A Time for Tears

By Jenna

Chapter Twenty

            Amber slept through most of Sunday. She came down for meals, and watched a movie with her brother. But that was basically the extent of that day. Along with the occasional tease towards her father about the duck incident. The next day, Monday, Amber slept late. Seeing as she wasn’t going to school, she didn’t have to worry about doing that weekend’s homework the day before. She figured she’d have a lot of time to do things at the hospital. She lounged on the couch, reading. Her brother slept a little later than she did. The whole family stayed home that day so that they could spend time with Amber.

            Eventually the whole family was sitting in the living room. The TV was on, but no one was watching it. It was a rather awkward silence. It was strange, how life worked. When you have all the time in the world to say something important, you joke around, but when you only had a little time, you get tongue tied. It was Andrew who broke the silence.

            “How long are you going to be at the hospital?” he asked.

            “I can honestly say I don’t know,” Amber answered, sighing. “Jill said that it’s different for different people.”

            “Ah,” Andrew said in response.

            Awkward silence again.

            “What happens if they can’t put you in remission with the extra chemo drugs?” Andrew broke the ice again.

            “Andrew,” Mrs. Marshall began in a slightly warning tone as Amber raised an eyebrow.

            “Didn’t Jill tell you this stuff?” Amber asked her brother.

            “I’d fallen asleep in the waiting room,” Andrew answered, a little sheepishly.

            “If they don’t get me into remission, then they do a bone marrow transplant,” Amber sighed, sitting back in her seat. “But I could probably get into remission, so…” Amber shrugged.

            The day went on quieter than they’d thought. They watched a few movies, talked about things of small importance. But the impending stay at the hospital never really entered their conversation again. At about one, Amber challenged her brother to a video game.

            They set up the game console, and began battling it out in some sort of battle dome. Amber hadn’t played the game much before, but Andrew had, so he soon beat her.

            “Ah! No!” Amber cried, clutching her throat and flopping backwards. “You killed me!”

            “Yes,” Andrew replied before letting out a mock evil chuckle. Amber threw a pillow at him, and it hit him in the back of the head.

            “You’re so kind,” Amber teased as she slowly sat up again.

            “You’re one to talk,” Andrew joked back, having his hand hover over his hair, which was now staticky from the pillow that had hit him. Amber watched as a few of Andrew’s hairs floated towards his hand, and she laughed. They then engaged in more of the same video game, Andrew usually beating Amber. Though she did beat him a few times. She wasn’t sure if he’d let her win, or if it had been sheer luck. Either way, they were interrupted mid battle when the doorbell rang.

            “I’ll get it,” Andrew announced, and headed towards the door. Brandon, Michael, and Jackie soon followed.

            “Hi,” Amber said, waving at them. “How was school?” Michael stuck out his tongue as if he had suddenly been reminded of some sort of awful tasting cough medicine. Amber chuckled and stood up.

            “School was…well…school,” Brandon answered. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug of greeting, lightly kissed her cheek, and released her. Amber smiled at her friends.

            “What do you want to do?” she asked them.

            “What were you and Andrew just doing?” Jackie asked.

            “Battling to the death,” Amber replied just before she yawned behind her hand. Jackie raised an eyebrow in a questioning response. Amber gestured towards the TV. “Video game. Come on in.” She walked over to the couch and plunked down on it.

            “Can we borrow your sister?” Brandon asked Andrew.

            “Sure. She sucks at video games though,” Andrew replied, grinning at his sister before dashing away before he could be hit with the pillow that whizzed after him. Brandon laughed.

            “What to do, what to do?” Jackie sighed, walking across the room towards the videos.

            “Movies?” Amber asked.

            “Maybe,” Jackie replied, scanning the titles. “We haven’t played a game in awhile.”

            “What do you want to do, play house?” Michael teased.

            “Yeah!” she replied with joking sarcasm. “I’ll be the mom, you’ll be the dad, and Amber and Brandon will be the kids!” She laughed and rolled her eyes.

            “Ew,” Michael said, first winking at Brandon then scrunching up his face. “Incest!” Michael quickly received a pillow in the face from Amber.

            “I was just joking,” he laughed, pushing the pillow aside.

            “I think you’d still better watch out for those UFP’s, though,” Brandon chuckled.

            “UFP’s?” Jackie asked, raising an eyebrow.

            “Unidentified Flying Pillows,” Brandon said, with as close to a serious face as he could muster.

            Amber, Jackie, and Michael looked at each other and grinned evilly. All three picked up a couch pillow or cushion and threw it at Brandon.

