Always Yours by Amicia Bianchi (best books to read fiction TXT) 📕

seemed to believe the rumors that she'd been replaced, in the beginning, as she'd still continued texting me for a while. I'd become busy very quickly because classes for the nursing program I was enrolled in had begun. The thing that seem to give credibility to the rumors was the fact that Skylar was also accepted into the same program as I was and hadn't told me. Despite the trouble it caused me, Skylar seemed to be enjoying it and milked the situation for all it was worth. Perhaps the last straw that broke the camel's back was the day that my parents told me how Angie had even come by our house looking for me. They'd told her I wasn't home and in addition to telling her where she could find me they happened to mention that I was with Skylar. Needless to say Angie's attempts faded, leaving me to actually only have Skylar for a friend.

 

Just get yourself together for now and let's move forward...

 

As I read over Angie's latest message I was reminded of what she said at the end of her first one over a week ago.

 

I'm not trying to control your life, as I can only tell you what I think is best yet nothing that I say will really matter to you...

 

In all of this, Skylar has taken the opportunity to make it seem like she's my new best friend but I feel that she's really just trying to keeping an eye on me. Even though I couldn't be certain I felt that she was perhaps doing things to sabotage my friendships, as people that I talked to started distancing themselves from me. I hadn't been entirely sure how it had happened as I was still struggling to answer the questions in my head that I still had no answers to. It'd taken a while but I'd finally realized our friendship was only a tactic to keep me under her thumb. Skylar further flaunted her control over me, even going as far as using my birthday necklace as leverage.

 

While it was true that I'd allowed Skylar to put my relationship on hold I was embarrassed about it and ashamed of myself, so for now I'd be keeping this as my little secret. I felt like a fool for getting trapped in her web, I'd seriously thought she was a friend. Even now, being able to look at it in hindsight I'm still not quite clear how it all happened but I'm pretty sure she'd been using me from the beginning. It appalls me that she still tries to pretend as if we're friends, even though she is ruining my life. I knew that the reason for all of my misfortune had to be Skylar but she feigned ignorance, as if she were innocent.

 

Since Jason hadn't talked to me about any of that had happened I figure he's giving me time to work it out myself as I know he must have heard about what happened between Angie and I by now. And although she had plenty to say Angie could sympathize with my plight, understanding that I'm entitled to my own opinion and I feel the way I do for a reason. So despite her disapproving of the way I'm handling things right now she was leaving me to "see reason".

 

Her rationale is that once I can see past the right now and be able to see the bigger picture I'd know, like everyone else, that all the back and forth was not good for maintaining a healthy relationship. At this point, she'd be willing to support anything I wanted to do as long as I wasn't doing things that hurt my relationship. Ultimately it's not about doing things her way or who's way is best or being right, when right now what I was doing was certainly detrimental and was hurt Bryce. The same way she'd been put off whenever he'd hurt me, she was equally upset with me that I was essentially punishing him. Although I agree with her, still before I knew it I'd already started distancing myself from Angie and my friends as well as continuing to ignore Bryce's attempts to contact me, just to be safe.

 

If Skylar found out I'd gotten back with Bryce I could expect her to retaliate in some way but despite her not having said anything to me by action she wouldn't approve of my staying close friends with Angie. Plus I couldn't keep in contact with her knowing Angie would want to know what was going on between me and Bryce. She would eventually ask and I doubt it'd take long for her to figure out that there was more going on than I was letting on. However, with how unpredictable Skylar is proving to be lately the last thing I needed was Angie sniffing around or trying to confront her. No matter how bad I felt like I needed them I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to Angie, Bryce, or anyone else by extension that could be used as collateral just to keep me in line.

 

As I began spending more time with Skylar I found myself dreading it but if she noticed she didn't ever mentioned it or bring it up. She was developing a knack for ignoring reality when she wanted to, even getting me to do favors for her, "go here," or "go there," then, "do this," or "do that". Before I knew it she was calling them "little assignments". Once again she'd snuck something else on me but it was always trivial things that she wanted, some of her requests seemed a little weird at best but that was it.

