I Won't Stand Alone
By Piano-Rox-101
Chapter 6 – One Little Mistake Part 2
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Amber sat on the beach, wondering who had taken her guitar. Everyone seemed to think Eric was a pretty good liar… And he had been hiding out in the forest a lot lately…
She jumped up to go search for it.
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She walked by the fire pit and heard voices. Jackson and…Eric? Then she remembered the yelling and how Jackson had told her to go away, and that look on his face… It seemed…scared.
Amber ducked behind a tree to listen.
"Eric, don't be the jerk we all know you are and tell!" Jackson pleaded. There was that 'scared' aura again.
"Give me one good reason not to tell everyone you have to go to juvie!" Eric all but yelled.
Amber felt dizzy. Jackson had to go to juvie? As in juvie hall? For, like, criminals? She might not know much, but she knew her brother was NOT a criminal.
Right?
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A couple hours after Amber overhearing Jackson and Eric, Eric was 'helping' Melissa find and open coconuts.
He looked up and saw Amber walking down the beach in their direction.
"Perfect." He said.
"What's perfect?" Melissa asked.
"Um, some perfect coconuts. WAY down there. Why don't you go get some, and I'll stay here and keep opening the ones we already have?" Eric said.
Melissa raised her eyebrow, but walked down anyway. She spotted something on the ground.
"It's a guitar." She opened the case, and saw a pink guitar inside. "Why is Amber keeping this way out here?"
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"Eric, give it back." Amber glared at him.
"I don't have it. Melissa does. She's up there with it now." Eric pointed.
Amber saw a flash of pink, and took off.
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Someone came up behind Melissa. She turned around. Amber was standing there, an angry expression on her face.
"What did I do?" Melissa said.
"I'd have thought that would be obvious." Amber looked at the guitar.
"Wait-you think I took it?" Melissa replied.
"Why else would it be was out here?"
Melissa stood up, getting angry as well. "What would I need a guitar for?"
"Yeah, what would she need a guitar for?" Eric had arrived.
"You're the one that told me she took it in the first place!" Amber turned to him.
"Wait, Eric told you I took it? Why would you listen to him?" Melissa said.
Daley emerged from the trees. "What are you yelling about?" She said.
They all broke out, trying to explain their story before the others. Soon, they were arguing again.
"What's going on?" Nathan had been drawn towards the noise as well.
"I'm trying to read, what's going on?" Lex appeared.
"Is the only thing you people are capable of doing yelling?" Taylor yelled, trying to be heard.
"NOW what's the matter?" Jackson said.
Amber turned to him. "What's the matter? The matter is you have to go to juvie hall and you didn't tell me!"
"How did you find out?"
"I overheard you and Eric talking about it!"
"You don't know the whole story-"
"I don't care! I can't believe you would keep something like that from me!" Amber stormed away.
Everyone was looking at Jackson. He was standing there, looking more lost than ever.
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Everyone wandered away, and Jackson sat down in the sand. He took Amber's guitar out of it's case and looked at the signatures on the outside. He ran his fingers over "Dad".
"I wish you were here." He said quietly.
"Who?" Jackson jumped and saw Melissa. She sat down next to him. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She added.
"My dad." He blurted. "He died when Amber was ten. On my thirteenth birthday."
"I'm so sorry." Melissa said.
"He died from cancer. My mom went crazy when he was put in the hospital. When the doctors realized Amber and I always came alone, they sent someone to find out what was wrong. A week later, our dad died and we were sent to a foster home. A year after that, the foster family had to move and we were sent to separate foster homes. We haven't seen each other since."
"What about the juvie hall thing?" She asked.
"A guy got stabbed defending me when I went back to my old neighborhood. I was framed, and there isn't any proof supporting me."
Melissa stared out at the sea, but he could tell she was still listening.
"Amber and I have never fought. Until now." Melissa turned to him.
She took the guitar out of his hands and began strumming it. "This is way out of tune." She grabbed a tuner out of the guitar case and began tuning the guitar.
"You play guitar?" Jackson looked surprised.
"Yep!" She said.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"You never asked." She shrugged.
They leaned in. Just before their lips touch, a scream rang through the forest.
"Amber!" Jackson and Melissa ran in the direction of the scream.
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A/N: This story is probably almost over. I have a lot of stories going on, so I'd like to finish them up. Sorry if this disappoints anyone!