Throughout that entire next week, Amber didn't get to see Corny much except on the actual show, and, much to her surprise, Chip stayed surprisingly quiet. That's not to say that she wasn't still afraid of him; every time she heard the floorboards outside of her bedroom creak, she knew it was him, coming back to kill her. Each time she heard the front door open, she could only assume that he was back to get her with a vengeance.
And though it happened in an almost unconventional way, she and Link had become good friends, maybe for the first time since they'd met. Suddenly, there was no jealousy, anger, or resentment on her part. Since Tracy wasn't in their lunch period, Link and Amber often sat together at the end of the lunch table, surrounded by their fellow council members but not really paying much mind to any of them. Amber would bow her head and say things to Link, things that the other council members didn't necessarily need to hear; things about her mother, things about Chip. She had finally told him about Chip, of course, and had explained to him that she despised him, had told him that he talked to her awful. That was, however, as far as it went. She had already, no matter how inadvertently, let Corny in on her secret, and even one person knowing about it made her uncomfortable.
Link would always listen patiently, watching her with a genuine concern that she didn't get from anyone else, save Corny. She would feel her eyes beginning to burn with tears as she spoke, and he would shake his head, as if to say, "You don't have to talk about this, not if you don't want to," but the thing was, she did want to talk about it. She just had no idea how to.
Although he didn't completely understand why, he knew that Amber never wanted to go home. She would stall as long as she could after the show, and nearly missed the bus everyday; she would hang around school until even the detention kids were gone. And so, on the days that shows didn't take place, Link and Amber would take long, meandering walks home. Amber wasn't exactly sure of what Tracy thought about her prospective boyfriend spending so much time with an old girlfriend, but she wasn't in the position to care too much. She finally had a friend, and she could speak to him open and willingly, like no one else she'd ever known. She suddenly just needed to be selfish; to be able to hold onto Link when she wanted to. Honestly, it was closer than they'd ever been while dating, without the added stress of having to worry about any kind of awkward intimacy.
The day before Amber turned eighteen years old, Link walked her home. It was the usual for a show-less day, and they spent the entire length of the walk chatting casually about everything and nothing at all. It was the first time in months that she'd felt so good; she took long, deep breaths, filling her lungs with the cool air of early fall. The sky was an endless blue, and a gentle breeze swept the remaining dead leaves out of the trees and onto the ground. It was perfect weather for a perfect day.
Link slowed as they came to her house, and smiled back at her as she began to unlatch the gate in front. He stood watching her, his hands in his pockets, and she turned to smile at him.
"Do you want to come up for a few minutes?" It was a risky question, she knew. Chip would probably be home; Link would probably get that vibe from him, the some one Corny had gotten, but she couldn't stop herself from asking the question. Still, she was the tiniest bit nervous as she watched him nod, and held the gate aside for him to follow her up the stairs.
She pushed through the front door, and exhaled quietly at the silence in the house. He must be gone. She smiled, placing her books on a side table and moving towards the kitchen.
"I need to use the restroom. Excuse me, Amber." Link disappeared down the hallway, and Amber nodded over her shoulder at him.
"Okay. Do you want a snack?" She pulled the Frigidaire door open, her fingers tapping the door as she waited for his response. "We don't have much. You know my mother, she won't let me anything with calories in it." But those words took on a new meaning suddenly; tomorrow, she would be a legal adult. She could move out, never speak to her mother or Chip again. She was beginning to think that this day couldn't get any better.
She felt warm hands on her shoulders suddenly and smiled, turning around.
"Link, do you-"
But it wasn't Link. His dark eyes stared down at her, burning into her soul. She felt the lump in her throat suddenly, her knees beginning to buckle under his intense stare.
"What are you doing, little girl?" His tone of voice was so eerie, so terrifying that she felt tears burning at her eyes. "Who you talkin' to, your imaginary friend? You sure as hell don't have any real ones."
Amber felt herself shaking her head, and glancing behind his massive shoulders to see if Link was coming yet. She felt her breath becoming rapid and unsteady, and squeezed her eyes shut, her hand still gripping the open door of the refrigerator.
"No," she whimpered the words as his fingers came up to trace her cheek, "Chip, please, no."
He sneered at her, and Amber suddenly saw a dark head from behind Chip's shoulders. She shook out of his grasp suddenly, rushing to stand by Link, who had stopped and was watching with a glare of utter confusion. She felt her fingers working around Link's arm, covering herself with him.
"Who's this?" Chip grunted loudly. Link stood watching him for a moment, his blue eyes wide and his jaw slightly slacking. He cleared his throat and took a step toward Chip suddenly, offering his hand.
"I'm Link, sir." Chip watched him suspiciously and then glanced back at Amber, who had narrowed her eyes into blue slits of hatred that she directed at him. Link stammered for a moment, and finally withdrew his hand, shoving it back into the pocket of his pants. He glanced down at the floor, and Chip mumbled at him.
"This your boyfriend?" He pushed Amber's shoulder slightly, making her stumble backwards before catching herself. She shook her head slowly, and Link turned to watch the scene unfold in front of him. Chip scoffed, and turned to look at Link. "She's a damn liar, is what she is."
Link's cheeks flushed dark pink, and he glanced at Amber, whose gaze had started to drop the floor. He stammered quickly.
"Uh, no, uh…we're just friends, really," he nodded encouragingly, trying to force his lips into a smile. "It's cool." He sent Amber a soft smile, but she didn't return it.
"Cool?" Chip mocked his tone, "Are you two foolin' around?"
"No, sir," Link stuttered suddenly, and Amber pulled her head up suddenly.
"Don't call him 'sir', Link. He's not even a man, much less a 'sir'." Her tone was angry; she was suddenly full of fire. She knew that her words would probably have dire consequences, but she couldn't stop herself from saying them, "Just go home, Link. This is going to get messy." Her eyes met Chip's, and she suddenly knew that he had considered her words a challenge.
"No," Link spoke up suddenly, "I think I should stay."
Amber's face flushed at his words; no one had ever done that for her, save Corny, who she suddenly wished were here as well.
"Go home, boy," Chip was angry now, his dark eyes gleaming, "before you find yourself a world of hurt."
Link set his jaw, and swallowed hard.
"I think I've already found it, actually."
Amber gasped softly at his words, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. She was suddenly more afraid than she'd ever been around Chip. This time, he wasn't only threatening her, but Link? She could let herself be hurt; she was used to the bruising and the scratches, but Link didn't deserve any of that.
"Link, stop it!" She hissed his name suddenly, and he turned to look at her, his face serious. She took hold on his arm and quickly ushered him out of the house and onto the front porch. "You don't know what you're doing, Link."
He sniffed loudly, leaning his head in close to hers.
"What has he been doing to you, Amber?" He studied her face for a moment, "Is he hurting you?" She kept her eyes lock on his, trying to tell him everything without saying a word. He swore under his breath, and hit his hand against the brick of the house. Link shot off all the questions that even she didn't have the answers to. "Why does he do that to you? Why does he feel like he has the right to hurt you in any way?" She didn't answer him; couldn't answer him. Suddenly, his tone changed, his words caused her to look up at him, his dark eyebrows furrowed. "We have to do something about this, Amber."
Those words haunted her for the rest of the night. She had eventually convinced Link to go home, and that she could manage on her own. Returning to the house hadn't been as easy. Chip had been furious at her actions, and her words; so mad, in fact, that he'd done little more than push her against a wall and smack her in the face. For that, she considered herself fortunate.
When she woke up from a restless sleep the next morning, on her eighteenth birthday, she was sure of it. Today would be the day that would change her entire world. The only thing was, she had no idea how much of a change she was in for.