I needed to get my head on right. This trip was supposed to be about stupid fun and yet day one and everything is already falling apart. If day one is any indicator, this is going to be an utter disaster.

I got up off the bed and went to take a shower.

When I was done I called room service for more sheets and went to wait by the bar. I heard sniffling and faint sobbing. I went to investigate and there was Skylar at the top of the stair, freshly showered and crying her eyes out as silently as possible.

I felt my heartbreak all over again.

I slowly climbed up the steps and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"No, you're right. Something is wrong with me. I shouldn't have done that." She buried her head into her knees.

"I'm the one that pressured you into it." I rubbed her back.

"You didn't make me kiss you, you didn't make me lock that door. You didn't make me do anything I didn't want. Jade deserves better than me. Everyone deserves better than me."

"Hey, stop that. You're great. We all have our bad days and weak moments. I've had quite a few these last few months. But you just got to figure out where this is all coming from. Get to the root of the problem. I found my root, now you got to find yours." I said.

"I wanted what I had with Jade to be perfect. Like a Disney movie, we would ride off into the sunset happily ever after. I knew it was going to take work, but I just... I'm tried, Darleen. I'm tired of being the one to carry all of the weight of the relationship. Tired of being the only one who cares. I want to be the one pampered. I want to be the one taken care of. I want... what we had. But with Jade."

"Jade isn't me."

"I know."

"If she's not doing it for you, find someone new."

"How can I? After I worked so hard, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I climbed the mountain; I slayed the dragon. I got the girl. How can I just throw it all away? I do love her, I do."

"I think maybe you want to, but you don't."

"I do." She said more to herself than me.

"Have you tried just talking to her?"

"I have! It just goes in one ear out the other. She takes it so personally. Like I am attacking her. She gets all emotional and bitchy and I just end up feeling like the villain and being the one to apologize. I can't just talk to her, not like I do with you. I just... I don't know what to do."

I could hear new sniffling. Skylar and both turned and there was Jade, watching us, tears streaming down her face.

"Jade!" Skylar quickly got up and ran over to her.

Jade pulled away from her.

"Jade I'm sorry," Skylar cried.

I quickly got up and walked downstairs to give them a moment.

"Jade talk to me," Skylar begged.

I walked over to the bar, but I could still hear them loud and clear.

"Is that really what you think of me?"

Skylar didn't say anything.

"Why didn't you just tell me!? If you felt like I was just pushing over, then say something!"

"I tried Jade, I tried thousands of times. You never heard me. You would fix it but only for a little bit before we were back where we started. I'm so tired Jade."

"Tired of me?"

There was a long pause.

"You never give me what I want. I tell you I need space, you cling to me. I tell you your friends are getting to close for comfort, you go out with them. It's like every time I say something, you do the exact opposite. But no, when you say jump, I say how high. You say come and there I go. You tell me to die for you, and I do. I give you all of me. I get nothing in return."

I glanced at the stairs and I could see jade leaning over the upstairs railing. It's like a balcony looking over the bottom floor, Jade was looking down. Her eyes were shut tight, but she was crying heavily.

"I don't want this to be the end of us," Skylar said.

"If I'm really so terrible, why not just leave me? You can do so much better and you know it. Everyone knows it! I'm damaged, Skylar. When someone shows me they love me, I just have a hard time believing it. I've been burned before. By my parents, by my friends, by my ex's. I'm just so scared of you."

"Why?"

"Because I really like you, and I know I'm going to fuck it up. So why try? I don't ever show anyone my true emotions, only you. I'm scared if I really just let go around you, really just be me, and accept you. Then it will all just come falling down on top of me again. That you won't want me anymore. I don't think I can take being burned by you. Especially you."

"I love you, Jade!"

"No, I just heard everything you said to Darleen. You don't love me, Skylar. And I guess that means I was right after all. I always do this. I let myself believe, I let myself hope. I get attached and think well this time will be different. But, people always disappoint you in the end."