            “Hey!” Brandon cried with mock indignation, laughing, as the rest of them were, while holding his hands up to shield himself from the bombardment of pillows.

            “How about charades? We haven’t played that since we were in middle school,” Jackie offered a few minutes later.

            “Sure,” Amber sighed. “Teams are…?”

            “What do you think?” Michael teased. “Of course it’s me and Jackie against you and Brandon. Always has been.”

            “I thought as much,” Amber replied, smiling. She got up and headed up the stairs. She walked to the end of the hallway, opened the closet, and started pushing things on the shelves around, searching for the charades cards. The boxes on the shelves were making enough noise to block out the footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall.

            “I’m going to miss you,” Brandon whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms about her waist and nuzzling her neck. Amber jumped and dropped the box that was in her hand.

            “You scared me!” she breathed. But then she turned, met his eyes and smiled. “I’ll miss you too.” He kissed her once briefly. “But you can come and visit me, you know.” He smiled at her before he kissed her again quickly.

            “Hey!” a voice came from downstairs. “We don’t know what you two are up to, but cut it out and get the game!” It was Jackie’s voice. They heard Michael laugh.

            “They know us too well,” Brandon chuckled.

            “Yes, that they do,” Amber replied and snatched the charades box from the shelf, and she and Brandon headed back down the stairs, their hands linked.

~*~*~*~

            “Monkey!” Amber shouted at Brandon as he tried to imitate whatever it was that he was trying to be. He stopped dead movement, gave a frustrated sigh, and rolled his eyes. Damn, that wasn’t it. They’d been playing for about three hours now, hadn’t gotten bored yet.

            “Ok, do something different, I don’t know what the hell you’re doing,” Amber said, her eyebrows coming together as she stared at Brandon. He’d been climbing on the furniture. He paused to think for a moment. “C’mon, c’mon, we’re on a timer!” Amber prodded. Brandon stuck his arms out like wings and started running around the room.

            “Plane!” Amber called out. Brandon froze and gave her a thumbs-up, then gestured for her to keep guessing. He held his hands out like a gun, and pretended to shoot at things before he pretended to be shot himself. Amber stared at him laying on the floor, eyes closed, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he played dead. “Brandon, you look so dumb right now.” He looked up at her and gave her a look that said “Gee, thanks” before the timer went off.

            “You loose this round,” Jackie said, turning the timer off. “Finally.” Amber and Brandon had been winning a lot.

            “Oh, the answer was guerrilla warfare, by the way,” Michael stated as Brandon crawled over to sit next to Amber.

            “Your turn,” Amber said, sliding the card box across the floor to the other two. Jackie pulled a card out and looked at it. And groaned. She rose and handed it to Amber and Brandon. They snickered when the read it. “Romeo and Juliet,” it said.

            Jackie stood at the center of the room, thinking of what to do. She then walked over and grabbed Michael’s hands and pulled him over so that he was standing by the window. She reached over, pulled the curtain out a bit, and pushed him behind it so that only his head peeked out. Michael raised an eyebrow as he watched Jackie arrange the curtain a bit.

            “Hide and go seek,” he offered. Jackie shook her head back and forth. She then took a few paces away from him and knelt down on the floor, on one knee, threw her arms out dramatically and batted her eyes at him.

            “Marriage?” Michael asked. Jackie rolled her eyes and flopped over backwards. She sat up suddenly, having gotten an idea. She held her hand in a fist as though she were holding a dagger.

            “Knife!” Michael shouted. Jackie gestured as though to say what kind. “Um, dagger?” Jackie grinned and nodded. She then pointed to the invisible dagger, then pointed to a smile on her face. “The dagger’s smiling?” Jackie gestured to get him to keep going. “Happy dagger?” Jackie nodded fervently. “Isn’t that a line in Romeo in Juliet?” Michael questioned. Jackie grinned and hopped up and down pointing at him. “Romeo and Juliet!” Michael shouted just before the timer buzzed.

            “Wooooo!” Jackie shouted and started doing a funny dance around the living room.

            “That makes it a tie now,” Michael stated, sliding the card box over to Amber. Jackie plunked down on the floor next to Michael. Amber pulled out a card and her eyes almost bugged out of her head.

            “How the fuck am I supposed to act this out?” she mumbled to herself, reading the card again. “Reproduction.” She stood up and handed the card to Jackie as Michael started the timer. It wasn’t long before Jackie and Michael were rolling on the floor, holding their sides, laughing hysterically. Amber stuck her tongue out at them and turned back to Brandon. What to do? What to do? She thought to herself and paced a bit.

