respond.
“ I’m Stacy Powers,” volunteers the bubbly brunette, her curls bouncing halfway down to her elbows. She suddenly gasps and bursts into tears. “The three of us are like, total besties together. Oh my God, Sia. I would totally die without you.”
Amber shoots her a glance, sharp with disapproval. “It’s okay, Stace. I got this.”
Stacy nods quickly and carefully dabs her tears away, her eyes puppy-like with adoration. I can see why. Amber is truly gorgeous. Her blonde hair is full of glistening highlights, and her slightly slanted blue eyes are painted with just the right mascara and liner to make them pop like sapphires. Her heels can’t be any shorter than four inches, I figure, taking in Amber’s tiny skirt, crop top and the diamond studs in her ears.
“ Amber took over for you on the cheerleading squad while you were away,” Mom says, her smile tight. “I’m sure you’ll be relieved when Sia gets back to work, won’t you, Amber? The squad needs a good captain.”
Is it my imagination, or do I see something dark flicker at the back of Amber’s eyes? It vanishes just as quickly. She and Mom hold each other’s stares. Ah. I see.
Amber nods stiffly. “Of course.”
“ Oh yeah,” Stacy says, sniffing. “Everyone’s missed her so much.”
Amber is the picture of martyrdom. “But I’d be happy to lead the squad until you get your memory back.”
I nod, relieved beyond belief. Cheerleader? I can only imagine that: performing cartwheels and flips in front of a whole stadium of people. What a nightmare. “Sure. Cool.”
“ Girls?” Mom says. “Let’s give Sia a little time with Duke, shall we?”
“ Duke?” Who the heck is Duke?
“ Okay, but Sia?” Stacy says, grabbing my hand. “We’re all gonna help you through this, okay? That’s what friends do. So we’ll see you at school tomorrow, right?”
I nod. Amber gives me a meaningful wink, then follows Mom and Stacy out the front door. “Duke should be able to coax a little memory out of her,” Amber tosses over her shoulder.
A guy who I assume is Duke is leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, quietly watching me. I blink. He is . . . unbelievably handsome. Short blond hair and movie-star blue eyes. His smile is gentle but confident. The muscles in his chest and arms are clearly defined through his clean white t-shirt. When he walks toward me, I actually feel a little guilty. As if I’m about to have an intimate chat with someone else’s boyfriend. How can a guy this perfect be mine?
“ Hey, baby,” he says, his low voice teasing a little. “Remember me?”
I shake my head, afraid to say anything. He’s only a few feet away from me now. The magnetism of his gaze is almost tangible. I swallow and brace myself.
He walks toward me, his pace smooth and confident. Like a panther on the prowl. “I can only imagine how strange everything must be for you.”
I nod, still mute, caught off guard by the sympathetic, godlike figure.
He keeps walking until he’s a foot away from me, then looks down and gives me a gentle smile. “I’m glad you’re back. It totally sucked without you. I was like, ‘Where’s Sia?’ you know?” He grins, laughing at himself.
I smile.
“ But don’t you worry, baby. I’m gonna give you all the time you need to remember stuff. I mean, you know.” He huffs, then smiles widely. “Not like forever , though.” He laughs, a full, confident sound.
I smile along with him, even though I’m not sure what he’s talking about. “Thanks.” I search his eyes, hoping something there will snap my memory back into place. I would very much like to remember being with him, but there’s nothing. No revelation. No flood of memories. I give him a sad sort of smile. “I . . . I’m sorry, Duke. I don’t remember anything about you. That sounds awful, but it’s true. I’m sure my memory will come back soon, and when it does, I’ll probably die of embarrassment, but as of this
“ I’m Stacy Powers,” volunteers the bubbly brunette, her curls bouncing halfway down to her elbows. She suddenly gasps and bursts into tears. “The three of us are like, total besties together. Oh my God, Sia. I would totally die without you.”
Amber shoots her a glance, sharp with disapproval. “It’s okay, Stace. I got this.”
Stacy nods quickly and carefully dabs her tears away, her eyes puppy-like with adoration. I can see why. Amber is truly gorgeous. Her blonde hair is full of glistening highlights, and her slightly slanted blue eyes are painted with just the right mascara and liner to make them pop like sapphires. Her heels can’t be any shorter than four inches, I figure, taking in Amber’s tiny skirt, crop top and the diamond studs in her ears.
“ Amber took over for you on the cheerleading squad while you were away,” Mom says, her smile tight. “I’m sure you’ll be relieved when Sia gets back to work, won’t you, Amber? The squad needs a good captain.”
Is it my imagination, or do I see something dark flicker at the back of Amber’s eyes? It vanishes just as quickly. She and Mom hold each other’s stares. Ah. I see.
Amber nods stiffly. “Of course.”
“ Oh yeah,” Stacy says, sniffing. “Everyone’s missed her so much.”
Amber is the picture of martyrdom. “But I’d be happy to lead the squad until you get your memory back.”
I nod, relieved beyond belief. Cheerleader? I can only imagine that: performing cartwheels and flips in front of a whole stadium of people. What a nightmare. “Sure. Cool.”
“ Girls?” Mom says. “Let’s give Sia a little time with Duke, shall we?”
“ Duke?” Who the heck is Duke?
“ Okay, but Sia?” Stacy says, grabbing my hand. “We’re all gonna help you through this, okay? That’s what friends do. So we’ll see you at school tomorrow, right?”
I nod. Amber gives me a meaningful wink, then follows Mom and Stacy out the front door. “Duke should be able to coax a little memory out of her,” Amber tosses over her shoulder.
A guy who I assume is Duke is leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, quietly watching me. I blink. He is . . . unbelievably handsome. Short blond hair and movie-star blue eyes. His smile is gentle but confident. The muscles in his chest and arms are clearly defined through his clean white t-shirt. When he walks toward me, I actually feel a little guilty. As if I’m about to have an intimate chat with someone else’s boyfriend. How can a guy this perfect be mine?
“ Hey, baby,” he says, his low voice teasing a little. “Remember me?”
I shake my head, afraid to say anything. He’s only a few feet away from me now. The magnetism of his gaze is almost tangible. I swallow and brace myself.
He walks toward me, his pace smooth and confident. Like a panther on the prowl. “I can only imagine how strange everything must be for you.”
I nod, still mute, caught off guard by the sympathetic, godlike figure.
He keeps walking until he’s a foot away from me, then looks down and gives me a gentle smile. “I’m glad you’re back. It totally sucked without you. I was like, ‘Where’s Sia?’ you know?” He grins, laughing at himself.
I smile.
“ But don’t you worry, baby. I’m gonna give you all the time you need to remember stuff. I mean, you know.” He huffs, then smiles widely. “Not like forever , though.” He laughs, a full, confident sound.
I smile along with him, even though I’m not sure what he’s talking about. “Thanks.” I search his eyes, hoping something there will snap my memory back into place. I would very much like to remember being with him, but there’s nothing. No revelation. No flood of memories. I give him a sad sort of smile. “I . . . I’m sorry, Duke. I don’t remember anything about you. That sounds awful, but it’s true. I’m sure my memory will come back soon, and when it does, I’ll probably die of embarrassment, but as of this
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