The Power of the Three Friends (Discontinued)

Chapter 1

I run from the house into the dark shadowy night. Her screams follow me. You're a disgrace, you'll never be anything, no one likes you, no one will ever like you! Tears stream down my face as I speed away. I slam into something hard, and that something wraps their arms around me and steadies me.

"Are you ok Amber?" His soft voice asks. Wrapping my arms around him, I press my face into his chest and stay there, feeling safe. "Calm down, you need to stay at my place again?" A simple nod answers his question. "Well, I was on my way to a party, think you could come with me for a little while?" He knows I hate parties, but I just want to stick close to him.

"Ok," I whisper, pulling away from him and wiping my eyes. He wraps an arm around my shoulders, making me feel protected. "Thanks Connor."

"Anytime Amber," He says, tucking a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "You know I'll always have your back."

We walk up to the house, an average size house. It's full of people and almost all of them are drunk. There's garbage strewn all across the yard, and some guy is standing on the roof, not wearing anything. Connor laughs, a rich laugh that can make anyone laugh. I manage a smile and he pokes me in the side, then drags me inside the overcrowded house. I keep close to him, not trying to get lost.

"Connor!" A group of kids yell, beckoning us towards them. I press myself closer to Connor as he pulls me towards his friends. "You didn't tell us you were bringing someone. Who is she?"

"My best friend," Someone standing behind me replies. He wraps his strong arms around my waist and picks me up, my feet a foot above the ground. "What're you doing here? Do you want me to bust you out?" He whispers the last part, so no one else would heard. I shake my head and smile weakly at him.

"Are you staying at my place Connor?" Dan asks, winking at me. Connor nods and goes back to his conversation about sports, but his arm snakes around my shoulders once Dan sets me down again. Dan sinks onto the couch and pulls me down with him, making me fall into his lap. He wraps his arms protectively around me and holds me tightly. I laugh weakly and get comfortable, knowing Connor will want to stay a while. Dan hands me an unopened Dr. Pepper, since he knows I don't drink. I relax against him, feeling fine until I see Randy. Randy heads towards us, his usual smirk on his face. He finally gets over here Dan and Connor glaring at him.

"Hey sweetheart," Randy coos, stroking my cheek with his hand. My stomach jumps and I feel sick. Connor instantly pins him against a wall, snarling.

"Don't ever touch her again," Connor growls, his usually calm blue eyes full of hatred and malice. Dan pushes me slightly behind him, to protect me. Someone suddenly tackles Connor off of Randy, and Dan grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house.

We end up waiting for about twenty minutes, until Connor storms out. Another minute later, another person comes out and starts to walk towards us. "Amber, are you ok?" Jared asks, folding me carefully into his arms once he reaches us. I relax and nod my head, so glad he was here. I trust him with everything, he means the world to me. I love Connor and Dan too, but over the years, I ended up falling for Jared. He just here when I need him and that's all that matters. He rests his chin on the top of my head and holds me, like he never wants to let go.

"Is Connor coming back anytime soon?" Dan asks, watching as Jared releases me from his death grip. I get a quick kiss on the cheek from Jared before he answers Dan.

"Yeah, he said he's gonna cool off, try to calm down," Jared replies, ruffling my hair. He gives me a fond smile and sits on the ground, grabbing my hand and pulling me down with him. Dan and Jared start wrestling, to see who is tougher. Dan wins, sitting on Jared's stomach to get me to laugh.