Kelsey Rose: Eeee. This excites me. I always have so much fun writing for this story! Here's to another chapter. -love-
Tracy: I love this story, it's so much fun and such a switch from what Kelsey and I are used to with these characters -hint, hint.- Enjoy!
It was either by sheer luck, or complete lack of it, that Amber departed from Corny's dressing room at the exact moment that Shelley had, for whatever reason unbeknownst to her, pressed her lips against Link's. It unfolded almost in slow motion for her, and there was a sudden, sick twinge in the pit of her stomach. Her lips curled into a sneer, her eyes suddenly burning with an almost blinding sensation that she didn't realize until much later as jealousy. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she locked her knees in place, though she couldn't be quite sure if all of that was because of the scene in front of her, or because of what had taken place in Corny's dressing room just moments ago.
She swallowed the hard lump in her throat, clenched her teeth, and narrowed her eyes. Her heart was pounding, and she ducked her head, letting her voice escape from her in a loud hiss.
"Shelley! Come here!" She was half tempted to stomp her foot, motioning to the spot on the floor in front of her. What in the hell was she trying to prove by kissing Link? Link, of all people. The thought alone made her stomach churn, though she tried her best to keep her composure as the remaining Council members scattered around her.
Shelley had almost reached the stage door when she heard Amber's shrill voice. Rolling her eyes in irritation, she groaned, propped her hand upon her hip, and paused in mid-step, her back still turned to Amber. She knew exactly what she was so pissed about. It didn't exactly take a brain surgeon to put two and two together.
"I'm not a dog, Amber," She called over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed, despite the fact that Amber couldn't see. "You have legs. Walk."
If, at that moment, Amber hadn't been so fiercely desperate to confront Shelley, she would have protested, or just abandoned the entire situation. She was, however, in no mood to let this matter drop, and her feet almost instinctively carried her across the studio floor. Once she reached the redhead, she reached for her slender wrist, wrapping her thin fingers around it and pulling her behind a wall, gritting her teeth at her.
"What in the hell was that?" Her cheeks were flushed, "What, you're just kissing random idiots now?"
Shelley laughed meanly.
"Yes, Amber, that's exactly what I'm doing," She scowled at her. "You and Link are just the start of the 'random idiots' I plan on kissing," Shelley snatched her wrist away from Amber and took a step back. "You know, you have a lot of nerve, walking out of his room, after just fucking him, to yell at me for kissing someone. Really classy, Amber."
Amber narrowed her steely blue eyes at the other girl, taking an awkward step away from her before scoffing softly and lowering her voice.
"I didn't fuck him, Shelley. Jesus Christ, what do you think he is, Superman? I was only in there for ten minutes." She pursed her lips together. It would have been smart of her to stop speaking now, if only to save herself the embarrassment of any hypocrisy, but it was far too late for that. "Stop being so damn paranoid, would you?"
It would have been so much easier to lie to her if Amber's cheeks weren't quite so flushed, her lips not quite as full. She let her tongue dart out of her mouth nervously, then attempted to steady her trembling hands.
If she had been in her right mind, Shelley would have known better. She knew that Amber had only been in there for a very short amount of time, but jealousy always made her jump to conclusions and say overtly idiotic things in turn.
"I never said I was," She hissed, her eyes narrowed still. "You're the one charging out of that man's dressing room, your legs and hands trembling for God-knows-why, mad because I kissed someone else," Shelley lowered her voice threateningly. "I swear to God, Amber, you are the biggest, saddest hypocrite I know."
She turned her back to Amber. There was no way in hell she was going to deal with her and this right now.
"Just back off, would you?" Shelley snapped, her piercing gaze set ahead of her as she began to excuse herself from the confrontation.
There was something in Amber that would just not allow her to back down from this sudden argument, and she sneered.
