AMBER POV
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After hours and thousands of blabbering from her parents in the car, Amber was finally home, where it was all so nostalgic, wholesome. The walls were painted baby blue and black, pillars circled around the entrance of the house, couches placed on the middle, with a TV set Infront of it, paintings and decorations surrounded her.
Each time she entered her house, she'd always feel... Hopeful, fuzzy and warm inside. But today... After an unusual beating and longer and brutal than before, she couldn't help but feel as if she wasn't ever safe in anywhere at all.
Then, she couldn't help but think, most of the blabbers weren't even about her, it was about her sister. She should have been used to this, too, but each time they included her sister in their conversation, Amber couldn't help but feel hurt, overwhelmed.
All they think is about her the most Amber would think, feeling her heart be devoured by the massive hole that's created in the middle of her chest.
But, it was right for them to think of her sister, Delia's the greatest, she's beautiful, voices like an angel, eyes clear as diamonds, and pure blonde. She was everything that Amber wasn't.
And... Kind too, Amber hated the fact that she would think of these thoughts about her nice sister. She hated it... so much, she hated herself for thinking it, even.
Every single day was just her being overwhelmed by the presence of her family, and everyone and how small she felt compared to every single human.
And the only thing she was good at was ballet and that... Was already stupid enough.
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"Welcome home, Berry." Delia greeted sweetly, eyes beaming beautifully, her gloved hand gripped around a tray where cookies were lined up perfectly, though as soon as Delia turned to look at Amber, the tray of cookies were hurriedly placed at the table and Delia hurried to Ambers side.
"W- what had happened? Your face, your arm, your legs! Is this the ballet lessons again?" Usually, when Amber came back, she was always back in midnight, and her excuses were always: Ballet lessons. When in truth, it wasn't, she was locked in the gym for hours till evening. And usually, the bruises were always excused as normal, as Amber told them.
But Delia had always been suspicious of such bruises, they were... Different, not the kind that'll come from ballet but she always had no choice to believe as Amber wouldn't give another option to not.
"Those insufferable kids in school beaten her to a pulp! By the nurses words, I think she was found lifeless on the ground with another boy!" Her mother cried dramatically, the back of her hand pressed onto her forehead.
"That boy must've tried getting pity and so fainted the same time amber fainted after beating her! How crazy is that!?" Her mother yelled in anger, the heels of her palms pressed onto her eyelids. "Now she can't ever go back to the ballet lessons from how injured she is!" Her father cried.
Amber slightly jumped at the mention of Niko, biting her lower lip and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her face lowered down to the ground. She wanted to speak but each time she did, she always felt their eyes on her, condescending, suspicious, judging.
It scared her so much.
Delia who had not paid attention to any word her parents had said only became even worried over her sisters expression, "Berry, what's wrong?" Delia asked, caressing her soft fingers onto Ambers cheek.
"..." Amber's eyes stayed close, shut roughly, her shoulders shook in girth. The presence of her mother's and father's were strong, how could she ever speak against them? With all of these people around her, bigger, smarter, scarier.
Amber only did what she had always done, she smiled at Delia and pulled away, shaking her head. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice too small for anyone to notice the shakiness in it.
She spun and ran out the group of people, where Delia remained kneeled, and her mother and father went on with their misunderstanding words that Delia picked on the more important parts.
As Delia watched Amber's figure disappear in the halls of her house, she'd stood up, "Did you save the nurse's number?" Delia's eyes narrowed, glaring at her parents.
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Amber curled up on her bed, her hands pressed on her ears, her shoulders trembled, her body quivered. Her voice leaking out shakily, I'm scared. Repeatedly.
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With hundreds of rumours circled around the school, their eyes stared and creeped, stripping every single flesh in her as she hugged herself, hugged the folded papers pressed on her chest.
"Maybe I shouldn't have gone to school." She told herself, her head throbbing, feeling how her head started splitting as if an axe had went through her skull and dragging it's blade deeper.
Feeling how their eyes gazed so long at her, people passing by her as if she was just some kind of leaf that was meant to be just one out of a million other leaves.
If it was her sister, everyone would swarm her, but if it was her...
"Hey ribbons," someone called. Amber wanted to tilt her head and look for the voice but she assumed that it was someone else trying to talk to others. Atleast she was used to one thing in life, being alone, it was a little nice compared to other things that she's used and not used to.
She's not even comfortable having people swarm her, how does her sister deal with that? But sometimes... She wondered what it felt like having friends- "HEY!" Someone yelled Infront of her that felt as if the whole entire building had trembled.
It was the same boy yesterday, with his sharp hawk eyes, which somehow resembled cat eyes at some point, his pupils stretched and sharpened, and strangely dark, and his irises matched what she imagined a flame would have if it was shaped into eyes.
His brows furrowed, and his lips quickly uncurled, which made his somewhat infamous robotic face. "I called for you and you never answered, are you really going to ignore me after what I've done? Rude." Niko let his hands fly and gesture around which was really too fast for Amber to scan and understand.
"What is it?" Amber queried, her hands gripped tighter on the papers as she'd straighten her back from the surprise. "And... Well, I thought you were someone else, calling someone else by the name of Ribbons." Amber uttered, gesturing with her hand a bit.
"And... That's not my name," she shook her head, raising a brow next. Niko just stared at her, his hands tucked into his pockets, his lips pursed. Though soon enough, he rolled his eyes and sighed.
"So much questions..." He groaned, Amber flinched at that, she frequently spoke a lot when she had lots in her mind, it's a habit for her to cut someone while they're talking and talk alot which really scares alot of people sometimes.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry..." She repeated, her shoulders going stiff and her head lowered, her grip on the folded papers tighten just faintly.
