( The next morning )
A soft but weary groan escaped Amy's throat as she turned over in her bed, having been awakened by the audible knock on her door. Her eyelids fluttered open for a split second and then shut as she proceeded to pull the covers up and over her head, blocking out the rays of sunlight that filtered in between the brown suede curtains, that hung over the large window across the room. She settled in once again, intent on going back to sleep, not quite caring who was at the door. It must have been about seven o' clock in the morning, and definitely not the time she normally would be waking up. Suddenly, there it was again. The knocking, this time more audible and intent than before.
She grunted irritably, sensing that whoever it was wasn't going to go away anytime soon. As much as she didn't want to, she brought the covers down and opened her eyes. Blinking back the sluggishness that still lingered behind, she rolled her eyes and crawled out of bed. She stole a glance at the digital clock on her nightstand, her eyes widening in horror. Seven thirty in the morning! Who the hell would wake her up this damn early? A scoff escaped her as she staggered out of her bedroom, through the foyer and towards the door. "Whoever it is, I'm going to kick their ass."
The knocking continued and it was becoming more and more obnoxious. "I'm coming damn it!" She cried. Almost immediately, the knocking ceased. She exhaled sharply when she finally reached the door. Not bothering to glance into the peek-hole, she opened it ajar and peeked her head out, raising her eyes up to see Christian standing there. She sighed wearily. Great. Just great. What did he want now? Whatever it was, she didn't really care. "What do you want?"
Christian sighed a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry if I woke you sweetheart, but I wanted to come by and apologize for last night."
She rolled her eyes. "It's seven thirty in the morning! Couldn't you have come by later today when I'm actually awake?"
This time it was he who rolled his eyes. "Look, I thought I'd come over now so I could go to work with some peace of mind, or at the very least, not feel like such a selfish prick for the next few hours." He scowled, gazing at her intently but with a hint of tenderness in his eyes. "I really am sorry sweetheart. I was out of line. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did."
She dropped her gaze to the floor, leaning her head against the door frame and sighing woefully. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she pursed her lips, refusing to let them fall. She shook her head, "I can't do this." She pulled her head back and started to close the door, but he brought his hand out to keep it from closing. Lifting her gaze up to his, her brows furrowed incriminatingly. What did he think he was doing?
"Please," he pleaded softly. "Let me come in. I won't stay long, I promise." He stole a glance down the hallway, "I have to leave for work soon anyway."
For a long moment, she stood there, staring at him blankly and debating whether or not she should in fact let him in. She couldn't afford to be hurt again. Not like last night. It was too much to take right now. Finally, she went on to open the door wider, allowing him to walk in. "Fine. Whatever." She whirled back around on her heels, scurrying back in the direction of her bedroom, leaving it up to him to shut the door. He followed her into her bedroom without a word. She didn't dare glance back at him, but simply pulled back the covers and crawled back into bed. A weary sigh escaped her as she settled in to get comfortable once again.
He moved closer to her, hesitated and then dropped down into the space given to him at the end of her bed. She didn't protest but turned to lie on her side, looking expectantly down the length of her body at him. He sighed deeply, scowling down at her, "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have blown up at you the way I did, but after all the shit that I had to deal with yesterday, I felt like the whole God damn world was against me." He reached out to take her hand in his. As much as it pained her to do it, she pulled her hand back, preventing him from doing so. His scowl deepened, "I really am sorry sweetheart. I was an asshole, and I shouldn't have taken out my day's aggression on you."
Her heart constricted in her chest seeing the sorrow in his eyes, and for a minute, she was almost tempted to tell him what had been going on with her. "Kimber..." Her voice trailed off. She exhaled sharply, her heart pounding frantically in her chest.
His brows stitched together inquisitively. "Kimber what?"
She swallowed the huge lump that had formed in her throat. "Kimber...thought it would boost my self-esteem if she gave me a make-over." Okay, so that was a cop out, but after the way he reacted last night, all hell would probably break loose if she came right out and told him she was doing drugs.
He sighed softly. "You told me that already, but if you honestly like the way you look, I guess this is just something I'll have to get used to."
