Austin’s POV
The sun was setting over the McKenna mansion, everyone was having all the fun they could and I just gave a random smile, not like I knew them.
But you know, when you’re handsome and fit, you get eyes on you wherever you walk in. Music pulsed through the air, mingling with the laughter and chatter of high school seniors eager to celebrate Amy’s birthday.
I walked in, feeling slightly out of place, but determined to enjoy the evening. “Hey Mel” A young lady waved towards two ladies sitting by the pool, and I looked towards them.
I couldn’t pick who the ‘Mel’ was but I knew it wasn’t the lady that gave an answer.
“Stop it, Amy. I’m not in the mood for that.” I smiled as I watched the two dramatic ladies, and took a seat right behind them waiting to see Jackson around somewhere.
I knew who Amy was instantly, no wonder everyone was drooling over her.Her blonde hair caught the last rays of sunlight. She looked radiant in a light blue sundress that swayed with the breeze.
Jackson had told me she was beautiful and I didn’t believe it until I saw her. I was busy looking around for Jackson while I observed both of them. I didn’t know multitasking was so hard, but both of them were so entertaining.
“Come on, Mel,” Amy coaxed, her voice light but laced with concern. “It’s my birthday, and you haven’t smiled in days. Can’t you just enjoy tonight?”Mel sighed heavily, her hands gripping the edge of the pool tightly.
“Amy, I’m trying, but….” She paused, her voice cracking slightly. “It’s just hard, okay? Everywhere I look, I see people happy and carefree, and it feels like...”Amy placed a gentle hand on Mel’s arm.
“I know it’s been tough. But you’re not alone, Mel. You have me, and tonight’s about having fun, not dwelling on the pain.”Mel’s expression hardened. “You think I’m dwelling on it? You think I’m just sulking? My mom died, Amy. How am I supposed to just move on?”Amy’s face fell, hurt flashing across her features.
“Mel, that’s not what I meant….”Before Amy could finish, Mel stood up abruptly, splashing water onto the pool deck. “You don’t get it. You’ll never get it.” With that, she stormed off, her wet feet slapping against the tiles as she left Amy standing alone in the pool.
I had just walked in, minding my own business, but I guess I didn’t do enough of that. It appeared Mel was badly hurt and I wouldn’t want to argue with ladies. So, I just got up from my chair and searched for Jackson.
I looked around, and I knew I needed to leave if I didn’t find Jackson. I was walking out, after calling Jackson severally and I got no response, Mel, not paying attention to where she was going, crashed right into me.
The impact jolted us both, and she stumbled back, looking up at me disgustingly.“Watch where you’re going,” she muttered under her breath, brushing past me without a second glance.
I grabbed her hand, not hard, just enough to get her to stop. “Hey,” I said, a little sharper than I intended. “You ran into me. The least you could do is say sorry".
She whipped around, her eyes blazing.
“Let go of me.”I didn’t. “Not until you apologize.”
Her answer came in the form of a sharp slap across my cheek. My head jerked to the side, the sting spreading like fire across my skin. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she hissed before yanking her hand free and walking away, leaving me standing there, stunned.
I rubbed my cheek, watching her retreating figure. What the hell just happened? I was still processing the whole thing when I noticed Amy climbing out of the pool, water dripping off her as she made her way over to me.“Sorry about Mel,” she said, trying to sound casual, though her eyes betrayed her worry.
“She’s... going through some stuff.”I shrugged it off, forcing a smile. “No big deal. I’ve had worse.”Amy’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked me up and down.
“So, who are you, exactly? I don’t remember inviting you. And I haven’t seen around here” “Jackson invited me.”She raised an eyebrow. “Jackson? I didn’t know he was bringing anyone else".
Is it a problem?” I asked, leaning in slightly, testing the waters.“It might be,” she shot back, not missing a beat. “Especially if you’re here to flirt with or bully my best friend.”I held up my hands in mock surrender. “Neither, I swear. I just got here. But it’s obvious you two are close".
Amy’s expression softened slightly, curiosity replacing the suspicion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”I shook my head, not really wanting to dive into the complexities of female friendships. “Nothing. Just an observation. Anyway, Jackson said it was cool if I came, so….”She cut me off, waving her hand dismissively.
“Forget it. I don’t care anymore.” Her eyes narrowed again. “But what did you mean about me and Mel being close? What did you see? Have you been prying?”I smiled, trying to deflect. “ First off, keep your voice down, then you can stop saying I was prying. Just tell me you really want to know”
“Yes,” she said, crossing her arms, clearly not amused by my evasiveness.I leaned in a little closer, lowering my voice. “You’re protective of her. She’s hurting, and you want to fix it, but she’s pushing you away. Typical best friend stuff.”
Amy’s shoulders relaxed a little, and she seemed to consider my words. “Maybe you’re right,” she admitted, her voice softer. “But that doesn’t make it any easier.”“It never is,” I agreed, offering her a small, genuine smile.
“But tonight’s your night. Happy birthday, by the way.”She smiled back, just a little, and it lit up her face. “Thanks. I should be having fun, right?”“Exactly,” I said, but before I could say anything else, the ground beneath us gave way as Amy stepped a little too close to the pool’s edge.
She let out a yelp as she slipped, her hand grabbing for mine just as I lost my balance too. The next thing I knew, we were both plunging into the pool, the cold water shocking the breath out of me.
When we surfaced, sputtering and laughing, the sound of laughter erupted from the other kids around the pool. For them, it was hilarious, two people accidentally falling in.
