An echo of the words Amber spoke to me when I last visited her. My gaze drops to the faded line on my wrist where my leather band used to be. It was there for years, and now I went and lost it. Fucking stupid how it hurts not to have it.
How it matters when it’s just a thing. You’d think I lost a friend. But it was a friend who gave it to me, and it was the last piece of her I had. Now I got nothin’.
“What do you know about Amber?” I ask, the words leaving my mouth before I can think, before I can wonder what she has to do with the darkness swirling in my mind.
“Amber? Ev’s friend?”
“You know more Ambers?” I say irritably, tapping a rhythm with my foot until I realize I’m doing it and stop.
Damn.
“Man, are you seriously hitting on Amber? She’s Ev’s best friend. One wrong move, Ev gets upset, Micah will break both your legs and arms. Not to mention Zane and Rafe.”
“Didn’t ask for your opinion.”
He laughs. “Right. Well, I don’t know much about her. Probably even less than you.”
Thank fuck he isn’t asking why I’m interested. “Humor me.”
“Well, she used to go to school here with Ev. Then her family moved to Chicago, and she only came back the day of the party. She’s thinking of studying design, Ev says. You know she makes jewelry.”
“I didn’t know.” I remember the pendant she wore at the party. Was that one of her pieces? I lean forward, more curious than ever. “Any reason why her family would move to Chicago?”
“Fuck if I know. Maybe her parents got jobs there?”
“Right.” Or the bullying got so bad they moved away. “That’s it?”
“Ev’s the person to ask if you wanna know more.” His gaze sharpens. “Chick really got under your skin, didn’t she?”
“She hates me,” I say, bitterness coating my tongue.
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s scared of you.”
Is she? Well, with good reason. “I frighten her and disgust her. How’s that any better?”
It comes down to the same. She doesn’t want me, and as for me… I can’t wait to see her again.
Chapter Nine
Amber
“I think I know what to wear at the wedding,” Ev says, sprawling on the couch and dumping her purse beside her with a heartfelt sigh. “I tried this white dress yesterday, I think it will be perfect.”
“A short dress?”
“Yeah, short and knitted. With beads.” She grins. “I think you’ll like it, you’re a bead person. What about you?”
A short dress is a surprise where Ev is concerned. Up until recently, she refused to wear anything short, refused to show the scars of surgery on her leg—the one her ex-boyfriend broke when he ran her over with his bike. She’d finally told me the story, after some prodding.
What a bastard.
“Don’t know yet.” What to wear—or even whether to go or not. I place the two mugs of steaming tea on the low table and sink into the chair across from her.
Ev’s eyes pop wide. “You kidding me. It’s in ten days, girl. When are you going to find something?”
“I know.” As if I could forget. My palms start sweating at the mere thought of another social event I’m supposed to attend.
“Hey, we can go shopping together!” She claps her hands together, eyes bright. “I know some cool shops. Time for you to get re-acquainted with your town.”