She scowled, looking up at the ceiling. "Last night, after our fight, I came back here...and I put on that song. You know? That LeAnn Rimes song we danced to at that Monty's restaurant where we first had dinner?"
He nodded his head in regard, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I remember."
She nodded, her heart constricting in her chest as the flood gates threatened to spill open. She bit down on her bottom lip, holding her emotions at bay but it was a struggle in itself. "I put that song on and I just curled up in bed, and cried myself to sleep." Her voice broke as she continued, "I was so upset. I felt like I would never stop crying." She wouldn't tell him this, but if a hit or two of coke wouldn't keep her wired all night, she would have actually taken it in an attempt to drown out the sorrows. Even alcohol sounded good to her last night, but the only alcohol in her posession would be found in Christian's apartment, and getting it would have been more than a longshot.
Christian dropped his gaze to the floor, seeming to be holding back his own emotions as he listened to her speak. She cocked her head, noticing the pained expression on his face. He was more than likely swimming in a sea of guilt, and he should be. His blow up had been totally uncalled for, and all it had succeeded in doing was reminding her of the bastard father she had been burdened with for the last nineteen years of her life. The father that still wanted her back in his life, regardless of his past abuse on her and her mother. He shook his head, inhaling deeply and finally raising his eyes up to hers. "I'm so sorry sweetheart." He reached out to grasp her hand once again, and this time, she actually let him take it and give it a soft squeeze. "I didn't think I'd upset you that much. I'm sorry."
A single tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek. "You...accused me of doing drugs." She cringed, praying that he wouldn't see through the guilt that lingered on her face.
He exhaled sharply, pursing his lips and shaking his head. "I know, and I'm sorry. I should have believed you." He gazed deeply into her eyes. "You're better than that."
She gingerly nodded her head. "I know."
"Are you feeling any better this morning?"
"Yeah, much better." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "I guess all I needed was to get some sleep."
"Good." He gave her a tight smile before looking down at his lap. A soft sigh escaped him. Suddenly, an awkward silence passed between them. She waited for Christian to say something more, but he didn't. Then, just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, he looked back up at her and finally continued. "Well, I should probably get going and let you get some sleep. I just thought I'd come by and apologize for being the asshole that I was to you. You didn't deserve that."
She shrugged his words off, "forget about it." He scowled as he pushed himself up to his feet, turned on his heels and started out of her bedroom. She shifted beneath the covers to get comfortable once again. He was half-way out the door when something compelled her to call out to him. "Christian?"
He froze mid-step and whirled back around to look over at her. "Yes?"
"I really...like Kimber. As a friend I mean. I just don't want you to hate me or her because of it."
He sighed wearily with a shake of his head. "I don't hate you sweetheart, but as I told you before, Kimber and I have had a bit of a rocky past together. She can't be trusted." He started back across the room towards her, and knelted down at her bedside. Placing his hand on her arm, he caressed it with the pad of his thumb, and gazed tenderly into her eyes. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."
A smile crept across her face, his tender touch warming her heart until suddenly, a tremendous amount of guilt loomed over her head. How could he possibly make her feel loved but sinful at the exact same time? Well duh, she knew why, because she was going behind his back and snorting coke. She chewed apprehensively on her lower lip, her heart constricting in her chest as she willed herself to look away at something else other than his face.
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes fell closed for a nanosecond before looking down at the place where he had his hand. She inhaled deeply, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she slowly lifted her eyes up to his. Tell him. Tell him! You have to tell him. She pushed the voices out of her head, shaking her head. She forced herself to utter the words lodged in the back of her throat. "I've been..."
His brows furrowed inquisitively and then arched expectantly, clearly wanting her to go on.
She exhaled sharply. "Thinking...what are we going to do about my adoptive father? I mean, this surgery you're going to give him isn't going to keep him away from me, is it?"
Christian averted his gaze downward, a woeful sigh escaping him. She could tell that he wasn't hopeful about any of this either. He shook his head, bringing his eyes back up to hers. "I don't know sweetheart, but I promise we'll figure something out. I'm never going to let that asshole lay a hand on you or come within a five mile radius of you again. I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means involving the police."
