"No." I told him. Brendon walked me around a corner and grabbed my arm.
"What are you lying about? Amber, I'm not going to tell anyone."
"What are you talking about?" I say calmly.
"Amber, you're hiding something. If you tell me, I'll save you the pain of trying to hide it. Imagine how crazy you could go...always having to worry about someone discovering your secret...it could drive you insane." Brendon whispers, taunting me with possible futures.
That couldn't happen...right?
"I'm not hiding anything." Completely not a lie. I'm not hiding anything. I'm simply avoiding using my power when he's around. It's not a secret. Anyone could discover it.
All I'd have to do is erase their memory.
"Amber, you are just asking me to find out." He tells me, moving his face closer to mine.
"There's nothing to find out." I tell him, staring into his big brown eyes.
"Kenzie knows." He says vaguely.
"What?"
"She's in on it."
"You're insane." I tell him, getting away from his interrogating face. He follows me, walking in step with me.
"Then why did she obey you? Blackmail." Brendon concludes.
"Delusional. You're delusional." I decide as I open my locker. Tasha is at her locker with a glare on her face.
"Is that your natural face?" I ask her, desperate to change the subject.
"Is that your natural question? Cause it's stupid." She retorts.
"It was just a question."
"And that was just an opinion."
"How are you today?"
"Bad."
"Oh why?"
"You're talking to me." If Tasha's smile died and then became a ghost, that's what she'd be wearing on her face. Her lips lie somewhere between hate and slightly amused.
"Okay then." I mumble, turning back to my locker. I trade my books before finding that Brendon has been staring at me this entire time.
"What?"
"Nothing." He replies, crossing his arms. "I have a Baseball game to get to." He tells me.
"Okay."
Wait a minute, we still have 7th period.
"Hey!" I yell after him as the warning bell rings.
"What?" Brendon turns around.
"7th period. Baseball practice isn't until after school." I remind him.
"It's a big game today. Coach got us out of 7th for extra practice. But you need to go to class so you;re not late."
"It's sweet that you worry about me but don't. I'll be fine." I tell him. He raises an eyebrow before finally turning away. I watch him open the exit doors and exit the hallway. Tasha is long gone, probably on time to class. I check my schedule and head to 7th period, ready to hypnotize myself out of this one.
***********************
"Are you going to the big game tonight?" My mother asked at dinner.
"What game?" I ask them, eating another spoonful of Chicken Pot Pie.
"The Baseball game Ms. Stone was talking about." My father replies.
"OH!: I realize. "Yeah...I'm not going."
"Well why not?"
"I don't like Baseball." I shrug.
"Amber, what's not to like?" My father questions.
"It's long and boring! I don't even understand how the players stand the game."
"Well when you're good at it, you learn to love it."
"That's Brendon's logic." I clear my plate and stand up, dropping it off at the sink.
"Dishwasher, pumpkin." MY mother calls after me.
"And maybe Brendon isn't wrong." My dad speaks up, bringing his plate to me.
"That'd be a first."
"You could love the game. You never know."
"Except I do. And because he plays it just gives me even more reason to not watch the game."
"Amber! That's very rude! Why would you say that?"
"It's true!"
"What about all those times you went with Barbie?"
"She had a crush on the old pitcher." I explain, rendering the argument invalid.
"And so you got nothing from the game?"
"Nothing besides the fact that he was really cute." I tell my dad. I kiss his cheek before going up to my room. Several Snapchat notifications lie on my phone. I pick it up and click on the first one from Barbie.
Titled OMG, I don't expect much more than a cute guy. I hold down on the screen and see that it's the Baseball field at school. It's hard to make out but then I see Brendon, pitching the ball to the batter. The batter swings hard, hitting the ball. And then the ball flies right at Brendon's face. Everything happens so fast, he falls backwards, hitting the dirt diamond ground and lying there motionless.
My hand covers my mouth, shocked by the hit. And just as quick as he got hit, everyone swarms on the field. The Snapchat ends but I'm stuck staring at the screen. My fingers automatically go to Barbie's number and press call.
"It's bad." She picks up on the second ring.
"How bad?"
"They're considering canceling the rest of the game."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that no one wants to play anymore."
"So?"
"There's lots of paramedics, Amber. And his mom is trying to get on the field but no one will let her." Barbie reports.
"How is he?"
"He's not moving. There's some blood on his forehead but I can't determine everything. There's too many people. LET ME ON THE FIELD!" She screams away from the phone.
"ME? I'm his girlfriend!" I hear her yell.
WHAT?!?!?!
"WHAT!?!?!?!" I yell into the phone.
"And I'm his mother." Ms. Stone can be heard too. I hear someone mumble something before Barbie returns to me.