Niko almost jumped at the sudden apology and even he was confused and shocked, he must've have done something to make her this way, was he a little bit mean with his tone? He's grown really fond of doing that..."No- wait- I mean-" he gulped.
"Stop saying sorry! I was being sarcastic or whatever!" He groaned, feeling as if he wanted to bury himself into a pot and curl into a ball and turn himself into a statue or whatever that makes him disappear.
He'd groan when Amber stared at him with those bright eyes, slightly annoyed at various things that's happening, like how awkward it is, how embarrassed he is, how innocent and pretty her hair is.
He had no problems with socializing but this girl was really bringing out his bad sides and even if she did, he would have NOT been this much flustered, the girl is REALLY something.
"Ribbons a nickname for you," He whispered, his cheeks pinkish. "A nickname?" Amber's eyes almost went so wide she swore her eyes could literally just pop out.
"Yeah, is that so wrong?" He glared at her, rubbing his fist at his cheeks. "No- no, it's just... Surprising since nicknames are only shared by friends." Amber fidgeted, her grip loosening only faintly.
"Well, duh, are we not friends you dumbo?" Niko leaned in, his expression both annoyed and confused at how she's still not getting all of these. Though soon, he actually jumped when he saw Amber smiling and wowing, her ribbon-like hair curling even more. "So you're saying, I can call you Niko?" Amber gleefully cheered.
"Uhhh... Sure, I guess."
"Nikki?"
"No, definitely no." Niko bluntly said, his face blank as a paper as he'd turn around and walk away. "There's only one person that can call me that and I hate them!" He groaned.
"Wh- wait for me!" Amber gasped, following by his side. He was blabbering about how nurse may was really pressing his buttons by calling him that and so much more.
He'd realize how she was only an inch or two shorter than him whilst they walked together. Which was really, nothing. And she somewhat likes that, she doesn't need to be worried over how someone would be looking down at her.
And for the first time ever, she was feeling warm and fuzzy in the inside, without ever stepping in her home. Ignoring the stares the other gives her.
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"Wait, so like, where did you say your class is at?" Niko looked at her and back at the bulletin board of what Amber calls, Board of everything. Where there were papers and posters plastered on to it for information.
"1 Belios, what about it?" She looked at him, confused at how flames started to go wild in his irises, "I'm gonna meet someone, wait here for a bit." He placed a cold hand at her shoulder and ran away and when no one was in his way, he would still push people out.
Amber stared at the paper that was just Infront of her and noticed how Niko, was at 1-A, short for 1 Araemis. Which was very surprising since she didn't really take him for a smart person, and he was in the number 1 class, as a freshman and all.
Though, just like Niko said, he'd be meeting the person for only a bit and came back after just 2 or 3 minutes. He'd wave at Amber to give him some space for a spot Infront of the paper and for a couple of minutes, he'd just blankly stare at the list.
He pulled out his hand and the first thing Amber notices was a pen pinched in his fingers and, confidently enough, he crossed his name at the paper, that was listed in 1-A. Amber, who was VERY confused, just blankly stared at how he confidently added his name besides another person's name, Aiden, who he crossed out and added to 1-A.
"Same," he uttered with his face hung up high and a smirk tugged on his lips after he'd done so, which was just the same as the nurse, just a bit more condescending. "Same... what exactly?" Amber says, already expecting much.
"We... have the same class, isn't that obvious enough?" He glanced at her with a raised brow and back at the paper. "Who- who did you meet actually...?" Amber says frantically, looking around if anyone noticed that he just did some ridiculous stuff.
"The principal, A.K.A my dad's friend." Niko shrugged and tucked the black pen into his hand and stared blankly at Amber. "Told him I was switching classes, took his pen, and ran out, just that. Normal stuff." He shrugged.
"Does he not mind... Like, at all?" Amber whispers, worried for both her and his sake.
"Oh, he does, very much. But I doubt he'll go against to what something has already been done." Niko smiled, "you'll understand soon enough." And patted Amber's shoulder.
"We should really be going to class, by the way," he walked right pass Amber and strutted his way to the hall. Amber, still confused and started to calculate and process the amount of confidence and ego he's been giving out, but in the end, she doesn't really care.
He seems cool and chill, he had somewhat never said how annoying she is and listened to everything she'd say which was really nice and unexpecting for someone like him.
Her first friend ever, and yeah, he's trouble, confident, and has a big ego. But with all that combined into one, makes Niko, and... He isn't all that bad, just that he's very robotic and very apathetic.
After all, he was the one who saved her.
But even when she felt so happy in times like these, she couldn't help but think how... She just let her mom and dad just talk and assume badly about him.
She wonders if one as scaredy as her could be friends with someone as brave as him- "Hey, what are you thinking about? You look all this and that, and when I talk about this and that, it isn't good, and I know good, and this isn't good. So what the hell are you thinking about?" Niko looked at her, eyes narrowed, lips pursed out and slightly gaped, showing off his sharp fangs.
Amber knew if she could just... Talk about herself, her feelings, whatever's happening, she could release all of what she's keeping and hiding. But what would the consequences be? Would Niko still talk to her? Would Niko think badly of her? Would Niko not be a friend of hers anymore?
She doesn't want to ruin anything that feels so good.
"Hehe, nothing." She smiled, shaking her head and gripping tight on her hands, poking her fingernails into her flesh.
Even with Niko's suspicion, he would just shrug it off as they'd walk into the class where people had already socialized and all.
This, was totally a new start to everything.
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Heellloo, in the next chapter maybe there'll be new characters introduced! Maybe even Aiden, the one who replaced Niko will be important!
Amber's first friend! And Niko's first really confusing friend.
I hope you guys are enjoying this!! And I hope you guys have a great day!!