earthtosky:
Skylar was very anxious to see her response. He had worked hard on every track that heâd posted, and yeah they worked the best quality, but Skylar had spent every extra penny he had on the equipment that he recorded with. It wasnât much, but it was the best that he could do. All of these fancy tones that were being played back at him were worth literally every dollar he had.
When Scarlett reacted positively Skylar felt a weight off his shoulders and his head fell back against the couch. âHoly shit,â he mumbled, listening to her praise. This wasnât what he expected, sure she was his friend and would tell him things gently, but Scarlett had never lied to him, he was certain. He gave a short laugh, wiping at the tears that had pooled in the corner of his eyes out of nerves. âGod, youâre such an old personâ but you mean that, right? You believe in me?â He asked as he sat back up, looking at her seriously.
She furrowed her brows in as she awaited his reaction to her responseâand he was crying. Why? Was he worried she was going to come down on him with a hammer, insult his work? Scarlett knew she could be cruel, intentionally or not and usually it was for the other personâs best interest. She knew she could be honest with him. He could take it since he was able to handle all these months in her company. âDonât get all mushy on me now, sweetie, Iâm only on my third glass. Wait until number five and we can get the water works going.â
âWell, yeah,â she replied, like there was no other answer. âOf course I do. And believe me, sweetie, I donât believe in a lot of people. And weââ she paused to sigh, blinking slowly before she returned her gaze to him, ââthere are people in the world that get things handed to them on a silver platter. You and I, Sky, weâre not those people. I started with nothing. No one to count on. No one to encourage me. Less than three hundred dollars in my bank account, one pair of jeans and four tops. I had to work really hard to get to where I am right now. And if youâre really serious about this music thing you gotta work for it too.â
Skylar hadnât ever had that sort of praise. His family had always been sort of absent, and he grew up on his own. With no positive enforcement around him, Skylar had grown to think very little of himself,his work, and his accomplishments. Scarlett was an important person to Skylar though, her every opinion was taken with the highest regard. She gave him a friend and a family that heâd never had. He respected her.
The tears came back as Scarlett spoke and he couldnât help them because really, Skylar was an absolute cry baby. It started soft, just little pricks at his eyes that he would wipe away with the backs of his hands but soon he felt his shoulders shaking and his hands went to cover his face. Scarlett believing in him was more than he could have ever hoped forâ he saw her success, and he saw her drive and if she saw the same in him then he had to be worth it, whatever it was. He had to have some sort of value. He could do this.
âIâm sorry,â He stammered out, wiping at his face with his sleeves. âIâve just... never, like, had someone say that to me. And I know thatâs clichĂŠ, but itâs trueâ like, Iâve never had that kind of encouragement before.â He shook his head as his voice quavered, embarrassed at the way he had cracked under her praise. Skylar had prided himself on keeping his emotions in control, but between his recent outbursts with Danny and now him crying in front of Scarlett he felt like he was vastly changing from the somewhat collected person he had taught himself to be. âIt means a lot, especially coming from you.â