"You're pathetic! Don't turn your back on me!" She reached for the other girl's shoulders, digging her nails into her dress, forcing her to lock eyes with her. "I think the least you owe me is some kind of explanation, Shelley. What the hell, you don't even like Link." She glared at her, the corners of her mouth slowly transforming into a subtle frown, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Do you?" Her words were soft, and barely above a whisper, nearly drowned out by the sudden clack of dress shoes against the cement floor as Corny made his way down the hallway, blatantly ignoring the girls as they stood facing each other.
Shelley managed to keep herself from squealing in surprise as Amber roughly grabbed onto her shoulders and spun her about. She glared maliciously at the blonde, her teeth biting down on her tongue harshly as she fought back the urge to slap some sense into her.
"Don't you ever touch me like that again, Amber von Tussle," She warned her, both of her hands forming taut fists at her sides. "And, as for Link, who I like is really none of your business, now, is it?" Shelley could've gone into a long spill about the past, and about her and Link's history, but she wanted to save herself from the yuck-fest.
Just as she was about to shove another threat in Amber's direction, a bit of movement caught her eye. She let her gaze wander over, only to find Corny walking to someplace nearby. Hardly stifling a loud, sardonic laugh, she glanced back at Amber, her expression dappled with hatred.
"Oh, look, Amber, it's your little old fuck-buddy," She said cruelly, her voice taking on a high-pitched, mocking tone. "Quick, you better hurry and get on your knees before it's too late."
Amber gasped sharply, her eyes narrowed into slits of blue hatred.
"You bitch!" She had always prided herself on being able to contain the violent tendencies that slipped into her brain at any given time during the day, but all of those restraints had been pushed out the window at Shelley's words.
She lunged forward suddenly, curling her fingers into claws and tangling them into Shelley's red hair, pulling her head back viciously, a low cry beginning in her throat and tearing through her. She couldn't be exactly sure why she had decided to take such a heated stance against her, though part of her believed that it was more to defend her own self-image than for Corny himself.
Shelley howled in pain as she felt the force of Amber yanking her hair. Cursing loudly, she took her hand and swiped it across Amber's face, her fingernails digging into the skin as it went. She pushed Amber with both of her hands, and then dug her fingers into her perfect blonde hair. Shelley pulled with a merciless vigor, her sharp fingernails scratching violently against the other girl's scalp. Amber had started this whole mess, and she was entirely set on making her feel damn sorry for even thinking that she had any place to do so.
Amber screeched in retaliation. Instinct told her to release Shelley and clutch her own face, but pure adrenaline told her to pull harder on the red strands and to dig her fingernails into the most tender part of her scalp. She followed these internal instructions, yanking on the strands despite the searing pain that Shelley was currently inflicting upon her.
As much as Shelley wanted to scream, she kept herself from it. She wasn't weak like that; she blatantly refused to let Amber get the better of her, especially in a public setting such as this. Grunting angrily, she blinked her eyes, trying to keep them from tearing up more than they already were. Her strength was slowly being taken from her, but she fought back, pulling, yanking, and scratching at Amber's skin and hair in attempts to successfully counter her.
"Don't fucking touch me!" Amber yelled. However, it was, of course, too late for that. She had already left scratches running down the length of her cheek, and her face was throbbing. She growled, letting herself be taken by another rush as she lunged for her again, managing to dig her nails into the tender flesh of Shelley's cheek, just as she heard the sudden voice behind them.
"Hey!" He called out sharply, his shoes noisy on the ground as he rushed toward them, "Cut it out!" His long fingers hooked around Amber's waist, pulling her away from the redhead, though not without a bit of a struggle from her first. Corny pushed Shelley away, somewhat surprised at the strength of the thin girl. He let one hand rest gently against Shelley's shoulder, cupping it somewhat awkwardly, and the other against Amber's hip, though not necessarily holding her to him. "What the hell's going on?"
He glanced accusingly towards Shelley, making no motion to move from either of them, his blue eyes narrowed.
"What's your problem, Shelley?"
Amber stood beside him, her eyes burning as she rolled them back into her head, desperate to stop the tears before they fell. She let her fingers work around Corny's hand, holding it lightly, somewhat unconsciously.