"No, I do. Jade, I do love you."

"If you get to close to a fire, you are bound to get burned." With that Jade went into her room and shut the door, locking Skylar out.

Skylar ran down the stairs, I went to comfort her but she pulled away from me and ran out of the room, nearly knocking over the poor service lady coming to bring my blankets.

"Is she okay?" the lady asked.

"Oh uh, yeah, she's fine. I'll go check on her." I assured her.

She nodded at me and left.

I grabbed the blankets and set them aside before looking upstairs. I was going to go after Skylar but first, I had to set someone else straight.

Someone who's had it coming for a very long time.

*knock knock knock*

"Go away!"

"Open the damn door Jade," I order.

"What going on?" Kenzie came out of her room.

"Go fuck yourself!" Jade spat at me.

"Get your ass out here or so help me god." I pound on the door.

"Everything okay?" Aphrodite also walked out of the room.

"No, everything is not okay. The two star crossed lovers just had it out and now Skylar ran away and Jade's locked herself in the room." I say.

Jade swung open the door and shouted, "Go fuck yourself."

I grabbed her by her shirt and slammed her into the wall.

"Listen, you little bitch. Skylar has done everything in her power to get you to love her. You are right about one thing, you will never deserve anyone as good as her. She tries so hard for you and this is how you treat her?"

"Fuck you," Jade cried.

"Darleen, chill." Kenzie put her hand on my shoulder.

"No! I'm tired of her too. Skylar's right about you, all you do is take, take, take. Well here's your first lesson in maturity Jade. You can't keep pushing the blame on other people. Own up to your shit. We all have to put our big girl panties on one day. And guess what, today is your day."

"Leave her alone!" Kenzie pulled me off of her.

Jade burst into another fit of tears. Ugly crying as she hiccups every third sob.

"Hey, look at me. You're okay," Kenzie wrapped her arms around her.

"How can you just defend her!?" I shouted.

"Shut the hell up. She's like a sister to me, sure we fight and argue a lot but she's my family. And no one talks to my family like that." She glared at me.

Jade cried harder into Kenzie.

"She's an awful person!"

"You don't have the first idea of what she's been through."

"She can't keep using that as an excuse."

Kenzie ignored me and pulled Jade over to the couch, helping her sit down. Jade was basically hyperventilating. Completely out of control of her sobs.

"Hey, just breath Jade. Breath." Kenzie rubbed her back.

"She's right, I'm so awful Skylar will never love me. No one will. No one is ever going to want me." Jade sobbed.

"Hey cut that shit out, what did I tell you about that? You have me, and my mom and you are never going to be left alone again. Stop letting your fear control you."

Jade struggled to get her sobs under control.

Suddenly I felt awful. It was clear to me then that Jade really did have some sort of issues. Things I may have understood better than I wanted to. I thought of my parents and how they always leave me behind. I thought of my big empty house and the lack of visitors. Suddenly I realized that maybe Jade felt the same hollowness I often felt.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"W-what?" Jade looked up at me.

"I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up on you like that. I just... you make me so mad. Letting a girl like Skylar go like it's nothing. That girl may not be perfect, but she as hell comes close. Maybe she doesn't love you, but she's trying, doesn't that count for something?"

Jade sniffled and wiped her tears.

"She's right Jade. Love isn't instant. You have to work for it. Stop pushing Skylar away and just accept that she's here to stay. She's not going anywhere. Trust me, I've tried to talk her to her senses but the girl is dead set on you."

"What if I mess it up?" Jade whimpered.

"Then fix it. Real love can't be broken so easily. If you work just as hard as she does, soon she really will love you, through and through. She'll never leave you. If that's what you want, if you want someone to stay by you forever, then you got to fight just as hard to hold on to it. Do you understand?" Kenzie rubbed Jade's back.

Jade nodded.

