Chapter 7: Again
"Shut up!"
"No, you shut up!" Jet and Bloodstone are yelling at each other again. They've been doing this a lot more lately, for no good reason. "She won't even look at you after I pound you into the dirt!"
"Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna throw you halfway around the world before you can say 'I lose'!" Jet retaliates.
"Whoa, boys," I say, inserting myself between them. "Now is not the time for arguing! Now is the time for training."
"Shut up, you're the whole reason we're fighting!" Bloodstone shouts, aggravated. I freeze, and he covers his mouth the moment he hears what he said. Jet gives him the stink eye, and then they look back at me, and suddenly find the grass of my lawn very interesting to look at.
"So that's how it is, huh?" I say, looking back and forth between the now-silent boys. "I don't know what's going on, but I know that no matter what happens, I do NOT want a repeat of the 'incident,'" I point at Amy and Sapphire over my shoulder, and they both start laughing. At least they're over it. "Got it?" I say, hands on my hips.
"Oh, it won't be a repeat," Bloodstone says. "Because I'm gonna win!" Did Bloodstone just call himself the Amy? Eh, I don't have time to worry about that.
"Boys!" I shout, but it's too late. They've taken the floor to spar.
"Looks like we've got a bit of a mess here, huh?" Sapphire says, sitting down beside me as the boys circle each other.
"I don't even understand what they're fighting about!" I complain.
"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Sapphire states. I nod. "They both have crushes on you…" I facepalm.
"Seems to me like you're stuck in a love triangle," Amy agrees, sitting on my other side.
"I don't really know what to do," I admit, watching the boys continue to circle, neither quite willing to make the first move.
"Oh will you just go already?" Amy shouts at them. That seems to startle Jet into action, as he darts in with his glaive. But Bloodstone is ready, catching the weapon in his gauntlet-covered hand less than an inch away from his chest.
"They're going to kill each other!" I exclaim, watching in horror as they launch into a series of brutal attacks and retaliation, each more powerful than the last.
"Don't worry," Sapphire whispers softly. "They're both frustrated right now. They're trying to prove themselves. But they won't actually hurt each other." As we watch, I notice Jet's weapon deflect an inch away from hitting Bloodstone. "See?"
I breathe a sigh. "Yeah, I just worry sometimes. I feel like this is all my fault."
"It's not your fault that everyone likes you," Amy says, patting my head playfully.
"We can do this all day, you hear?" Jet shouts, and my attention turns back to the matter at hand. I know they'll burn themselves out eventually, but come on, this is ridiculous.
"Alright, that's enough for now," I shout, walking down the steps to my backyard, which we have unofficially deemed 'the training pit'. They stop and back up a few paces each. "Let someone else have a turn, alright?"
They each take spots on the steps as far from each other as possible, and I sigh. Oh, well. At least I can vent some of my own frustration at Amy in the next match.
"So how's everything in Boy City?" Sapphire asks me over the phone as I'm walking home straight from school, per my grounding order.
"Awkward. They won't even talk to each other, much less me, and they've taken over different tables on opposite sides of the cafeteria. I've attempted to send Amy as an ambassador, but once they realised what I was doing they stopped talking to her." I run a hand over my head, tugging on the too-tight bun. "Any advice from the wise fortune-teller?"
"Don't call either of them," she says immediately. "But other than that, no."
"What happens if I call them?"
"Extreme levels of awkwardness." She pauses, and I can practically see her contemplative expression. "If anything's going to get resolved, it's gonna have to be face-to-face."
"I figured," I say, although I can't hide my slight disappointment. And here I'd hoped I could just send out a text that would magically fix everything.
"I gotta go, but I'll talk to you later," she says, and I can faintly hear the cacophony that is the hallway at dismissal. "Remember, don't call them!"
"I won't." She hangs up.
Upon entering my house, I find myself bombarded by the usual anxious questions- it's like the apocalypse could strike at any moment! If it hasn't struck already, that is. What with everything that's been going on these past few months, I'm not so sure.
