Chapter 3
The next day at lunch, I was groggy and sleepy. It was like I was walking through cement, using every ounce of energy in me to lift my feet. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, tossing and turning to no end. It was six when I woke up in the morning after finally managing to drift away to dreamland . . . or more like nightmare land. Old memories began to resurface again and the pain ached. I traced my fingers over the scar on the right side of my neck and let them linger there.
My legs felt like jelly as I entered the lunchroom and I could barely seem to focus on where I was going . . . or who I might walk into. I suddenly stumbled back, tripping over my own two feet, and fell to the ground with a loud thump! "I'm so sorry . . ." I started to say, and then caught sight of the indigo, high-inch heel boots and almost choked. Slowly, I lifted my head up and cringed.
A very angry Courtney Oakley towered over me, the top half of her white blouse completely drenched in thick ketchup, and her face matched the color of her stained shirt. My first thought was "Who wears a white blouse to school? It's not like paparazzi are just waiting to take your photo," and was overcome with ultimate fear. I just sat there, frozen in my place, too afraid to move.
Chloe and Iris rushed forward. "Oh my gosh! Courtney! Are you okay? You little pest! Look at what you did!" A million thoughts rushed in my head. Oh no! What have I done? I wanted to get through high school unnoticed, without drawing any attention to myself. Now look at me. I just turned myself into a target for Courtney Oakley and her 2 parrots. I don't even have to look to know everyone's eyes are on me.
I quickly scrambled to my feet and could already feel the panic rising in my throat. "I'm so sorry. It was an accident," I said in a small voice. Courtney just glared at me, the anger unmistakable in her blue eyes. She turned to Chloe, who ran to the nearest table, picked up a tray of chicken and rice, and dumped the whole thing on my head. To top it all off, Iris grabbed a large iced coffee, removed the cover, and slowly let the sugary liquid drench over my rice invested head, making sure to get every last drop.
Courtney, clearly satisfied, smiled. "If we only had dessert, then the meal would really be complete." Her eyes scanned the room and smile stretched to a grin. She strolled over to a table and picked up a plate of chocolate fudge cake. I don't have to be Einstein to know she's not going to eat it. I just stood there; my feet planted to the floor, like an idiot, and watched her play with the glass plate. The whole cafeteria was on the edge of their seats.
She lifted her arm and got ready to swing when a hand shot out, and the plate fell to the floor. "Damien?!" She looked shocked for a moment, and then her calm, cool self resurfaced. "What are you doing?"
He ignored her and instead focused all his attention on me. His strong, steady gaze seemed to practically burn into my soul, I couldn't bring myself to look away. He grabbed my hand, and I immediately flinched. But he only tightened his hold and practically dragged me out of the cafeteria, leaving a very stunned pack of high school kids behind. Being this close to Damien made me very uncomfortable . . . and surprisingly, a little flustered. Something about the way we held hands felt so right and complete.
I hadn't even realized where we were going until Damien pulled me through a door and into a familiar room. The Nurse's office. A young woman who looked like she was in her mid-twenties stood up from where she sat at a desk in the far corner of the room. Her chestnut-colored hair lay in a simple ponytail and she wore a simple yet classy peach dress suit underneath her Nurse's coat. Her chocolate brown eyes shone with concern.
"Oh my, what happened?" she asked. Damien led me further into the room towards a wash sink in the right corner, and proceeded to fill a bucket with water. The nurse came over and took me to one of the white beds where she began to remove the remaining bits of rice from my hair. "Damien, what happened?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damien retrieve a white washcloth from the cabinet and turn the faucet off. He then came over to the bed, dipped the cloth into the bucket, and began to wipe my face. And the weird thing is . . . I actually let him. Instead of flinching away from a boy's touch, I welcomed it, and simply sat there with my head down. The cloth was warm and felt nice against my skin. "Are you okay?"
I looked up. A mix of emotions played out in Damien's eyes. Warmth, concern, comfort, and even a bit of anger. But no pity or sympathy. That surprised me. A million questions began to form in my head, and they were on the tip of my tongue. But I couldn't bring myself to say them, let alone open my mouth. I just stared at him, lost in his gorgeous green eyes. He smiled at me and turned to look at the nurse, whose name I still did not know.
"Just your average high school drama, Suzy."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "How many times have I told you not to call me by my first name while on school grounds?"
"I can't call you Ms. Suzy. It would just sound too weird. Besides, Taylor will never get off my case."
"You make it sound like a bad thing."
"I don't know how you stand her. She's just so—"
"I'm just so what?" I looked up as a girl with pale blonde hair entered the room. A mix of hot pink, neon green and royal blue streaks colored her straight, translucent hair. She wore a purple gray dress underneath a black denim jacket and black knee-length motorcycle boots. The dozen bracelets she wore on her arms jangled with each little movement.
"Speak of the devil," Damien muttered under his breath. The girl strolled over and smacked him on the back of his head.
He swore. "What the hell?!"
"That's for being an idiot," she said bluntly.
Suzy smiled. "Taylor, be nice. Is that any way to treat family?"
