Convincing Amy (Amy, #1)

Chapter 27: Scholarships and Relationships

Chapter Twenty-Seven 
SCHOLARSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS

"Nick..."

"Yes?" he returned, sounding frustrated. She'd been moaning and whining for the past hour.

Amy sighed. "Have I done the right thing?" She picked at her fingernails, feeling too guilty to meet Nick's eyes.

Nick finished writing a sentence on his essay before answering, "I don't know Amy. There are two even sides to the issue."

"You're saying I shouldn't have done it then?"

"No, I think you would have been better off by talking to Matt before you hurt him the way you did."

Amy curled her legs up onto the couch with her, feeling depressed and alone. "How should I have done it?"

Nick sughed, annoyed. "Perhaps talk to him about it all first before blowing him off like that. I don't know, I'm not good at this emotional talk."

Amy's lips gave a light tug into a smile. She put a hand on Nick's arm. "You do a better job than Pippa."

"Whatever. I think you should still talk to Matt though. It's not fair on him." He sucked on his pen, thinking, meeting Amy's eyes. "I'm no expert on the whole love thing, but I'm pretty sure he's in love with you."

Amy let a tear out, leaning her head against the back of the couch. "Why do you say that?" she croaked.

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? You're the only thing he sees when you're near him. It's lucky you're not in the same year!" Nick laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "He'd fail his exams just because he'd be watching you do yours."

At that, Amy broke down into sobs. Nick ran a hand through his hair, stressing. Where was Pippa when you needed her to do all the emotional talking? Nick was worse than talking to Hugh Hefner about serious relationships, and he'd only ever offered his support to his younger sister, Georgia. He had no idea what he was talking about as he hadn't had too great a deal of experience with relationships. Pippa had been his first serious commitment. He had nothing to share with Amy that could help her whatsoever.

To Amy, though, he could help. She saw his strong arms and immediately wanted to be supported by them. She scooted along the couch until she touched Nick's side. He seemed reluctant, but he eventually opened up his arms and held Amy while she shook with cries.

"Amy, you have to grow up. Really," Nick said as Amy continued to cry.

"Wha-" she asked, but she was cut off by Nick.

"Amy, when I first met you, I honestly thought you were the mature one and Pippa was the pathetic one. But, getting to know you both better, I've found the roles have changed. Pippa knows what it takes to survive in the world. You, well, you still live at home and cry to your mum and sister about everything bad that happens to you. No, Amy, listen," he said as Amy was about to protest. "You're a young woman, not a child, and crying's not going to get you anywhere in life. You cry all the bloody time and it gets you nowhere! I don't know what you're asking me, but I don't think I can help you! Matt's in love with you, what else do you want me to say? I could tell you to go back to him, but then you'll continue to whine and whinge about this and that and- Amy!"

Amy stood up from the couch and walked to the bedroom of her dorm, completely disgusted in Nick. She slammed the door behind her, collapsing on her bed. She haed herself - what was she doing? Two weeks of moping, crying, aching for Matthew to hold her, kiss her, smile at her, laugh with her. She missed him greatly, there was no denying that. But she couldn't possibly go back to him. Not only would it be awkward and embarrassing, but she knew that it wouldn't fix anything between them. There was still the difficulty of what they would do when she flew back to Australia.