Page 2 of The Girl I Once Loved

Chapter One

Skylar

Aloud and obnoxious ringtone shatters the silence of my bedroom and successfully cuts through the tranquility of my deep sleep. My eyes struggle to open, as my face contorts in confusion and annoyance from being so rudely awakened. Groggily, I lift my head off the pillow, desperately scanning the room for the source of the aggravating loud music. Gael is sleeping soundly beside me throughout the whole chaotic mayhem, making me envy his dead-to-the-world slumber.

Thankfully, after a few seconds, my mind clears enough for me to logically pinpoint that the sound is coming from my phone that is currently perched on the nightstand beside me, vibrating and flashing away with the blinding screen.

“What the...” I grumble as I stretch my arm and clumsily grab my phone, knocking my notebook and pen to the floor.

“Argh,” I groan, struggling to unlock the damn thing as my vision adjusts to the sudden unwelcome brightness.

Who could possibly be calling me at this ungodly hour?

“Hello?” I greet drowsily, my eyelids still weighing a ton.

“Hello to you too, hot stuff!” a familiar overexcited voice responds.

“Daisy?” I croak, pulling my phone to my face to see what time it is. “It’s three in the morning.”

“I think what you meant to say is happy birthday, big sis,” she singsongs, elated.

“You know it’s custom for people to call the birthday girl, not the other way around.” I chuckle, pulling my arm over my eyes to block the phone’s light from my vision.

“I couldn’t wait! Besides, I have some amazing news to tell you.” She squeals with glee.

“Can’t it wait until…oh, I don’t know…when I’m at least awake enough for you to tell me?”

“Oh, believe me, you’ll wake up after I tell you this. You might want to sit down.”

"I’m still in bed, Daisy. Like most normal people are at three in the morning.” I yawn exaggeratedly to make my point. “Just come out with it already so I can go back to sleep.”

“Have it your way, but I doubt you’ll get any sleep tonight after I tell you my big news.” Daisy giggles. “You ready?”

“Yes, Daisy. Out with it.”

“Hold on to your hat, little sis, ‘cause your big sister is getting married!”

“You’re what?!” I blurt out, rising from my bed, fully awake now. Gael stirs in his sleep with the sudden loud outburst.

Shit.

“Give me a sec,” I whisper to her, and then nestle the phone to my chest to muffle Daisy’s excited laughter.

Ever so carefully, I slide out of the bed and rush to the living room so I don’t wake my boyfriend up while I talk to Daisy. Once I’m there, I sit on the armrest of the couch and take a deep breath before pulling the phone back up to my ear.

“Did you just say you’re getting married?” I ask, unable to mask my astonishment.

“Yep! Derrick asked me to marry him, and I said yes! Can you believe it?!” she screams happily.

“No. Not really,” I choke out, trying to make sense of what she’s saying.

“Jesus, Sky. I thought you’d be more excited for me,” she retorts, sounding hurt that I’m not throwing fireworks after hearing such an announcement.

“I am excited for you. Truly, I am. It’s just not what I was expecting,” I confess, trying my best to sound upbeat and failing miserably.

“Not what you were expecting?!” she counters, confused. “Derrick and I have been dating since high school, Sky. Sooner or later, this was bound to happen.”

“Yes, I know. I just never thought you were the marrying kind. You always said that it was an archaic institution created by the patriarchy,” I explain, trying to defend why I’m shocked by this news.

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