Earning Karma Points

Is this what a migraine feels like? Newt wondered as he rubbed one of his temples. The teen sat in the sunroom, wondering what he'd done wrong now. With the music bumping inside the cabin and the strong winds slamming against the windows, it should've been difficult to hear. Yet, it wasn't as Whitney and Cheyenne argued loudly. The only reason that Newt hadn't entirely fled from the cabin came down to fear. Fear that he wouldn't know how badly he'd pissed off Whitney. Newt needed to know that in order to be prepared for her coming tantrum. Having witnessed Skye and the school's queen bee naked and having sex, Newt figured that knowledge might concern Whitney, causing her to lash out at him.

It's not my fault! All I did was fall asleep on the couch and wake up. None of this is my fault. I didn't want to dance, but Finn made me stay. Then Peyton encouraged me to join in, and Cheyenne grabbed my hand. But somehow, Whitney's going to make it my fault. I just know it.

Rubbing his temples with both hands now, Newt nearly jumped as the outer door opened, sending in a blast of cold air. His head shot up just as Jared noticed him.

"You okay, buddy? You look a little jumpy," Jared commented, taking his coat off.

"You didn't see me out here. Got that? Please?" Newt begged.

"Uh, sure. I saw nothing," Jared agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "Do I want to know why?"

"You'll find out," Newt replied despondently, flicking his hand at the French doors.

"Alright." Jared hesitated for a second. Deciding not to push it, he opened one of the French doors as his mother said his name. Newt leaned over as not to be seen.

Why can't I be left alone? That's all I ever want. At least JoJo understands sometimes. But not Sean. No, he's always telling me to live life more. Take chances. Have fun. It's not as if he follows his own advice. If he did, he wouldn't still be hopelessly in love with Ramsey. I should've never come on this trip. Why couldn't I have gotten a cold or that flu going around school? Mom wouldn't believe me if I faked one. Nope, nothing good has come out of--well, that's not entirely true. Seeing Whitney and Skye naked was awesome. But I'm going to pay for that somehow, someway. I just know it. Was that my name?!

"--duties for now. I'm sure I can entertain you...Newt? Hey, where did Newt go?" Lana called out.

"Crap!" Newt hissed. Jumping up, he yanked his coat off the rack. Hurriedly zipping it up, he grabbed his hat and gloves, opened the outside door, and fled onto the deck.

Starting down the stairs, Newt sighed with relief. It didn't sound as if anyone noticed him leave. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he paused to put his hat and gloves on. If there were two things he hated, they were the outdoors and the cold. Not to mention people wanting to make plans for him to have fun. Thanks, Mom. Now I have to deal with all three.

Lowering his head to avoid the wind blowing snow into his face, the scrawny teen stumbled several times, trying to follow the pathway while looking down at it. There wasn't much snow at all, but the way the wind blew it around made it difficult to follow the red brick road.

Reaching the groves of trees, the wind lessened, allowing Newt to look up. That's when he noticed the swirls of snow blowing around. Often they settled on the trees, slowly building up a thin layer of snow to coat the branches. It is beautiful in a winter wonderland way.

Never breaking his stride, the teenager thought it wasn't that bad out when the trees blocked the wind. It wasn't pleasant but tolerable. The change in the weather gave him a brief idea about staying outside for a little longer. It's still cold. Besides, it's dark out, and I don't have anywhere else to go. Ugh! Why do I let people tell me where to go and what to do? I can't wait until college. No more Mom, Sean, and JoJo trying to get me to have fun.

Sean's too wrapped up in fantasies because of all those novels he reads. He thinks the girl he likes will like him too. Once she realizes it, they'll live happily ever after. That's not how the real world works. Nope, the girl most likely will reject you. And if you do fall in love, life has a way of destroying your fairy tale. It's the same as being a hero. The hero might save people, but he'll end up dying because of it.

Look at me. Even if Whitney doesn't squeeze my balls until they pop, her plans to find me a girlfriend will surely backfire. How many girls are going to reject her request? Whitney might be terrifying, but she's not a witch. She can't wave a wand and make a girl date me. And even if she did, do I really want to date a girl that she picks? I don't want a girl I can't have a conversation with. I liked Paige because she's intelligent. I don't want a girlfriend obsessed with clothes, gossip, or cheerleading.

