“Declarations of love amuse me. Especially when unrequited.”

? Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

……….


?Bella Jones tip-toed softly through the foyer and made her way to the padlocked

front door. With an experienced flick of her wrist, she unlatched the lock and--- leaning

in just enough so that the door wouldn’t squeak --- slipped outside. A soft breeze

welcomed her and, barefoot, she padded along the secret trail behind her house. Birds

chirped, crickets sang, and Bella hummed along, excited. What does he have to

show me? She had discovered the note, hastily duct-taped to her window, last night.

Meet me at 5:0o am at the

tracks. I have something 

you’ll want to see.

Bring no one.

- skylar

?If the note had been from anyone else, it may have seemed strange, a little creepy,

even, but Skylar wasn’t just anyone; he was her best friend.


She saw black shapes in the shadows as she walked along the worn path that

winded between their two houses, and heard the soft pitter-patter of water droplets

on the surrounding ivy from the rain the night before. Breaking out of the foliage, She

walked across the cool concrete, taking a sharp left at the bridge. Half hopping, half

skipping, she hiked up the dirt steps leading to the fence in front of the tracks; then, she

spotted the hole under the fence, slid under, and was welcomed with a cheery, "Bells!"


Looking up, she saw him, Jake, his 6' 2'' muscular frame waving energetically at her.

Her eyes twinkled and she made her way through the tangled bushes up the hill to meet


“Skylar,” she said, a slight smile tickling at her lips, “I don’t mean to be rude… but

what the HELL could be so important that you must disrupt my beauty sleep at FIVE

O’CLOCK IN THE FRIKIN’ MORNING, on my BIRTHDAY, no less? Do you not under---


“Shhhhh,” he said, putting a quick finger to her lips. She blinked, startled. “Stop

whining and look.” Bella followed where his fingers were pointing.

"I still don't see any---"

"Bells, WAIT." Then, just peeking above the brush, she noticed an orb, a breathtaking

ball of light spilling over the green leaves. The sky was splashed with pastels, purple

and pink and orange--- it was as if a rainbow had exploded in her face, and she had to

shield her burning eyes from the brilliance of it all. The outline of downtown Atlanta was

shining, sunlight glinting off of each carefully polished window.

"Happy birthday Bella Jones," Sky whispered.


Bella was delighted that Skylar would even think to share this special moment, this

special place with her. But, she remembered, he was that kind of person. He had been

as long as she could remember.


..........


"Bells, look!" Sky was holding a penny out to her, "The train, it flattened

it!" Bella looked down at the copper coin, now the size of a lay's chip and so

shiny, she can almost see her reflection in it.


"Wow, cool!" she marveled, "How'd you do that?"


"I just stuck it on the tracks the night before," he said. And then, timidly,

said, "You can have it, if ya' want."


"Really? Thanks!" She gave him a quick hug and ran home, eager to

show her Mommie. Little did she know that as he watched her run home, his

cheeks were as red as dyed roses at the supermarket, and he had a satisfied

glint in his eyes.

..........


She looked at Skylar. At age 15, he was still just as sweet, still had a hint of the

boyish features he once had, but they were hidden behind the newfound "masculinity"

that he kept bragging about. Actually, she thought to herself, he's kind of

handsome. Bella had never looked at him this way before, and she began to notice

some of his key features. His hair was beach blonde and curled up at the ends like a

smooth upside down wave. He had a splash of freckles on his--- slightly sunburnt, but

cute--- nose. His muscles, now THAT was something that HAD changed. Bella guessed

that a year of football in 9th grade had made him extremely fit, his muscles tensed

under his dark blue Salty Dog shirt, and, compared to her current fitness, he was a

gosh-darn weightlifter. And his mouth.... His mouth was...

"Bella? Bella? Have you heard anything that I have been saying," he asked in a

worried, but slightly exasperated voice.

"No sorry, I just.... Sorry." He began to role his eyes when, suddenly, she jumped

up and hugged him as hard as she could. He let out a surprised, "Oof," and tumbled

backwards, her on top of him.

"What was that for?" he asked, a laugh bubbling from his throat.

"Oh,I wanted to... Thank you for bringing me up here. The sunrise was beautiful."

"No problem." A beautiful present for a beautiful girl, he wanted to say. Does she

know that he has feelings for her? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that he was madly in

love with her, had been ever since they were kids.

..........

"Bella, be careful," Skylar hissed. It was Christmastime, they were both ten,

and she had stolen his skateboard.

"Sky," she groaned, "CHILLAX. I'll be fine."

"Its not you I'm worried about. I just got that thing---"

"And you'll get it back soon enough! I'm just going down the driveway


Oh, no, he thought. That driveway was known among the neighborhood

kids as Mt. Everest, during the snowy season, a venture up that treacherous

slope to sled would most definitely result in a trip to the hospital. He couldn't

imagine what it would be like on a skateboard.


"Bella, no---" he was too late. She had already taken off and was

careening down the driveway. Without thinking, he ran out in front of her

and a solid wall the weight of a mammoth slammed into him. Everything


He slipped in and out of consciousness and finally, slowly opened his

two-ton eyelids. Bella was shaking him, it looked like she had not suffered

the injuries he had, she only had a red welt the size of a strawberry on her

arm from where she hit the pavement. Him, on the other hand...

"Skylar, Sky?! Oh, i'm sooooo sorry! I didn't mean to, should have

stopped, I'm just an ugly, horrible, no-good-very-bad---"

"Bells," he moaned.

"Yes?" she asked, a tear spilling down from her cheek.

..........


Skylar had noticed that, over the years, Bella had grown a good deal; she was

almost a woman now. Her lips we're soft-looking and were the color of pink lemonade,

and her hair was long, dirty-blond, and shaped in little ringlets that cascaded down her

back and framed her face. But, above all, his favorite thing about Bella Jones was her

eyes. They were blue and green and grey with flecks of gold embedded in them, and if

he looked hard enough, he could see himself in their shiny surface. All these features

were nothing compared to her personality. She was hilarious, teasing, and infuriating,

and he loved her.


Sky reached out absentmindedly to weave one of Bella's stray hairs back behind

her ear. His cold fingers lingered on her temple before slowly dropping back to his side.

They were so close, she leaning her head on his shoulder, that she could feel his breath

on her neck. There seemed to be a strange tension between them.


"Bella---" Skylar began, but was interrupted by the hum of Bella's phone vibrating in

the back pocket of her purple heart pj's.


"Oops, hold on a sec." She flipped open her blue Samsung and, annoyed,

said, "Hello?"


"Hey babe, happy birthday," the voice said. It was her boyfriend. "Wanna hang out

today? Maybe at 7?"


Bella looked at her watch; it was already 6:30. "Yeah, John, sure," she replied, "be

there in a jiffy."


"K. Bye," he hung up.


Did she really want to go? It would be rude to leave Skylar up here by himself, but

she had to get ready. Bella snapped her phone shut and sighed. "Sorry, I have to go,

John asked---"


"I heard," he snapped.


The animosity she heard in his voice had startled her.

"Do you... want to walk back with me?"


"No, I'm good. Just... Just go. Please," he said. His voice wavered. Was she

imagining it, or was turing away from her, trying to hide his eyes. She shrugged and

walked away, back home, to get ready to meet John.


Always, Sky thought, hating himself for wanting to cry. I'm always the one

watching her leave. The one that has to see her walk away from me time

and time again. He looked up at the sun, squeezed his eyes shut, and made a wish.

Wishing on stars never works... but it can't hurt just this once, just in case.