Author's Note: This is my first submission so I hope you like it :-) I don't know how to put up a photo for the cast so the video is of who I envision as Amber.
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“Have you seen the new boy yet? Damn, he is FINE!”
I heard two girls behind me snicker as I stared the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds until the bell rung for lunch. This was the third time today I overheard someone talking about a new kid. I discreetly pulled out my phone and decided to text my best friend, Shannon, who was the school’s biggest gossip. I was sure she had the 411.
*know who the new kid is?*
Her reply came a few seconds later. *nope. but from what i hear he is fine as hell!*
I held in my laugh and heard my teacher clear his throat. When I looked up from my phone he was looking right at me. He held a frown and he pushed his glasses up the brigde of his nose before folding his arms atop his protuding belly.
“I hope that text was worth detention after school Ms. Richards.”
I frowned as a sea of ‘oohs’ filled the air from my classmates. Mr. Reinhardt shook his head and assigned homework. The bell rang a few minutes later and everyone jumped out of their seats. I followed the other kids out into the crowded hall. I heard my phone beep with a text and against my better judgment I read it while heading to my locker.
*got some info. he’s a senior and moved here from GA. his parents are loaded and bought the old Epstein place.*
Impressive, I thought. The Epstein place had been on the market for nearly two years because of the insane asking price. I did my best to dodge people as I attempted to text Shannon back but I couldn’t avoid one guy as I ran right into his chest.
The impact caused me to drop my books and my phone. Whoever I ran into bent down to help me gather my belongings.
“Sorry about that.” I mumbled as I took my phone from his hands.
He was white and the contrast between our skin was apparent as I grazed his fingers. I looked into his face and my breath caught in my chest. This HAD to be the new guy as I had never seen him around. He was definitely FINE and had a model’s face. He had a rebel aura around him but that was sexy.
He pushed his shoulder length hair away from his face and I watched his lips form into a smile. It was infectious so I dumbly smiled back at him.
“Texting and walking seems to be dangerous.” he states as we stand.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I apologized once again.
“No worries. I’m Emery.” he introduced himself while thrusting his hand toward me.
I placed my much smaller hand inside his and my eyes darted down to where our flesh met. I watched him slowly run his thumb over the back of my brown hand.
“Amber.” I told him my name after I darted my eyes back to his face. I noticed his brown eyes light up as his smile grew wider.
“Nice to meet you Amber. See ya around I hope.”
He winked at me as he pulled his hand back and walked around me toward the senior hall. I watch him until his frame disappeared from my eyesight. I shook my head and resumed walking to my original destination.
Once I made it to my locker I noticed Shannon leaning against it talking to her ‘frenemy’ Mallori. I rolled my eyes at the girl who wanted my spot as her best friend since Shannon was always in the in crowd and since I rarely liked to party Mallori wanted to be Shannon’s wingman.
“So, I’ve already called dibs on this new guy.” I overheard Mallori. “He’ll look so good on my arm and I hear his parents have Donald Trump money which is right up my alley.”
I scoff and then clear my throat to get their attention. Mallori and Shannon look in my direction and I notice a look of disgust on Mallori's face. She masks it and flips her curly blonde hair over her left shoulder.
“Hi Amber!” she pastes a fake smile on her face.
Shannon seems to sigh with relief at my interruption. She thanks me as she smiles at me, her baby blues shining brightly with the action.
They move from my locker and I open it to toss my book inside. Shannon loops her arm with mine and we walk away, her blonde hair bouncing with each step. I look over my shoulder at Mallori and notice her following us.
“Is she following us?” Shannon whispers.
I look at her and simply nod. Shannon sucks her teeth and then I look at her as she snaps her fingers.
“Let’s go off campus for lunch. We can take my car-the two seater.” she winks at me.
I smile and we head to the parking lot. The other kids who have cars were thinking the same as they get into their cars and leave the lot. Shannon and I approach her Porsche and get inside. I see Mallori stop at the car and pout.
“See you in Chemistry!” Shannon shouts to Mallori as she drops the top, starts the engine and speeds away.
The two of us laugh as Shannon maneuvers her yellow convertible to a nearby Wendy’s. We have forty-five minutes for lunch so we decide to eat inside. We order and grab a table once we have our food.
“I met the new guy.” I tell Shannon while placing a fry in my mouth.
The news peaks her interest. “Is he as sexy as I hear he is?”
I stifle a moan and nod dramatically. “Oh yeah. He has this gorgeous long hair and intense brown eyes and when he smiles you can’t help but smile back.”
