tw: eating disorder talk/calorie counting
(briefly mentioned)
GOD, HER SMILE has got to be laced with some sort of drug for it to be addictive like this. Shame she doesn't show it off, but then again receiving it seems so selfless of her.
I just wish she hadn't used it against me, for my downfall.
I turn back to see Atlas, but he's disappeared, leaving us alone. I go to reach for water, but I'm not thirsty no more.
"Sage." She whispers and it feels so wrong, I want to hear you speak Amber. I want to hear your voice. I want to hear the voice that betrayed me.
I knew before the other boys, I knew weeks before the exposé hit, I could've done anything. I should've done something.
I turned back to her. "Amber." I whisper as well, matching her and she hides her smile. Let me see that too. Please.
She squares her shoulders a bit in an attempt to seem tougher, funny how she needs to seem so tough around me when it's in her presence I melt. She should know this; she took me down with it. "There's uh, red velvet cake."
"Oh yeah?" I eye her costume, the silk emerald dress that fits like a glove...that could slip off like one too. Fuck. Don't think about that Sage. Bad Sage.
She nods towards the counter and then looks back up at me. "Your favourite." She recounts.
"If you could eat anything in the entire world right now, what would it be?"
Next to me, Amber turns all glistening from happiness and laughter after I'd taken her out from school and driven her to the drive-in movies where a screening of Pretty Woman aired.
"Without feeling guilty, I'd eat an entire chocolate cake. Every single piece."
I gasped in horror, and she raised a brow waiting for the retort she knew was bound to come. "Put some respect on Red velvet cake, it's by far the best."
Amber didn't argue, she'd swept her black hair from out of her vision and raised a brow. "Why would you ask if you were just going to disagree with me Sage?"
I don't want you to stop talking to me.
"I'm doing my duty as a human and correcting the misinformation you're spreading."
"You mean my very right opinion?"
"You say potato I say potato."
"You just said it the same way though?"
I smiled, leaning down, and pressing my lips against Amber's soft ones "Baby, just let it be."
I look down at the cake, and yeah, it looks really good. But how many calories are in a slice? I've been doing so good recently, and I don't want it all to come down because I ate a slice of cake. Really yummy and easy to devour, red velvet cake.
Amber's eyebrows draw in as her eyes flicker to my face, picking up on my hesitation. "What are you thinking about?"
I go to speak, before shaking my head and reaching for a plate. It's one slice, I've been doing so well, it won't hurt. It's cake.
"Don't even think about it Evanders." I look up, the voice startling me into pausing.
Amber turns to the voice as well. "What?"
I straighten up watching Lo look down at her, with a mischievous grin, my eyes don't leave him as he approaches her, as he approaches us. "Lo Patel, I'm the swim captain here." He's dressed as a surgeon, with some cuts and rips in the costume, fake blood etc.
"I didn't ask for an introduction." Amber returns, "I asked why you said don't think about it."
Lo looks at me, and I shake my head slightly. I don't want her to know. I don't want her to see me the way he does. The way I do.
Lo smirks, "Sage's on a diet, he's been trying to cut weight."
Amber doesn't turn to me and I'm so glad she doesn't because I feel so embarrassed right now. I wish I never came. This is so much worse than those one am exercises you do in your bedroom and a family member enters, or in my case Spencer.
"A diet that doesn't let him eat cake?" She sceptically asks.
"That's exactly it." He smiles, and I don't feel anger like I know I probably should. I feel humiliated.
Amber looks back at me, her features softening, reading that she isn't judging me, but that's probably just me trying to make myself feel better.
"Is this some sort of swim team ritual?"
"Just Sage." Lo answers shaking his head. Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking. Please stop talking.
Suddenly, the music feels too loud, and breakfast feels too heavy. I shut my eyes wanting to go back to when it was Britney singing, Maxi and Mila on the dancefloor with me. Hell, I'd even go back to the fucking fish I'd accidently swallowed.
"Lo Patel, right?" He nods. "You finished sixth regionally last year?" He nods again, his brow raises at Amber's knowledge, I feel mine do the same as well. I never knew Amber paid attention to the swim team. "Sage, you finished, what number again? I seem to have forgotten."
"First."
Amber makes a 'ah' sound, and something tells me she didn't really forget.
"Where are you going with this?" Lo asks.
Amber shrugs in front of me. "Nowhere, I just think first is better than sixth. And if that was done without this 'diet' then he could do it without it again, don't you think the same?" Lo opens his mouth and Amber crosses her arms over her body, waiting for his response.
"I don't know he has been underwhelming, maybe it's all that sex with the maid he had behind your back?" I still at the mention of Gigi, looking at Amber. She comes into view, and I subconsciously move closer to her, closer to the space between them.
Amber raises a brow. "If that's supposed to be funny, you've missed the mark entirely. You're wits as grand as your looks."
Someone approaches the scene. A first, I think it's a boy in a Tony Montana suit but taking a closer look I realise it's another girl. Nayelie's dressed as Tony; her hair half up half down put pulled back with two pieces let out at the front There's a fake large cigar playing between her fingers as well adding to the look.
She looks at Amber smiling, once realising the sour expression on her face though Nayelie matches it looking at Lo. "Who is this?" She asks.
"I'm Lo. You?"
Amber and Nayelie look at each other, they're silent for a while and it's as if they're telepathically speaking. "Nayelie. You seem to be bothering my friend here Lo, what are you doing?"
Lo raises a brow, his brown skin flashing different colours under the party lights. "Your little friend here has a mouth on her. Could you pass on a message and tell her, she's prettier when she's not talking?"
"Fuck off Lo." I cut in, my nails digging into my palms. Who the fuck does he think he is?
"Have I pissed off golden boy Sage?" He mocks.
"You're washed out, you came sixth, you have no talents, you're obviously sporting a bruised ego, and you want to come at us? You're a walking gag reflex activator." Amber lists without missing a beat, I stare at her wide eyed but I'm not dumb. I've always known Amber, how she attacks so she isn't the attacked.
Lo looks down at her, raising a brow in disgust. "No wonder he'd rather get with a maid, you're a fucking bitch."
Nayelie looks unimpressed with his retort, she crosses her arms over together. "You had the entire time to think of an insult, and that's what you came up with?"
Amber scoffs agreeing. "Call me a bitch all you want babe. But we both know I'm closer to the number one position than you." Her innuendo doesn't fly over my head, I don't mind it either. Being bragged about.
Lo rolls his eyes, approaching me to leave the scene. He stops at me for a second. "You have to get two bitches to defend you from me? I was just trying to help you, Sage; you know from not gaining anymore weight." I look over at him and he rubs his stomach, mimicking. "You're getting fatter Evanders, pretty soon I won't be able to see your abs." I still, drawing blood from my palms. "Two fingers, works like a charm." He advises.
I stare back blankly at the insinuation.
"What the fuck did you just say?" I turn back to the familiar voice and leaning against the doorway with a blunt between his fingers and breathing out smoke is Caleb. He's got murder written in his green eyes and it's directed at Lo.
Oh shit.
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a/n
screamed when i read all the comments thinking nai and amber were going to go against sage or atlas, guys i'm not that evil...yet.
ps: hate lo, want him gone.