Chapter Eight: That dreadful thing where I become Rihanna and actually work...

The next morning I woke up with something hard under my back. I sat up and stretched, then looked back. I was laying across Hunter. How did that even happen? I could've sworn last night I was by his side, not on top of him. His back is really uncomfortable to sleep on. Wait I'm supposed to be doing something... I think.

Oh yeah! Work! That dreadful thing where I become Rihanna and actually work. I got up and walked to the tiny bathroom connected to my room. I brushed my teeth and washed my face then walked back out to see Hunter start to wake up.

"Hey sleepy head," I said, while he was stretching, and he waved.

"What time is it?" He asked and I looked at my clock.

"Its about seven thirty, which means I have work in about two hours, which means Bryce should be leaving for work right about... Now," I said while going over, and opening my window. I could hear Bryce get in the car, then drive off.

"Wow you really need to get out more," Hunter said, and I punched him in the arm making him laugh.

"You're so mean," I said and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Would I be mean if I told you I only mess with you to see you make that cute little mad face you're making right now?" Hunter said and I blushed.

"Yes!"

"Okay I guess that is kinda mean of me. Let me see your arm," Hunter said and I stretched out my arm. The cuts were most definitely visible. Looks like I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt today. "Can you tell me what fully happened last night?"

"Fine but if I get upset and break something I'm blaming it all on you," I informed him, while sitting on the bed, and Hunter laughed.

★☆★☆★

I made it to work with about two minutes to spare, and ran inside. I made sure to pull down the sleeve on my long sleeve shirt as I caught my breath, and spotted Skylar sitting, on her phone.

"Hey Sky. Sorry for being later than usual I got caught up with something," I said and Skylar shrugged it off.

"No worries. Today you've got dish duty though," She said and I groaned.

"I had that last week too," I whined, while walking towards the sink where all the dirty dishes were left, and Skylar laughed at me.

★☆★☆★

Never cut yourself if you know you have a job where you have to do dishes. This sucks worse than that time I broke my arm because of Hunter when we were younger, and then after it was all better, it still hurt! Like really bad.

"What's that on your arm?" Skylar asked, bringing me back to reality to see her pointing at my arm with the cuts on it.

"Oh uh... Nothing," I mumbled, while trying to hide my arm from her.

"That's obviously something, let me see," Skylar said, grabbing my arm and holding it so she could look at it. "Oh my god Amber how did this happen?" Skylar asked, and I thought about what I should tell her. I mean, she is my friend but we still barely know each other.

"Last night I-I was... Play fighting with Bryce and he scratched me on accident," I lied.

"Oh well the manager wants to see you in his office. I got the dishes for now," Skylar said, and I sighed while drying my hands. Whatever he has to say to me can't be good.

★☆★☆★

I got home after work, and went to get the mail. The only thing in there was bills. I sighed, and walked into the house. I dropped the mail on the table by the front door, and went into the living room. I turned on the TV, and watched whatever was on for the next few hours until Hunter came over because his mom wasn't home, and he didn't want to be home with Serenity.

So now, we are singing at the top of our lungs to whatever song that came on the radio.

"Is it too late now to say sorry!" Hunter sung, and tried to act like Justin Beiber, which made me laugh.

"Because I'm missing more than just your body! Oh oh oh!" I said, while laughing like crazy.

"Is it too late now to say sorry?" A voice other than Hunters sung, and I knew who it was immediately.

"Yeah I know oh oh that I let you down, is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" Bryce said, kneeling down on the floor in front of me and Hunter just randomly started clapping.

"Perfect timing man. That was smooth. Bravo for mister smooth!" Hunter said, and when he saw the look Bryce and I was giving him, he stopped clapping.

"Can you guys not do that? Kinda creepy because your faces are like perfectly the same," Hunter said, and we just stared at him.

"Okay well there's my que to leave," He said and got up. "I'll be in your room Amber when your done! Or the kitchen!" He shouted from the staircase.

"That boy is special," Bryce said and I laughed.

"Yup. That's why I love him," I said and Bryce glared at me.

"Aye you know the rules, no boyfriends until after you turn sixteen," He said.

"I love him as a friend," I said while rolling my eyes. "And you have no room to talk mister I promise to tell my little sister everything then go behind her back and date someone and tell them about her which leads to an awkward encounter."

Bryce sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm really sorry about that Amber. I should've told you about her the first-"

"Okay I don't care about your love life and what you do with Emma. I just want to know why would you say you don't keep secrets from me just for me to find out in the worst way possible that you were keeping a huge secret from me?" I asked, cutting Bryce off because if I don't have to know a person, I don't care.

If I do, then I will care about whatever you do with that person, and until there is a ring on that girls finger, I don't care. That's just the way I am. Must have got it from mom.

"I don't know why I did that Amber."