Her bottom lip quivered as the tears began welling up in her eyes all over again. She looked down at where his hand was once again, sliding her arm up until her palm was against his, her fingers interlacing with his own. "Thank you. Really, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." She shut her eyes, the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes came open suddenly when she felt his lips brush against her forehead, noticing that there were tears in his eyes too. She sniffled, stealing a glance at the clock beside her bed. "You should probably get going, huh?"
He looked over at the clock with a soft sigh, nodding gently. "Probably." He gave her hand another gentle squeeze before rising to his feet. Bringing both of his hands up to his face, he exhaled sharply before looking back down at her. "I'll see you later sweetheart."
She nodded in understanding. "Okay."
He whirled back around on his heels and once again, started out of the room. She watched him until he was out of sight before curling back up in bed. A deep sigh escaped her. Although she had been tempted to tell him about her sudden coke addiction, something inside her had taken over and prevented her from doing so. She didn't know what it was, but it was almost as if her mind refused to obey her will. If only for a split second. It was as if what was wrong was right, and what was bad was good. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was also the matter that she was scared. Scared of his reaction once the truth was out. If it was anything like his blow up the night before, she was better off keeping it to herself. No sense in digging an early grave. After all, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him...right?
Courtney slipped her arm through that of Matt's, leaning her head on his shoulder as a smirk crossed her face. "Hey, thanks again for deciding to sit in with us, Matt. Now you can finally see Amy and I in action. We're two great little actresses together, especially on Improv days." A light laugh escaped her.
Matt looked down at her with a small smile. "As long as we get to spend some time together, it's cool with me."
"Court?"
For a moment, she didn't even realize that someone was talking to her. She was too wrapped up in the affectionate moment she was sharing with Matt.
"Court!"
"Huh?" She lifted her head from Matt's shoulder to look over at an irritated Amy, who sat in the seat beside her at the back of the spacious classroom. "What? What's up girl?"
Amy rolled her eyes dramatically. "God, have I suddenly become invisible to you?"
Her brows furrowed in bafflement. What was up with her friend's sudden attitude? She had no clue, just as she had no clue why Amy had made this sudden transformation into a blonde. "No, why would you even think that?"
Amy shook her head and turned to look away at something else, a scoff escaping her. "Forget it." She reached out and grabbed Courtney's arm, urging her close, and lowering her voice to a tone that only she would hear. "Why did you ask Matt to sit in with us in drama class anyway?"
She glanced down at where her friend's hand was, almost crying out in pain when she was pulled in her direction. Her brows stitched together incriminatingly. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe because I haven't spent that much time with him lately, and I don't want him to think that I don't still love him. I do. Besides, he just got out of school so I thought it would be nice if I invited him. Why? Do you have some kind of a problem with it?"
Amy sighed wearily, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her forehead, and shifting in her seat. Leaning back, she went on to cross her right leg over her left. "No. Well, not really." She shook her head. "Nevermind. I just thought that you and I were finally going to get some time...alone. We haven't exactly hung out, just us girls, for the longest time."
This time, it was Courtney who sighed. She was right. They hadn't had much time to spend together, which was partially her fault, seeing as how she'd been trying to think of new ways to show Matt how much she loved him...without sex, but he wasn't taking it so well from what it seemed. "I know, and I'm sorry, but incase you've forgotten, this isn't just a one sided thing. I told you that. Remember? You've been spending a lot of your time with Christian."
Amy exhaled sharply. "That's not true, and shit, he's my dad. My real dad. I can spend as much time as I want with him. At least he's not as much of an asshole as my other one. What's wrong with me spending time with him?"
"Nothing! Just like there's nothing wrong with me spending time with my own boyfriend. Damn girl, chill with the attitude for a minute."
"Whoa, what the hell are you two fighting about?"
Shit. Courtney turned her head as Matt spoke up, suddenly interrupting their little quarrel, which in her case, shouldn't have even been taking place to begin with. "Nothing Matt. Don't even worry about it. This is just between us girls." She forced a small smile before turning back to a disgruntled Amy, who shifted in her seat once again, which to her, seemed like the fiftieth time since they'd been in class. "What's up with you today? Why are you acting this way?"
Amy narrowed her eyes on her. "Like what? I'm not acting any certain way. All I did was ask a question. Is that a crime?"