"Don't call. Don't call. Don't call," I chant to myself, staring at my dark phone. I groan and flop on my bed.
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" I ask the empty air. No one answers. Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. It's Amy.
"Hello?" I say automatically.
"Hey, I heard you were having some problems in boyville. Need any advice?"
"Oh thank god, you're like the only person I know who could help with this,"I sit down on the floor, relieved. "Sapphire was no help whatsoever."
"Well duh, I'm like 99% sure she's never had a boyfriend," Amy says. "Or girlfriend, for that matter. Do you even know?"
"She never talked about it," I say, surprising myself. "And I never really asked."
"Huh," Amy says. I'm not exactly sure what her mixed tone is trying to convey. "So, you seem to be stuck in a love triangle here."
"I have no clue what to do," I say. "Isn't it ironic that I call my gay friend for help with boy issues?" I ask. Amy laughs.
"I've had enough girl troubles to make up for my lack of boy ones. And besides, guys have asked me out before, even if I never said yes. So do you like either?"
"No, I mean, I like them, but not like that, you know? And if I don't choose, I know what will happen."
"Don't you dare draw parallels here," she says sharply. "That whole fiasco was my fault. We're talking about boys here. And I may not like boys, but they sure like me. Trust me, they will do ANYTHING to get your approval. So just tell them you're gay. That always seems to work for me." She knows my silence means I'd be giving her the look if I could.
"Okay, okay, just tell them to back off. They'll respect that if they have any decency whatsoever. Although I'm not entirely sure they do…"
"But how am I supposed to do that without ruining our friendship?" I say, then immediately realize just how corny that sounds.
"Very carefully," she replies, dead serious. "Seriously Amber, the only way you're gonna work this out is through a very long and awkward conversation. For me it always ended with 'I don't like guys, so just stop already', but for you it's more complicated. My advice? 'I'm not interested right now,' would be your best bet."
"Thanks, Amy," I say, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind."
"No matter what, I'll have your back," she says, and I can practically hear her grin. "Let's sort this out tomorrow, right after school."
"I'm still grounded, remember?"
"They won't care if you're a few minutes late, right? And you can always make up a school-related excuse."
"What'cha mean, make up? I have an entire archive ready to go," I say jokingly. She laughs, and we end the call.
One sleepless night and awkward school day later, I find Amy waiting outside when I leave the building at the end of the day, literally holding the boys in place.
"Hey, Amber!" She calls, both joyful and determined. I walk slowly, suddenly having second thoughts. But I know there's no turning back now.
"Hey, Amy," I say, momentarily ignoring the guys (who are both very interested in their feet at the moment).
"Well, I'll leave you to it," she says after a moment's silence. She walks away and I'm almost completely certain she stopped walking right after rounding the corner.
"Well," I say, trying to start a conversation. "This is a bit awkward. So who wants to go first?"
"Made a choice yet?" Bloodstone is the first to speak up. I'm not surprised.
"Yes," I say. "But you won't be happy with it."
"Does that mean…?" Jet's eyes light up.
"No." I look at them with my best glare and say "I choose neither."
"You can't do that!" Bloodstone says, his hands curling into fists.
"Look, let me explain," I say quickly before the situation can escalate further. "You're both great guys, but I just don't like either of you like that. We've been friends since what, 6th grade? It would be weird now."
"Not like that's ever stopped me before," Jet mutters, then his eyes go wide when he realizes he said it out loud. "I'm sorry, I-"
"No," I say, ice cold. "I know exactly what you meant. And if neither of you is willing to be mature about it, then I don't know what's going to happen. But pull it together, if not for me, then for the team." On that note, I walk away. Sure enough, Amy is waiting just around the corner.
"So?" she says, although I'm certain she heard everything.
"I have no idea what's going to happen next," I admit. "Everything just got even crazier."
"You told them you're not interested?"
"In so many words, yes."
"Then you've got nothing to worry about," she insists, but I can tell she's lying through her teeth. "Once they get over the rejection, things will be back to normal before you know it."
