Chapter Two Story of my Life

I've never actually seen Amber mad before. She's gotten frustrated at times, but never seriously angry that she does one of those typical movie scenes - you know, the whole, throw a shoe stuff. Anyway, the day I returned from my two weeks with my parents, I was pretty suprised (and, concerned, of course - I'm actually a responably good friend) to see Amber's usually spotless room, strewn with clothes and items lying broken on the floor. My friend was face-down on her bed, ripped and used tissues surrounding her bed.

"Yo," I say, poking her hard in the shoulder - which was aparently the wrong thing to do, as Amber suddenly slaps my hand away and screams, "What Ivy!"

I think I jumped a few feet back, and my heart began hammering insanely, as if my body was afraid she'd murder me or something. Her usually perky green eyes are puffy and her hair is sticking out on ends. She glares at me for a while and I stare numbly back.

"I'm guessing your trip didn't go so well?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly. I have no idea how to deal with a sobbing friend, and honestly I was too scared to hug her. Amber lays back down and slams a pillow over her head, sniffling all the while. There is a minute of silent and I shrug. "Do you want me to leave?" I ask.

"Go if you want, I don't give a damn," she snaps. I blink, hesitate and then head for the door, particially glad to be out of her line of fire, yet worried all the while. Suddenly her bed springs creak and there is a wet hand on my arm. "Wait, Ivy, please - I'm sorry. It's just ..." she trails off and her eyes fill with tears. In one movement I give her a tight squeeze and she hugs me back.

"Do you want to go into my room? We can eat the blueberry muffins my neighbour made there, where it's a bit cleaner." She gives me a weak smile - if there's anything Amber can't resist - it's Lauren's muffins.

One we were safe in my room, Amber bursts out everything that happned during her brief visit with her parents, all the while silently crying as I rub her back. Apparently they're splitting up. Of course, for Amber who went to a boarding school and didn't see them most of the year, it was a huge suprise, and after hoping for a great week with them, filled with fun activities, she instead had to manuver herself through their homes and endure their anger at one another. She picks at her muffin, sending crumbs on my floor, but I really don't care. To Amber - a single hang-nail is the world gone wrong.

"So, how did you trip go?" Amber asks me silently.

I shrug. "OK, I guess."

"Tell me, everything..."

I eye her carefully before delving into a recoutn about my holidays, trying to make it sound as boring and miserable as possible, although compared to Amber's, it was pretty much perfect. Ha. Funny thinking of that, our positions reversed, although I never had it that bad. I don't want to go into details about my folks too much, in case it upset Amber once more, so instead I end the story and change the subject. "You know that Brits and Sophie's birthday is coming soon," I say. "They're going to hold a huge bash for their 'sweet sixteenth' - you'd like it, it's a beach party."

"Would I be invited?" Amber asks. Sophie and Amber have enver seen eye-to-eye.

I shrug. "Knowing my sisters - everyone's invited. Even Brock, if he wants to come though." She laughs at our inside joke, knowing how much they tormented Brock on that one week he stayed with me and my sisters.

"You know," she says, still grinning. "That means I can use that new bikini I got for the summer."

I laugh.

There's a noise and suddenly Brock is sticking his head through the window, his hair wet from probably a recent shower. "Better?" He asks, moving through the door. Amber blushes and looks away from him, and he pats her on the back. I don't doubt that she tried to throw something at him. In a matter of seconds he spots the muffins and converges onto them.

"So, now, if your not too full on muffins, who will like to join me for dinner?" He asks, brushing crumbs onto the floor which he then pushes under my bed. I feel full, but I go anyway, and at the dining hall everyone jumps at Amber, no doubt she burst into tears the moment she entered the school. Typically she shrugs off everyone, and Brock makes a face at me when she lies and says her cat died (Hello? Amber has never, ever, owned any animal at all, she's afraid of lizards, come on).

That's just one of the ways Amber works, she doesn't like anyone knowing personal things about herself. Infact, Brock only just found out (it's December now, this was in October, so it took her two months to confess. Two months of annoyance for Brock, I must say. Although I did, kind of, actually tell him earlier...oops?)

>By the way, sorry for the lateness making my posts kind of inaccurate. Maybe I should write in past tense?<

IVY BLACK