29. "Was I Too Loud?"

Immediately I passed through my doors, I raced to my couch and lay down. My feet ached from the hours spent at the mall. Overall, we spent three hours and by the time we had finished, darkness had fallen. Mike picked up Anne and, she in turn, forced Luke and I to enter a cab.

I brought out the product of three hours of shopping, a cap sleeved knee length yellow dress with purple flowers scattered on it. It was the only article I was willing to buy.

Luke and Anne complained because I rejected all their picks. I couldn't be blamed, all others where either too short, too flashy or too exposing. For the love of cakes, it's just a little get together. I put the dress back with a groan.

Flicking through the channels and finding nothing suitable to watch, I trudged to my room and prepared for the night. A while later, I lay in bed contemplating in my mind: Was I really over Blake. Those were my last thoughts as a drifted off to sleep.

****

The next morning I had concluded that I was completely over him. For crying out loud I didn't remember there was someone, I knew called Blake, until that day I saw him at Kay's. I went to work, hanged out with Anne and teased Luke for the next few days and like a dream it was Friday.

I reached work and the first thing I noticed was Anne giving me some kind of look I didn't want to decipher. I worked all day, not even going for lunch.

**

I breathed in the polluted hair, after signing off work and began marching towards the bus station. Three steps in, I was intercepted by someone jumping in front me. Holding my chest, I opened my eyes to see Anne smiling goofily at me. I shook my head and continued walking, but like a fly, she persisted.

"I can't believe you still want to ride the bus home after everything I told you about it."

I exhaled. "I thought you had left."

"Nope." She clasped her hands.

"I just went to gather reinforcements."

I looked at her in confusion.

"Ta-da!" She gestured to a shiny black car, I didn't see before and as if on cue the windows rolled down to reveal a grinning Luke in the drivers side.

I stopped, and burst out laughing. Anne dragged me to the car and pushed me into the back seat and she settled down in the passengers seat. The leather seats squeaked as I settled inside. I took a second to marvel at the interior of the car, before jumping at Luke.

"Is this your car?" I smacked his shoulders as he pulled out and drove into the traffic.

"As you can see." He replied smartly.

"He's seriously a bad friend," I told Anne.

He raised an eyebrow at me through the rear view mirror.

"I heard that." He replied in a bored tone.

I stuck my tongue out, at me and he scoffed.

"Real mature." I slapped his arm.

"You want us to get into an accident?" He swerved the car dangerously and horns blared around us.

"Hey!"

"Shut up guys. Can't I just watch makeup tutorials in peace?" she spoke.

I frowned at her,

"Can't you just watch it when you get home?"

"No, because I want to use it now."

"On who?"

"You of course."

I paused for a second before I protested.

"Not happening."

"Why?"

"Yeah, because I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. It's just an evening party for crying out loud."

"No! You need to show him that you have risen above everything." she insisted stubbornly.

"I'm not showing anybody anything." I stated firmly.

She breathed out annoyed and pouted before twisting in her seat and facing the road. For a few minutes, choking silence reigned in the car. Unable to bear it any longer I spoke,

"Okay."

She turned in her seat immediately,

"Really?" Her eyes brightened.

"Yes."

"I love you." She turned to hug me but was restrained by the seatbelt.

"Hey, treat my baby with respect." Luke spoke up for the first time.

"Baby my butt." Anne scoffed.

And a few minutes later, we pulled to the parking lot of my apartment. Anne was out before the car stopped moving.

"Hurry, hurry. It's getting late." She beckoned on me and rushed to the now working elevator. I took in a breath and walked out after her.

"Hey, wait for me!" Luke shouted from behind us.

"We don't wait for slow pokes." Anne shouted.

Luke rolled his eyes and began taking long strides, in a second he was by my side and the next second he had is arms around Anne's shoulders leaving me behind. I scoffed and hurried after them, entering inside just as the elevator doors were closing.