Shannon lets out a ‘mmhmm’ while sipping her lemonade. “Sounds like someone has a crush.”
I shake my head. “He’s cute but that’s it. Remember, Mallori has called dibs on him.”
Shannon seems irritated that I mentioned Mallori’s name. “Urgh, I wish that girl would get a clue! My BFF spot is already taken and maybe if she didn’t have such a stank attitude people would want to be around her.”
I burst out laughing causing Shannon to join in. We ignore the stares from other patrons and finish our lunch while talking about trivial things. We leave the restaurant and head back to school. We enter the building just as the bell rings. Shannon and I part ways while she heads to Chemistry and I walk to my locker to get my book for Calculus.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. I was all too thrilled when the final bell of the day rung. I headed to my locker and I wasn’t surprised to see Shannon waiting for me.
“Need a ride home hun?” she asked as I opened my locker. I felt her fingers gently twirling strands of my bone straight jet black hair.
I was about to say yes when I remembered Mr. Reinhardt gave me detention. I sighed as I grabbed the books I would need for homework.
“I got detention for texting in Mr. Reinhardt’s class.”
Shannon pouted. “Too bad. Well, call me when you get out and I’ll swing by to get you.”
I nodded and we hugged before she headed for the exit. I saw Mallori flock to her side before she left and shook my head; that girl has been on Shannon’s ass since freshman year.
I head to Mr. Reinhardt class and see him erasing his board. I take a seat and realize I am the only one he gave detention to. I would appreciate the silence.
Mr. Reinhardt faces me and watches as I take out a book to begin homework. He takes a seat at his desk to grade papers and makes small talk with me when the silence becomes too much.
Detention lasts until five o’clock and I am grateful when Mr. Reinhardt dismisses me. He gives me a stern warning to refrain from texting in his class before I leave. I apologize for my actions and leave the room.
I head out to the parking lot and notice a few cars still there. I remember that there were try-outs today for a few sports and just as I pull out my phone to call Shannon I hear a few guys rounding the corner to my left.
“Hey Amber!” I hear a male voice scream my name in a seductive tone.
I freeze at the familiar voice and turn to face Felix Owens, captain of the soccer team. He was your typical high school jock and thought the world revolved around him. He tried to romance me this past summer but when I refused to have sex with him he moved on to the next, but not before he told anyone willing to listen that I was nothing but a tease.
Now don’t get me wrong, Felix is very attractive with silky brown curls, a chiseled jaw and dreamy blue eyes but I just couldn't go there with him. He was smiling widely at me giving me a view of his dimples. He moved toward me and threw his left arm over my shoulder.
“What are you doing here after school? Please tell me you’re trying out for the cheerleading squad! I would gladly come to the basketball games to see you bouncing around in those tight little uniforms.”
I suck my teeth at him as his pals burst out in laughter behind him. I push Felix off me and I look behind his friends and spot Emery rounding the corner. He sees me and stops dead in his tracks. Felix notices him and rushes over to him.
“Hey great try out today man! I’ll put in a word with Coach for you. We could use your skills on the team!” Felix tells him and fist bumps him. He then turns back to me. “Good seeing you Amber. Call me.”
He motions his hand to his ear with his thumb and pointer finger formed in a phone. He waves for his friends to follow him and they head to his car.
“Your boyfriend?” Emery asks once the guys are out of sight. I notice there is a slight pained expression on his face.
I frown. “He wishes. So, you’re joining the soccer team?” I had to think of something to change the subject.
He shrugs and pushes his damp hair away from his face. “It’ll give me an excuse not to head home right after school.”
“I heard the Epstein place is beautiful! Why wouldn’t you want to go home?” I press.
Emery starts to walk to the parking lot but moves slowly as if he wants me to follow him. I do.
“It’s just me and my parents and the place is huge which makes it lonely. My mom and dad should be home by the time I get there, hopefully.”
“Oh.” I whisper.
“What about you? Any siblings?” he asks as he pulls out his car keys.
“No, it’s just me and my mom. My dad died when I was ten and my mom was so in love with him, she couldn’t bear to be with another man.” I tell him.
“Sorry about your dad.” he whispers.
I wave it off. “I’m over it now. See you later.”
I have my phone in my hand and begin to call Shannon.
“Do you need a ride?” he calls to me as I had begun to walk away from him.
I spin to face him and notice he is standing next to a black Volvo S80. It would take Shannon half an hour to arrive and by that time I could be at home. I nod to Emery and he opens the passenger door.
