Pages of Amber

CHAPTER ONE

“YOU’RE BACK!”

The voice carried through the noisy hallway to Amber, right before its owner slammed into her. She barely missed being knocked into the lockers behind her. The air left her lungs with a whoosh but Amber wouldn’t complain. She had missed her friend too.

“Hi, Bev. It’s good to see you, but I can’t breathe.”

“Good. You left me here all alone.”Beverly pouted, her gloss and glittery eyeshadow reflecting the morning light.

Where Amber often felt pinched in her uniform, her friend looked great in hers. The dark green jacket was tailored to frame her dainty shoulders and her waist. With the crisp white shirt tucked into a checkered green skirt, they looked more like Slytherin students than those of the Academy. The uniform designers must have been Harry Potter fans. She and Beverly were usually the same height but the two-inch-thick heel of her doc martens allowed her to see the top of her friend’s dark head.

“You weren’t alone.”Amber laughed at her friend’s dramatics.“You had Lexi, Willow, Anna and the dozens of other girls who would literally die to be your minions.”

“I mean, of course they want to be my minions. Have you seen me?”

“Yes, you’re gorgeous. We know. Could you flaunt it a little less in front of us mere mortals?”Amber rolled her eyes playfully.

Beverly flipped her dark hair.“Too late, Amber. When it’s out, it’s out. You can’t hold back this gorgeousness.”

“I guess we’re all doomed then.”The friends looked at each other and immediately broke character. Their laughter echoed in the air, drawing the attention of other students milling around before the start of the school day. Amber had barely recovered from the stitch in her side when Beverly latched onto her again, squeezing her tight. She returned the favor, soaking in her friend’s presence after the last two weeks. The one day before resuming back hadn’t been nearly enough to heal over the gaping wounds in her chest.

“This,”Beverly whispered into her hair.“This is why I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Beverly. Every single day I was away.”She meant it, but Beverly pulled back and eyeballed her.

“Really? You’re gonna have to prove it. I’m still mad you missed so many of my calls.”

Amber hadn’t meant to. Before leaving two weeks ago, she’d promised to talk with Beverly as much as she could. This was the longest she would be gone after all, but a lot of things had come up. Each moment had been practice and perfection with little to no breaks. She had been stressed to the limit and she couldn’t bear to answer her friend’s calls, knowing Beverly would be excited to know how she was and how things were going. Amber never would have been able to tell her the truth. So many times she’d picked up her phone to call her best friends at the height of frustration but stopped when she felt the threat of stinging tears.

Amber put in the familiar combination to her locker and swung it open. Her gaze swept the small space, satisfied that everything was as she had left it.“I’m sorry, Bev. I didn’t mean to miss them. You know how my competition trips always go. It’s practice, practice, wardrobe, more practice and then it's competition day. It was all such a whirl-wind, you know?”

“I know.”Beverly pouted but brightened in the next moment.“Congratulations on second place, Amber! I was so excited for you. You should’ve seen me. I was jumping on the sofa and cheering you on when they announced it. My mom and sisters joined me. Everyone said you looked so graceful dancing, you should’ve won first place instead.”

Amber smiled and squeezed her friend’s hand in thanks.“It was a regional ballet competition. Dancers from all over were competing. No way would they give first place to a seventeen-year-old because she was graceful .”

“Even knowing who your mom was?”

“Especially knowing who my mom was. They must have expected better than I did.”

“What more could they want? You’re literally dubbed the‘Princess Prodigy’by the media. I watched the other performances and they didn’t come close. That trophy was yours.”

The warm feeling in her chest rose into her cheeks.“Thanks, Bev. Even though you might be a little biased since I’m your bestie.”

Beverly rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.“Whatever. Those judges can suck it. They don’t know real talent when they see it.”She changed the subject.“I have so much to tell you. You would’ve known it sooner if you had answered your phone, but this way is much better. I’ll talk your ear off with all the latest gossip. It’ll be like you never left.”

Amber moved the books she needed into her arms and dropped her bag in her locker. Beverly bounced on her toes beside her as she began to talk and fill Amber in on everything she had missed. They weren’t the only ones talking in the corridor and Beverly had to increase her volume a bit. The quietness of the morning had been overtaken by the organized chaos of students moving about the hallway, their voices ricocheting against the pillars and high walls.

The buzz of activity brought a smile to Amber’s lips. It was a different buzz than the one she had experienced lately. Compared to the tension and adrenaline high of her competitions, school was a lot more relaxing of an environment for her. Being away from it made her look around with fresh eyes once more, appreciating the simplicity and predictability of the scene before her. The large corridor was buzzing with students, many of them hanging around their lockers either picking out books for the first class of the day or chatting with each other. The few students who caught her eye threw enthusiastic waves and greetings of ‘welcome back, Amber’ and ‘congratulations, Amber.’ She smiled and waved them back. A lot of the competitions and performances she danced in were televised often and Amber had something of a media presence where she posted here and there, but it still came as a surprise that so many of the students followed up on her life and were aware of her.

