Page 8 of A Second Chance

FIVE

THE PAST

MAVERICK, AGE 18

Scar was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a young age. She first had a manic episode a few months prior to when we started to see the changes in Scar's behavior. Over the years, she was reckless and made bad decisions, like staying out all night until five a.m. Seth's parents even once got a call from the police station that Scar was arrested for trespassing. They found her asleep on the tennis court with five of her friends, high as fuck. She snapped at people for no reason. Some weeks, she slept for several days in a row and isolated herself from everyone. And other days, she was back to her old self.

Sweet and selfless Scar.

My Tinkerbelle.

Skylar hated the attention I gave Scar, but I couldn't help it. Scar had this aura about her that made me want to be a better person. Skylar didn't have the patience to deal with Scar's moods. It pissed me off whenever Skylar complained about Scar being an inconvenience or like it was her fault she couldn't control her emotions. But to me, she was the same old Scar who needed extra love.

And that was the difference between Scar and Skye. Scar didn't need saving. She was strong and determined to be independent and not rely on others. She was selfless and put others before her. If you were broken, she would find ways to fix you. If you were ready to commit a crime, she would be on the other side in a getaway car. If you were lost, she would be your compass, leading you back to where you belonged—where you felt most safe. Her presence sent an electrical charge through me whenever I needed a recharge.

"My, oh my. Scar's going to be a heartbreaker when she gets older," my brother from another mother, Kaleb, said with a mischievous grin.

"Shut the fuck up," I said, never taking my eyes off Scar. I could still vividly recall the day we met. She was always stunning, and her tiny frame made her look even more adorable. She had this aura of innocence, and I couldn't help but feel drawn toward her to protect her from the world.

Kaleb handed me another drink and distracted me by discussing next weekend's upcoming game. Kaleb, Mason, and I attended the same college as Seth. Kaleb was also on the football team, along with Seth and our good friend Mason, who I now saw was flirting with Scar.

"The fuck?" I whispered under my breath.

Kaleb tilted his head back and laughed. "Mason is begging to get his ass handed to him. Scar is un-fucking-avail-able," he said in slow motion.

I was about to speak, but Seth's booming voice beat me to it.

"Yo! Ay! What the hell are you doing?" Seth yelled from the other side of the pool. All heads turned in his direction. I followed Seth's eyes as they zoned in on Mason's arms around Scar's shoulder, his face in the crook of her neck. But that was not the only thing that was pissing me off. No, it was how her cheeks turned a pinkish hue, and the smile on her face shone brightly like a rainbow—a reminder that even in the darkest times, there was always something to be grateful for. "Dude! Get the hell away from my sister." Seth charged toward them. The fury on Seth's face forced Mason's arms to fall to his sides, and he took a few steps back. When Seth was a few feet away, Mason held his hands in the air with a grin. "Dude, I was just messing around," Mason assured Seth and winked at Scar.

"Oh my God, Seth! You are overreacting." Scar was laughing. "He was joking."

God, I loved hearing her laugh. It carried around the air in waves.

Before I could hear Seth's reaction, a figure moved behind him. Skylar was wearing the skimpiest bikini I had ever seen. Her long, dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She approached me with a flirty grin and sat on my lap, wrapping her hands around my neck.

"Hey, baby," she purred in my ear.

I could feel her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, suffocating me. I had to quickly put my drink in the cup holder before removing her arms from around me. "Skye," I began, my voice stern. "Please get off me."

But she persisted, "Mav, don't be like this. You're my boyfriend," she said, her voice pleading.

I could feel my frustration growing. Skye was a stunning girl with her dark, sultry beauty, but I knew deep down that we weren't meant to be together. We had hung out and made out a few times, but after seeing how she reacted to Scar's episode, I lost my shit and knew there was no way in hell I was going to pursue anything further with her.

I looked at her with a pointed stare. "No, we're not," I reminded her, my voice firm.

"So, sticking your tongue down my throat and giving you a blow job isn’t dating?” Skye snapped.

“Jesus, Skye. You sound fucking desperate.” Kaleb said as he rose from his seat and jutted his chin at me, “Good luck with that, man.” He sipped his drink and walked away.

“What is wrong with you?” I said in disgust, gently pushing her off my lap. “You know damn well thatneverhappened, not that you didn’t try after I repeatedly told you my dick was never getting anywhere near your mouth.”

Ignoring the bullshit that spewed out of Skylar, I glanced over her shoulder to see Scar walking away with a towel around her shoulders and Seth leading her back inside the house.

She was still laughing.

Suddenly, a pang of sadness enveloped my chest when she left without looking back.

SIX

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