Shelley breathed heavily for a moment, her eyes fixed in such a furious and challenging fashion that she essentially provoked Corny and Amber to try anything in front of her. She shrugged her shoulder brusquely out of Corny's grasp, and stepped away from the pair of them.
"Get your hand off me, you pathetic, womanizing asshole!" She barked at him, the pain finally setting in at full force. Her body ached suddenly, and she wanted nothing more than to just run away, head home, and nurse her wounds in the privacy of her bedroom. Glaring at both of them, she actually had to keep herself from spitting in disgust, throwing up, lashing out at both Corny and Amber, or all of the above. "And, while you're at it, tell your little slut to keep her hands to herself, too."
Amber gasped once more and shifted suddenly. Corny moved quickly, catching her before she could attack again.
"Amber, stop." He let his eyes meet hers, his voice firm and clearly not amused. "Just stop."
She was slightly put off at the idea that he wasn't as outraged as she was at Shelley's words, and glared at him for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest and trying to ignore the sudden feeling of complete brokenness that encompassed her.
"Corny! She-" She pointed accusingly at Shelley, as if he hadn't just witnessed the entire event.
"I said stop." He glared harshly at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him, her cheeks blushing a deeper shade of crimson, looking away from both of them. "Shelley, just go. Just go home."
Shelley stared at Corny incredulously for a moment, while he made no effort to move towards either of them, but kept his eyes focused on the redhead. Amber watched Shelley with heavy eyes, clenching her jaw and rocking back on her heels slightly in a subtle attempt to soothe herself from the pain. Shelley, on the other hand, could only continue stare at him, an enormous depth of hatred in her eyes.
"Yes, Shelley, go home." Amber sneered at her suddenly, "If you're that damn jealous, just go."
"Amber," His voice was at a warning tone, and he turned to look at her now, his eyes dark. "She has nothing to be jealous of. There is nothing going on between us, isn't that right?"
She caught his gaze, then clenched her jaw. God, he was stupider than she thought he was, if he didn't realize that Shelley already knew about them. Still, she let herself play along with his charade, however remorsefully.
"That's right."
Shelley let her mouth hang open. Whether it was in shock, disbelief, anger, hurt, or what, she couldn't decide. However, one thing she did know was that she wasn't about to take shit from Corny, too, much less be tag-teamed by Amber and him. That was just a complete and total insult, as well as vicious slap to the face. Practically hissing venom at both of them, she forcefully shoved Corny with her hands, her eyes seething with rage.
"Don't you tell me what to do," She warned, her lips peeled back in an ugly sneer as she gritted her teeth. "I'm not stupid, Corny. I've seen you two together. So, don't fucking treat me like a damn oblivious child. It's insulting," Shelley dug her fingernails into his shoulder through the cloth of his jacket, where one of her hands had chosen to challengingly rest after the shove.
Corny glared at her, his blue eyes narrowed, before taking a step back, brushing her hand from his shoulder.
"If you're going to yell at me like you're some high and mighty superhero of an adult, at least get your facts straight. Jesus," Shelley paused to sigh in frustration. "You're about as stupid as her," She glared over at Amber, and then glanced back at Corny. "At least you have a little better taste in things."
"Listen to me, Shelley, and listen good." Amber watched as Corny took a step closer to Shelley, and another step away from her. She was slightly intrigued by the fact that even now, when he was beyond frustrated, he managed to keep his cool. Still, as her eyes brushed Shelley's, she lowered her gaze to the ground, unable to look the seething redhead in the eye. "Watch your mouth. I could have you off this show with one damn breath, do you understand?"
"Corny!" Amber chastised him suddenly, her cheeks flushing for no apparent reason. She could not allow him to kick her off the show; that would totally cease their interactions altogether, and as painful as it often was to see her, she knew that she could not function without these sporadic fights between them.
Shelley scoffed. Oh, wow. There was the world's most original comeback right there.