            “Impatience?” Brandon guessed. She sent him a look that said “Not yet!” She thought for a moment more before she walked across the floor, picked up a pillow, and stuffed it up her shirt so she looked like she had gained several pounds.

            “Pregnant?” Brandon guessed. Amber smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, adjusting her hat with her other hand. He looked clueless once again. Amber thought, then pulled the pillow out of her shirt and cradled it like a baby. Brandon guessed baby, and Amber gestured for him to elaborate. He shrugged.

            “Amber I have no idea,” he said. She gave a frustrated sigh, placed the pillow against her stomach, then moved it down her front to represent a baby being born.

            “Birth?” Brandon guessed. Amber gave him the same gesture she did before. “There’s more?” he asked. Amber nodded and pointed at the timer.

            “Timed birth?” Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow. Amber shook her head back and forth fervently. “I give u—“ the pillow smacked him in the chest and knocked him over before he could finish his statement of forfeit. He fell over, surprised, holding himself up a bit on his elbows and blinking at Amber. She strode over to him and proceeded to kneel next to him. Brandon was about to give her a questioning look but before he knew it Amber had him straddled. Brandon’s eyes flew open wide. “Uhhhhh….” Was all he could manage to let escape from his mouth. Amber smiled at him before she leaned over, pressing her front against his as Jackie and Michael watched wide eyed but on the verge of laughter. Amber felt his breath get quicker. Instinctively, Brandon raised his head a bit to try to kiss her, but Amber jerked away. She shook a finger at him and winked. She shifted her weight a little so that her hips were near his. She watched him gulp and repressed a laugh. Jackie and Michael were snickering behind their hands.

            “Amber, keep that up and Brandon’s going to need a really cold shower,” Michael laughed. Brandon glared daggers at him for a second, though the effect was weakened by the fact that they all saw what Amber was doing to him.

            “Torture,” Brandon guessed. Amber laughed a little and shook her head back and forth, shifting her weight again. Brandon flopped backwards with a huff. Amber grinned and ran her hands from his side, up his ribs and chest to rest on his shoulders.

            “SEX!” Brandon shouted, shifting around under Amber. Amber gave him the thumbs up sign again and gestured for him to elaborate further.

            “I’m having a little trouble thinking at the moment, Amber,” Brandon stated, giving her a look. Michael and Jackie were laughing hysterically again. “Not nice,” he said to them. Amber gave a frustrated sigh, gestured to the situation they were in, made a plus sign, and cradled the pillow like a baby again.

            “Reproduction?” Brandon asked. Amber jumped up and started doing a happy dance around the room. Brandon scooted backwards so his back was against Amber’s couch and brought his knees up to his chest, his face beet red. Michael, laughing even harder seeing Brandon’s reaction, turned the timer off.

            “You guys won, but his reaction was definitely worth it,” Michael chuckled, standing up. “Do we need to leave him there for a few minutes?”

            “Har har, Michael,” Brandon grumbled. “If your girlfriend randomly straddled you and started acting like that, you’d be the same way.”

            “Good point…” Michael said pensively. “It’s still funny though.” Brandon rolled his eyes.

            “I’m hungry,” Jackie stated. Michael agreed with her.

            “Well it’s five o’clock, my mom’s probably making dinner soon,” Amber told them, sitting down on the couch. “She doesn’t seem to be yet, though.”

            “Let’s go bug her then,” Michael said, starting towards Amber’s stairs. Jackie followed him up. When they were out of sight, Amber sat down on the floor, back against the couch, next to Brandon.

            “Sorry about that,” Amber sighed, leaning her head back.

            “Want to really act out that charades thing?” his voice was right next to her ear.

            “Brandon!” she laughed, shoving his shoulder as hard as she could manage. Though with the effects of chemo, it wasn’t much harder than a gentle push.

            “You know I’m kidding,” Brandon said softly, chuckling as he gently tilted her head to rest on his shoulder. Amber noticed his breath was evened out now, and he was cooler than he was a few moments before.

            “That’ll probably be the closest thing I’ll ever come to having kinds,” Amber sighed.

            “A pillow?” Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow and pulling away a bit to look at Amber.

            “Yeah. The chemo agents they’re giving to me…” Amber paused for a sigh. “They cause sterility in most cases.”

            “That’s sad,” Brandon stated, not knowing anything else to say. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her a bit closer. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize,” Amber said. “Well, unless you gave me leukemia and didn’t tell me,” she teased, looking up at him and giving him a mock suspicious glance.