"I sure hope so," I say, unconsciously reaching up to put a hand over my gem. "I should go, but I'll see you next week." Wow, I nearly forgot it was friday.
"See ya," she says, watching but not moving as I begin the walk home. Somehow it feels too short, as though I'm being dragged towards the inevitable.
When I get home, I have a text waiting on my phone (which I had left at home to charge). It's from jet.
WELL, IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND, WANNA GO OUT ON SATURDAY?
As I'm reading, another text pops up, this one from Bloodstone-
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME FOR ICE CREAM ON SATURDAY? Well, at least he was honest. Another text pops up from yet another person, a number I don't recognize.
HEY, WANNA HANG OUT SOMETIME? -JONATHAN.
Oh, no.
"Help!" I shriek into the phone the instant Sapphire picks up.
"Whoa, slow down. What's going on?"
"I tried to talk to the guys and I thought I fixed things but now it's even worse and now apparently Jonathan likes me too even though he didn't really say so but it's obvious and I don't know what to do!" I hear the laugh she's suppressing. It takes her a minute to get it under control.
"Okay, first of all, calm down," she says. I take a deep breath. "Next, think logically. You told the guys you're not interested?"
"Yeah, but apparently they didn't listen."
"And now someone else wants to go out with you."
"Yeah."
"Well your in quite the pickle."
"Yes I am," I ignore the humor, "and Amy's advice was more useless than yours!" I feel bad. "I'm sorry."
"No, your right, I wasn't very helpful. I've just never been in your situation."
"Well what did you do the last time someone asked you out?"
"I've never been asked out. No one's ever liked me."
"Come on that's not true, you're pretty and you're in high school, you can't just have never had that problem. I had a boyfriend once. Even Amy's had a girlfriend!" I feel worse now. I didn't mean to hurt her. "I…"
"Amy's lesbian?" I'm grateful she's ignoring my previous statements.
"Yes. Wait you didn't know? She came out in like, 3rd grade."
"No."
"Well anyway…" geez, this is awkward.
"I'm sorry I don't know what to tell you. Who's this other guy who asked you out?"
"Jonathan. He and Jet apparently know each other, and now he goes to our school."
"Do you like him?"
"Maybe? Sorta? I don't really know." Suddenly, inspiration strikes. If this were a cartoon, I'd have a light bulb over my head."That's it! If I date Jonathan, then Jet and Bloodstone won't fight anymore!"
"No, no, no, no, no. That's a terrible, and I mean TERRIBLE idea. That's the worst idea you've ever had. Ever. And you've had some me really bad ideas in the past. I mean seriously, pickled calamari? Were you insane? And don't get me started on your phase of saying 'Holy guacamole cannoli'!"
Ignoring her I respond, "And? It solves the problem, right?"
"No you'll just make things worse! I might have 0 experience but I'm not an idiot and I know how I felt when my crush got a girlfriend. I hadn't even told them I liked them!"
"Wait, crush? You never told me about this!"
"It's not important and it was a long time ago. The important thing is you don't go date Jonathan just to solve your…"
"Oh no, I am totally dating Jonathan. I finally have a solution that doesn't involve total heartbreak!"
"Wait, Amber!" I hang up.
After a full hour of deliberation (yes, an hour) I finally reply to Jonathan's text.
I'D LOVE TO HANG OUT, BUT I'M GROUNDED. I COULD PROBABLY SNEAK OUT THO.
He replies immediately. THAT WORKS. WHAT TIME?
WHENEVER.
I'M FREE NOW. HOW ABOUT BALREY?
SURE.
I spend the next 10 minutes or so trying to pick a proper outfit, eventually just settling on a t-shirt and jeans, plus a denim jacket. I quickly make sure my parents are still occupied- yep, they're both busy baking- before I lock my bedroom door and carefully open my bedroom window. I know I can take a fall like this easily, but it still takes a moment to get the courage to jump for it.
