“I’m glad you asked. I have an idea,” Niko says, he holds his hand out for the book. Emily hands it to him.
He looks at Skylar stood in the centre of the room, he looks back down and writes something. Once he is done, he looks back up.
“Okay, Skylar,” he starts, “I want an apology to both me and Emily.”
“T-that’s it?” She asks, her voice wobbling from anxiousness,
“Yep. Just an apology to us. I’m sure you can apologise to your boyfriend in your own time in a special way,” he says, looking at you to make you uncomfortable, he found it amusing.
“O-okay. I... I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the years upon years of bullying and harassing and making fun of you because you’re not like the rest of us. I know that ‘the rest of us’ really aren’t too special either, it’s just the way we were raised. I want to change, but my friends will be harder to convince. But I want to be your friends, because I can see you in a new light now. I’m sorry. I’m really... really sorry,” she finished. Looking at her feet... somehow.
“W-wow.” Emily said, bluntly,
“That wasn’t what I was expecting,” Niko remarked,
“You didn’t write anything to make her do that, right?” Emily asked,
“No no, look,” Niko passed her the book.
They started discussing amongst themselves. You dropped your eyes back to Skylar. She... she was crying. Silently.
You pull her towards you and embrace her. She starts sobbing louder, trying to stay quiet not to bring attention to herself. That was unlike her, maybe she really was changing.
“Sky,” you say, quietly, peacefully.
She looks up at you, tears in her eyes, she wipes it away with her trotters, “mmhm,” she replies. She sniffles, causing her to involuntarily snort.
“I wish you were wearing comfy clo- pyjamas,” you say. You watch as her body is quickly covered with the comfiest pink pyjamas. The ring seems to have a sense of humour because the little pictures on the pyjamas are of cute cartoon pigs.
“Guys,” you say to Niko and Emily. They look up, seeing you embracing Skylar. They look at each other, then back at you,
“Yeah?” They both say in unison,
“Can I fix her yet?” You ask.
They both look down at Skylar, then at each other, then at Skylar, then finally back at you,
“Sure,” Emily says, “we got our apology, and we appreciate it, Skylar. I...” Emily looks down at Niko, then back to Skylar,
“We.” Niko interrupts, smiling,
“Yeah. We, would like to get to know you as our friend,”