            “Oh yes, you caught me,” Brandon joked. They laughed a bit before Michael and Jackie came running down the stairs, Amber’s mom coming after them almost as fast.

            “Woo, Mom’s on the track team,” Amber teased.

            “Don’t make fun of your old mother,” Mrs. Marshall laughed before she stepped into the kitchen.

            “You’re not old,” Amber stated, taking hold of the couch to help her as she began to stand. Brandon took her hand and helped her the rest of the way. He walked with her leaning on him into the kitchen, where they both sat down at the table. Jackie and Michael were seated there as well.

            “What’s for dinner, Mrs. Marshall?” Brandon asked.

            “I’m ordering a pizza,” Mrs. Marshall replied, flipping through the phone book.

            “Oh what a nice going away dinner,” Amber teased again. Without anyone realizing it, she put a slight damper on everyone’s mood, including her own, at the mentioning of her going away.

            “I’m sorry honey. I thought pizza was your favorite,” Mrs. Marshall sighed, about to close the phone book. Shit, she took me seriously, Amber thought to herself.

            “No no, Mom. I was joking. Pizza is my favorite,” Amber insisted. It was, too. “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s alright, dear,” Amber’s mom said, smiling at her and gazing at the phone book again. She soon picked up the phone and dialed the number, ordering what the four friends and Amber’s family always ordered if they ate pizza together. Half pepperoni, a quarter just cheese, and another quarter with sausage.

            After Amber’s mom hung up the phone, she went upstairs to get what was needed to pay the pizza man, and Mr. Marshall. They had both been upstairs while Michael, Jackie, and Brandon were over to give them some time. About ten minutes later, the teens were soon joined once more by Mrs. Marshall she perched herself on a chair at the table with the four friends.

            “So, what’s up in da hood?” Amber’s mom teased.

            “Mom?” Amber began, holding in a laugh.

            “Yeah?” Mrs. Marshall turned to her daughter.

            “Are you drunk?” Amber teased.

            “There must be something in the water,” Mr. Marshall joked, glancing at each of the other occupants of the table in turn. They laughed.

            “Gee, thanks,” Mrs. Marshall answered.

            “Aw, we love you Mrs. Marshall,” Jackie said, laughing. Amber’s mom smiled at her, just as the doorbell rang.

            “That was fast,” Michael said, squinting at the clock on the yellow kitchen wall above the refrigerator.

            “Well it has been twenty minutes,” Mrs. Marshall said, chuckling as Andrew made a mad dash for the doorway, nearly knocking the change off the table Mrs. Marshall had put it on when he tried to scoop it up on the run. Everyone in the kitchen listened as Andrew greeted the pizza man, paid him, said thank you and shut the door.

            “Lucy, I’m hoooommmeee!!!” Andrew shouted as he strode back into the kitchen, extra large pizza in arms. He set it down on the counter, and Mrs. And Mr. Marshall started helping him gather plates, napkins, and the pizza cutter. Amber rose to go help her family, but became dizzy of a sudden and stumbled back into her chair, Brandon holding her elbow.

            “How come you seem so tired today?” Jackie asked, a worried expression on her face. Brandon had already noticed this, and mirrored Jackie’s expression, as did Michael. Amber blushed; even after all this time, attention like this bothered her.

            “They upped my dosage of the chemo agents a little bit just before they released me from the hospital…I guess my body’s just not used to it yet…among other things,” Amber sighed, resting her face in her palms. Her friends knew the “other things” Amber had been referring to was the affect of the cancer on her body. The three getting the pizza ready sent a couple of concerned glances over their shoulders. But they soon brought over what was needed, and everyone helped themselves to a piece or two of pizza.

            After they were done eating, the entire group cleaned up their dishes and the like, put glasses in the sink, and headed into the living room so that they could all watch a movie.

            “Let’s watch Winnie the Pooh!” Jackie suggested, hopping in a goofy way over to the shelves lined with videos and some DVDs.

            “No way,” Michael protested. “We’re watching The Little Mermaid.” He laughed, to show he was joking.

            “How about the Lion King?” Mrs. Marshall offered.

            “Yeah!!” Amber, Brandon, and Andrew chorused.

            “Ok that’s just freaky,” Brandon commented on the unison.

            “We’re all on the same brain wave,” sighed Amber, sinking into the right corner of the couch. Brandon sat next to her, then Mr. and Mrs. Marshall. Jackie had found the movie that they’d been looking for, tossed it to Andrew, and he in turn started setting up the TV, and put the movie in. Jackie and Michael settled into the armchair; it was a rather wide armchair.

