Page 3 of Pages of Amber
Her jaw clenched.“Was that my fault or yours? I think your gloom had time to dig its claws into every inch of this place while I was away.”
“More like I had the freedom to move around without almost getting bulldozed.”He took another step down. His tie swayed with the movement, the dark green striped material matching her uniform skirt.Your move,it taunted.
“Hey, you’re the one who was in the way,”she said. Okay, a weak one. She could do better than that.
“Says who?”That infuriating half-smirk climbed on his face.
He was still a step higher than her. Amber didn’t like that. She knocked her head back and her hair fell over her shoulders. She hadn’t bothered to put it up this morning. Her scalp deserved a break after tugging her hair into tight buns for the last two weeks. Noah’s eyes followed the movement, his gaze dancing over her neck and shoulder where her hair rested.
“Did you miss me so much that you’re willing to pick a fight with me and risk detention? I didn’t think our beloved school president wanted his school record tainted.”
Noah didn’t look away quickly. In fact, he tilted his head and seemed to drag those bottomless eyes across every inch of her face before meeting her eyes. Amber struggled with the urge to flush.
“Maybe you’re the one who missed me since you’re still here, fighting with me. Didn’t your little leave of absence help that stubborn streak of yours?”
Her eyes narrowed. Look who was talking.“You and I both know you’re the stubborn one here, Noah. And you’re still blocking my way. Move. You’ll make me late.”
He acted like he didn’t hear her.
“I didn’t hear you say you didn’t miss me.”
“You know what else I didn’t say? That you’re a–”
The shrill bell cut her off. Amber jumped, her pulse leaping along with her. She was late. A groan left her. This was not a great start to her resumption. The scuffle of shoes brought her attention to Noah who finally moved away from her front. He took the next two steps, placing him below her.
“This isn’t over, Noah,”she said before he could walk away.
“Au contraire, Amber. That round goes to me but it was an easy win so I’m looking forward to the next one. A guy could get used to this winning streak.”
Great. One small win and it had blown his head. What did she expect?
“I hope you get detention,”she wished, turning away from him. She clutched her books to her chest as she took the stairs two at a time.
“Can’t. I have a free period.”
Amber spun on her heel so fast she almost tumbled over. She gripped the rails, her mouth agape. Noah sauntered down the stairs without looking back, a pep in his step that annoyed her. Amber glared at his back as he walked away. The twerp had made her late on purpose. On her first day back. She gritted her teeth. She would get him back in the next round.
With that silent promise and thoughts of hunting Noah down filling her head, Amber hurried to her History class trying to ignore the niggling excitement shefelt lookingforward to when next she and Noah would argue.
CHAPTER TWO
“THERE ISN’T BALLET PRACTICE on Thursday, right?”Beverly asked as they made their way to the lot, the PSA system signaling the end of the school day echoing faintly behind them. The chill of the February air swept over Amber. She snuggled into her coat, ready to throw it and her uniform jacket off the moment she got home.
Reuniting with her friends had been fun but the day had been long. At every corner, there was a person waiting with salutations and almost all of them had a thing or two to say about the competition results. By the tenth person, she basically zoned out, smiling and nodding at whatever they had to say. The uncomfortable feeling had only grown larger and stronger as more people had mentioned it and at this point, she was over it.
She took a long deep breath in, letting the crispness of the air fill her lungs and awaken her senses. Amber adored the layers of snow they got to see in New York. The fluff on the sidewalks and snow covered buildings were a sight but she couldn’t wait for her favorite season to roll around.
“It was moved to Friday,”Amber answered.
The Fleur Elysian Ballet Theatre had been like a second home to Amber for years. She’d started there shortly after showing interest in dance as a child. Her parents hadn’t hesitated in enrolling her and that place had shaped the rest of her life. It was the reason she had been able to hone her talents into what they were now. The reason she’d gone and won another competition. The theatre had been undergoing some minor renovations shortly before Amber had left and were apparently still in the midst of it. Since some of the dance halls were being worked on, the class schedules had been adjusted.
“Okay, then.”Beverly’s giggle was absolutely suspicious.
Amber looked at her friend, scanning the suspiciously large grin on Beverly’s face.“Why are you asking?”
“Nothing. We have a surprise,”Lexi answered.“Actually, it’s Beverly’s surprise, but you must have already guessed what it is.”
“Um…”Amber tugged at her sleeve in thought. They headed down the stairs into the courtyard as students spilled out the doors behind them, everyone headed in groups to the expansive parking lot situated to the left of the building. The school grounds were huge but Redmington had a strict rule on parking cars at the lot, even if it was a drop-off. It kept the premises organized but also meant if someone came in late, they’d have to park at the back and walk for what felt like forever to reach the front doors.“Can I have a clue?”