She shook her head in disbelief, a scoff escaping her. There was definitely something up with Amy, but she couldn't figure out what. She sighed irritably. "Listen, I don't know what your deal is today girl, but do you think we could put all this aside and come up with an idea for our Improv scene?"
Amy rolled her eyes, brushing aside a few loose curls that had matted themselves to her forehead. She uncrossed her legs and then crossed them again, this time placing her left leg over her right. Shifting in her seat once again, she turned herself towards Courtney and Matt, propping one of her elbows on the back of her seat and leaning her head on her hand. She hesitated before finally nodding her head. "Fine, whatever."
As Courtney proceeded to discuss her ideas for their scene, she couldn't help but notice that her friend didn't seem all that interested in it. In fact, she seemed rather bored. Especially by the way she refused to make eye contact with her, and kept her gaze fixated on other things around her. If anyone felt invisible here, it was her. She was trying hard to set aside time for both her boyfriend and her best friend, but the way things were going, she felt as if neither of them even cared anymore. Stopping short, she gazed intently at a painstricken Amy. "Hey, girl, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"
Amy's eyes came open, the hand that was on her forehead falling away as she looked up at her. A weary sigh escaped her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a headache." She shifted in her seat once again. "God, it wouldn't kill them to turn the air conditioning on in here every now and then. It's too damn hot." She muttered under her breath, bringing her hand up and fanning herself.
Courtney wasn't hot. In fact, the classroom was relatively cool. She stared back at her friend in confusion. "Were you even listening to anything I said?"
She blinked just before she brought one of her hands up to her head, her fingers slipping through the thick curls on her scalp. She shook her head. "No, sorry." Exhaling sharply, she pushed herself up to her feet, wavering on her heels as she did so. "I gotta go to the bathroom." Before Courtney had a chance to question her, she turned on her heels and scurried towards the door.
Courtney's brows furrowed inquisitively, turning back to Matt. "Did you just see that?"
Matt leaned back in his chair, bringing one of his hands up to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, she seems like she's been acting pretty weird lately."
"Totally. It's not just me, is it? I mean, first she shows up for class looking like...God, I don't know what, and then she gets pissed at me for no reason. And what's with her attitude anyway? She's more than a little out of it, am I right?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah, she's..." His voice trailed off as he sighed softly. He shook his head, averting his eyes to something else in the room. "Nevermind."
A look of bafflement crossed her face. "She's what? Matt, what were you going to say?"
He leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on his thighs and turning his head to look over at her. "Look, maybe it's just me, but she is kinda acting like she's stoned or something. Maybe she's doing drugs." He shrugged his shoulders.
Courtney blinked back her astonishment. "Drugs? Are you kidding me? Amy would never do that. Why would you even think that?"
He dropped his gaze to the floor, hesitating before finally uttering the words. "I know from personal experience."
Her brows arched in surprise. For a moment, the words didn't seem to register with her. He wasn't serious, was he? Her heart beat a little faster in her chest, even as she considered the possibilities of not only her best friend doing drugs, but her boyfriend. God, was she in some kind of alternate universe all of a sudden? "Are you telling me..." Her voice trailed off, shaking her head. "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know."
Matt exhaled sharply, leaning back in his seat. "If you're asking me if I used to get high," he paused, stealing a glance around the area before lowering his voice, "the answer is yes, but I haven't been high for a while now, okay? I've cut back on that shit a lot lately."
Courtney exuded a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. It didn't make the news any less unsettling, but at least he wasn't getting stoned when he was with her. She definitely would have picked up on it a long time ago if he was. "Okay, so you don't do it anymore, but why would you think she's doing drugs? I know Amy, she's better than that."
"Well, just think about it for a minute. We both know she's been acting pretty weird since she got here, and unless she's on her period or something, why would she take up some kind of attitude with you? I mean, you're her best friend, right?"
Leaning back in her seat, she crossed her right leg over her left. A weary sigh escaped her as she folded her arms firmly over her chest. "To be honest, I don't know what I am anymore. What's happened to her? She's not acting like the Amy I used to know, and what's up with this make-over of hers? She's always hated blondes. Now, all of a sudden she's become one?" She shook her head in discouragement.