"Bryson Drew Grey there is a reason why you kept that secret and you know it. Don't lie to me," I said, slightly glaring at my brother. I've lived with him my whole life. I know when he's lying or not.

"Fine," He groaned. "I was.......afraid that you wouldn't like her or...y-you...
I don't know... I was just scared I guess...," He trailed off.

My brother has never acted this way before about anyone, or anything. He's confident most of the times. Plus he's not the type of person to be afraid of anything. I really didn't know how to respond. He was afraid that I wouldn't like her? What was he scared of?

"C'mon Lil' bit, don't leave me hanging like that," Bryce said, snapping me back to reality.

"Sorry I'm just... Thinking. Why and what would you be scared?"

"I don't know! I really don't. I don't know how to explain it. I just felt nervous with you two meeting each other and if you didn't like her I'd have to break up with her and deal with her brother at work everyday. I didn't want that. I know how you are Amber," Bryce said.

"Oh yeah that would've been terrible," I said and Bryce nodded.

"Exactly. That's why I kept it a secret. I'm sorry Amber. I realize how stupid that was now. Am I forgiven?" Bryce asked, making that face that he knows I can't say no to. I tried not to give in, but I did, and groaned.

"Fine. Only because of that stupid face of yours," I said and Bryce smirked.

"I knew you'd give in."

"Yeah yeah whatever.... Can you please go take off those clothes? They smell like jet fuel and I can't stand it," I said and Bryce chuckled.

"Okay munchkin," He said and went upstairs. I went up to my room, and Hunter was laying half way off my bed, upside down. I jumped on my bed, and laid down beside him.

"What's up best friend?" I asked.

"Nothing just.... Thinking," Hunter replied with a sigh.

"What are ya thinking about?"

"....Um... People. People I like to think of as crushes or close friends to be specific."

"Oh? Who's the lucky girl? Who was lucky enough to have the all great and powerful Hunter Lem like them enough for him to develop feelings for them?" I asked and Hunter chuckled.

"You." I thought I heard him say.

"What?"

"I-I mean, you don't know her. She's new, and her mom is friends with my mom," Hunter explained, quickly.

"Oh," I replied, and stared at the wall.

"Have you ever wondered why?" Hunter asked some time later.

"Why what?"

"Why your life turned out the way it did. I wonder all the time about why dad just left like it was nothing. Like we wouldn't miss him. Or constantly think that we weren't good enough for him. Now I'm stuck with his name," Hunter said, and I grabbed his hand.

"I sometimes wonder about my parents. How they met, how they fell in love, what their life was like together. If things didn't happen like this, would we still be here or somewhere else? I don't remember anything about my dad. All I have is pictures, and the stories that Bryce used to tell me. So, I guess sometimes I do wonder why my life had turned out this way. Why both of my parents had to leave."

"But it must be best this way right? Other wise, we might have never met if my mom wasn't kind enough to see that your mom had to deal with two kids without any help."

"Well she did have help from my uncle," I added. My mother wasn't completely alone, she just didn't have the person she needed there the most with her, but she had help.

"True. I remember that day at your birthday party, your uncle had saw us talking alone with no other kids and he thought wrong then put me in the bouncy house and made you talk to other girls," Hunter said with a chuckle and I laughed.

"Oh yeah, that was when I turned ten. He wouldn't take his eyes off of you because he thought you liked me," I said, and looked towards Hunter who was already looking at me. We stared at each other for what felt like, forever until, there was a knock on my door.

"Hey Amber I'm going to buy some ice cream since there's no more. What do you want?" Bryce asked, and I looked over at him while I was upside down.

"Cookies and cream, and the pecan one," I told him.

"When did you start to like ice cream with nuts in it?"

"I don't like it but this weird friend of mine over here does and he eats my ice cream if there's none of his favorite ice cream here," I explained, looking over at Hunter, and he stuck his lounge out at me.

"Okay. I'll be back," Bryce said and left the room. I started to feel a little lightheaded, so I sat up, and Hunter did the same.

"I should probably go home now. My mom is probably wondering where I am," Hunter said and I looked at my clock.

"Yeah dude, it's like eleven pm," I said. Hunter chuckled and stood up.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow best friend. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," He said, getting ready to go out of the window.

"No promises," I replied with a grin, and Hunter rolled his eyes before disappearing from my sight.

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A/n
Another one bites the dust! Second chapter this week! I'm on a roll! I've been focusing more on this book than any of my other books recently. So I don't know how much I'll be updating those. Okay so since I planned this book to start when the school year starts for them, I'm just gonna have the next two or three chapters be like birthdays or important events then its gonna start with the school chapter.

So that's all I have to say. I'll see you weirdos in the next chapter! Bye! ♥
Stay Awesome!✌
2138 words.

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