I get into his car and he closes the door. He jogs around to the driver’s side and gets in. He asks for my address and punches it into his GPS. He starts the car and follows the directions to my house.
He arrives twenty minutes later and we made small talk to avoid an uncomfortable silence. I learn that Emery was on the soccer team at his last school and wanted to continue to play when he went off to college. He reveals he wants a scholarship so he could donate his college fund to someone who couldn’t afford to go. When he told me how much his parents had in a trust for him, I told him he could send five kids to college for the entire four years!
He parks his car on the curb in front of my house per my request. I remove my seatbelt and thank him for the ride.
“So were you trying out for the cheerleading squad?” Emery asks as I reach for the door handle.
I pause and look at him. He is staring straight ahead but I notice his lips in a smile by staring at his profile.
“No, I uh, I got detention for texting in my American History class.”
“Texting seems to be getting you in trouble.” Emery smirks and turns his head so he is looking at me.
I can’t hide my smile; his is infectious remember. I bid him good night and get out of his car. I can tell he is watching me as I walk up to the front door.
I dig in my purse for my keys but I can’t find them. I curse and bang on the door hoping my mom’s car was parked in the garage. I wait for a minute and knock again.
“Forget your keys?”
I turn to my right and Emery is standing there, staring at me as if he was studying me. Like he was going to paint a picture of me from his memory. I sigh and nod.
“My mom gets off at five and she’s usually home by now.”
I hold out my hand to pause the conversation. I pull out my phone and call my mom. She answers after the third ring and I hear a bunch of voices in the background.
“Hi baby, is everything okay?” she asks when she answers.
“I forgot my keys. Are you on your way home?”
“Why are you just now calling? You got out of school two hours ago!” she yells.
“I had detention.”
“Amber Unique Richards..." I hear her let out a sigh. "We’ll talk about that later. I won't be home for a while do you think you can you stay at Shannon’s house?”
I sigh and agree. I look at Emery as I end the call.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“My mom won’t be home for a few hours. I’m going to call my best friend and stay with her until she gets home or I may just spend the night.” I tell him.
He shifts from one foot to another and I can tell he wants to protest.
“I’m already here. I mean, if you don’t mind you can come to my place until your mom gets home. I know we just met and all…”
“That’s sweet of you.” I cut him off politely. “I would just feel more comfortable at my friend’s house.”
He nods in defeat and watches me rub my arms against the cool air. “Do you want to wait in my car until your friend gets here?”
The good thing about living in Florida is that our winters are short but it is cool since the sun has set so I accept the offer and we go to his car. I call Shannon after Emery opens my door and I get inside. After Shannon picks up and asks why I am just now calling her I explain that Emery gave me a ride home. I then explain that I forgot my keys and ask her to come scoop me up.
“Don’t hate me okay but I can’t. I got a speeding ticket going seventy in a thirty coming home from school and my dad took my keys away from me for a month!”
My mouth drops. Her dad should’ve known she would be speeding like a bat out of hell in a damn Porsche! I told her it was okay and hung up. I turn to Emery and tell him the news. He extends the offer to go to his place once again.
I agree this time and Emery heads to his home. I marvel at how large the house is once he pulls into the winding drive way. He parks behind a grey and black Camaro.
“Is that your dad’s car?” I ask as he shuts off the engine.
“No, it’s mine but I only drive it on the weekend.” he tells me as if it’s no big deal.
Emery gets out of the car and rushes to my side of the car. He opens the door for me and takes my hand to help me out of the car. We go inside his home and automatic lights illuminate the room. He leads me to the kitchen and immediately goes to the fridge.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
My stomach growls answering his question. He takes out some cold cuts, cheese, mayonnaise and wheat bread. He fixes two three layer sandwiches and hands one to me. We sit at the counter and eat the sandwiches.
“Thank you, that was delicious!” I exclaim and Emery cleans up.
“You’re welcome. Come on, we’ve got a theater downstairs. What type of movies do you like?”
He gets up to leave the kitchen and I follow.
“Horror movies! Ooh, do you have the old school Nightmare on Elm Street?”
Emery stops in his tracks and I bump into his back. He turns to face me with a bewildered look on his handsome face.
“You’re the first girl I’ve met who actually wants to sit through a scary movie.”
“That's ‘cuz I’m different. Yeah, I’m different!” I start singing 2Chainz hit song.