I latch onto a branch of the nearest tree, then carefully make my way down to the ground. I duck through my neighbor's yard, then once I'm far enough away I run for it.
I stop just around the corner from the entrance to Balrey, take a deep breath, then walk down the block like I'd just calmly walked the whole way instead of flat-out sprinting. Jonathan is already there, comically looking at his watch.
"Hey, Jonathan!" I call out, waving. He looks up and smiles, waving back.
"Hey, Amber," he says as soon as I approach. "Thanks for showing up."
I shrug. "Not like I've got much else to do."
He grins even wider. "C'mon. There's something I wanna show you."
I follow him into the woods, down almost the exact same path we took when we were stalking the ice monster. We finally emerge into the hidden clearing, a fire already going in the center.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" I exclaim, pretending to be surprised. I quickly take note of the tunnel at the opposite side, just in case. "How did you know this was here?"
"Can't reveal all my secrets, now can I?" he smirks before sitting down on a log beside the fire. He pulls a bag out of his jacket. "Marshmallow?"
"You really do prepare for everything," I say, sitting down beside him. We each take a stick from the ground and start roasting our marshmallows, and I can't help but take comfort in the simple familiarity of the situation.
"It's rather romantic, don't you think?" Jonathan asks as we're eating our marshmallows.
"Classic, sitting by the fire," I agree, casually leaning against him. I'm totally out of my element here, but winging it seems to have worked so far. Jonathan wraps an arm around my shoulders, and then he leans down and kisses me.
It's not my first kiss, technically, but I don't think 'spin the bottle' really counts. The kiss is brief, glancing, and Jonathan blushes after we separate.
"Sorry, I-" he begins, stuttering.
"It's okay," I tell him firmly. This is what I was after, right? "You're not the worst kisser in the world."
Jonathan visibly relaxes, smiling. "You're not so bad yourself."
It's a Friday night, and as I'm climbing back up to my bedroom window, I can't help thinking about my date. It's sunset now, almost 7:00 since it's almost summer, and I know I would've stayed if I wasn't worried about getting in trouble for sneaking out. Still, I barely make it back in time, hearing a knock on my door only minutes after my re-entry.
After dinner, the first thing I do is call Sapphire. She picks up on the first ring.
"Please, please tell me you didn't do it," she says pleadingly.
"I cannot tell a lie," I quote. "Yeah, I went on a date with Jonathan, and it was awesome."
She sighs. "Great. That rules out pretty much all of the good futures…"
"Hey, it's not so bad," I tell her. "Once I tell the guys I have a boyfriend, they'll back off."
"Or someone will get hurt…"
"What do you know about the future!" I understand her silence to be her rolling her eyes. "Ok but you said most of the good futures…"
"Pretty much all."
"But that means some are still good. So, that's what's going to happen, the best option!"
"You're delusional."
"No I'm happy."
"Do you even like Jonathan?"
"I definitely could."
"Ugh…"
"Stop worrying."
"I physically can't as my mind runs down the rivers of terrible outcomes!"
"Look, I made a decision and what really isn't helpful is you telling me it will go wrong. Bye."
"Bye. Don't tell…" I hang up before she can finish. Oops.
BY THE WAY, DON'T TELL THEM, I'LL TELL THE GUYS TOMORROW. THEY'LL NEED A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP IF ANY GOOD CAN COME OF THIS. YOU CAN'T BACK OUT NOW Sapphire texts me only a few seconds later. I sigh.
Maybe Sapphire's right. I should call Amy. The phone rings until it tells me to leave a message. I call again. It has to work.
It doesn't.
Neither do the next three calls.
Author's Note: Sorry. Just sorry. There are many cliches here.
Next chapter is Don't Tell Amber-Part 1, where we'll dive into the minds of Jet and Amy, and then, in Don't Tell Amber-Part 2, we'll see Bloodstone and Sapphire's inner thoughts. Why changing perspectives 8 chapters in, you ask? Because we're the authors and we said so, that's why.
Enjoy!