It sucks more when you already know. There are multiple instances where knowing makes it hurt more but just knowing is enough to make it feel like I got stabbed.

"Sorry for what?" I question, it's kind of rare for Tyler to apologize because he is a sweet guy who doesn't like doing the 'getting in trouble things' but these trouble things are the most fun I've had.

"He's here because he's been looking for you, you haven't been answering your phone it's almost six pm and the school called asking about your absence, I called your teacher. Mr. Bloom. And he actually said it's okay that you missed an entire day of school. And you wanna know why? It's because he knows that you're safe with Skylar. Imagine a teacher, a certified instructor saying it's alright for another student to run off because of another student. I couldn't believe what I was hearing." Oh my.

I need to thank Mr. Bloom

That was a lot and the kitchen fell silent with only the sound of breathing filling the air. "So Skylar care to explain." She calls her out and I can see that my dad is disappointed too, probably a little bit more because I know he liked her. "Yeah she missed school because of me but it is her birthday and even though she missed school she has the work she needs to do for what she missed." Skylar spoke up.

I knew it wasn't enough so I nudged my foot and she cleared her throat. "Today's her birthday, she's eighteen, not every girl turns eighteen twice and I know she deserves to spend it away from school. Kids get out of school all the time when it's their birthday and I wanted to do something special for her because she doesn't actually know this but I'm doing my own schoolwork to be able to hang out with her so I took her out of school." She finishes.

She does her schoolwork just to hang out with me.

"I might be the one who's taking her out of school and stuff so that makes me the influence but in perspective, she's the one actually helping me so yeah and Tyler, I don't know man it's just weird that you're always here when she isn't." She points out the last part which is true.

"Actually yeah she has a point, don't you have friends Tyler?" My dad asks adjusting his glasses and now all of us are looking at him, "Uh I do, I- Um I definitely do but they're doing their own stuff and I prefer to be alone." He stutters.

"Right, thank you for being honest with us Skylar is there anything you need to add on Bailey?" Mom asks like a teacher. "Can we please stop with this whole 'I get in trouble thing' when I haven't done anything remotely bad. I'm a great student, I'm a good kid, I'm a good friend and believe it or not I'm a great daughter." Oh, where am I going with this?

"I just wish that you would see that, all you guys care about is what freaking college I'm going to get into and it's too much. I don't know why no one else in the family sees how much I work to get into somewhere good but it makes me not want to get into any colleges at all and Aunt Jacky is the only one who actually talks to me and is proud of me and my bus driver, Sheri. Also, I like girls." I blurt out the rest.

Oh, I just came out. I just came out in front of them, just now. I just came out. I just came out. I can't believe I just came out. I just came out. Their mouths are hung slightly open and Tyler's balloon hits the ceiling. Looks like he knows now too.

"Wanna walk me to the door?" Skylar whispers in my ear and I nod rushing out and away. I open the door and she steps out but I take her hand. I don't know how I'm feeling right now, so much happened today and I don't my brain can process it. I came out. How did I just come out?

"Can you stay the night? I don't want to be alone tonight." I ask and she nods, "Yeah let me just roll my bike somewhere and I climb up to your window. Is it open?" I nod, she leaves me with a reassuring kiss and I close the door slowly walking back to the three who are too shocked.

I don't want to go back but I can't avoid them forever. I just want to go back to that field. I go back and my parents have moved to the living room collecting their things from the coffee table. "We're gonna go upstairs to sleep, Tyler said he'll let himself out and you're awake anyway so we are gonna go, goodnight." Mom quickly shoves everything in her computer bag and goes upstairs.

I look at my dad whose moving a lot slower, "What your mother said I guess. But goodnight Tyler and goodnight Bailey, I'll see you tomorrow." He says quietly and I watch him go up but then he stops and walks back down but only to the platform. "Also, I don't care that you like girls if anything I think that it's better now I know that if you're out doing things then you won't get pregnant I guess." He chuckles and I give him a small smile before he fully disappears upstairs.

I turn around to see Tyler stand with a box and the single balloon no longer is attached to the ceiling, "Happy Birthday." He hands them to me and I smile taking them from him, "Thank you, I'm sorry you had to witness that." I tell him and he shrugs, "It's okay I've seen worse parenting but, I uh accept you, I don't know if that's the right thing to say or I support you I don't know but I had an idea I just didn't want to say anything." He knew?

"You knew?" I ask and he nodded, "Yeah you were reading a girl and girl book in class once, I don't know if you pronounce the 'x' like that but yeah, I thought the art of the cover looked cool so I looked up the name and found it was a lesbian book but yeah I'll go now so you can do whatever you need to do. Goodnight Bails and happy birthday." He hugs me and I hug him back then he leaves.

"Oh shoot Skylar." I whispered to myself and I ran upstairs only slowing down when I reached my room and I opened the door seeing Skylar asleep in my bed with her arm hanging off the edge and it looks like she's helped herself to my clothes.

I smile to myself, she's a cute sleeper. I'm not I found out that I snore and talk in my sleep, hopefully, that won't happen tonight.

I open Tyler's present and it's a set of bookmarks with different book quotes from my favorite authors, I silently thank him again as I shuffle through them then I get ready for bed. "You're back." I freeze at Skylar's voice as I tried to climb over her without waking her up. "Yeah and I woke you up but I'm tired." I say getting underneath my blanket getting Skylar underneath too.

"I'm a light sleeper but it's okay, we had a big today." She mumbles and I nod even though she couldn't see. "Yeah, we both deserve a pretty good sleep. Also, did you really mean what you said about doing your schoolwork?" I say fitting myself closer to her feeling her warmth against my skin then she wraps her arms around me.

"You deserve the best sleep of your life and I'm proud of you, I really am, you told your parents what's really going on opening their eyes to how you're feeling about everything and you came out to them, that's a lot but you did without backing down and without taking it back, you defended yourself. And I did mean that I never did really do my work I just did the tests and I passed them but I needed to do the work even though I didn't want to but now I have a reason to do it all." She replies tiredly with a sigh.

"I'm so lucky to have you, I don't think you understand." She yawns than a hazy kiss was left on my head and I scrunch up my face in excitement.

"I'm so lucky to have you too, you're the one that's helped me to be confident and speak up on something if it's wrong to me. I love you." I look up and a soft smile spreads across her face. "I love you too Beans."