Matt scowled, scooting his chair closer to her and reaching out to take her hand in his. He turned his head and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. "Hey, maybe we're making a bigger deal out of this than it is. We're probably just being paranoid or something. Maybe Amy is going through a phase. She'll get over it, all right? It just takes time."
She exchanged a look with him, before placing a kiss to his cheek, the curve of his neck and then resting her head back on his shoulder. "You're right. Maybe it is just that time of the month. She does tend to get a little more bitchy than usual, but hey, all of us do."
"She'll get over it, but if she's not going to chill with the attitude anytime soon, let's spend more time together. Just the two of us." He turned his head, looking down at her intently and speaking softly. "Let's get together tonight. I can spend the night at your place."
She sighed deeply. "I can't, not when my dad's home. If he finds out that you're half-naked in my bedroom at ten o' clock at night, he'll kill me...and then he'll kill you." Okay, she didn't actually mean that literally, but her dad was more overprotective than most. Especially when it came to having boys over. "What about your place? I could always lie and say that I'm studying late at Amy's house or something."
"I don't know. It all depends on how late my dad is working, but I've had girls over before so I don't see why they'd have a problem with it. I really don't care where we do it, I just want us to be together. I feel like it's been weeks since I've been close to you." He scowled down at her, giving her hand a squeeze before interlacing his fingers with hers.
She knew exactly what he was referring to, and as the thought came to her, she felt her heart leap in her chest. "You mean...since we've been intimate."
"Yeah."
Her heart constricted in her chest, knowing it was partly on account of her avoiding sex. Lifting her head from his shoulder, she brought her hand up and placed it against the nape of his neck, urging him towards her until his lips brushed against hers in a soft kiss. She broke away a moment later. "I promise I'll make it up to you...tonight. Your place?"
A smile crept across his face, nodding his head. "Okay."
She smirked and placed a kiss upon his cheek. "Great, it's a date then." She noticed Matt's eyes roam away from her face, her brows furrowing inquisitively.
He cleared his throat, gesturing to something off to the left side of the room. "Incoming."
Courtney turned her head, following Matt's gaze. She blinked back her astonishment, noticing that Amy had re-entered the room, looking more disorriented than before she'd left. In fact, she looked a bit sick. She noticed their theatre teacher, Mrs. Bartlett, come up to her friend with a concerned expression on her face, shortly after she'd entered the room. Mrs. Bartlett was a petite and curvy Caucasian woman with short and curly brown hair, bushy brows, flashing blue eyes, and a fair complexion. Amy waved off the woman with a nod of her head, and mouthed something that looked like the words "I'm fine."
"Holy shit. What in the hell is up with her?"
Courtney exhaled sharply at Matt's words, shaking her head. "God I wish I knew." She stared in bewilderment at Amy as her friend collected herself, and headed in their direction, waving emphatically, and paying almost every other classmate an audible greeting on her way by. Oh yeah, there was definitely something off about her. Since when did Amy Gellar -- or should she say Troy -- ever bother to greet people as she entered a room? Especially her classmates, who more often than not, singled her out of their social circles, and only spoke to her when absolutely necessary. What was wrong with this picture? Everything.
Amy didn't even take notice of the eye-rolling or weird looks she was sent, but instead kept walking until she reached her and Matt. Although Matt had raised the idea that Amy might be getting stoned, the way she was walking looked more as if she were drunk than anything else. "Hey! Hi! What's up guys? I'm back, sorry. I had to go to the bathroom, but I'm feeling much better now." She turned towards Courtney, draping her arm over the back of her chair, and looking over at her expectantly. "So what's up? Are we going to do this or what?"
She exchanged an anxious look with Matt before looking back at Amy. "Uh, do what?" Her brows furrowed in thought, looking closely at her friend's slightly flushed face. "Are you sure you're okay girl? You look sick."
Amy exhaled sharply, brushing aside a few strands of hair that had matted themselves to her now sweaty forehead. "I'm fine, I swear! I don't why everyone thinks I'm not. I told you, I just had to go to the bathroom, and what do you mean 'do what?' I'm talking about our Improv scene. What are we doing again?"
