Amber stared wistfully out the window at the feathery snowflakes falling from the sky. She was stuck in another committee meeting; this time, it was before school. She wasn't paying any attention to what was going on.
"Amber? Amber!" Jimmy shook her.
Angry that he had stopped her mind from wandering, she said, annoyed, "What?"
"Well, Craig had the idea that everyone wear red, white, or pink for the dance. What do you think?"
Amber was blunt. "No."
Craig stood up. "Why not?"
Amber shrugged her shoulders, unable to think of a good reason. "I just think it's a bad idea."
This started a long round of arguments, and they didn't cease for quite a while.
Spinner was comically turning his head back from Craig, then to Amber, than back to Craig again. He watched as they tossed arguments mingled with insults at eachother. He thought it was hilarious.
Arguing like a married couple, Spinner thought. He thought of it as a lover's spat, and it amused him that their faces were set in such angry expressions. They were arguing over such a small and stupid thing, and they were carrying it way too far. It was annoying to hear them scream at eachother, but it was funny enough that it would be a shame to stop them.
He wondered what they were thinking.
Why doesn't Amber just give up and take my side for once? Craig thought.
Why can't Craig just stop? He should just let me win! Amber thought.
They kept going at it, and it seemed like they'd never stop. It seemed as though they would never run out of mean things to say to eachother.
Jimmy finally yelled, "Stop!"
They stopped, and breathing hard, they stared at Jimmy.
"Sit down," Jimmy commanded.
"Well, now that you've wasted the whole meeting, we'll have to schedule another one." Jimmy's tone was icy.
The bell rang, and everybody got up to leave.
"Wait, Amber."
Amber turned. Thinking Craig was going to apologize, a smug grin grew on her face.
Instead, Craig said, "Aren't you going to thank me?"
Amber was surprised. "For what?"
Giving up, Craig resignedly said, "Never mind," and left.
Amber was digging through the pigsty of her locker with Terri standing directly behind her.
"Serves me right for having a messy locker, I guess," Amber said.
They both laughed at that.
Suddenly, the P.A. system came on.
It blared, "Amber Sullivan, please report to the office." Then, it repeated again, "Amber Sullivan, please come to the office."
Amber was startled. She hoped she wasn't in trouble. At Terri's questioning glance, Amber gestured that she had no idea what was going on. She stuffed everything back into her locker, and hurried down to the office.
"Amber, dear, your father is very ill."
Amber's expression didn't change. Her expression was blank, and apparently, the fact hadn't registered in her mind.
"You need to go home right away and pack. You'll be with your father. You'll be gone for a while, but don't worry about your homework."
The lady patted Amber on the shoulder. Amber moved away, and slowly retreated out of the room.
"So, what happened?" Terri asked as Amber piled things into her backpack.
"My dad's really sick, so we have to go to be with him."
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be. I don't really care all that much."
With that, Amber slammed her locker shut. She walked out of the school with her head held high. But even though she had insisted that she didn't care, there was still a trace of a tear forming in Amber's eye.