Secret Scars ▷ Embry Call [1]

ONE

★★★★★

ONE; THE BEGINNING

     BLAIRE THOMPSEN'S dark locks were strewn around her as she laid on her bed, holding a book above, reading intently. She winced in pain when she moved slightly, her ankle still bruised and swollen from her fall in the grocery store's parking lot. It was no secret that Blaire was clumsy. She was performing her weekly routine of picking up groceries and ended up tripping on the flat ground. Luckily, she was able to haul herself back up and only ended with a few cuts and scrapes. Her ankle wasn't so lucky, but it would heal over time. "B, Embry's on the phone for you." Her younger sister, Dahlia, skipped past her room, informing her of the phone call. Blaire exhaled, bookmarking her page and tossing it to the side. She draped her legs over the bed, trying to strategize how she could walk downstairs without applying more pain to her injury. She decided to just go for it and stood up. She gasped at the bursts of irritation shooting up her leg. She limped her way down to the kitchen and grasped the home telephone in her hands.

     "Hello?"

     "Blaire!" Embry Call's frantic voice replied. "I heard you fell again. Are you alright? Did you break anything? I asked my mom to make you some soup if you got sick, since it's freezing outside. The next time you need help with groceries, you can call me and I'll-"

     "Embry," she cut him off, twisting the spiral wire of the telephone cord around her fingers. "I'm completely fine. I have a few bruises, but they'll heal."

     "Right," he mumbled through the receiver. Embry cared about Blaire more than himself. He had been chasing after the brunette since they were toddlers, and the feelings weren't subject to change anytime soon. Everyone knew about his crush, even Blaire herself.

     There was a loud shout and Blaire pulled the phone away from her ear to avoid damaging her hearing. Embry hissed at his two best friends, Jake and Quil, to be quiet. He reluctantly agreed to let them be in the room for his conversation with Blaire but they were being too rowdy. "Sorry, Blaire," he apologized. "Quil and Jake are idiots."

     Blaire laughed at the comment. Her eyes darted to the clock hung on the kitchen wall, a distraction from the paisley print wallpaper tearing at the seams. "Yeah, they definitely are. I need to get going, Embry. I have to cook dinner tonight."

     "Oh," Embry blushed from embarrassment. "Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I'll see you tomorrow?"

     Blaire hummed quietly in response. "Bye, Em."

     "Bye, Bear." Blaire rolled her eyes at the silly nickname. It was dubbed when she was six and got a stuffed bear for her birthday. Her dad insisted that it was her spirit animal, since his daughter was stubborn on the outside, but still nice enough to be made into a stuffed toy.

     Blaire hung the telephone back on the hook. She walked into the kitchen and opened the pastel colored fridge, pulling out all the necessary ingredients she needed for tonight's meal. She was about to cut up the onions when Dahlia knocked on the kitchen wall twice, gaining her attention. "Hey, B." She was wearing a tight black dress, complimenting her black pumps and dark eyeshadow. Caleb Thompsen would definitely not approve of the look his daughter decided to go with. "Leah wants to take me out. She's been having trouble lately with Sam." Leah Clearwater was one of Dahlia's close friends who Blaire adored. Leah was always so sweet when she came to the house but recently, she's been moody and distant. Sam Uley, her boyfriend of three years, broke up with her for her cousin, Emily Young. Blaire could see why Leah's mood dropped.

     "Alright. Do you still want me to cook for you?" She motioned to the ingredients spread out on the counter. Dahlia shook her head and grabbed her heels on the hardwood floor. She took one of her sparkled clutches on the couch.