Courtney sighed wearily. Why bother explaining it to her again if she wasn't going to listen? Then again, she wouldn't allow herself to be up the creek without a paddle either. She opened her mouth to explain it again, but just as she was about to do so, Mrs. Bartlett clapped her hands together and shouted "showtime!" to which a hush fell over the class, and the students gave her their undivided attention. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Damn," she cursed softly, more to herself than anyone else. There goes that idea.
"All right, who wants to go first? Do we have any volunteers?"
Amy's head whipped around at the teacher's voice, springing up to her feet a split second later. "Oooh! Me!" She gestured to Courtney and Matt, "I mean, me, Courtney and Matt. We will! We'll volunteer. This'll be fun, right guys? Come on, come on!"
Courtney eyes widened in horror, startled by how quickly her friend jumped out of her chair. What was she? Stupid or just crazy? Before she had a chance to debate with her or even refuse, Amy grabbed both her hand and Matt's and dragged them towards the front of the class. "Wait! Amy!"
"Hey, wait a minute! What the hell are you doing? I'm not even in this class!" Matt argued, looking helplessly over at her Courtney.
She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing exactly what it is she could do. Turning her head, she looked expectantly over at Mrs. Bartlett. "Uh, no, Mrs. Bartlett? Our group isn't exactly ready yet. Do you think we could go last?"
"Go last! No way Court! I'm ready now!" Amy cut in, tugging harder on Courtney's arm as she lagged behind her. "Come on! Let's just do it. Since when have you ever had stage fright? Huh? Yeah, never, so stop."
Mrs. Bartlett perched herself at the edge of her desk, folding her arms across her chest. "If Amy says your ready then I assume you are. Go right ahead."
Courtney's shoulders slumped in defeat. This was going to be a disaster and she knew it. God, why did Amy have to be like this? Couldn't she have picked a better time to act weird? If anyone had stage fright about this sort of thing on a regular basis, it was Amy. Well...until today that is. A weary sigh escaped her as she turned her back on the class to face Amy, lowering her voice to a tone only she would hear. "What are you doing? You didn't even give me a chance to explain the scene to you."
Matt stole a glance at Courtney, speaking in the same hushed tone she had used. "Yeah, and besides, acting isn't exactly my thing anyway. Look, if this scene is just between the two of you then you should keep it that way. I just came here to be with Courtney, I didn't plan on doing any acting."
Amy exhaled sharply with a roll of her eyes. "Oh come on! What is wrong with you guys? It'll be fun! Don't you think it'll be fun?" She looked from Courtney to Matt. "The scene will be better with you anyway, Matt. I mean, come on," she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips, "you can't do a scene between two girls without have a cute guy in it, right?" She giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So come on! Stop stalling and let's do it!"
Courtney shook her head. "No! You aren't even listening to me, Amy. This isn't going to work this way."
"Come on already!" A hispanic bald guy at the back of the class shouted.
"Yes, let's see the scene. There are other groups that would like to perform as well, unless both of you girls would rather take a zero for the assignment. Particpation is an essential part of this class. You should know that by now."
Courtney cringed at Mrs. Bartlett's choice of words, sensing that the woman's patience was indeed growing thin. Sighing wearily, her gaze settled back on Amy, who was still bouncing restlessly on the balls of her feet. It was almost as if she were tottering back and forth on a tight rope. "All right, fine, but since you don't know what we're supposed to be doing, just go with it, okay?" She stole a glance at Matt. If Amy literally dragged him into this, she'd have to find some way for him to be involved. Even if it had technically started out as a two person scene. Well, now it was a three person scene.
Matt brought his hand up, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, I already told you. I'm not an actor."
She rolled her eyes, "just follow my lead, please?" She gave him a pleading look to which he hesitated but nodded his head. Here goes nothing, she thought as she stepped around Amy and Matt. Laying down on the floor, she turned onto her side where she would be facing the rest of the class. She stole a glance over her shoulder, watching as Amy laid down beside her. Matt scratched his lip before following suit.
Finally, all three of them were lying on the floor, side by side. She shut her eyes, making it seem as if she were asleep. A brief moment of silence passed before she sat up suddenly, looking around the room frantically. "Did you guys hear that?" She asked in a meek tone of voice.
