Teen Ink

9. Amber Rules

“Charles did what?” Amber gasped, putting a manicured hand over her lip-sticked mouth.
“He said, and I quote: 'You think I'm going to sit here and go through a test for you? As if. You're not worth it.' “ I replied, sitting down on Danny's fluffy, blue, papasan chair.
“No!” Amber breathed, eyes wide.
“Eh, he was a dweeb anyway.” I shrugged and sank down further into the cooshiness of the chair, wanting this conversation to be over.
“If it's any consolation, I think he was an idiot.” Roy offered from his perch on Danny's desk.
“Thanks, Roy.” I smiled at him, and I could have sworn that he blushed.
“So what are you going to do now?” Amber quizzed, settling down cross-legged on the bed, next to Danny.
“I dunno, just date Paul and Aiden?”
“You can't do that!” Amber protested, leaping up from her position and landing on her toes like a cat.
“...why not?”
“That would make it way too easy, you obviously like Aiden”--I blushed a deep scarlet--”better than Paul, so we need to bring another guy into the picture. Someone who could rival Aiden and take Charles' place.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully before looking slyly over at me. “Show me your forearm.”
“What? No!” I clutched my arm to my front, and curled up into the fetal position.
Did that stop Amber?
Of course not.
She leaped at me, eyes wild and wide, and clawed at my arm, pulling at it until I finally let go of it with my other arm. She crowed triumphantly, and Danny, Roy, and I all stared at her.
“You know, sometimes, you're weirder than all the rest of us.” Danny commented, slowly rising and walking over to us to examine my arm.
“Who gave you this number?” Amber demanded, eyes quickly scanning over the digits.
“Uh, some guy named Levi, why?”
“Call him.”
“Er...why?”
“Call him.”
“But--”
Amber came dangerously close to me, so that it looked like her two eyes were melded into one.
“Call. Him. Now.”
“Someone drank crazy juice for breakfast this morning,” I muttered, pulling out my phone and punching in Levi's number.
I put the phone to my ear, but Amber wrenched it away and put it on speaker.
Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring...
“Hello?”
“Levi?”
“Er, yeah, whozzis?” He sounded groggy, as if I had just woken him up.
“Sharkbait.” As I said this, everyone's eyebrows shot up questioningly.
“No way! Seriously?”
“No, I'm actually Big Bird, yes Dumbo, it's Riley.”
“Oh, so now I'm Dumbo?”
“Got a problem with that?” I challenged, as flirtatiously as possible.
“Nah. What's up?”
“You know how you said to call if I ever got tired of Narcissus to call you.” I shrugged even though he couldn't see me.
“Who the heck is Narcissus?” Amber hissed at me over the phone.
“Am I on speaker?”
“Uh...no?”
He chuckled and I could just imagine him shaking his blond head. “So you got tired of pretty-boy?”
“Not exactly...”
“Then why are you calling me?”
“It would be easier to show you...”
“Uh, okay? “
“Will you meet me at...” I paused and looked at the paper Amber was holding much to close to my face. “Mable's March?” I hit the paper down. “What the heck is Mable's March?”I whispered.
“That little park downtown?”
“Uh, yeah. That one.”
“Okaty, what time?”
“In an hour?”
“Sounds good, I'll be there.”
“Great... I'll see ya then?”
“It's a date.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roy twitch slightly. For a moment I was confused, but then I saw Danny pulling at the hair at the back of his neck.
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
The line went dead, and I put my phone back into my pocket.
“Happy now?”
“Oh yes, immensely so.” Amber grinned.
“Why is it that I always seem to do what you say to?”
“Because I rule, babe. Because I rule."