Girl in Gold

Chapter 6 ~ Amber Marigold

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CHAPTER 6

Amber Marigold

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There was something seriously wrong with Amber. Her cousin asked one thing of her. One thing. All she had to do was lay low. So, how the hell did it come to her slapping not one but two cyngs mere hours after her cousin's desperate request?

"Amber!"

She looked up and Jessy was at the Ford, storming over from across the parking lot. Bracing for impact, she winced. Any moment and she would get the scolding of a lifetime—

"You're safe!" Jessy cried, hugging her.

"Huh?" Amber blinked.

"I thought you were dead!" she sobbed into her hair.

Unsure what to do with her arms, Amber returned the hug. Her face fell. The hot sting along her back, the overwhelming throb in her head, and the tender swell of her neck... It had nothing to the ache in the girl's heart.

"I'm sorry," she said into her shoulder. "I'm the worst."

Jessy held on tighter.

"No," she sniffled. "I heard what happened in English. Mister Dietrich gave me your bag and told me Blake came in and dragged you out. There was nothing you could do."

Amber bit the inside of her cheek.

"I think I might've screwed up," she said, her nose stinging and eyes blinking. "I did something really bad."

"It's okay, it's okay," Jessy soothed, pulling back and keeping Amber at arm's length. "You're still alive, and that's all that matters. Come, you can tell me all about it in the car."

This understanding side of her cousin was much harder to deal with than the panicked one. She dragged her feet as she got in the Ford and buckled in. On the road, Jessy gripped the steering wheel with shaky fingers, her nails chewed and chipped.

"Okay, how bad is it?" she asked. "Just tell me what happened."

Holding nothing back, Amber told her cousin everything. Though Jessy definitely had a heart attack or two, she was much more reasonable than expected.

"Well," she sighed, "the worst offence you committed was not bringing a milkshake back for me."

A sly grin crept up on Amber, but her eyes stayed still.

"Slapping two cyngs isn't bad?" she asked.

"Oh no, slapping two cyngs is probably the worst idea you've ever had," Jessy said. "And that's saying something since you're the one who came up with pancake nunchucks."

Amber chuckled, and Jessy had a soft smile.

"But slapping Blake and Owen was deserved," she added.

"Actually, I was sure you were going to skin me alive for putting your parents in danger," Amber said. "I've been nothing but trouble since coming here. Perhaps even before that..."

Jessy kept her eyes on the road, her shoulder sagging.

"You know, Amber, my parents aren't the only people I'm worried about," she said. "Your safety means just as much to me. You're my family too. And I don't want to see you get hurt."

Amber's head tilted to the window. She watched that imaginary version of herself run along outside.

"I don't deserve you," she said, wondering if she deserved anything at all.