Amy sat up quickly, and a split second later, so did Matt. Her brows furrowing in bafflement, bringing one of her hands up to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She blinked a couple times, almost as if she were trying to focus. "What? Huh? Hear what? What's wrong?"
Matt's eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other. "I didn't hear anything. What the hell is going on?"
So far so good. Courtney shook her head. "I don't know. I heard like a rustling sound outside the tent--wait." She inhaled sharply. "oh my God, there it is again! Didn't you guys hear that?" She demaned, stealing a glance over her shoulder at the two of them, hoping they would continue to go along with it.
There was an awkward moment of silence between the three. Finally, Matt shook his head. "No--wait." He paused and then sighed wearily. "Look, I don't hear anything, all right? You been watching too many damn movies. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to bed, good night." Turning over onto his opposite side, he settled back down on the floor, acting as if he were actually going back to sleep.
Amy rolled her eyes, having been watching the two converse rather impatiently. Courtney could see that she was mercilessly trying not to jump into the conversation too early, and for that, she was grateful. However, what she would not be grateful for was the bomb that was about to go off and blow up in her face. "Ugh, will you stop stalling Court? We're going to be late for the reunion! And don't even act like you're nervous little Ms. Popular." She sprang up to her feet and dusted herself off.
Oh no. This wasn't happening. Courtney's brows furrowed in bewilderment. "Reunion?" She stole a glance at the rest of their classmates, who looked just as baffled by the change of scene as she did. She was about to rise to her feet, but she didn't get the chance because Amy grabbed her hand and pulled her up herself. As soon as Matt saw both girls on their feet, he followed suit, although he didn't have the slightest clue what was going on either.
"Yes, reunion! Our high school reunion! That's the whole reason why we're here, remember? God, what are you? Drunk?" She groaned, wiping a few beads of sweat off her forehead and shifting on her heels, "ugh, I told you Court! You're not going to have every guy in there wrapped around your finger if you're drunk off your ass." There were a few scattered laughs from the other classmates, which caused Courtney's face to flush in mortification. Amy's forehead wrinkled in thought, averting her eyes to the ceiling. "Wait, that could actually be a good thing. That means the guys will be all over me!" She beamed, bouncing up and down excitedly.
"Well, better late than never." She added dryly.
Courtney exchanged a dumbfounded look with Matt, neither one of them knowing quite what to say. Exhaling sharply, she leaned a little closer to Amy, lowering her voice to a whisper. "What are you doing? We're supposed to be doing a camping scene, not a reunion!"
Amy disregarded her completely and continued on with the scene. She turned her head suddenly, her eyes lighting up in delight. "Oh my God! That's Curtis Princler! Damn, he's looking hotter than he ever did back in high school!" She waved her arms above her head, jumping up and down much like an enthusiastic cheerleader. "Hey sexy! Hey! Over here!"
Before Courtney or Matt knew what was happening, Amy was climbing on top of the large granite prop box -- the class often made use of during their everyday activities -- which sat at the front of the classroom. She got down on her knees and began running her palms up and down her waistline and over her chest, in a provacative and erotic fashion. "Hey! You know you want me! Come on baby, come and get me," she teased, a giggle escaping her.
Courtney's eyes widened in horror as did Matt's. Her classmates did nothing but laugh hysterically, much like a pack of hyenas. Crossing her arms over her chest, she brought one of her hands up to cover her face. This was humilating. "Oh my God. This isn't happening. Tell me this isn't happening," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
"Jesus! What the hell is she doing?" Matt demanded, watching the scene unfold before his eyes.
Courtney shook her head, sighing irritably and stealing a glance at Mrs. Bartlett. "I don't know! Damn." All the woman could do was look on in complete and utter shock. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw the teacher also emit a chuckle. This had to be a dream. No, make that a nightmare. Maybe if she shut her eyes, she would wake up and her best friend would be back to normal. She shut her eyes, trying to block out the scene before her, if only for a few seconds. This wasn't real. This was a nightmare. Just a nightmare.
"Holy shit!" Matt cried suddenly.
