ONE: INTO THE FIRE

1939 Words
                                                                                                                                              Copyright © 2019 Cassey9    Chapter 1                                                                 AMBER “Don’t! Don’t you dare cover for her,” Louise warned her husband. Everyone knew that the one thing she hated most was being made a fool off. Yet her daughter Amber did just that. “Not this time Anthony. Don’t even think about it.” “I’m not trying to cove…” “She had to do one thing Anthony. One thing alone,” she says in a low livid voice not letting him finish. Dad was seated on his office chair, hands clasped together in contemplation with my mom standing before him. Her hands in akimbo, I could feel the anger seeping from her, even from behind the partially opened door. Father seemed to be in deep thought but still managed to pay attention to her. “To show up!” she finally shouts. I flinch at the tone of her voice. Even from behind the door, I feel terribly scared. “We sat there waiting for her for almost two hours…and Jazmin…” “Louise, maybe something happened to her. Did you stop to think of that?” “What?! So you are turning this against me. Now I’m the bad guy? So it’s my fault now Anthony that Amber never showed up huh? Where is she right now it is past 11 at night?” “No one said that Louise.” Anthony tried, he could see how upset her wife was, about to blow up. “Look honey, I’m sorry about Amber but you got to…” “Your words did insinuate that Anthony. She an insolent girl and I don’t understand why you always come to her defense.” “She is your daughter Louise. Will you at least cut her some slack?” “Huh!” “What I do not understand is why you could never love Amber. You are her mother Louise.” “She’s not mine Anthony,” she says in a low voice but it is audible enough for me to hear. The words sting despite the truth behind them. “She doesn’t have to be, for you to care,” father defends. Tears are slowly filling in my eyes. My bottom lip trembles and I bite on it hard to fight the sob, “or even show some affection towards her”. “I can’t love somebody you forced on me Anthony,” she says in a low voice. Her words cutting me deeper. Her steps approach the door and I immediately freeze. I can’t move. The door opens and she just gives me a hard stare as she walks down the hall. Earlier that day… “Oh aah god…” I groan pulling the covers off of my face. I strain to open my eyelids but the sleep makes them heavier with drowsiness. My bed felt so warm I could not help but wish to sleep forever, maybe a couple more hours. I swear if sleeping beauty got my bed she would want to sleep forever I swear. Not to add that my body felt so heavy, like a sack of wet potatoes. The space around me was dim with few stray rays gracing the room. Thank God Matthew remembered to close the curtains. The weariness I felt, was from staying up till the wee hours of the night. Since Matthew was going to be away for the entire weekend he bullied me into staying awake till almost two in the morning. His girlfriend had left at around nine the evening and Matt and I stayed up having a movie marathon. My brother, Matthew was going away for a lacrosse tournament, he would be back on Sunday evening. He was the co-caption of the Bobcats Lacrosse team. We both attended Bell-air high school and we were also seniors this year. Even during the holidays the sport always found a way to steal my charming brother from me. He was a pro at lacrosse so it made sense he played it a lot even during school holidays. He really loved it so much, that he decided to repeat his senior year. Matthew could have graduated the last year but seeing the his team came in second at the state championship, Matthew and a few of his buddies chose to stay another year and have another shot at winning it. Our parents were not in the slightest pleased with his decision especially mom. She almost thrashed him. A nineteen year old being spanked by her mommy, imagine that. But Matthew being Matthew charmed his way out of it and ended up warming mother’s heart to his crazy idea. If he only knew how I could kill to have cleared high school. But I know how charming my brother is with words, he had a way with words that could put you at his mercies. I shift groggily in bed and my gaze settles on the alarm clock sitting on top of my bedside table and that is enough to make me shoot out of bed. The huge red numbers taunting my eyes. Making me aware of how deep in trouble I was going to be in. 12:28 Pm. How on earth did I sleep through my alarm? It was a sonic clock for crying out, it would wake up anyone within a mile radius with its loud alarm. Its thunderous volume always got me up with the first