***

I took out my keys, unlocked the door, and walked in. Immediately, Luke jumped on the couch and picked up the TV remote. I sighed and went to get a glass of water. I returned to see Luke feet on my table,

"Hey! Drop your legs."

He looked over at me and made a face, before complying.

Anne took my hand and began dragging me to my room and I gave one last warning to Luke.

"Don't touch anything."

I didn't hear his reply before Anne closed the door.

"Go wash up, as I set things up."

I mumbled and did as she said.

Thirty minutes later, I had only one goal in my mind, kill Anne. I groaned for the nth time five minutes.

"Will you stop blinking." She smacked my shoulder.

"How can I, when you are about to stick some pin in my eye?"

"You are really hopeless." A few minutes later, she was done.

"Finally." I groaned.

"Someone hearing you, would think I was making you suffer here, when in fact it was the opposite."

I looked at myself in the mirror and I frowned a little. It looked like me at the same time it wasn't me. I didn't have natural shine to my lips, and my cheekbones were not really prominent like this, my eyes looked bigger and brighter and it didn't look like she put any makeup there, despite the fact that she did. Anne's face appeared beside me and she smiled brightly.

"So, how is it?" Her eyes brightened in anticipation. I smiled at her through the mirror.

"I tried a very different look. If anyone saw you, they'd never know you put on any make up, but you know you did." She rambled.

"You said you weren't proving anything to anyone so I wanted you to look that way." She continued.

"Thank you so much." I hugged her, a little emotional.

"It's okay. What are friends for?" She replied uncomfortably after we stopped our embrace. I grinned.

"Okay, it's time to go." She clasped her hands.

"Okay." I grabbed my dress and changed.

When I came out, she look one look at me and hugged me.

"I'm so proud of you." She wiped the corners of her eyes. Was she crying?

"Are you crying?"

She sniffed.

"I feel this sense of déjà vu." She tilted her head to the side.

"Your mum said this to you on prom night?"

"Yep. That's it." She snapped her fingers. I laughed.

"Okay let's go, you are going to be late."

We stepped out of my bedroom into the sitting room. The coffee table was littered with the wrappers of different snacks. I walked to front of the television and stood with my hands on my hips.

Luke took one look at me and moved his head to the left, I moved with him, obstructing his view.

"Hey, move over." He moved to the right.

"Move over?" I scoffed,

"Move over? In my house? I can't believe this."

He grumbled something under his breath.

"Hey!" I snapped my fingers in his face,

"Clean this up before I return from packing my bags."

"Bags for what?" Anne interjected. I glanced at her and shrugged.

"Oh, you know... I may not be back till Sunday. Mum would surely want me to spend the rest of the weekend there."

"You mean, you knew, you were probably going to spend the weekend and you didn't go for facial treatment?!"

"It wasn't needed." I shrug.

"Hey, clean this up." I said to Luke as I walked to my room to pack.

****

"I'm going to miss you." You can guess who said that.

"Yeah, I know." I returned sarcastically.

"I'm not joking. Who will help me pack the rest of my things if not you," She pouted.

"So I'm only useful for packing your things?" I asked in disbelief.

"I didn't mean it that way." She gave me a look.

"Anyways, I'm so sorry about that, I'll try to make it up to you."

She shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Why don't ask Luke to help you."

"Hey! I'm a busy man!" He spoke up for the first time.

"Really? Busy doing what?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He paused for a moment before talking.

"I..I'm probably going to catch up on matches I missed this week."

"That's what you are doing, tomorrow?" Anne asked in disbelief.

"Yup!"

"Luke, I'm expecting you tomorrow morning at 5, Scent avenue. 8am sharp. You hear me?"

"I don't. Besides who names a place Scent avenue?"

"You've never heard of it? Well, now you have. Just be there."

I laughed, when they had finished their argument.

"What's funny?" They asked simultaneously.

"Nothing." I coughed.

Anne gave me a look on behalf of Luke and herself.

I looked out of the left window as we cruised down the familiar road of my parents house.

