The next morning came and the phone by her bed was ringing. "Hello?" she muttered into the receiver.

"It's Jeff. Matt's been asking a lot of questions about the party. I think we need to tell him soon."

"I'm on my way," she answered, hanging up the phone without saying goodbye. She pulled on her baggiest t-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans. Absently, she pulled her hair into a careless ponytail and put on her running shoes. She kissed her dad and went out the door, stopping nervously in front of the Hardy's door. She knocked and took a step back as Jeff's tired face appeared.

"Hey. He's in his room." Amy nodded and entered the house, the scent familiar and homey.

"How do you want to do this?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"I think I should talk to him. I'll tell him and see how he takes it. Why don't you wait outside the door and I'll tell you when it's safe to come in."

"I don't want you to have to deal with this on your own. He's my brother, Amy, and you're my best friend."

"You're still my best friend, too, but he's my boyfriend. And I cheated on him last night. With the brother that he loves more than anything. I have to be the one to tell him." Jeff nodded and they went slowly up the stairs together. Jeff slid down the wall and sat on the floor by his brother's door, while Amy warily turned the knob.

Matt was sitting on his bed, wearing his favorite dark blue boxers and a grey muscle shirt, flipping through a magazine. When she came in, his face lit up and he quickly slid over, giving her room to sit down. "What's up?"

She looked at him through misty eyes, and he instantly sobered up. "What's wrong?" Studying her hands, Amy tried to meet his eyes, but she couldn't.

"Something happened last night. Something bad."

"You can tell me," he said gently, lifting her chin with his finger and forcing her to look him in his deep brown eyes. The innocence and pure love that she saw in them was too much. She started crying, sobbing into his chest as he pulled her to him. "Did someone hurt you? C'mon, baby, talk to me."

Amy closed her eyes and tried to steady her emotions. "I did something horrible, Matt. I — I wish I could take it back, I wish I could change everything."

Matt was starting to get worried. "Did you kiss another guy or something?"

She sobbed. "Worse."

"Worse? What's worse, Amy? Tell me." His voice was starting to get sharper, less patient.

"I — I slept with Jeff."

"WHAT?" he yelled, pushing her off of him and jumping to his feet. "Why?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, curling up into a little ball.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"One minute we were sitting by the fireplace and talking, and then six hours later I woke up in bed with him. I don't remember anything!"

Matt stopped pacing the floor and rubbed his face. "What did you have to drink?"

"Only some juice. And I watched it come straight from the unopened container. There was nothing wrong with it. Then I set it down . . . Oh god. Someone spiked my drink, Matt! They must have! I would have *never* slept with Jeff otherwise. Please, Matt, you have to believe me!" she said desperately, hugging herself as she watched his face turn redder and redder.

"You set it down? You never set a drink down at a party! You're the city girl, I would have thought you had enough sense to know that! What about Jeff? Did he set his down, too?"

She nodded.

"Damn! You two are a boxed set!" Amy stood up and grabbed Matt by the shoulders, fighting back a fresh batch of tears when he jerked away.

"Please, Matt, know how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you! None of this was ever supposed to happen!"

He laughed, but there was no mirth in it at all. "I know you didn't mean to Amy. But it still happened. And I don't blame you. I don't. But at the same time, I can't just get this news and then shrug it off. We were supposed to wait for each other. But you lost the most precious gift you could have ever given me to my brother. I'm sorry if you think I'm overreacting, but I . . . I want you to leave. Please just go." He turned away from her before she could see the tears fall from his eyes.

"Matt?"

"Go. Please." Fresh tears streaked down her cheeks as she ran from his room and down the stairs, ignoring Jeff's questioning look. She ran out the front door, down the steps, across the lawn and into her house. Once the door shut behind her, she slid to the floor and sobbed, not stopping until her dad came in a few minutes later.

"Amy? Is everything okay?"

"I want to go back home, Daddy. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just can't be here anymore."

Her dad looked shocked. "What about Matt?"

"He doesn't want me around anymore than I want to be here."