ring. I was so late and also very dead. Mom, Jazmin and I were meeting at the perch for lunch in the next zero minutes. Two minutes had just winded down with me fumbling about and being all panicky. I dash into the bathroom to freshen up a little bit. I wash my face and hurriedly brush my teeth too. The worst part being my messy bed hair that had my hairbrush tangled in it. I do everything in a flash and I’m out of the house in ten minutes, I was not a speedy driver but today it was either break a few traffic laws than come face to face with my mom’s wrath. Louise Aldrich could tolerate the itsy bitsy flaws but tardiness was not one of them, she’d surely have a bone to pick with me. Stopping at a red light, I reach for my phone in the dashboard to text my brother. A: Matt! Did you by any chance turn off my alarm? M: Yep. A: You i***t I overslept and now I’m late for lunch with mom and Jazmin M: Sorry A: Wow…I feel so much better now! M: Jeez… I’m sorry sis. A: Goodbye M: I’m sorry A. I really am. I can call mom and explain. A: No thanks. I’ll deal with her. M: You sure… A: Yes now have fun at your sticks game. M: LACROSSE!!! A: Like I care. Bye. M: Whatever. M: And would you kiss Jazmin for me… A: Gross and Bye. Thanks to my doofus of a brother I was in deep trouble. Oh god, please help cause I could use it at the moment. Speaking of Jazmin, when she came over she ended leaving it in Matthew’s room. I was supposed to bring her phone with me which I totally forgot about in my haste. God! Could this horrendous day get any worse? When she came over she ended leaving it in Matthew’s room. Yes, she was her girlfriend and I did not like her at all. And the feelings were mutual or her side. Jazmin was a bully, she and her band of friends. They were what you called the mean girls of Bellair High School. They acted as ‘queen bees’ of the school whatever they said went. Jazmin being on top of the hierarchy followed by Charlotte and Bridgette. The trio always picked on kids, the nerds, and anyone who could not stand up to them. Just about everyone who was below them and their ‘standards’. You’d think being my brother’s girlfriend would stop her from taunting me but no. She would find opportune moments to tease and jeer me and it really unnerved me. Plus you’d think she’d get bored of me but no! She has taunted me since junior year. Once in a while I’d stand up to her but most of them I’d totally ignore her. She’d make a good actress because whenever Matt was around she’d be sickeningly sweet and annoy the pants of me. She always had a way, a move up her sleeve but this year things were getting worse. For senior year she’s graduated from the glares, sneers and rude remarks to roughly shoving. I always wondered what her deal was with me. People like me, I could describe myself as approachable, funny, smart and kind. Those were the most common character that people liked in others but not Jazmin. She detested me. I once asked her what her deal with me was and Jazmin almost hit me but a teacher showed up fouling her plan. It’s gotten to a point where it is exhausting. Why would you hate someone you did not even know about? But I’m sure I made my fate worse by running against her in the class president elections and winning. I believe the students chose me because they wanted a leader who did not rule with an iron fist. They did not want a bully. At least I’d make senior year easy for some student even if I still got the short end of the stick. Masochist much! Getting back to the issue in hand, Jazmin’s phone, I forgot all about it. It was still in Matthew’s room. I could not show up at the lunch late and without it. That would be two strikes on my plate. I would be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. And I did not wanna get burned. Not by mother at least, because knowing Jazmin, she would be at the sideline gushing gasoline while sporting the smuggest look she could ever muster. So I turned my car at the next exit and rushed back home in record time. By the time I was packing near the restaurant it was 1:23pm. I was 53 minutes late but at least I had Jazmin’s phone. I hope that would count as win in my mom’s eyes. My pace is brisk as I walk down the street a few steps from the entrance. “Hey miss!” I hear behind me but I’m too engrossed in my fast strides to pay any attention whomever it was. “Miss! Miss! Excuse me please…Miss!” when the calling out becomes too much I turn and I’m met with a young lady in a cap. Her face partially hidden from my gaze. My words are stuck as I feel her hand on my neck and the next minute I pass out in her arms. Darkness engulfs me and I feel myself falling on the woman, a distinct scent assaulting my nostrils...
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