"I still want her—every part of her."
- Erika Stewart

"Come on, Erika, you have to tell me," Amber whined as she leaned against the metal locker beside mine.

"Tell you what?" I asked as I shoved textbooks into my backpack. Amber had been on my ass since lunch, and it was getting old.

"You're my best and only friend." She stomped her foot on the linoleum floor like a toddler. "Why didn't you tell me, Erika?"

I'd had enough of this nonsense. I slammed my locker shut and glared at her. "Tell you what, Amber?"

Instead of answering right away, she stepped in front of me, placed both hands on my shoulders, and shook me hard. "You're dating head cheerleader Josephine Gallagher, and you didn't think to tell me? What the hell?"

I held up a hand to silence her. "Did you not listen to anything I said in the cafeteria?"

Amber started to nod, but I kept going. "Josephine and I used to date—keyword: used to."

"Uh, okay. Sure." Amber rolled her eyes like she didn't believe me. "But why 'used to'? I mean—"

"Because," I hissed. I pushed past her and headed down the semi-deserted hallway toward the front entrance.

"Because why?" Amber asked, falling into step beside me, her designer bag slung over her shoulder.

"Because," I repeated, sharper this time. "Her dad—he's Senator Kelly. No Name's big-shot senator. And, well . . ." I hesitated, searching for the right word. "He's homo—"

"Oh, Josephine's the senator's daughter," Amber squealed. "How exciting. So, does Mr. Senator Daddy know she was dating—"

I clamped a hand over Amber's mouth before she could say another word. A few students glanced at us in confusion, but I ignored them and pulled her into a nearby empty classroom.

She squirmed away from me. "What the hell is your problem, Erika?" Amber snapped, narrowing her eyes at me. "All I did was ask a simple—"

"No," I interrupted, my tone clipped as I shut the classroom door.

"No?" Amber spat, frowning. A faint line appeared on her forehead. "No what?" She stomped toward me, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"I, um . . . well . . ." I didn't move, my hand still wrapped tightly around the classroom door handle.

"Come on, Erika. I know you've got more to say, so say it." Amber unclenched her fists and reached out like she was about to grab me, but stopped herself. "This half-said bullshit—it's really pissing me off."

"He—Senator Kelly—he doesn't know . . ." My voice trailed off as I took a deep breath. "That Josephine and I dated or that she's a lesbian. No one does but me."

"And now me," Amber chimed in and rolled her eyes. "Uh, hello."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Right." My dull green eyes met her sparkling blue ones.

She looked like a goddamn anime character with those colorful eyes.

"And now you," I echoed Amber's words, "but Josephine doesn't want anyone to know, so—"

"Gotcha." Amber winked. "My lips are sealed. Now, come on." She nodded toward the door. "I'm exhausted from doing nothing all day. Let's blow this pop stand."

I pulled down the handle, opened the door, and followed her out into the hallway, closing the door behind me.

As we walked through No Name's front doors and down the steps toward the student parking lot, Amber turned to me with quiet concern and said, "You know, you can tell me anything, right? Good or bad. You can tell me, Erika."

Could I really, though? I glanced up at the suddenly bright, yet still clouded blue sky and closed my eyes, letting the cool breeze brush gently over my face. Only time will tell, I guess . . . about my trust and friendship with you, Amber.

"Here we are!" she exclaimed, breaking me out of my sappy, idiotic thoughts.

Wait—what? What the hell was she talking about—"here we are"?

My eyes popped open. I expected to see the school bus idling in front of us, its disgusting gray exhaust engulfing everything in a cloud of dark smoke. Instead, we stood in front of an expensive-looking, silvery-blue mustang parked beside a handicap spot, its top down.

"Um, Amber—" I gestured toward the vehicle then fixed my full attention on her. "What—what the hell is this?"

Although, I glanced at the mustang one more time. That's one hell of a sweet ride, damn Amber.

"This" —she fixed me with a dead-serious glare— "is my car, loser. Well . . ." She paused. "Actually, this is my dad's. He's letting me borrow it until I save up enough money to buy my own," she added, taking a breath.

Oh, so your parents are Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags, huh?

I watched as Amber reached into her purse and pulled out a set of car keys. With a sharp click, she pressed a button, and the mustang beeped to life, the welcome lights flashing.

"Come on. Let's go!" She tossed her purse into the backseat, rushed to the driver's side, flung open the door, and slid behind the wheel, jamming the key into the ignition. "Don't be shy. Hop in, loser!" She glanced my way and stuck her tongue out playfully.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the second 'loser' comment, and opened the passenger-side door, before sliding in. I set my backpack on the floor by my feet, but Amber immediately grabbed it and flung it onto the backseat.

"So where to?" Amber asked as she reached out in front of me and opened the glove compartment, grabbing a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses.

I closed the still-open compartment while Amber put on the sunglasses and turned the key in the ignition. "What?" I asked, only then realizing she'd asked me a question.

"I asked, so where to?" Amber repeated, a groan deep in her voice. "You don't expect us to sit in this damn parking lot all night, so where to?"

I slumped back in the passenger seat and adjusted the seatbelt. "Oh, I need to pick up my little brother from—"

"OMG, you have a little brother!" she squealed, bouncing up and down in the driver's seat. "Okay, okay. Next stop: pick up your little brother." She shifted her dad's car into reverse and swerved out of the parking lot. "Where does he go to school?"

"No Name Elementary. But the school's only four blocks away, so you really don't have—"

"Too late, now I have to meet him," Amber said, stepping on the gas, making us fly down Main St. "I bet he's cute too. And don't think I've forgotten about our conversation from earlier." She turned to me and winked, though I couldn't tell behind the sunglasses. "I need more details, bitch!"