*****
Amy finally saw Ephram pull away. She was relieved but she didn't go over to talk to him yet; she didn't have her emotions under control yet and didn't trust herself not to beat the crap out of him or break down in front of him. Then she saw Jordan lean over again.
"See you later Ephram," Jordan whispered into his ear.
"Huh? Oh… bye," Ephram seemed to be in a kind of trance.
Jordan started to walk away and bumped into Amy. Amy had been standing at the end of a row of books, glaring evilly at the brunette.
"Ephram you've got ummm… company," Jordan yelled over her shoulder, and then she left as fast as she could.
Ephram looked up and saw his girlfriend walking towards him with a death glare and what appeared to be a large book.
"Oh shit!" he said to no one in particular. "Amy, exactly how much did you see?" he asked.
He walked towards her with his arms half out like he was going to hug her. She put the book up in front of her to stop him.
"I saw enough to have to pick up this really big book if I need to whack you."
"Amy, she kissed me. I swear."
He knew she was angry, and hurt, and he would have done anything to change it. He wished he wasn't the cause of that hurt but he knew he was. It made him want to cry knowing that, but he was a man. Crying was not allowed.
"Uh-huh. So you were forced to kiss back?"
"Well no, but." his voice trailed off. He didn't know what to tell her. "Amy please don't be angry with me."
"Don't be angry! What am I supposed to be? Happy?"
She hit him in the arm with the book, but her heart wasn't in it. She knew she had tears in her eyes. She wanted to get out of there before she broke down.
"Amy, wait, don't leave."
She could hear the hurt in his voice. He was about to break down too. But she didn't care.
"Screw you!" was all she said before she left him completely alone.
*****
Ephram was not having a good day. He hadn't had breakfast, due to his father's poor cooking skills. Then he'd been caught in the library, kissing someone other than Amy. He had managed to loose his English homework in the space of two hours, and had accidentally slammed his hand in his locker trying to get it to close properly. By lunch he was ready to bash someone's head in. And, of course, that was the moment Jordan chose to talk to him.
"Ephram?" she asked timidly. She really wasn't one to be timid, she had grown up in Boston after all, but right then he seemed overpowering.
"Not now," he said, not even bothering to find out who it was.
"But Ephram it's important," she knew she was pleading with him but she didn't care.
He turned to find out who was disturbing him and found Jordan behind him. He nearly exploded with anger.
"Jordan, I really don't care what you have to say. I don't want to hear it. You kissed me, left me there, and then got me in trouble with Amy. She still won't talk to me. And now you want to have a little chat, like nothing happened!?! Why should I even speak to you? So you get me in more trouble? I don't think so. Just leave me alone."
"I just came to say I was sorry I got you in trouble."
"You'd better be. Didn't you think about what would happen? Did you think about what it would do, not only to me but to you too? Did you think at all?"
"No, but I've gotta… go. I got this thing I've gotta do… and yeah."
Jordan ran away. She didn't just walk, she flat out ran. He could tell he had upset her, and if he hadn't been so mad at her, he might have cared. He also knew that he shouldn't have snapped like that, but he meant what he said. Eventually he would have to make it right with both girls, but right then, Amy wouldn't talk to him, and Jordan probably wouldn't either.
He sat there, with his headphones on, eating his lunch, trying to think of what he could say to Amy to get her to talk to him again.
*****
After school that day Ephram rode his bike home. He really needed to apologize to Amy. He couldn't stand her not talking to him, he just wasn't sure what to say. He went inside and found the phone. After a few failed attempts, and some yelling at himself, he finally called her. It rang several times before Dr. Abbott picked it up.
"Hello?" Dr. Abbott did not sound like he was having a good day either.
"Dr. Abbott is Amy there?" Ephram asked.
"Yes, hold on one second."
Dr. Abbott took the phone away from his ear and yelled up the stairs to Amy.
"Amy, that purple-haired boy is on the phone for you."
"Dad, his name is Ephram and I'm not home from school yet," Amy sounded annoyed.
"Nice try, he can hear you."
And he could. Ephram was sitting on his couch, trying desperately not to laugh at the goings on in the Abbott household.
"Fine. I've got it up here." Amy called back down the stairs.
"Hi Ephram. Dad I know you are still on the phone, please hang up." Amy was practically ordering her father around.
Suddenly there was a sigh and a click, signaling that the doctor had hung up.
"Ephram, I'm still really mad at you. I don't want to talk to you."
"I know. That's why I called. I can't stand you being mad at me. Can you come over here, we really need to talk." Ephram knew he was pleading with her and normally that would have bothered him but just then he couldn't have cared less.
"Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Dad, I'm going to Ephram's house," Amy called loudly, not knowing where her father was.
"Alright, just call me later," her father called just as loud.
Amy grabbed her jacket and her house keys and ran out the door and down the street, towards Ephram's house.
*
Amy knocked on the door and then looked around. She noticed there was no car in the driveway. She was just wondering where Dr. Brown could be when a voice called out that the door was open.
She opened the door and looked around for Ephram.
"Ephram? Where are you?" she called.
"I'm upstairs."
Amy climbed the stairs, and followed the sound of music playing quietly to Ephram's room. She stood in the doorway and watched him pacing nervously. She had never seen him that nervous before.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Amy asked, laughing at the startled look on the boy's face.
"Oh, yeah. Come in." He took her hand and sat her down on his bed. "Sorry, I'm still trying to think of what I'm going to say that will make you forgive me."
"Okay, well, try me."
After that last statement from Amy, Ephram began to sing, which surprised Amy seeing as that isn't the way one generally apologizes to someone else. He had a very nice voice, mid-tenor. Amy had never heard him sing before, and she was amazed.
What makes you different makes you beautiful,
What's there inside you, shines through to me,
In your eyes I see
All the love I'll ever need,
You're all I need, oh girl,
What makes you different, makes you beautiful to me.
You don't know, How you touched my life
Oh in so many ways I just can't describe,
You taught me what love is supposed to be,
It's all the little things,
That make you beautiful to me.
"That's all I wanted to say. That I think you're beautiful, and I love you. It's okay if you never want to speak to me again, even though I hope you do."
Ephram stood there and sang for Amy. She was completely silent the entire time, and then she sat there with her mouth open, looking shocked after. He began to pace again. He was so nervous. Amy wasn't saying anything. He hoped she wasn't even more mad or hurt. Suddenly he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.
"Ephram, that was absolutely amazing. No one's ever done anything like that for me before. I love you too." She felt him freeze and was about to let him go thinking she had scared him. She stood up, and was about to leave when he turned around, and grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her. He expected her to pull away, yell at him, and kick him out, even though it was his house. But to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back. They stood there in his room kissing like that for quite a long time. Eventually Amy leaned herself back onto his bed, which, of course, pulled Ephram with her.
*****
[A/N: That's it, that's all, no more. You'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out what happens. But review for me, would you?]