"Okay, stop. We are here."

Luke pulled into the curb.

"I'm going to miss you." Anne cooed at me again.

"Do you guys want to come in?"

"Nah, we are good." Anne answered for the two of them. I glanced at Luke through the rear view mirror, he shrugged.

"Okay. Bye guys. See you on Monday!"

I exited the car and waved as Luke reversed the car.

"Love you!" I shouted as the car drove off.

A second after, I turned on my heels and marched up my parents driveway, sparing a glance at the supposedly buzzing Johnsons house. I reached into my purse and fished out a bunch of keys and picked one of the lot (according to West and his wife, my mother, they gave me the keys to the house, so I could find somewhere to stay when I got tired of my ‘solitary life’. Their words, not mine).

I inserted the key into the lock and pushed the door open, dropping my overnight bag as I entered.

"Mom! Dad!!" I shouted at the seemingly empty house. I walked into the sitting room, but seeing it empty, I turned and made for the kitchen, it wasn't much different from the previous room, so I turned for the stairs.

At the top of the stairs I caught sight of someone, with his hands in his pockets, trying to look intimidating. I smirked internally. Wesley.

I grinned and raced up the stairs, taking two at a time. I flung myself at him, immediately I reached his side.

"Wesley! I missed you." I smiled at him.

He kept staring at me, his face blank. It was all just a facade. His actor mode was switched on, as usual.

Sometimes I wondered why he became a lawyer.

With the thought in mind, that he just need a little push and the facade would fall off, I reached up and squeezed his cheek.

"What role are you playing this time. The Dark Knight?"

I gestured out the door,

"I didn't see any awesome car parked in the driveway."

My eyes widened dramatically and he raised a brow at me. He was already cracking.

"Or maybe it's The Man Of Steel?"

I put my hand to my chin in faux thought.

"But I don't see you flying, or any cape whatsoever."

He smirked. Almost there.

I clapped my hands.

"Oh...oh I got it. It's The Godfather. Meow."

He cracked and burst out laughing. I smiled along with him, feeling fulfilled. He sauntered down the tears when he had regain composure. I frowned.

"So what is it? Uh?"

He turned to my and opened his arms wide.

"Your brother." he simply said.

I took the invitation and flew into his arms. Snuggling into his large frame.

"I missed you, Amber. You have gotten heavier."

I frowned and left his arms, pouting.

"That's what you say?"

He shrugged. I scoffed and pinched his cheeks once again.

"And you have gotten thinner. Don't your clients allow you to eat?"

I gasped when I touched his arm.

"Oh my goodness. Have you been...working out?" I asked in disbelieve as I touched his muscled bicep.

"Huh... Uhn. See." He smiled smugly and flexed his arm.

"This guns are going to be doing a lot of work soon?"

I realized something.

"Are...are you doing this to impress someone?" And he shut up.

"Are...are you...blushing?!" I asked him trying to hold my laughter when a pink hue appeared on his cheeks.

I got my answer and flew at him like an hyena.

"Oh. My. God. Who is she? What does she do? How old is she? Is she tall?"

He made for the door, walking in long strides. But I wasn't intimidated, I ran after him. Determined. Locking the door behind me, I jogged to him. Not realizing he was at the doorstep of the Johnsons. I brushed the thought off and continued bugging him.

"Where did you guys meet? Have you asked her out? Is she good in BED?"

I stressed out because everyone in the family, knew about Wesley's lifestyle. 'She's good or she's out' his words not mine. But I guess it was the wrong time to say that, as the door opened and I came face to face with Blake Johnson who had a child on his shoulder. Both their eyes were wide open.

Was my voice too loud?

(A/N: sup, peeps. I know I said I would be updating frequently but I didn't. I apologize.

So this chapter is free. How'd you like that?

Things are going to go top notch from the next chapter, so, be expecting it.

I want to thank all those reading this book. You are all wonderful.

For now, Ciao.

Please, do vote and comment. It really encourages me.)