            “No, Brandon just spends too much time with us,” Andrew said with a shrug, though he was smiling, as he seated himself on the floor space between Brandon’s feet and Mrs. Marshall’s. The opening notes to the first song rang through the room…Andrew had fast forwarded through the commercials. Mr. Marshall stood up and flipped off the lights just as some giraffes reared their long necks up from a watering hole in order to look over their shoulders and the music continued.

            “So that it’s more like the movies,” Mr. Marshall explained, settling down on the couch next to Mrs. Marshall once more. Animated birds fluttered across the screen and they all focused on the movie.

            Before they knew it, the movie had ended. Mrs. Marshall yawned.

            “Well I’m sorry to be a party pooper and even sorrier that I’m tired, but I need to go to bed,” she said quietly. Amber noticed her mother’s voice cracked as she said this…she was crying. Because of what tomorrow would bring.

            “I’m going to go up with your mom,” Mr. Marshall stated, rising out of his seat after Mrs. Marshall did so. “Don’t stay up too late kids. Andrew, go to bed, okay?”

            “That’s not fair,” Andrew grumbled.

            “Eh, life’s not fair,” Amber told him, smiling. She stood up as he did and hugged him. “Niiiiight!!! I looooovvveeee yoooouuuu!!” She laughed.

            “Um, air?” Andrew said in a fake wheeze.

            “You meanie,” Amber chuckled as she let him go.

            “Night,” Andrew said to her, then to the rest of them before he headed upstairs with his parents.

            “Okay, break out the kegs it’s time to parrrttaayyy!!” Jackie teased as she jumped to her feet after the other three had disappeared upstairs.

            “Woooo! Yeah!” Michael cried as he jumped up and started dancing about the room.

            “You’re insane,” Brandon laughed. During the movie he had wrapped his arms around Amber from behind and she had rested her head on his chest. He now noticed, as he gently tilted her balding head up, and adjusted her blue cap so he could see her face, that she was asleep. There were dark circles under her eyes. She looked so tired. “Hey we’ve got a party pooper,” he said to the others loud enough so they could hear but yet soft enough that he would not wake Amber.

            “AWWW ain’t she cute?” Michael joked.

            “Hey, eyes off. She’s Brandon’s,” Jackie teased back.

            “Yeah, what she said,” Brandon chuckled. Amber shifted against him and moaned softly in her sleep. Brandon looked down at her, and saw her face was scrunched a little. Fear tore through him for a moment. Was she having a night mare or was she really in pain? Her grip on his shirt tightened. “You guys..” he whispered. The other two stopped dancing around and looked at Amber, worried expressions now shadowing their features.

            “No..” Amber whimpered. “Not yet..” Brandon rubbed his thumb against her cheek and leaned closer to her ear.

            “Amber wake up,” he said softly. “Amber c’mon.”

            “Huh..?” she whispered. Brandon felt her eyelashes against his cheek as her eyes fluttered open for a second as she sighed in relief before she allowed her eyes to flutter shut once more.

            “Poor kid,” Michael sighed. “Nightmares suck.”

            “Mm,” Amber mumbled in agreement.

            “Well, Amber, I’m actually kind of tired. And you look exhausted. Maybe we should all turn in?” Michael offered.

            “Yeah, I’m tired too,” Jackie said, yawning of a sudden.  “Let’s go to sleep.” She gave Michael’s sleeve a tug, and then walked over to where her sleeping bag lay. She wrapped her fingers around the strings that kept it rolled up and hefted its weight into her arms. Michael did the same.

            “You’re both retiring for bed at the same time so soon, huh?” Brandon teased, a crooked grin on his face. Amber’s face showed a sign of a smirk. Michael and Jackie looked at Brandon quizzically.

            “D’you guys want the guest room all to yourselves?” Amber teased in a quiet voice.

            “Hey now,” Jackie said. Michael laughed.

            “Oh, you guys saw right through me,” he chuckled with friendly sarcasm.

            “Michael!” Jackie exclaimed, smiling a little.

            “C’mon baby let’s go upstairs and leave the children alone,” Michael teased and jokingly smacked Jackie’s rear end, startling her and causing her to drop her sleeping bag. Jackie scowled at him and snatched up her sleeping bag again, never taking her narrowed eyes and suppressed smile off of Michael, who was now laughing. Brandon laughed as well, careful not to bounce Amber’s head.