"Oh, yeah? Is that the breath where you say 'I'm coming!'" She mocked Corny's voice as she said it, and then rolled her eyes in disgust. "That's how you got Brenda off the show, right?" Shelley took a step back from him with her head held high and her shoulders back proudly. "Well, hate to burst your bubble, O Great One, but I'm not like Brenda. I actually let my brain control me, and not what's between my legs," She scowled at him. "You're a sick, disgusting, and pathetic man. I really don't know what Amber sees in you, because you're just a horny and absolutely worthless piece of shit."
Amber let herself gasp at the other girl's statement, and Corny clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes into hateful slits toward Shelley. He took another step toward her, and when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"You are a little girl that thinks she knows everything about the whole God-damn world, aren't you? Shelley, I'm telling you this once, and never again: Stay the hell out of my personal business." He turned to glare at Amber suddenly, his eyes dark. "Did you tell her?"
Amber was slightly taken aback, considering the fact that until just this moment, he had denied her existence in his life at all. She glanced at Shelley, who appeared rather smug, despite Corny's hollow threat, her face flushing a deep crimson, before shaking her head quickly.
"No—I… tell her what?"
He stood watching her, his face taut. His eyes were dark, studying hers. He was attempting to communicate with her through that intense gaze, and Amber immediately knew what he was asking. Had she told Shelley about her and Corny? God, no. That was the absolute last thing on earth she ever would have done.
"No," Her reply was simple and quiet, "I wouldn't. I didn't."
His jaw tightened, and for a moment he looked as if he might speak, but then turned to Shelley again.
"You'd do well to not go around sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Shelley. Try to remember that."
Shelley laughed meanly at his remark.
"I could say the same about you and your dick, Corny," She spat back at him, her eyes narrowed and ablaze with a silent challenge. Shelley had no shame; she could argue with him until they both took their last breaths. That didn't faze her. Besides, she would be damned if she let him go on like this, with Amber, while she knew every aspect of their little, perverse game.
"Shelley!" Amber pushed in front of Corny suddenly, narrowing her eyes at the other girl, "Stop! That's disgusting, and it's a total lie!"
"Oh, really, Amber?" Shelley snapped at her, shoving her with all of the strength she could muster. "You're such a little lying slut, you know that? You'll fuck anyone who even spends so much as twenty seconds with you," She glared. "It's really rather sad."
"You're one to talk, you manipulative little whore," she shot back quickly, her blue eyes slits of hatred, "You're so damn stupid, Shelley, that now you're even beginning to put yourself down. You think—"
"Stop!" Corny interrupted them, grasping Amber by the shoulder and pushing her back further, "Jesus, Christ, get a hold of yourselves."
"Don't you touch her!" Shelley growled, lunging at Corny almost involuntarily. She grasped onto one of his wrists, her fingernails digging into the skin there, as well as on his neck, where her other hand went.
"What the hell!" Corny cried the words suddenly, his hand working around Shelley's wrist and attempting to force her away from him, his hands pushing her back, only to have her lunge back at him all over again, "Amber, get her off of me!"
Amber stood watching them for a moment, looking on as Shelley's fingernails dug into his skin. She took a slight step forward, and let her hands reach out, though this time without sharpening her claws or scraping them down either person's cheek. Instead, she let her hand fall gently on Shelley's shoulder, if only for a moment, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Shelley… don't," she pleaded with her quietly, shaking her head, "Just let it go."
For a moment, Shelley seriously debated telling Amber off for even thinking that she would just let something go. That wasn't her style at all. As a matter of fact, that was the last thing on her mind with any situation, though this particular one especially. Groaning angrily, she snatched her hands away and stepped back. She glared at Amber once more and yanked her coat around herself again.
"Have a nice life," She rejoined forebodingly, her legs carrying her away from both of them promptly and without any remorse whatsoever.
Amber blinked, then swallowed, watching her go and using every inch of her strength not to follow her before turning back to Corny, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at him.
"You've ruined everything, Corny." Her voice was low and monotone.
He arched an eyebrow at her, letting his hands straighten his collar before speaking.