"Now, what are you going to do? Are you going to sit here cry and feel sorry for yourself, or are you going to get off your ass and find her and kiss her?"

Jade nodded again, wiping her tears one last time before she stood up. Then without another word, she ran downstairs and out the door. I moved to follow her but Kenzie grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

"She's got this one." She said.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Positive. If there is one thing Jade can do right it's dramatic moving moments. Now, I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just hard seeing her get like that sometimes. It's a family thing, you know? You look out for each other, even if on most days you can't stand each other."

"You're pretty cool, you know that?" I smiled at her.

"I try." She polished her nails.

I laughed and playfully pushed her.

"So what brought all this on anyway?" Aphrodite asked.

"Oh uh, nothing. Well, not nothing, something, but like nothing?" I tried to explain.

"You tried to kiss her again didn't you," Kenzie sighed.

"I mean yes? I like tried to sleep with her but, I guess I realized it wasn't what I wanted after all. She got all heartbroken because I told her she didn't love Jade, not really. We were sitting down talking when Jade overheard the whole thing. Thus, this happened."

"You tried to sleep with her?" Aphrodite looked hurt.

"No! I mean yes, but like no. I stopped. We didn't even get to second base."

"Goodnight Darleen." Aphrodite turned on heel and headed back into the room.

"No, I—"

"Just let her go. Let her think about this."

"But I stopped because... I think I still have feelings for her. For Aphrodite. I don't want her to think that I feel nothing for her."

"How about I let her know, and you go to bed. Trust me when I say she doesn't want to see your face right now."

"Have you two like bonded without me or something?"

"Or something. She's cool, so don't screw it up. Now, sleep." She pushed me towards the stairs.

I sighed but walked down to make up my bed.

I was exhausted so it didn't take me long to fall asleep. I woke up to the smell of coffee. I rolled over in my bed and eyed the clock. Just past nine in the morning. Ugh, too early. I rolled back over and put a pillow on my head.

There was a light knock at my door.

I pouted.

The door opened and someone walked in. When I moved the pillow, Aphrodite crawled into bed next to me.

"Too early." I pouted

"Why is coffee so popular in America?" she asked.

"I don't know," I grumbled.

"Me either, it's so bitter and one noted. Tea is much better."

"Ugh!" I rolled over.

"We have a dilemma." She said.

"What now?" I complained.

"Jade and Skylar are still missing."

"What!?" I sat up.

"Mackenzie is getting dressed so we can go look for them."

"Crap, it's been like 8 hours, how can they still be gone?"

Aphrodite shrugged.

"I should have known with those two idiots. Get dressed, we all have to go." I said.

She yawned but got up and quickly walked back out.

I quickly got dressed and washed up before meeting Kenzie and Aphrodite in the living room.

"Okay, we will ask the front desk first and then go from there," I said.

"I tried calling them, but they both left their phones," Kenzie said.

"Those idiots." I sighed.

We quickly walked to the elevator but when it opened there was Jade and Skylar, holding hands.

"What the hell!? We were about to send out a search party." I said.

"Sorry, we stayed up late," Skylar said sheepishly.

"And fell asleep in the lobby," Jade admitted.

"They just woke us up and made us go back to our room."

"You two are so embarrassing." Aphrodite sighed.

"Well is everything okay now?" Kenzie asked.

Jade smiled and nodded, "It will be." She said.

She and Skylar shared a look and smiled lovingly at each other.

Gag!

"Now that we all got dressed and ready for nothing, I want breakfast." Aphrodite declared.

"Let's go to the Micky mouse diner!" Kenzie squealed in excitement.

"Wait, we have to get ready first," Jade said.

So we all walked back to the room so Jade and Skylar could get ready.

They walked up the stairs, still holding hands, playfully bumping shoulders every few steps. I felt my heartache but took a deep breath and looked away.

I don't love Skylar anymore.

It's time to stop looking back and start moving forward.