            “Shoo, you two,” Amber teased with a smile. “If you’re tired, go to sleep.”

            “We could say the same to you, you know,” Jackie said, trying to sound light-hearted as she followed Michael, who was yawning, up the stairs and around the corner. Brandon and Amber listened until they heard Amber’s bedroom door shut. They knew the two wouldn’t really do anything intimate in Amber’s room.

            Amber felt Brandon’s thumb begin to gently caress her cheek. She smiled to herself and turned her gaze from the stairs to Brandon’s eyes. He had a look there such as she hadn’t seen that often, until recently. It was a look of saddened longing, as though he felt he was losing her forever. She wanted to ask him to stop looking at her like that, but she was sure he wasn’t aware that he was doing it. Amber bit her bottom lip and looked at her hands lying on her stomach, and fidgeted.

            “Something bothering you?” Brandon’s voice was soft, but because her left ear was right against his chest, it was resonating in a muffled sort of way at the same time.

            Amber shrugged, “Nothing more so than usual, I guess,” she answered with a sigh. When she looked back up at Brandon, she saw that he was still giving her that same intense, sorrowful stare. “Are you gonna be okay?” She asked quietly.

            “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he whispered. He leaned over a little, and Amber sat up, so that their noses were almost touching, and Brandon tilted his head so that he could look her in the eyes. He chewed his bottom lip and softly rubbed the edge of his nose against Amber’s, and she returned the gesture. She allowed her lips to lightly brush across his bottom lip, and he stopped moving, just staring at her. And in a moment their lips met, and Brandon sat Amber up so she was on her knees, gently directing one so that she had one leg on either side of his. As they deepened the kiss, Amber felt Brandon’s hands on her waist, pushing her down so that she would be in his lap. She pressed herself up against him as he wrapped his arms tighter around her back. Brandon broke the kiss, only to trail his lips over her jawbone and down her neck, softly enough that it made her shiver. He slid his hands up under the back of her shirt.

            “You have no idea how badly I want you right now…” Brandon whispered against her skin.

            “Yes I do,” Amber whispered back, her breath rustling his hair. Brandon looked up at her with an odd glint in his eyes.

            “Do you?” he whispered, his voice getting kind of husky. His lips curled up into a small smile.

            “Yeah, you’re pressing it right against my leg,” Amber teased with a wink. Brandon rolled his eyes and sat back, frustrated. “I’m sorry,” Amber said, glancing at her boyfriend with concern. She gently pulled him forward again with the front of his shirt, before softly kissing him on the lips. “I was just trying to make you smile.” Brandon ran his fingers through her hair and smiled at her.

            “Do you,” he choked out. “Um..” He gulped. This wasn’t really a question you’re supposed to ask girls, is it? He didn’t know. Maybe I just shouldn’t have said anything…

            “Feel the same way you do?” Amber asked, unbuttoning his shirt. Brandon stared down at her fingers, and gave a small nod. “Maybe,” she replied with a smile, pushing Brandon’s shirt off his shoulders.

            “Amber?” Brandon began, looking up at her again.

            “Hmm?”

            “Um…I…I mean…could we..” Brandon stammered, looking away, his cheeks flushing slightly; he looked rather frustrated with himself.

            “No, not tonight,” Amber smiled softly at him. Brandon nodded, blushing deeper before trying to stand up. “Noooooo,” Amber whined, clinging to him so that as he rose she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs round his waist. She tilted her head back, looking up at him, and pouted. Brandon smiled at her, kissing the tip of her nose.

            “C’mon Ms. Velcro, let’s go to sleep,” he told her with a smile. Amber smiled sadly back at him.

            She had trouble falling asleep that night; she knew, the sooner morning came, the sooner she’d have to be locked up in a clinic, drugged like mad, and fighting the hardest fight she would ever fight in her life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Well then….terribly sorry that took so damned long to get up.

sapofbks2004: Thanks for the advice. J Sorry this took so long to get up in one piece, I hope you enjoy! J I’ll post again as soon as I can.

Sisi: aww, but I can’t tell you the ending. (If you wanna know a secret, I haven’t even decided yet lol)

Zeina: Thank you! *bows* I like her too, but we’ll have to see where things go.

Tzipora: You’re welcome, and it took me awhile again…I’m terribly sorry L I’ll try my bestest to work faster this time.

Mizbritt: hey look! I updated again! Holy crap lol weeeeee

Bloodythorns: Thank you, I’m very flattered. I’m sorry that I took so long, I hope I can get more of this up soon.