In his frustrations, Newt didn't notice until he nearly reached the boathouse door that a person sat on the bench out on the dock. Skidding to a halt, he stopped to figure out why someone would be sitting there in this weather, even with the wind calmed down. Thinking it was none of his business, Newt prepared to hurry into the boathouse before the person saw him. Then he heard a sniffle.

Is she crying? Squinting, Newt tried to see the woman better. He knew from the moment he first saw her that it was Skye sitting on the bench. Her being a gorgeous woman was reason enough already to flee into the boathouse. The teen knew his reputation for getting tongue-tied around beautiful girls and embarrassing himself — Nervous Newt. A well-deserved nickname, he admitted. Pretty girls were his kryptonite. Add in the fact that he had watched Skye have sex with Whitney, and Newt knew his talking to her would be a disaster. How can I talk to her when I keep seeing her naked in my head?

Yet, his fear had to battle with his mother's upbringing. One moment he leaned his body toward the door. It's ten, twelve feet away; I can make it. Then the next second, he stood back up straight when he pictured his mother scolding him. Newt, that young woman is clearly in distress. Why would you abandon her at this moment? Did I not raise you to be a gentleman? Would your father run away from someone in need of help?

Back and forth went Newt's mind and body for how long he didn't know. That indecision would lead to the decision being taken out of his hands when Skye looked over at him. When she hurriedly moved her hand up to wipe a tear from her cheek, Newt knew he needed to do the right thing. Taking a deep breath for courage, he began to walk towards her.

Forcing a smile onto his face, Newt hesitantly tried to think of the proper way to start this conversation. It came out far more formal than he intended. "Hello, are you feeling ill or otherwise indisposed?"

"Great, did they send everyone out to search for me? I thought I snuck out sight unseen during their dancing, but guess I wasn't so lucky," Skye answered in a way Newt never expected. "You can tell them I'm fine; I'm not going to jump into the lake or anything."

"Um, what?" Newt questioned, entirely thrown off. His moment of lending a shoulder to cry on wasn't going at all as he expected.

"I'm not going to commit suicide or anything. Yeah, I feel like a fucking moron, but picking a shitty boyfriend isn't anything new for me." Seeing the shocked look on the boy's face, Skye misinterpreted its meaning. "Oh, sorry, Noah. I sometimes forget that other people don't like swearing."

Baffled, Newt could only shake his head no in confusion.

"Well, you can go back and report that you found me. I don't want to ruin everyone's night. Being an interloper is bad enough; I don't need to add vacation-ruiner to the list."

Part of Newt wanted to take the opportunity to flee, but another part of him wanted to know what in the heck she was rattling on about. Did something happen back at the cabin? Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Oh, maybe Skye is the reason most of the parents were out of the main room.

"Whatareyoutalkingabout?" rushed out the question from Newt.

"Huh?" Skye stared at the teen while she tried to figure out what he said. Piecing together his question and the confused look on his face, she suddenly realized he might not know what happened. "Wait, do you know what I'm talking about?"

The teen shook his head once again in response.

"There I go again, making a fool out of myself," Skye remarked, tilting her head back as she faked a laugh. "I'm sorry, Noah. Here you are checking to see if I'm okay, and I assume something entirely different."

Standing awkwardly next to the bench, Newt's confusion pried his attention away from how beautiful Skye looked sitting on the bench. Dressed in a cute winter coat and scarf with large snowflakes intermittently falling around her, the social media model appeared to be in one of her photos. Only later, back in his bed, would the teen remember how striking she looked at this moment. She looked adorable and sexy in a ****, real-life way.

"Oh, sorry. Do you want to sit down?" Skye scooted over several inches on the bench before patting it as an invitation.

Unsure what else to do, Newt sat down next to her but without speaking. The pair sat in uncomfortable silence for almost two minutes. Finally, feeling the need to explain herself, Skye opened the conversation.