Beverly squeezed her arm, bringing Amber’s focus to her. Although she was sorry she had missed so many of her friend’s calls, hearing the excitement in her voice and witnessing her smile face-to-face was better than anything else.

“You wouldn’t believe that Poppy and Isla got into a fight. It was pretty bad too. The teachers had to jump in and separate them,”Beverly was saying.

Amber’s eyes widened.“They’ve been best friends for years. What happened?”

Beverly made a sympathetic noise.“You know Poppy has that skincare brand she started in her parents’ plaza. Isla leaked to the news that she used dangerous chemicals and acids in her serums. It’s still an upcoming brand so the story did a lot of damage. Rumor is, she’s always been jealous of Poppy. Her true colors finally revealed themselves.”

“That’s horrible. I can’t imagine how Poppy must feel.”

“I haven’t seen her in school for a few days. Poppy and her parents might take action against Isla for defamation but so far, no one’s heard from her.”

“She trusted her.How could Isla do something like that?”

“It turns out the worst betrayal isn’t the one you never see coming, but the one done by the person you love the most.”Beverly shook her head, as if dispelling the melancholy air.“Oh, I have something to tell you…”

Her words were broken by a loud squeal when they were spotted. With bouncy blonde curls in a high ponytail swinging behind her, Lexi beamed at them as she raced across the hall. Amber hugged her best friend when Lexi crashed into her, surprised once again by the strength of her grip. Where Amber and Beverly both stood at 5’7, Lexi was 5’5. Her small frame and petite features made up her cute personality.

“It’s so good to see you, Amber!”she exclaimed.“You look good. Your little vacation did you wonders.”

“I was only gone two weeks, Lexi. Not two years. I wouldn’t call it a vacation either,”Amber teased as she pulled back. She and Lexi could have been twins in another life. With their blonde hair and similar eye coloring, they’d regularly been mistaken for the other in their first year at Redmington. The uncanny similarities had taken a bit to get used to at first but they’d soon let it become nothing but a joke between them.

“You weren’t trapped here like the rest of us, though. That definitely counts as a break. We missed you.”Her eyes flitted over Amber’s shoulder and a smile stretched over her lips.“And it looks like Beverly and I weren’t the only ones who did.”

Amber turned and met the gaze of several students staring at them. Two boys huddled at the opposite lockers blushed furiously and turned away. The freshmen girls erupted into excited giggles and waved erratically at her. She smiled politely and returned the gesture, half scared they would jump her if she didn’t. As she turned away, Willow and Casey sidled up to Lexi’s side.

“Hi, Amber. Welcome back.”Willow smiled.

Casey drew Amber into a hug.“Congrats on the win. We loved your performance. Beverly wouldn’t shut up about the competition so we wanted to watch and support you.”They shot Beverly a pointed look, matching smiles on their faces.

Side by side, they were a comical friendship duo and total opposites. Willow was tall and well, willowy with ebony hair that shone against her tan skin. Casey was way shorter, around Lexi’s height. Her honey brown hair was in a bob that framed her face and she had cute clips on either side. Amber had known them almost as long as she had Beverly and Lexi. They shared a couple classes too.

Beverly shrugged unapologetically.“I knew you’d love it. Amber is a natural on the stage. Totally should’ve won first place.”

“Yeah. Your dance was beautiful,”Willow agreed.“Casey and I were on babysitting duty when we watched it. By the end of your performance, her cousins were prancing around the room on their tiptoes and knocking into each other. It was the cutest thing.”

“Plus it got them tired so we could get them to bed on time.”Casey laughed.

“Glad I could help out,”Amber joined in. They chatted a little more before the piercing bell rang out its first warning for the students to head to class. Willow checked the time and groaned.

“We haven’t been to our lockers yet. We have to go.”

“Sure. I should get going too,”Amber answered.“I have Mrs. Golding and she’s all the way in the left wing.”

“See you at lunch,”Lexi said, her arm hooking in Beverly’s. Their first class was together. They all said goodbye and separated. Amber moved through the crowd of students to the staircase. She tried not to notice the way they parted, staring at her as she passed. Her gaze caught instead on the school’s crest imprinted on one of the banners hanging from the vaulted ceiling of the halls. A golden‘R’surrounded by a wreath topped with a crown and two crossed swords. Right under it was the Latin motto ‘obstetricante optimum et clarissimum astra’ and the school’s name.

Redmington Academy had been her dad’s dream school for her. Having stood for more than thirty years with a reputation of producing stars and geniuses, Redmington was among the elite schools in New York. It was all he spoke about when she was little. He used to tell her about driving by the school’s compound on his way to work, knowing he would be dropping her off there one day. Only the best for his daughter, he’d say, especially since he didn’t have the best from the beginning. Attending Redmington hadn’t been the only thing he’d missed the last few years but Amber liked to imagine him, wherever he was, proud and smiling every time she walked down the hallways.

