POV: Jade

She's not hard to find. She's just standing out front of the studio on her phone, giggling at something. I walk up quietly behind her and peek over her shoulder. On her phone is a picture of Aphrodite cuddled up with our cats.

She's still at Skylar's apartment.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Jesus Jade," She flinches and quickly puts her phone away. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't sneak up on me," she complains.

"I wouldn't sneak if you weren't being suspicious." I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer.

She sighs.

"Why is Aphrodite here and at your apartment and in your bed?" I ask, unable to contain my jealousy.

Skylar eyes me for a second, her eyes scanning my face as she thinks about how to answer me. I can't help but examine her body for any telling signs of her being involved with some other girl.

My eyes land on a very subtle hickey, close to her collarbone. Almost didn't see it because of her shirt. I unwrap my arms from her and use my fingers to move her shirt to get a better look.

She looks down in shame.

I clench my jaw.

"Did you fuck her?" I whisper.

She doesn't answer.

Before either of us can say anything else Cal and Andrea come outside.

"There they are," Andrea says.

We flinch apart and Skylar quickly fixes her shirt.

"Hey you, Jade tell you we are getting lunch? You coming or not?" Andrea asks.

Mika comes out too, "Plane booked for tonight." Mika says to me.

She's more than my makeup artist, she's also my personal assistant.

I turn to Skylar and her expression changes to anger.

"Uh, we'll meet you guys there." I turn to Cal.

"Okay, I'll text you. You coming Mika?" Cal says.

"Please, I'm starved." She says.

"Go ahead," I say to her.

She smiles appreciatively at me and follows them.

We wait until they are gone.

Then Skylar turns to leave.

"Where are you going," I follow her.

"Why does it matter!?" she snaps at me.

"Can we talk about this!?" I chase after her.

"Nothing to talk about. Go eat lunch with your cool famous friends and take lots of selfies with your fans. Hop on a plane back to Canada." She says bitterly.

"Skylar!" I grab her wrist and stop her as she gets to the parking lot.

She whirls around to face me.

"What Jade!?"

I flinch when I hear someone snap our picture like that.

Skylar clenches her jaw in anger, holding back her tears as she shakes her head at me.

I duck my head and follow her to the car, at least there we can argue in private.

"Damn it!" she slams her hand down on the steering wheel as soon as I get in and shut the door.

"I'm sorry," she says to me as her tears spill over.

"I don't give a fuck about that; I give a fuck about you. What is happening right now? Why can't we make this work?" I ask.

"Because we can't!" she shouts.

We sit in silence for a moment.

"I can't," she says softer.

My phone vibrates with a text from Cal.

I ignore it and ask, "Did you sleep with her?"

"Yes," she croaks out.

"What the fuck," I cover my face to try and hold back my tears.

Skylar honks her horn and I flinch and look up to see a photographer taking our picture again, not even trying to hide it.

"Let's go!" I say.

She reveres out and starts driving.

We drive in tense silence.

I just shake my head and stare out the window as tears steam down my cheeks.

She drives us to our house, the house I haven't been to since I came to a con out here several months ago. We get out and she unlocks the door for me, I step inside. It's hot in here, she goes and turns the air on.

I grab the remote off the mantel and press a button causing all the window blinds to go down.

I rest my head against the wall for a moment before I finally turn back to her.

She's looking everywhere but at me.

"Where is your ring?" I ask.

"I forgot it at home, I mean at my apartment." She corrects herself, knowing it makes me upset when she calls that apartment home.

This is our home.

Not Canada, not our apartments. This place, this house. This is our home.

I take a deep breath and sit on the couch. She sits at the bar, keeping a distance between us.

I can't even begin to try and understand this new development. She, and Aphrodite. Last I checked she couldn't stand the girl. Now she's sleeping with her!? What the actual fuck?

I guess I have to face reality. I knew this day would come, but I didn't think it would come so soon. With all our fighting, I really thought we'd be able to work it out. Skylar and I... we've had our fair share of fights but we always work it out. This... feels different. No matter how much I wish it wasn't, I can't deny this feels serious. This isn't just going to go away. So, I have to ask her,

"You said it before, but I wasn't willing to listen. I am now. I want you to be honest. Do you want to separate from me? For good." I ask.

She looks down at the ground and doesn't answer me.

"Skylar look at me. I need to know, is being with me really that bad for you?" I ask as tears slip down my cheeks.

She covers her face and just starts sobbing.

I get up and walk over to her, grabbing her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at me.

"Answer me," I beg.

"Why are you like this?" she asks.

I eye her, waiting for her to go on.

"Why do I have to sleep with some other girl just to get your attention?" she asks.

It's my turn to look down in shame.

She squeezes my hands.

"Why does it have to be so hard between us?" she asks.

"I'm trying," I plead.

"You're not." She disagrees with me.

"I am!"

She shakes her head no.

"What more can I do Skylar!?" I demand.

"You just assume. Like you know it all. But you know nothing." She says.

I look into her eyes.

"I'm going to graduate soon, and do you know what I want to do after I graduate."

I thought the plan was for her to join me in Canada but by her tone, I can tell we are not on the same page.

"Tell me." I plead.

"You signed up for renewed seasons, you never even asked me if that's what I wanted. You just assumed I would be okay with it. You are making all these plans for me, telling me how I would move in with you and do this or that for you. But what about me? What about what I want?"

"Whatever it is, I'll do it. I can't let this go, Skylar. I can't. I know you think I don't love you and that I'm not trying but I am, I really am." I sob, trying to make her understand.

She wipes my tears for me.

I lean into her touch.

"I have dreams too Jade. Big ones. I plan to try out for the Olympics again. I want to do Track professionally in some capacity. I've already been contacted by a couple of professional track leagues. Florida, South Carolina, LA. They all want me. I promised my mom I would finish college but after that... I don't know where I'm going to go. And you make all these plans, but they are your plans, I don't see myself anywhere in those plans. I used to think we wanted the same things. But now I wonder if we really do. You're just getting started Jade, it's only going to get worse from here on out. You'll be traveling here and there and so will I. How will we ever settle down with each other? What about kids, we wanted that, remember? How?"

"We'll find a way," I plead.

"There is no way."

"Don't say that," my voice cracks.

"It's not that I don't love you. Because I do, I really, really do. It's simply the fact that I can't do this. I'm... long distance isn't for me. I crave physical and emotional reassurance constantly and you can't give me that right now. Maybe ever. You weren't there for me when all that Vida stuff was going down. You weren't here when I broke my ankle and had to stay out of Track. You weren't here when I was sick, lonely, or just wanted someone to hold me. You weren't here and I really wanted you to be." Her voice shakes as tears stream down her face.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I'll do better."

She shakes her head no.

"Don't do this," I beg.

She takes a deep breath and kisses me long and hard on the forehead.

"I love you, so fucking much, and that's why I am ending this. We can't keep doing this to each other. We are only fooling ourselves. I want you to be happy, to succeed, but you can't do that with me holding you back." She says.

"Skylar," I reach for her but she pulls away.

"No more Jade." She turns to leave.

"No." I run after her and hold her in place.

"I'm sorry." She pulls free.

"No." I whimper.

She quickly leaves and I find myself alone in this house. This big and empty house. Our house.