"Um, so, I guess I should tell you what happened," she started, staring down at the dock. "I only found out a few hours ago that your trip to the cabin is a reunion of Cassandra Singer's friends. Also, that the New Year's Eve charity ball's featured charity is in honor of Cassandra. Apparently, her widowed husband and my current boyfriend couldn't bother to tell me any of this before bringing me along."

Sitting next to her, Newt turned to look at the side of her face in shock at her revelation. The teen suddenly felt terrible for thinking that he had been suffering the most on this trip as Skye's trip was clearly crappier.

"Even worse, Fred never told Finn that we were dating. He found out only this morning when he arrived." Blowing her hair out her eyes, Skye turned to look at the sympathetic face next to her. "Yeah, so I not only feel like a complete fool but also like a party crasher. I guess Fred showed me how much he really cares about me, huh?"

"Sorry," Newt said in almost a whisper.

"Yeah, well, the story of my life. I end up getting played by picking the worst guys to date. I thought going the older guy route might be a change, but nope, same old shit."

Newt watched as Skye clenched her fists in frustration. She really should have gloves on. It's too cold not to--oh! Pulling off his own gloves, he handed them over to the upset woman. "Uh, you look cold."

"What? Oh, thanks. I am a little cold. I pretty much grabbed my coat and hurried out the front door before anyone could see me," Skye graciously accepted his gloves with a smile. "Besides being a bad judge of character, I'm also a little flighty when I get upset. You know, when I made the choice to accept a date with Fred finally, I thought I was being more mature and grown-up with my decision. I've known him for years as a customer and thought he seemed like a decent guy. Tells you what I know."

"I don't know Mr. Singer that well," Newt said after finally realizing he needed to say something. "But Mrs. Singer was often at the Tarvers when she was alive. Caring and compassionate are what most people say about her, and it's true. I don't remember her ever being not nice. I never had her as a teacher, but a lot of people in my school did. They say she was their favorite teacher by far and are going to their first charity ball just for her."

"Yeah, she sounded like a wonderful person," Skye said, meaning it. "That's part of why I feel so bad for showing up here this weekend. I'm Fred's latest replacement for her."

"Finn's always been a great guy to me; not everyone is like that. So, I guess if Mr. Singer married someone nice and raised a son like Finn, he can't be all that bad, can he?" Newt speculated.

"Maybe you have a point, but people can also change over time. Also, I'm getting the impression that Fred and Finn aren't all that close."

"Losing someone you love can do that too."

Noticing the odd tone in his voice, Skye studied the teen further. He looked sad all of a sudden.

"Noah, is something the matter?"

Snapping out of his momentary daze, he looked past the dock and at the ice-covered lake. "Newt, my name's Newt."

"Shit! I'm such a dumbfuck at times, I tell ya. I'm so sorry, Newt," Skye reached to pat his arm. Even though he wore a bulky winter jacket, her touch felt like fire to the teen. "We were never properly introduced. Fred sort of rattled off all the names, and I--well, there's no excuse for not knowing your name at this point. Please, forgive me."

"It's okay; lots of people forget my name."

Hearing the matter-of-fact way the teenager said that brought a wave of sympathy to Skye's heart. She knew how horrible teenagers could be to each other. He seems like a smart kid, but being intelligent and shy can be ripe targets for bullies — poor guy.

"People shouldn't forget your name; it's rude. And I'm truly sorry for being rude. Uh, was something the matter a few moments ago? It felt like you wanted to say something."

"Oh, yeah. Uh, maybe Mr. Singer isn't a bad person, maybe he's still not over losing his wife. Sometimes the people left behind struggle with that empty hole in their lives."

"Yeah, sometimes they do, and sometimes they need to move on," Skye stated somberly. "Either way, it's not an excuse to be a jerk."

"No, it's not. My mom's never gotten over losing my dad, but she's at least nice to people."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Skye felt even worse for getting Newt's name wrong and burdening him with her problems. "Was it recent?"

"I was five when he was killed."

"How did he die? Wait, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."

"All he ever wanted to do was help people. He thought the best way to do that was as a firefighter. He died saving people a few years after starting his dream job," Newt revealed, his eyes filling with tears.