A tap on her shoulder startled Amber from her thoughts. She smiled when she recognized Trent. His reciprocated smile was wider than hers, stretching across his dappled face.“The sunshine of Redmigton has returned! It was getting dull here without you.”

“Getting tired of reporting about cafeteria food?”she jested.

“Never. I don’t know what magic they’re doing but everyone keeps looking forward to lunchtime.”Trent was a member of the school’s Press club. More like he was the self-dubbed director of film and press news.“Congratulations on your competition. Those turns were crazy but you nailed them. I’m excited to have you over for an interview again, if you’re up for it.”

A light blush tinged her cheeks.“Thank you. You sure you aren’t sick of me at the studio yet?”

He laughed, his eyes bright.“No way! Everyone loves your interviews. Your last one helped the Press club with more views and engagement. We loved hearing how you won the last competition too.”

“That’s sweet, Trent. I’d love to do another interview. How about I let you know the minute I’m free?”

“Yes!”he cheered.“I’ll be one call or text away. We can’t wait to have you back. I gotta go now or I’ll be late for class. See you, Amber.”

She waved him off and continued to the staircase. Her first class on Tuesdays was History and Mrs. Golding went crazy on students who were late to class. Amber didn’t want to find out if she could be an exception with the excuse that she had recently returned from her trip. A shadow fell before her halfway up the staircase. Amber slowed, expecting the person to pass by. When they didn’t, she looked up. Her feet paused on the steps as a frown instantly wrinkled her face, mirroring the one directed at her.

“You’re actually back. No wonder the air felt hostile this morning,”his voice grated her ears and sent the wheels in her head churning.

Her lip curled at his snobby tone. It was too early in the morning to be getting into a squabble with him, but Amber had never been able to resist this dance. She had built up a bit of an ego doing this too and it did not like to lose to her opponent.

Noah Rhodes took a step closer to her. There were two left between them. Her eyes narrowed on him. He’d better stay where he was. His uniform jacket hung unbuttoned. His leather satchel was slung over his shoulder, one of his hands resting on the strap. The other flicked his hair from his face then dropped into his pocket. Those dark eyes of his flashed wickedly at her. Amber refused to be cowed by the look in them.

Her jaw clenched.“Was that my fault or yours? I think your gloom had time to dig its claws into every inch of this place while I was away.”

“More like I had the freedom to move around without almost getting bulldozed.”He took another step down. His tie swayed with the movement, the dark green striped material matching her uniform skirt. Your move, it taunted .

“Hey, you’re the one who was in the way,”she said. Okay, a weak one. She could do better than that.

“Says who?”That infuriating half-smirk climbed on his face.

He was still a step higher than her. Amber didn’t like that. She knocked her head back and her hair fell over her shoulders. She hadn’t bothered to put it up this morning. Her scalp deserved a break after tugging her hair into tight buns for the last two weeks. Noah’s eyes followed the movement, his gaze dancing over her neck and shoulder where her hair rested.

“Did you miss me so much that you’re willing to pick a fight with me and risk detention? I didn’t think our beloved school president wanted his school record tainted.”

Noah didn’t look away quickly. In fact, he tilted his head and seemed to drag those bottomless eyes across every inch of her face before meeting her eyes. Amber struggled with the urge to flush.

“Maybe you’re the one who missed me since you’re still here, fighting with me. Didn’t your little leave of absence help that stubborn streak of yours?”

Her eyes narrowed. Look who was talking.“You and I both know you’re the stubborn one here, Noah. And you’re still blocking my way. Move. You’ll make me late.”

He acted like he didn’t hear her.

“I didn’t hear you say you didn’t miss me.”

“You know what else I didn’t say? That you’re a–”

The shrill bell cut her off. Amber jumped, her pulse leaping along with her. She was late. A groan left her. This was not a great start to her resumption. The scuffle of shoes brought her attention to Noah who finally moved away from her front. He took the next two steps, placing him below her.

“This isn’t over, Noah,”she said before he could walk away.

“Au contraire, Amber. That round goes to me but it was an easy win so I’m looking forward to the next one. A guy could get used to this winning streak.”

Great. One small win and it had blown his head. What did she expect?

“I hope you get detention,”she wished, turning away from him. She clutched her books to her chest as she took the stairs two at a time.

“Can’t. I have a free period.”

Amber spun on her heel so fast she almost tumbled over. She gripped the rails, her mouth agape. Noah sauntered down the stairs without looking back, a pep in his step that annoyed her. Amber glared at his back as he walked away. The twerp had made her late on purpose. On her first day back. She gritted her teeth. She would get him back in the next round.

With that silent promise and thoughts of hunting Noah down filling her head, Amber hurried to her History class trying to ignore the niggling excitement shefelt lookingforward to when next she and Noah would argue.