"Yeah, it's called 'showing the love' or something like that," Taylor replied. Plus it's so much fun watching his eyes tear up like a baby." Her eyes flickered over to me and she gave me a friendly smile. "Amber, right?"
I nodded. "Um . . . thank you for helping me," I said to no one in particular. Damien chuckled and continued to wipe my face.
"Is someone going to tell me what happened?" Suzy asked.
"I'll tell you," Taylor said. She took a seat next to me on the bed and continued. "Our lovely Amber here was labeled as victim of evil Queen Bee Ms. Courtney Oakley in the cafeteria and the damage done here is thanks to her little parrots, Chloe and Iris."
Suzy nodded in understanding. "No wonder the rice is hard to get out of your pretty hair. They knew what they were doing when they dumped that plate of rice and chicken and . . . iced coffee? Those girls are just plain evil. It's going to take a lot of cleaning to get all this out."
Taylor got up from the bed and went over to the cabinet where she pulled out a plastic bag filled with clothes, a large beige towel, and a green bottle of shampoo. "All right, time to wash some hair. Bring her to the sink."
I looked at Suzy uncertainly. She smiled and pulled me off the bed, giving me a gentle push towards the sink. Taylor pulled up a chair and gestured for me to take a seat. "Now, lean your head back and relax." She squirted a glob of shampoo on my head, and began to scrub, adding some warm water. She was very rough in scrubbing my head, making sure every spec of my hair was covered in soap and bubbles. I tried not to let my face give away my discomfort, to no such luck.
"Yo, Taylor, can you try to be a little gentler, maybe? Your nails are practically digging into her scalp," Damien said.
"Shut up, doofus," Taylor replied. She turned her attention back to me and said in a low voice, "So you're Amber. It's nice to finally meet you. I just wish it was under better circumstances. You do have really nice hair, though."
I looked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand."
She smiled. "I guess you don't know, then. Damien talks about you all the time at home. It's a little annoying, but also very sweet. Suzy and I are his cousins."
I was so surprised to hear her say that about Damien that I didn't know what to say but, "I didn't know that he had relatives in our school."
"It's not really much of a secret but it's also not exactly gossip-material or all that important, either. I could really care less either way. I just hate those girls that go gaga over him. It just makes me want to pull my hair out, and I don't exactly cling to his shoulder."
I laughed a little. "So, you said that . . . he talks about me?"
"Oh, yeah. He's always mentioning your name. 'Amber this, Amber that' He really likes you, you know. Ever since he saw you at some Christmas party last year, you're all he talks about," Taylor said. "Do you remember?"
Of course I remembered. How could I forget? The Christmas Party Mother and Father had last year at our house.
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It was a perfect party, like one out of those Christmas movies. White bits of snow clung to everything they touched as they fell from the sky, like little angels. A chill entered the room each time the door opened, and a layer of mist covered each window. I wore a green velvet dress that fell just shy of my knees, exposing my calves, and silver inch heels that clicked and clacked against the marble floor. My curly, dark hair covered my shoulders, and a simple white rose pin kept my long bangs out of my eyes. I traced hearts and stars into the window with my fingers, praying I wouldn't fall asleep.
"Would you like a glass of champagne, miss?"
I turned around, startled. A boy who looked about my age, donning w waiter's outfit, held out a silver tray of sparkling champagne. He had bright green eyes and black-and-white hair. I smiled and shook my head at him. "Oh, no thank you. I don't drink champagne."
He smiled. "I figured as much but I thought I'd give it a try anyway."
I looked at him closely. "Wait, you look really familiar . . ." Then it hit me. "You're the kid who punched Mr. Gabritch in the face during science class last week."
He laughed, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. "Hey, he had it coming. It was either me or some really big guy at a bar. Let's hope he learns to keep his mouth shut from now on."
I laughed too. "I'm Amber, by the way."
"Damien," he held out his hand and I shook it. "Pretty nice party your parents put together."
"You know my parents?" I asked.
"How do you think I got here?" If it wasn't for your dad, I'd be in juvy right now, or worse. He's a lifesaver." He looked at me. "Besides it's not as bad as I thought it would be. At least there are some perks to this job."
I raised my eyebrows. "And what might they be?"
"Well, I get to serve pretty girls like you," he winked at me and grinned. I blushed and looked away. Then, my mother came over, saying papa wanted to see me. I nodded.
"It was nice seeing you," I said.
"You too," Damien replied.
My mother linked her arm with mine and brought me to the other side of the room where my father stood talking to two men. One looked to be my father's age while the other looked to be about eighteen.
"Here are my two lovely ladies this evening," Father said. He put his arm around my mother's waist and kissed her cheek. "Amber, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Mr. Sutton and his son, Samuel."
I smiled and nodded. "It's nice to meet you."
Mr. Sutton grinned at me. "We've heard much about you, Amber, and I must say you're even more beautiful in person."
"I agree, father," Samuel said.