Emery bursts out laughing and grabs my hand. He leads me to the theater and puts the movie on. Halfway through I begin to yawn. I look at the clock on my phone and see it is almost seven o’clock. My mom hasn’t called so I figured she hasn’t made it home yet. I send her a quick text and then I lay my head on Emery’s shoulder, no longer able to fight my sleepiness.
What seems like a few minutes later, I wake up in a soft bed. I sit up and rub my eyes. It is now after ten o’clock. I grab my phone and see my mom replied to my text two hours ago.
*just spend the night with Shannon. i’ll see you tomorrow and ur not off the hook for getting detention*
I sigh and get out the bed. I leave the room and end up passing Emery’s room. I see he is lying in bed shirtless with headphones on and he is on his IPad. I study his naked torso and notice that soccer has done him some good as he is ripped with a six pack.
“Are you just gonna stare or come inside?” His voice sends shockwaves through me and I jump as I am caught checking him out.
I move into his room and blush lightly as he puts down his IPad and removes his headphones. He gets out of bed and walks to a chest and pulls a white tank from the top shelf. He places it on and faces me.
“Have a nice nap?” he asks.
I nod. “Sorry for falling asleep on you.”
“It’s cool. Is your mom home?”
“I doubt it. She wants me to spend the night with my friend so is it okay if I crash here for the night…or should I be asking your parents this?”
Emery chuckles. “They’re asleep but you can stay in the guest room. My mom cooked so if you’re hungry there’s leftovers in the kitchen.
“Oh, that’s okay but thanks.” I tell him and start to back out of his room.
“You want to watch TV? You like Johnny Bravo?” he asks while flipping on his plasma TV.
I smile at his suggestion for entertainment. “I love Johnny Bravo.”
He points to his king size bed. “Have a seat.”
I move to his bed and sit down. After Emery turns the TV to Johnny Bravo he goes back to the position he was in when I was checking him out.
“You can get comfortable. I don’t bite.” Emery states while witnessing me bounce my leg nervously on the edge of his bed.
I nod and scoot back a bit and put my legs up. Emery throws me a pillow and I decide to lie back, placing the pillow under my head. Emery and I laugh at Johnny’s antics and when the episode is over I feel him move closer to me.
“Can I tell you something Amber?” he speaks softly, so soft I barely hear him.
I look at him and see his brown eyes focused on me. “What was that?”
“I never believed in love at first sight.” he says slowly.
I gulp as he moves his head closer to mine. I see his eyes dart from my eyes down to my lips. I am silently praying this is a dream.
“Amber, I think you’re so beautiful. I felt like something smacked me in the face when we met in the hallway earlier today. I love the fact that you are different and I feel like there’s something here that I want to explore.”
His lips are inches from mine now and damn it, if he doesn’t kiss me I think I’ll die because I am holding my breath. I watch him close his eyes and close the small space between us, his lips press against mine.
I exhale through my nose as his hands rest on my hips. I wrap my arms around his neck as he deepens our lip lock. I close my eyes and whimper as I feel my body react to him.
Emery pulls away from my lips and trails kisses down my jaw and ends at my neck. He gives my skin a small peck. I wonder why he isn’t kissing or sucking on my neck.
“I don’t want to give you a hickey sweetheart.” he whispers, reading my mind.
He kisses his way back to my mouth and kisses me. I melt in his arms but reality hits me and I pull back. I look into his face and see confusion written on it.
“I’m sorry I just had to stop ‘cuz we just met and all. I don’t even know your last name!”
“Nottingham.” he answers quickly. “And yours?”
I bite my bottom lip and before I can answer Emery kisses me once again. “It’s Richards.” I tell him my last name between breaths of air.
He chuckles and pulls away from me. He kisses my forehead before he moves a few inches away.
“So, do you think this is something we could pursue?” he asks as he pushes his hair away from his face.
I sit up and do the same. “Are you serious?” I ask a bit skeptical.
He chuckles. “Now that I know how sweet your lips taste, I’m not going another day without having them pressed against mine.”
I fight the urge to just jump on him and kiss him madly like they do in those cheesy romance movies. I just simply smile at him and nod my head. What would it hurt to date him?
Emery smiles brightly and reaches out to me. I take his hand and he pulls me to him. I snuggle against his frame and try to hide my smile as he runs his hand through my hair. I feel his lips on the side of my head.
A few minutes later I hear soft snores from Emery. I find the remote to the TV near his leg and turn off the TV. I return back to the cuddled embrace of Emery’s arms and fall asleep with a smile on my face