Page 63 of Pages of Amber

Her voice rose, piercing into Amber like claws against her skin. “Mom, please. I did this so I wouldn’t give you any excuses. I did this to help my record.”

“Your record shouldn’t need any help,” her mother scoffed. “This is why I came into your school today. Prestigious ballet companies will be accepting submissions soon and everything should have been ready, Amber. Your tests are next week, your audition is right at the corner and you have the opportunity to dazzle talent scouts and professional dancers. But you throw it all away on some boy?”

“No, it wasn’t like that,” she tried to argue. “I’ve been trying to catch up with my schoolwork and he was help–”

“Of all things, Amber, this is the most stupid one you could have pulled. Why do you keep sabotaging all the hard work I have done for you? Are you truly so selfish? Do you think of anyone but yourself?”

“Mom…”

“You will stop this nonsense immediately. I don’t care what deal you had with this boy or how you plan to perfect your school record but you will do it.” With a fierce glare that dug into Amber’s bones, she ordered, “Don’t think this is over. I will not let you ruin all I have done.”

She stormed out at the twist of her heel, pushing past Amber like she was nothing more than an obstacle in her path. The door slammed hard behind Amber, pulling a landslide on her thoughts that consumed her in the subsequent silence.

Her chest heaved, her head foggy. Amber tried to breathe but her chest felt tight. She couldn’t understand. Her mom hadn’t heard a word Amber had said. She’d demanded an explanation and hadn’t even listened to it.

Why did this have to happen? An hour ago, Amber was happy. She had been optimistic about finishing up the assignment she had painstakingly worked on for weeks despite drowning in the million other assignments and classes she had and the practices she had gone for, even the extra ones she had worked so hard to perfect her variations for the audition. She had struggled to hold it all together. Her work, ballet, friends–

Amber stilled. Her mom had said her friend had told her about the deal. Her head spun. She was drawing in enough air. She felt dizzy. Evelyn and Emmett knew she hadn’t told her mom about the deal but they had never met her mother before. She wouldn’t recognize them as Amber’s friends. Noah had only met Dottie. He wouldn’t have gained anything from telling her mom about the deal between them. The only person she had told was…No.

Amber tried to deny it, but the memory flashed in her head again. Beverly standing at the fountain. Beverly pleading with her. Beverly laughing, ice cream in hand.

“You don’t have to tell me. I only thought… It’s nothing. Forget it.”

Had Beverly tricked her into spilling everything just so she could turn around and spill everything to her mother? Had she still been so angry at Amber that she had planned to stab her in the back? Her fists tightened. Beverly wouldn’t get away with this. Not if Amber had anything to say about it.

Her vision seared red as she marched up to Beverly. Her best friend stood at her locker, talking to Willow and Casey. She threw her head back and laughed, the sight sickening Amber. How could she stand there, happy and uncaring that she had shattered Amber’s trust? As though she felt Amber’s burning glare, Beverly looked over her shoulder. Her dark hair swung around her as she smiled and waved Amber.

“Hey,” she paused, her smile dropping. “Are you okay?”

How could she even ask that? “I bet you’d just love if I wasn’t, wouldn’t you?”

Her response was a slow blink. “What?”

“I’m talking about you breaking my trust like it meant nothing to you! How could you trick me into telling you everything so you could betray me like that?”

“Woah!” Casey jumped in. “We need to calm down here.”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty serious accusation, Amber.” Willow tried to pull her back.

She shrugged off Willow’s hand. “It’s not an accusation when it’s true. Explain this to me why you’d do this. You’re always the one saying I run to her whenever she calls, but you went running the moment I told you everything.”

Beverly reddened. “You think I sold you out to your mom? I might like gossip but I don’t go snitching on other people’s business. I didn’t do anything.”

“Save it,” Amber snapped. “She said my friend told her about that deal or she wouldn’t have known about it. You’re the only one I told, Beverly and you’re the only one my mother would recognize as my friend. She’s known you for years. I’ve known you for years. I thought you were my best friend!”

“Of course, I’m your best friend,” Beverly shot back. “I know I asked you to talk to me but how could you think I’d do that? You know what I think about your mom. Why would I want to talk to her about anything?”

Her scoff was sharp, her voice rising as she continued despite the crowd forming around them. “How would I know? Maybe you got jealous that I wasn’t spending any more time with you. You were being so weird about me hanging out with Evelyn instead of you. You kept asking me about Noah. You wanted me away from them.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Beverly yelled.

No, she wasn’t. She was angry, she was hurt and she was going to get to the bottom of this even if it broke into a fight and left her with a stain on her school record. Amber didn’t care anymore. She had already disappointed her mother. What was one more added to a trail of broken hopes? “What else am I supposed to think–?”

“I don’t know. How about stop thinking so high and mighty of yourself for one second?” Beverly screamed in her face. “You’re not as perfect and put together as you like to make everyone think with your stupid mommy issues and that annoying self-sacrificing thing you do all the time. No one needs that. I’ve been your friend for years. I’ve been beside you through so many struggles that you kept hiding from me. You think I’m your friend because you’re some popular person in a school full of famous people? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then tell me the truth, Beverly. My mom said you were the friend who told her–” A shove to her shoulders ended her words. Beverly didn’t let up, her fingers poking into Amber harshly.

“That’s your source? The unbearable woman who can’t even show you a modicum of love, who makes you swear blind allegiance to her and doesn’t acknowledge you in return? The woman who uses you as an extension of her legacy and treats you like you’re nothing more than a prop? Is that whose word you’re taking over mine?”

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