While the rest of the adults continued laughing and talking, Samuel sidled up next to me, much closer than I liked. "So, you're the famous Amber everyone talks about, huh?" His hot breath on my neck made me feel uncomfortable and I tried putting some distance between us.
"Excuse me?" I said.
He looked me up and down in my dress and I couldn't help squirm. "The way everyone described you made it seem like you were some goddess. But you're nothing but some pathetic, dirty slut, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about?" I said in astonishment. But I had a distinct feeling I knew exactly what he meant.
"Don't try to act all innocent with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know what you really are. You might have fooled everyone in Paris and practically all of France but we know what you're really like," he said.
Fear drowned me in its wake and I struggled to breath. Samuel was staring at me with such hate in his eyes. Part of me was screaming to call somebody for help; someone to pull me out of this ditch I had fallen into. But as I looked over at my parents smiling faces, a sense of guilt washed over me. How ungrateful would I look to be causing such a scene at their party? I would put them in more disgrace than I already have.
"Would anyone like some champagne?"
Damien held out the silver tray of glasses and stared right at me. His eyes seemed to say "Don't worry, I'm here for you," and with that I breathed again. Samuel seemed to have put on his prodigy mask when his father turned to look his way. Mother, Father, and Mr. Sutton took one each, and Samuel had his hand around a glass when the tray tipped over, and the remaining three glasses spilled into his suit.
"Shit, man," Samuel jumped back and swore.
"I'm so sorry, sir," Damien said, although he most certainly did not look sorry. Despite how scared I had been just a minute ago, I bit back a laugh and coughed. He raised his eyebrows and flashed a quick smile at me.
"Amber, dear, show him to the restroom, please," Mother said.
And just like that, the fear found its way back. With all eyes on me, I pasted a fake smile to my face and kept some extra distance between us as we left the crowded room. "I think we have an extra suit in the hall closet." I opened the door and felt around for the switch when Samuel pushed me further into the closet and kicked the door shut behind him. It was like having a Deja vu movement, but one I never wanted to experience again.
He moved towards me and pushed me to the ground so fast, I had no time to react. He pinned my hands above my head and pulled the strap of my dress so hard it snapped.
I screamed. He wrapped his hands around my small neck and squeezed. I started to panic and clawed away at his hands with my nails. He only squeezed harder. The room started to spin and my vision began to fade. Then, the door burst open and Samuel removed his hands from my neck. I gasped and coughed for air. Damien burst into the room and jumped on Samuel, pushing him to the ground. He got on top of him and started punching him in the face, over and over.
I sat there, crying, and watched him continue to punch Samuel in the face endlessly. "Damien! Stop, please!" I cried. Finally, he stopped and looked at me. His green eyes flared with anger and he was breathing heavily.
"What's going on here?!" Mother and Father burst into the room. "Amber!" Mother rushed towards me.
"Damien! What the hell happened here?!" Father exclaimed. Damien looked at me. I just shook my head and cried even harder, too afraid to speak.
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Now, I looked at Damien and met his forceful gaze. "Yeah, I remember." She rinsed all the soap from my hair and gave it a good squeeze. Then she took the towel and wrapped it around my shoulders.
"Okay, your hair is now food-free. Plus, it smells like vanilla and lemons," she buried her nose in my head and sniffed. I laughed aloud.
"There's that beautiful smile," Suzy said. "Aright, now let's get you out of those sticky clothes."
Taylor dropped the bag of clothes onto my lap and pushed me towards the bed again, closing the curtain. "Hope they appeal to your taste."
I smiled to myself and untied the bag. I pulled out a pair of black leggings and a white T-shirt with the words 'BAD GIRL' in neon pink. I quickly disposed of my black short sleeve-shirt and denim mini-skirt and slipped on the clean clothes.
The curtain swished open to a rather satisfied Taylor. "Nice, if I do say so myself."
"Thank you . . . all of you, so much," I said.
Taylor engulfed me in a bear hug and patted my head. "No problem, sweetie. You're so cute and adorable. No wonder the mean girls attacked you. I see jealously written all over."
I laughed. I looked across the room and caught Damien's eye. He stood against the wall with his arms folded. A hint of a smile played across his lips.
"Alright, how are we going to break it to your parents?" Suzy asked.
"I don't think Amber wants to make this incident into something bigger than it already is." Taylor turned to me.
I quickly nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like there was any real damage done. No cuts or bruises. Besides, I'd rather not draw more attention to myself."
Everyone agreed. I decided to spend the remainder of lunch with Suzy and Taylor while Damien offered to get me lunch.
"Um, can you just get me a soda, please? I don't think my stomach will be able to handle anything solid right now."
He smiled. "Sure. What kind?"
"Surprise me."
Ten minutes later, Damien came back . . . holding a purple can of soda. He handed it to me, letting our fingers touch.
"Grape soda? It's my favorite," I said.
He smiled. "I know."
Hey guys! Finally uploaded a chapter for you. Yes, I know. Anyway, I'm working working really hard and I hope you guys like it. Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to me. Please become a fan, vote, comment . . . Let me know what you think. I love you guys! <3