"Oh, please, Amber. You and Shelley have hated each other since the beginning of time. I think you'll live."
"Yeah, I'll live," she snapped back at him, "no thanks to you, I'm sure. You seem to make an effort to keep me miserable, Corny."
He smirked at her, his eyes meeting hers.
"Yeah, well," he cleared his throat, dipping his head close to hers, "You manage to make my life a living hell without even trying."
He was gone a moment later, and Amber stood in the silence of the corridor before her feet were moving, her heels clicking against the floor as she raced toward the door that she'd seen Shelley exit from just moments before, pushing it open and dashing into the parking lot, calling her name into the nearly abandoned space there, moving until she caught up with her, panting slightly.
"Shelley, don't do this," she sighed suddenly, shaking her head, "Don't just leave like this again."
Shelley was in the process of unlocking her car, when she heard Amber's grating voice. Turning to gaze at her irritably, she leaned her hip against her car and placed her hand on her other one.
"Stop acting like a spineless, groveling wimp, Amber," She said pitilessly, her expression indifferent. "Grow up, and go back inside, into his office, where you and the rest of those whores belong."
Amber sucked in her bottom lip, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head, the wind whipping through her blonde hair, only serving to dishevel her further.
"That's not where I belong," she tried to insist quietly, "It's just… it's the only place I can find any kind of love."
Shelley rolled her eyes in disgust.
"You are so pathetic," She finally unlocked her car, opened the door, and tossed her purse in the passenger's seat. "That's not love. He's using you because he knows that he can take advantage of dumbassed teenaged girls like you."
Amber narrowed her eyes suddenly, stepping closer to her.
"Does that make you feel better?" She asked suddenly, "Thinking like that, thinking that he's only using me to break my heart? Does that make you happy, Shelley?"
Shelley stared at her indignantly, letting her shoulders fall in mock defeat.
"Sure, Amber," She tossed her hands up, clearly signifying that she was through with the conversation. "Whatever. If that's what you want to think, be my guest, but I'm not playing this game with you anymore. Do you understand me?" Shelley got into her car, one foot still propped upon the concrete of the parking lot. "You can have him, and only him, but don't you dare come crying to me when you wind up just like Brenda."
Amber held the car door open, glaring down at her, her eyes burning with all of the emotion she was forcing herself to hold back.
"Believe me, I won't," she told her quietly, her tone cold and hurt, "You're never there for me to cry to, anyway."
"I shouldn't have to be," She replied tartly, her eyebrows lowering. "You're a big girl, after all, Amber," Shelley told her sardonically, as she reached for the handle to close the car door. "Now, move."
"No." Amber stayed put, her fingers tightening around the edge of the door. "I'm not moving until you tell me why we keep playing this game with each other. I am not moving an inch until you satisfy me with an answer."
"You don't deserve any answers from me, Amber von Tussle," She attempted to slap Amber's hands away from the door. "You're going to make me late. Get out of the way."
"No," Amber repeated, her voice harder this time, "Stop telling me what to do, Shelley. You have no right to do this. You can't just run away from me every time you don't feel like fighting anymore."
"I do have the right," She rolled her eyes yet again. "Amber, I'm not going to talk about this with you anymore. I want nothing more to do with you. Do I seriously have to spell that out for you?"
Amber stared down at her hard, clenching her jaw.
"Fine." She took a step back from her, slamming the door, nearly catching Shelley's fingers in the hinges. "Go, you heartless bitch. Just get the hell away, and call me later to let me know what it feels like knowing you're going to spend the rest of your life alone."
She didn't wait to watch Shelley's car pull out of the lot and spun on her heels, stomping her way back into the studio and slamming the door behind her as she entered.
It wasn't pride, or anger that kept her from standing there, screaming obscenities at her even as she drove away. Amber wasn't afraid to test her; she'd done it so many times before that it had just come to be a natural part of their relationship.
The only thing that really kept Amber from screaming and throwing things at her car as she drove away was the fact that, after everything they'd been through, it hurt too damn much to watch her leave again.