 

"I have another little assignment for you, today," she told me, one day, "but you're going to need to work with someone else this time. You'll get to meet her tonight. Now, I want you guys to get along, especially since it's going to take to take a while to get everything done."

 

I hadn't read too deeply into what she'd said, just thinking it was going to be another one of her boring odd jobs again. That night we'd met up and as she'd started explaining what was to be done the other person arrived. I hadn't heard anything she'd been saying once I'd seen who'd walked through the door and approached us, Emy Hickens.

 

I can't work with her. It's only a menial job, why couldn't I do it by myself? And why her, of all people?

 

I immediately wanted to call the whole thing off and leave but I'd already agreed to do it and I'd gotten this far so hopefully this doesn't last too long, maybe a day or two then I could be free of her. I'd have to talk to Skylar later and see if she'd be willing to switch Emy with someone else.

 

"For the next couple of weeks, until the preparations are complete, I want you to work with each other," when she said this she seemed to be the only one who was happy out of the three of us.

 

What?! A "couple of weeks"?! Skylar should have known better than to do this! And what is she so happy about?

 

Skylar appeared to have a secret smile and I can't figure out what that was all about so I can only assume that for some reason Skylar enjoys this pairing.

 

She must be up to something again because she ought to know that we are both going to be miserable.

 

"I want you girls to play nice," she looked at both of us in turn but I feel like she was especially looking at me. "Don't be Debbie Downers, loosen up. Now," she added with a clap. "I'll leave you two ladies to introduce yourselves and get better acquainted," she told us with an all encompassing smile before turning to walk away.

 

And so it started…

Chapter 15: The network

 

“Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to work on this with but it's not like I'm enjoying this either, I don't make a habit of forcing myself where I'm not wanted,” Emy had told me after Skylar left.

 

I was shocked by how straightforward and blunt she was, not even trying to pretend to “play nice”. Given her approach, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say.

 

Did she expect me to affirm her statement that I didn't like her?

 

I didn't get much time to contemplate my next course of action before Emy was already leaving.

 

“Already?” I thought incredulously, shocked.

 

“Pretty much. Do you know what time it is? We came so that we could meet and we've done that: I'm Emy. You're Alyssa. Besides that we're not getting anything else done tonight so I need to get back to my daughter,” I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until Emy briefly turned around to address me before turning back, never stopping her progression to the door.

 

And that was that. The next day, despite preferring to procrastinate or pretend that Skylar hadn't said I had to work with Emy, the person in question came to find me at school. She had a look of determination but what she must have saw in my face must not have been the same.

 

“I'm not getting anything out of this so I'm about as excited as you are about this set up. So I'd just like to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible,” she said in greeting.

 

I put my hands up that I wasn't going to fight so she should just proceed with what she came to do. I might not like our current arrangement but she had a point.

 

She continued to surprise me with her blunt way of talking and straightforward way of saying what was on her mind. She very quickly proved to be plenty helpful and over time it appeared to be that she was actually a rather kind hearted person. The more I interacted with her I started to become increasingly bothered as I realized that Bryce had been accurate in his description of Emy. In the past, despite his vouching for her character and many assurances I didn’t approve of their relationship while they were together and especially not after they broke up.

 

Although I had a better overall view of her after getting to know her there were still some things on my mind that had me watching her to see if it was just some kind of farce. I still couldn’t fully trust her, she was the one who still hadn’t wanted to let go of Bryce even after I became his girlfriend, insisting on staying “friends” while actually trying to entice him away from me. She was the same person who’d kissed Bryce at his birthday party knowing he had someone else, tried to pull him away during my birthday party, and when that didn’t work proceeded to blow up his phone all day. How could I ignore the fact that she was clearly aiming for my mate? We may not be able to be together right now but I’m not going to let her have him. Bryce was mine. Only mine and always would be mine. 

 

Also, she was still the person who’d cheated on Bryce and gotten pregnant with someone else’s baby while they