Best Friend's Sister

Chapter 8

Amber's pov

"No! No! Don't touch me! I didn't do it!" I yelled. "You know you're the cause of this! You're why we fought. You are why we divorced each other. You don't get to deny it! We'll always be here, just not in your corner," Sneering, Dad backed me into a corner with Mom watching. "I didn't do anything!" I screamed back. "Oh, but you did, didn't you sis? You're just lying to your own pathetic self every single day. No one cares." Ethan suddenly appeared next to Dad, with a huge scowl on his face. The hate in his eyes pierced into my soul, breaking my heart all over again.

"Amber. Amber. Amber!!" I woke up with a start, almost bumping into Alex's concerned face. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Y..Yeah. I'm fine." I stuttered out and tried to calm my heartbeat. "Liar. I can hear your heart pounding like crazy from here. I've had enough. You walked into this room scared of everything in existence, you keep hiding things from me and you expect me to ignore it?" she said, her voice raising with each word. I cowered. Was she going to hit me, just like Ethan? I thought there was something different about her, defending me here and there.

Alex's pov

My heart broke. She flinched. Because of me. I didn't even do anything. What had that bastard done to his own sister? Was it their parents? I grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and tilted her chin to look up at me. "Amber, listen to me. I'm never going to hurt you, okay? I'm not Ethan. I don't know why or what he's done to you to cause such reactions, but believe me when I say you're safe with me." Even I have to admit, that was pretty convincing. Maybe in another dimension, I'd be shedding tears while delivering that short speech. "No! He told me you would do this just to get in my pants! I don't even like girls!" She screamed and thrashed in her bed. "Get out!!" she shouted from under the covers. And I let it go again. Because I have to admit, wow, that kinda hurt. Just a bit. A really tiny bit. But it hurt. Me, only doing things to get into other people's pants? Okay, maybe there was a lot of truth to that. But she's different.

As I walked around the campus to cool off, my thoughts cleared and I finally understood my feelings. 'I don't like her that way. What the heck, it isn't me to do that! I wouldn't stoop so low, especially with my best friend's sister. I'd rather Ethan over her. No, not the point!' I shook my head hard to clear those thoughts. Point is, I see her as my little sister - the one I never had. Someone for me to take care of, to protect. It was never romantic. Dang, man, I had it all wrong! I guess the only thing to do is focus on the De Leons.

I walked to my next class absentmindedly, trying to process everything in my head. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm. "Hey, you don't look so good." Nicole remarked. "Geez, you scared me!" I said, annoyed. "Sorry, whatever. Anyway, I wanted to ask something random. You know that boy who hangs around you and Ethan a lot?" "Uh, you mean James? As in the gay friend James?" I asked, confused. "You didn't have to say it like that..anyway, yes that dude." "What about him?" "I think he's into either you or Amber." she said solemnly. "What? No..no way. He definitely isn't stupid enough to like me, so he's into Amber?? I'm gonna kill him." I seethed. "NO! No killing. At least wait and see how it plays out for some time?" she suggested. "Ugh, fine. You're lucky I listen to your advice." I said. "Only sometimes..." she muttered. "What was that?" I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing! Let's go to class! Have you seen Zach? He's crazy hot." she rambled.

After a few hours...

I was walking back to the dorm, dreading to face Amber when I got a phone call. Without checking the name of the caller, I picked up. "Yes?" I answered. "Lucien here. I just found something big. Can you come out to the gate right now?" came the voice from the other side. "Is it that important? Can't you just say it now?" I asked impatiently. "Uh..sorry miss, I don't think I should tell you over the phone. It has to do with your parents' death." he said. "What? I'll be there as fast as I can." And with that, I hung up. Wait, gate? Lucien's already here?

I speed-walked out to the gate and got into the car. "Well? What is it? Can't you just-" "Shh. Careful, there's a mosquito in the car." Lucien cut me off for once in my life. I stopped short. Mosquito..my dad used that phrase sometimes at home. 'Oh,', the realization set in. There was a bug in the car. As in, a recording bug, not an actual blood-sucking bug. I leaned back with a sigh, closing my eyes. This was going to be a long, silent ride.