Chapter Eight
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't want you to say anything… I don't want to even know you," his words were sharp and fierce.
"I am sorry."
"Fuck you."
Amber felt her eyes fill with tears. She knew he would be mad but the anger was more then she could bear.
"What's all that shit about you being Max's girl?"
"I don't know what you mean…"
"He introduced you as his future wife."
"Oh that. Max is deluded."
"You seem to delude a lot of men," Sid snapped.
"Max and I used to date before he got drafted… and a bit after. We grew up living beside each other. He thinks that I am just waiting around for him. It's nothing."
"You knew we were team mates…"
"It's not like I planned this…" There was a long pause. She watched as his shoulders slumped, as if he had given up.
"You just left… again… I don't get it. I told you we could work it out." The anger in his voice, turned to pain.
"No… you told me that I had to move to Pittsburgh. That I had to become a part of your life. You didn't think for a second about my life or what I wanted…"
"I thought you wanted me…"
"It's not that simple."
"I never said it was simple, nothing in my life is simple. Even the simplest things, are so fucked up… I can't even get a girl to care about me."
"I do care about you, that's why I left. I am sorry you can't see that but it was only going to get harder. I didn't want to hurt you…"
Sid stood up and pushed his way past her, towards the door. "Well you did." He opened the door and stormed out.
-.-
Sid headed toward the backyard, which had over the time he was indoors, turned into a fairly busy place. Vero had arrived with friends and some of Max's old school friends had arrived. The music had been turned up and everyone was in a good mood. It was the last place he wanted to be. Quite frankly, he wanted to go and lick his wounds and be alone.
"Hey, mon ami! Where have you been hiding?" Come and meet some people!" Max yelled across the yard. Sid wanted to shake his head and leave but he had no idea where he was and probably would get lost if he tried to leave now. He walked across the yard to where Max was standing and grabbed a beer along the way. Maybe he would just drink away his memory of her.
-.-
Amber was still in shock. She couldn't bring herself to face the crowd, so she left the bedroom and disappeared out the front door. She went back to her house and curled up in a ball on her parents couch. She finally let herself cry, to release the emotion which she had been keeping bottled up. She cried because deep down she did want him, maybe she could be happy in Pittsburgh. Maybe she should have given him a chance to work it all out. She cried over every bad decision that she had made, and there had been a lot of them. One memory seemed to compound on the next until she finally cried herself to sleep.
"Hey you…" Amber awoke to a man standing over her. 'Sid', she thought as she blinked to focus. But it wasn't him, it was Max.
"What do you want Max?"
"I was just checking to see if you were alright. You went to the bathroom and then never came back out," Max shrugged. "As usual, Amy is the life of the party… she needs you to babysit her!"
"Sorry, I am not really in the partying mood," Amber pushed her hair back out of her face and sat up on the couch. Max sat down and wrapped his arm around her.
"What is up?"
"I can't really talk to you about it…"
"You used to talk to me about everything."
"Before you became a 'superstar'…" she laughed. She curled up into his side and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Oh man, I miss you. Things were so easy here. I knew what I had to do. I always had you when things weren't going right, you would just make it right."
"And then you messed it all up."
"I screwed up. I get that. You can stop reminding me anytime…"
"You screwed up more then once. With more then one girl," Amber reminded him.
"It was along time ago, things are different now. I have grown up."
"That's not what I hear."
"What? What do you hear?"
"That you are still a player."
"Well I have a certain reputation to protect ya know…"
"Of man whore?"
"Hey now… play nice."
"Playing nice didn't get me where I am…"
"And where is that? Crying yourself to sleep on your parents couch? Doesn't look like you got very far to me…"
"Right, except the last time I was here, I was crying because of you. At least I am not doing that anymore." Amber felt herself getting defensive, as Max pointed out the plain truth of the situation. She sat up, straightened her shirt and moved away from him.
"Come on Amber," Max said pulling her back towards him. "It's me. You don't need to act tough here. I know you. I know you better then anyone. My sixth sense, remember?"
"No Max, what I remember is being hurt. Hearing about how many girls you were sleeping with from your buddies,"
"You made the decision not to come with me," Max reminded her. "You made the decision to take a break. Did I sleep with a lot of girls? Yeah. I did. Am I sorry you had to hear about it? Yeah, I am. But I would still be with you, we would be married with babies by now… but you made that decision."
Amber closed her eyes and tried to imagine her life with him. It would have been so different. She wouldn't be in this hell she was in now. She would be in a whole different one. Barefoot and pregnant, that is what Max always wanted. A good, little, catholic wife. Their parents would have been so happy.
"It would never have lasted," Amber shook her head.
"I could have made you happy."
Amber turned and looked at Max. They had so many memories together. She smiled and shook her head. He moved in closer to her and ran his hand through her hair.
"Maybe I still can?" he whispered in her ear, as he gently kissed the back of her neck. She let him kiss her for a moment, down the side of her neck to her collarbone. He knew what she liked. He really did have a sixth sense for it. 'It was probably for all girls,' she told herself before pushing him away.
"Go home Max," Amber stood up and pointed towards the door.
"Tabernack," Max swore to himself and then stood up. He knew not to argue. She was clearly upset and he had a better plan. "I'll talk to you in the morning."
"Right. Oh and Max," She added. "Turn the music down."