As much as her mind was screaming at her to keep her eyes closed, for fear of how much worse it could get, she found herself opening them and to her astonishment, Amy had risen to her feet and stripped herself of the pink halter top she had had on, leaving nothing but her bra and her short denim skirt. She suddenly began shaking her hips, and smacking her butt in an aggressive but provocative manner, dancing to an invisible beat, much like the girls you'd find dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly.
She stepped towards the prop box, trying mercilessly to put an end to this before her friend got into trouble. "Oh my God! Amy! What the fuck are you doing? Stop!" She had to shout to be heard over the uproar of hysterical laughter and hollering that filled the room. "Stop! Amy!"
Amy simply ignored her friend's pleas and continued seducing her imaginary Curtis Princler. "Yeah baby, you like that? I know you do. You wanted me and not Courtney all along, haven't you? Isn't that right baby?" She dipped her hips, squatting down on the prop box and thrusting her butt towards the right wall of the classroom. She sprang back up with a smirk on her face, swaying her hips rapidly back and forth, and running her fingers through her hair.
Matt exchanged a look with Courtney. "Shit, what in the hell is she on?"
Courtney sighed irritably, fixing her eyes back on Amy. "Amy! What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this? Amy! Stop!" Courtney demanded, although she knew her pleas were probably in vain.
Suddenly, Amy paused in her little dance routine and wavered on her heels. She blinked a couple times, one of her hands rising to her forehead. "Oh God." She took a step back, stumbling on the edge of the prop box, and toppling to the floor. The laughter in the classroom began to die down as Courtney, Matt, and Mrs. Bartlett rushed to Amy's aid.
"Amy! Oh my God. Are you okay?" Courtney asked frantically. If her friend was seriously injured, she wouldn't be surprised. After all, she'd brought her misfortune on herself, hadn't she?
"Are you all right?" Mrs. Bartlett added, stepping up beside Courtney and looking fretfully down at the meek girl.
Amy winced in pain as she shifted positions on the carpet beneath her. She pressed one of her hands to her butt before looking up at those around her. Although she might have denied it earlier, now that Courtney was gazing down at her face, she really did look sick. Her pupils were dialated and her forehead was covered in sweat. "I'm fine! I wish everyone would stop asking me that. I'm fine, I swear. I just..." She stole a glance down at her chest and began searching around frantically for her top. "Shit," she cursed softly.
That was a lie and Courtney knew it. She planted her hands firmly on her hips, watching as her friend slipped her halter top back on. "You don't look fine. You've been acting weird ever since you got here. What is going on with you lately? Are you sick or something?" Matt exchanged a look with Courtney before stepping around Mrs. Bartlett, and coming over to his girlfriend's side.
"No! God! I'm fine! How many times do I have to say it? I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine! There. Is that enough for you?" Amy cried, grabbing onto the prop box and using it to push herself up to her feet, wincing as she did so.
Mrs. Bartlett stole a glance over at Courtney before looking closely at Amy. "Well, whether you're sick or not, I still think your skit went a little too far. Now I'll let it slide this time and refrain from giving you two a zero for the assignment, but next time, I hope you think twice before going to the extremes that you just did. Although the class found it funny, that's not the way we do things in this class. It's a learning experience, not a strip club. Understood?"
Courtney sighed wearily, turning her head away from the scene before her and crossing her arms firmly over her chest. Perfect. Just perfect. She rolled her eyes but nodded her head in understanding. "Yeah." Her eyes shifted towards Amy, wishing she could get inside her head and figure out why she'd done what she had.
Amy nodded her head. "Yeah, but you know what? I am feeling sick so I think I'm just going to go home." Before Courtney or anyone else had a chance to debate with her, she pushed her way past the group and scurried towards the door, limping slightly on her way there. A few classmates hollered catcalls at her, but she ignored it and simply kept walking.
"Okay, you wanna explain to me exactly what the hell that was?" Matt inquired as he and Courtney started back towards their seats.
Courtney's eyes shifted towards the door her friend had just walked out of. "I don't know...but it sure wasn't Amy." God, if only she could rewind the day or better yet, the week, and find out exactly what happened to Amy. The real Amy. Their friendship was already on the rocks, but if she kept this act up...they might not have a friendship at all.