Amber's POV
I froze, what was he doing here? I don't remember him being in my class, but he did sit in the front row and I usually stuck to the back, because let's be honest, I didn't pay attention in class and I didn't want the teacher to call on me. I righted myself as I walked towards the back where Sasha sat with a cute-looking girl. She had brown hair and warm chocolate eyes. I ignore Aaron when I pass his desk, pretending to look for something in my bag and not noticing his outstretched hand.

Many people call out to me, greeting me, drawing attention to me, stop drawing attention to me. I don't want attention. Please just let me get through this tedious day in peace, I pray. On the outside, I look like the before-Amber, the one who just brushed past everyone, looking down on them like a queen to her subjects. I can't afford to have my act drop, it's all I have.

I head towards Stacy with a fake smile stuck on my face. I sit down next to her.

"Who's the new girl?"

"Her name's Ally, super smart, good at sport and plays the guitar. She's like an all-rounder?"

"She's pretty, invite her to the mall on Saturday."

It's pretty well-known that when Amber Greene and Sasha Firman invite you to hang out, you're basically in the 'inner circle'. The inner circle is the group of students at the top of the social hierarchy, basically school royalty. There was a time when I relished in the spotlight and being the centre of attention always. Now? Now I couldn't want it less.

I hear Sasha whisper our invitation to Ally and I hear her apprehensive reply. She obviously didn't know the ropes around the school yet. No problem, I'd be the one to explain this ridiculously complicated kingdom, known as Liliwood High. (Did you catch the annoyance?)

"She accepted, I think she's a great new addition, don't you?" Sasha asks.

I nod mindlessly staring at the teacher, struggling to pull up the PowerPoint onto the screen. Then I make the mistake of looking towards the corner where Cole sat...only to see him looking right at me. Eyes piercing and questioning. I whip my head back to the front of the classroom. He didn't see me look right? I hope not. I stare straight ahead and the urge to look again to see if he's still staring tugs at me...but I don't.

Mr Hart was droning on and on about a new project but I wasn't listening until I heard a sharp,

"Amber Greene!"

I snap out of my daze and give him a questioning look.

"Yes?"

"You're partners with Aaron Sinar for this project."

My eyes widening a fraction. First of all, WHAT?! I didn't realise this was a group project! Second of all, I can't work with Aaron, not after that night...

"Actually, Mr Hart, I think Amber should be my partner for the project," a voice from the corner of the room says.

I breathe a sigh of relief, I did not want to work with Aaron on this project...but how would he get Mr Hart to agree?

"Aaron and her both seem to know what they're doing and, to be honest, I'm hopeless at Chemistry so I would really appreciate the extra guidance," Cole Parker explains.

A moment of silence as he ponders...

"Ok, Mr Parker, you may work with Miss Greene–but just this once because it's your first day," he agrees reluctantly. I let out the breath I was holding. I can't believe he actually pulled it off. I feign a pout at Aaron and look at Cole with an expectant expression. A queen never went to someone, they come to her. He fakes an exaggerated sigh, gathers his belongings and walks towards me. He dumps his book on my desk and sits on a chair from the desk in front of me, the way one does to look 'cool', the back of the chair pressed against his chest and his head resting on his arms. Cole smirks at me.

"Well, aren't you gonna thank me?"

I stare at him questioningly, what did he mean? He couldn't know about Aaron...could he?

"You looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of working with that idiot," he continued.

I inhale sharply. How could he have known? I start to internally panic, but then he says,

"I'm just kidding, I know he's your boyfriend, I just wanted to get to know you better, especially after you kicked me out of the garden."

"Ex."

"What?"

"Ex-boyfriend," I elaborate, "We're not dating anymore."

"Oh," he responds, "Sorry I brought it up."

A beat...

"So lets start shall we?"

We try to spend the rest of the period working on the task and it turns out, that Cole wasn't lying and is absolutely hopeless at Chemistry. So we spend the rest of the lesson mucking up and for the first time in a long time, I have fun. And not the forced you-have-to-look-happy kinda fun but actual genuine fun. It was hard to believe that this guy I met less than three hours ago was making me forget about my troubles.