"I had to get out here and no one was letting his mother get on so some lying was needed." She explains, huffing as she runs.
"M'am would you like to ride in the ambulance?" A voice asks.
"Yes, please." Ms. Stone replies.
"I'm coming with." Barbie tells Ms. Stone and me.
"But you can't!" I tell her.
"Meet me here!"
"I can't." I tell her.
"Your parents will understand." Barbie assures me.
"I don't want to go." I tell her.
"WHAT? AMBER-"
"He wouldn't want me there anyway." I hang up before she can protest any more.
Wow. I can't believe the King of Cocky finally got hit in the face. I hate to say it, but he didn't deserve it. I mean, sure he needed to be put back in his place. He deserved to feel embarrassed and feel crazy but not hurt. Never hurt.
And I can't find it within myself to go see him.
I know, I know. I'm a horrible person. This is no joke. But I can't go.
It would be like admitting I care...
WHICH I DON'T!
It'd be like admitting we're friends...
WHICH WE'RE NOT!
But If I don't care, then why is Barbie calling herself his girlfriend bothering me? I felt so mad when she said that before she explained herself. I wanted to scream.
COULD IT BE-NO WAY!!!
AM I JEALOUS OF BARBIE?
The thought is insane.
Completely ludicrous.
Unbelievable.
I hate Brendon, NOT LIKE HIM!
He's evil, rude, cocky, confident, a big mouth, and completely...that's all I got.
He's a jerk.
He's intolerant of music.
He's...absolutely smoking hot with his shirt off.
I DID NOT JUST THINK THAT! I slap myself lightly across the cheeks, back and forth.
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO!
"Amber, do you want dessert?" My dad asks from the kitchen.
"N-N-No." I stutter out.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dad!" I reply, trying to give a calm front.
"Okay pumpkin. Remember to do your homework! It's almost Friday!" He reminds me. It's Thursday. I have to face him tomorrow.
Unless he has to stay in the hospital. Is it wrong for someone to wish him to stay in the hospital? Even in this situation?
I can't go to school tomorrow.
I am not going to school tomorrow.
My phone buzzes with a FaceTime request from Barbie. She's my best friend and I owe this to her. I press the answer button and her face pops up.
"You shouldn't hang up on me." She says quietly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to talk about him." I reply just as quiet as she spoke. The phone moves and suddenly I'm staring at Ms. Stone.
"Ms. Stone." I address her. She smiles sadly.
"Hello, Amber. Barbie explained that you couldn't make it tonight and so I had her patch you in.
She sniffles, rubbing her nose with a tissue.
"Do you have any update?"
"Only that he's unconscious. Doctors are examining him. They never tell me anything." She sighs.
"Ms. Stone, I wouldn't worry. He'll be okay."
"You didn't see the way his face frowned when he saw he was going to get hit. The way his head was twisting, the way his feet were slipping trying to dodge the prophecy of contact. He was already falling when the ball hit him right in the eye. And then he just laid there. Staying perfectly still. As if he were sleeping. And he knew that it as going to be bad the minute the ball left his hand." Ms. Stone remembers. And the worst part is that I know he knew.
Brendon is a good pitcher. Great even. I've heard all his legends as the girls gossiped in the locker-room all about him. I knew that when he wanted to hit something, he did. There was no doubting his sheer skill. Brendon knew when a pitch was bad, he told me.
"You just know. When you've struck a batter out, you know the minute you let go. And you smile."
"Do you smile a lot?"
"Everytime." He replied, smiling brightly at me.
But now he knew too late. He didn't know quick enough and couldn't take action.
"Ms. Stone." A voice interrupts our stare. She stands up and throws the phone over her shoulder. Luckily, it lands on the seat behind her and Barbie scoops it up.
"You can see your son now."
"Oh heavens! Thank you." She cries out, pushing past as soon as she's got the room number.
"Family only?" Barbie muses shyly.
"I'm afraid so. He should be open for public visits shortly, I assure you." The doctor replies before leaving. She sits back down and holds up her phone.
"Should I be this scared?" Barbie asks me.
"Shh, he'll be okay." I soothe her.
"But what if he's not?"
"He...will...be...okay..." I say slowly, letting each word sink into her.
"You should be here. I shouldn't be here alone." Barbie tells me. I wince, hating that I'm keeping myself away.
"I know. But I don't want to be there." I lie to her.
"Amber-"
"Barbie, drop it." I command, watching her comply.
"Brendon's awake if you want to see him." Ms. Stone takes Barbie's attention. She stares over the screen with a blank look on her face.
"Am I allowed? Is it for the public now?"
"No, but for a few minutes, you're my niece." Ms. Stone told her, helping her up.
"Are you ready, Am-"
I already hung up.