"Wait, you're eighteen, so that would--oh! Your dad was that fireman?" Seeing the sad shake of his head, Skye, without a thought, wrapped her arm around his shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry. I know I keep saying that, but I mean it."

Later on, back in his bed, Newt would be shocked to realize Skye's arm had been around him and for a long time. He couldn't recall the last time anyone except his mom had held him for that long.

"You should be proud of him. Your dad died a hero," Skye firmly stated. "And consider yourself fortunate to have had a father like him. Not everyone gets even five years with a good man like him."

"Did your dad die too?" Newt inquired, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I hope he's dead. Yeah, I know that sounds awful. Maybe I don't really mean it, but he abandoned my mom and me when I was a baby. Said he couldn't handle being a father."

"That's...that's awful."

"It is. So, on some level, I can understand how your mom must feel. My mom lost the man she loved, but he walked out on her."

"Did your mom ever remarry?" Newt asked.

"No, she's dated here and there, but it's always been the two of us. I don't think she'll ever trust a man enough again to make that commitment."

"I wish my mom would date again. She was only twenty-one when my dad died. Lots of men came around to ask her on dates, including a lot of guys my dad worked with. But they wanted fun, not a wife and kid," Newt recalled, a part of him feeling guilty that his presence kept his mom from finding a new husband. "Once she saw what they really wanted, she became kind of a loner. Most of her life is work and me. I sort of worry about what she'll do when I go off to college."

"I bet your mom, my mom, and I could have a field day talking about men interested in just one thing. I hope you're not one of those guys," Skye said, attempting a joke to lighten the mood, but Newt took it to be a serious comment.

"No, I'll never be like that!" he fiercely declared. "Mom's told me over and over how to treat women. I see how assholes treat girls at school; I can't stand them."

"Good for her, and I never thought you were. You seem like a sweet guy."

"But I thought you were a bad judge of guys?"

"Oh, you little shit! That's a good one," Skye laughed, heartened to see the small smile on the teen's face. "I guess we both have lives that kind of suck."

"Yeah, but at least you're a model. That doesn't suck."

"Seriously? It's not hard to be a wannabe model on social media. It's doesn't require any skills, to be honest. You just need to take a picture, and I guess look pretty."

"Well, I think it's cool. Some of your pictures are quite creative," Newt insisted until he realized he just revealed he looked at her modeling work.

"Oh, are you a longtime fan?" teased the brunette while she playfully poked his side with her finger.

"Uh, not...only since the other day. Sorry." Blushing, Newt looked away from her.

"Sorry? What about? I'd be pleased if I had more fans like you."

"Really? I feel a little guilty for looking you up the other day."

"Sure, you're sweet and respectful. Have you seen some of the comments people post?" Newt quickly nodded. "Imagine some of the unsolicited pictures I get from some of those creeps. Yeah, even modeling on there sucks at times. Pretty much like my life. I thought dating Fred was a good change for me. Guess I need to make a whole bunch more. I've been working at Goforth's since I was sixteen, can you believe that? It might be time to move on and do something different with my life."

"Did you go to college?" inquired Newt.

"I wanted to, but my mom and I never had much money. I didn't want to rack up some crazy loans."

"You could go now? Maybe earn enough from your modeling to help keep the loans down," Newt suggested. He was surprised at how easy the conversation had turned out to be. "It's never too late to make changes. That's what I tell my mom when it comes to dating."

"You really are a good kid; you know that? Your mom raised you right, so don't go and change when you're at college," Skye said, patting his cheek. She then stood up, holding out her hand to help him get up. "Thanks for cheering me up, Newt."

"Uh, you're welcome," Newt replied, kind of confused how he had cheered her up. Skye still sounded unhappy with her boyfriend and her life.

"I guess I better go back and face the music. Hopefully, nobody is worried that I snuck off," Skye said as they walked back off the dock towards the boathouse door. "Guess this is your stop. Thanks again for listening to me complain about things."

"Uh, I need to walk you back," Newt insisted awkwardly, in the most Newt of ways.

"You do?" Skye said with a grin.

"It's dark and cold out. It wouldn't be right not to."

"I seriously need to meet your mom someday, so I can tell her what a gentleman she raised. Okay, sir, lead the way."