By the time class ended, we had achieved nothing's but writing our names down on the sheet of paper where our research was going. I walk out of the classroom laughing my head off.

"You did not!" I exclaim, "Cole Parker, tell me you did not spray a can of whipped cream all over the principal at a school assembly!"

"Guilty," he confesses, a smile gracing his features, "So when are we gonna meet up to finish the rest of the project?"

"I was thinking maybe tomorrow afternoon?I have to finish an assignment today so I can't this afternoon."

"Sure! Sounds good, I'm busy too. My girlfriend's has been bugging me all week to go to the beach and help her take some pics."

At the mention of his girlfriend, my heart drops for some unknown reason. But I force a smile on my face and adopt a teasing tone,

"Girlfriend, huh?"

He laughs, "I was kidding, you should've seen your face though! Are you really that sad at the prospect of me having a girlfriend?"

Yeah, why had I been so bothered, I couldn't like him already, could I?

"Sad? Nah, more like sympathetic towards the poor girl who has to put up with you."

Cole places his hand on his heart dramatically,

"I'm wounded," he says in a Shakespearean accent...is that a thing? Most likely not.

We chat and tease each other for a few more minutes before I reach my locker and Cole continues on his merry way.

I'm organising my books when suddenly a hand slams the locker door shut and demands in an unbelievably insistent tone,

"Who is that Cole Parker guy?" Sasha Firman in the flesh ladies and gentlemen...

"Just someone I met during my free period, he's new, remember? I know as much as you do."

"But you were talking and laughing as if you've known each other for years!"

"He's a charismatic guy!"

"How 'bout when you practically chose him over Aaron?"

"Mr Hart chose the part–"

"One word from you and he would've refused the switch! You know that!" Sasha interrupts.

I'm silent. What can I say to that? It was, unfortunately, true. So instead I inquire:

"Why do you care so much?"

"WHY DO I CARE? Seriously? I care because my best friend just chose a random creepy guy over her BOYFRIEND! Don't you think that I'd wanna know why?!" Then in a quieter voice, "are you cheating on Aaron with him?"

I choke on the oxygen I inhale from shock.

"Me? A cheater? Aren't you meant to be my BEST friend? I know I can be a real bitch sometimes but I would never stoop as low as being a cheater!"

But her mind is made up and I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't believe me. The only way she would believe me would be to tell her the truth about Aaron, but the pain is too much, I can't find the words to do so and Sasha stomps away in a huff.
"I thought you'd at east have the decency to tell your best friend the truth," is her last statement to me and it's a punch to the gut. I knew then and there that something so trivial had broken the trust of my best friend and I had lost her. Isn't that the recent trend though? Slowly but surely, I was losing everyone. First my parents, then Will, Aaron and now Sasha. Why did everyone leave me so easily? What did I do wrong...or is something wrong with me?

***

After school, I'm in the library and I see Ally come in. She's struggling to balance a cup of coffee on top of a seemingly never-ending pile of books. She finally manages to unload her books on a desk successfully without any of her drink spilling and conspicuously takes a sip (like any other library, we're not allowed food and drinks).

I look down defeated at my own work, an essay for history, and decide to go over to say hi since she was going to be part of the inner circle anyways. Plus, anything is better than history.

Walking up to her table, I ask,
"Is that coffee 'cause if it is, can I please have some? I swear this history essay is killing me minute-by-minute."

"Unfortunately for you, this is not a coffee but merely a hot chocolate. But I agree with the History thing," Ally replies with a laugh.

I gasp in shock, only slightly exaggerating.

"How could you pick hot chocolate over coffee?!"

"Well, when I was younger, my parents forbid me from having any so I never developed a taste for it. It's too bitter for me anyways, hot chocolate is much better."

"No."

"No?"

"No. I will not let you go through life without experiencing the amazingness that is coffee so I propose that we spend another hour in this torturous place and then I will take you to the best cafe that you've ever been to."

"Ok, deal," she agrees after some contemplation, "But I don't think you'll be able to convince me."

She holds out her hand and we shake on it. Now back to the unique kind of torture that is essay-writing, mix it with history and you've found punishment worse than death...

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Hello peoples,

Sorry for the slow updates and that this is kinda a filler chapter. But the next chapter will be up soon...hopefully.