For me, it was kind of fun, but I could tell from Amy’s expression that she wasn’t exactly thrilled.She wiped the water from her face and climbed out of the pool, her movements a little more frantic now.
“Great,” she muttered, her voice laced with annoyance. “Just what I needed.”I followed her out, trying to hide my amusement. “Hey, it’s just water. You’ll dry off. And that was fun”She turned to face me, and in that moment, her foot slipped on the wet tiles.
She fell forward, right into my arms. My instinct was to catch her, and for a second, I had her pressed against me, her blue eyes wide with surprise.“Let me go!” she shrieked, pushing me away as if I’d burned her.
“You’re taking advantage of this, aren’t you?”“What? No!” I protested, but she was already backing away, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.“
Just stay away from me,” she snapped before turning and running toward the house, her wet dress clinging to her as she disappeared through the door.I stood there, dripping wet and completely bewildered. So much for making a good impression.
As I started to follow her, maybe to apologize, I found myself face to face with Mel again. She was standing near the entrance to the house, her arms crossed and her expression downright hostile.
“What’s your problem?” I asked, exasperated.She glared at me, her eyes narrowing in contempt. The nerve. I smirked, stepping closer. “ What if I told you I could make you smile? You should stop frowning. At this rate, you’ll have wrinkles before you graduate.”
“Try it, and I’ll slap you again,” she shot back, her voice icy.I leaned in, closing the distance between us.
“Go ahead. I dare you.”
Amy’s POVAs soon as Mel stormed off, I felt an overwhelming wave of guilt wash over me. My heart twisted painfully in my chest as I watched her disappear into the distance. I couldn’t believe I had just told her to move out. What had I done? Mel was my best friend, and I had practically driven her away.“I need to go after her,” I muttered, starting to take a step forward, but Austin’s hand gently caught my arm, stopping me.“Let her go, Amy,” he said softly. His voice was calm, but there was a seriousness in his eyes. “She’s angry right now. If you try to talk to her, it’ll only make things worse. Let her cool off first.”I hesitated, looking between him and the spot where Mel had just been. He was right, Mel was furious, and nothing I said now would make her listen. Still, the guilt ate at me.&nbs
Amy’s POVI sprinted after Mel, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I finally caught up with her just outside the school building. The air between us crackled with tension, and I could feel the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on me. I had to know the truth, and I couldn’t let her walk away without answering the one question that had been burning inside me for so long.“Mel, stop!” I called out, grabbing her arm to get her attention. She stopped but didn’t turn to face me. I could see her shoulders rising and falling rapidly, her anger barely contained. “Why do you hate Austin so much?”She stiffened at the question, but she didn’t respond. Her silence only fueled my frustration. I needed answers. I couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine, especially not after what she had seen.&ldq
Amy’s POVI rushed down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t want to avoid Austin, not really, but I couldn’t shake the promise I had made to Mel. She had been so serious when she asked me to stay away from him, and I didn’t want to disappoint her, not after everything she had been through. Still, pushing Austin away felt wrong, like I was tearing myself apart trying to please both of them.I slowed down, leaning against a locker as the confusion swirled inside me. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to choose.Before I could collect my thoughts, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and there he was, Austin. He was walking toward me, his expression serious but determined. I could feel my heart rate spike just seeing him, and all the emotions I had been trying to bury came rushing to the surface.“Amy,” he call
Austin’s POVSeeing Mel back at school the next day was a relief. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her after what happened, and it felt good to see her walking around, looking healthy and in one piece. When we passed each other in the hall, she gave me a quick nod and even managed a small smile. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ease some of the tension I’d been carrying.But Amy? She wouldn’t even look at me.I tried catching her eye several times throughout the morning, but she either pretended not to see me or made a point of turning away. By the time lunch rolled around, it was pretty clear she was avoiding me. I felt a knot of disappointment forming in my stomach. What could’ve gone wrong? Things had been fine between us before the incident with David, and even at the hospital, she’d been upset but still hugged me. No
Amy’s POV The moment I walked into the hospital room and saw Mel sitting there, bandaged and bruised, my heart broke. The bandages wrapped tightly around her arms and chest couldn’t hide the deep, ugly scratches underneath. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes as I stared at her, trying to process how this had happened. I had known she was hurt, but seeing the damage in person made everything so much more real.Without warning, the tears spilled over, and I couldn’t hold them back any longer. “Mel, what the hell were you thinking?” I yelled, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. “Why would you run off like that?”Mel looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. She stayed quiet, her expression tense, like she was bracing herself for the outburst she knew was coming.“I was worried sick about you!” I continued, stepping closer to her bedside. “And now look at you! You could’ve been killed, Mel! What were you thinking?”My voice wavered, and I could feel myself losing control
Austin’s POVI was walking through the woods, my mind racing from everything that had happened at the club. David’s attack had left me shaken, but more than that, I was worried about Amy. She had passed out, and I couldn’t shake the image of her lying there on the ground. I needed to clear my head, figure out what to do next, so I wandered out into the trees to try and collect my thoughts.My eyes caught something or someone I didn’t quite recognize at first. I took a step forward and I just had to admit, I didn’t recognize who it was. I saw a figure slumped against the base of a tree, covered in blood and dirt, their clothes torn. But as I got closer, my heart skipped a beat. It was Mel.She was lying on the ground, her skin pale, blood dripping from deep scratches across her arms and chest. My mind went blank for a moment, panic clawing at me as I rushed to her side. “Mel!” I dropped to my knees, gently shaking her, trying to get her to respond. Her eyes fluttered open for a second