THE ARISTOCRATS

This book is a work of fiction. Anything from this book which may have resemblance to actual events is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy in violation of the author's rights.

LOVE FOOLS

By:

Jomarie Anne

I watched Amber as she poked at her waffles and berries. It was so unlike her not to have any appetite during breakfast especially if Mary, the sorority housekeeper, was the one who made the Belgian waffles and her favorite latte. Her face wasn’t glum at all but it wasn’t too happy either.

“So why aren’t you and Carter talking?” I asked casually. “I thought you guys were already okay.”

Since that ’make up’ moment she had told me about, I thought they were going to take their relationship to the next level which will be quite dangerous, if I could speak for myself.

But instead of being sweeter to each other, it seemed that Amber was playing the invisible game with her best friend. It looked like she hadn’t even spoken to him for weeks now. Every time her phone rang, she’d say she was very busy and ignore it even though I could see it was Carter calling. She was obviously avoiding him.

She stopped chewing and looked at me. It took a while before she swallowed her food and shrugged.

“We’re okay. It doesn’t mean that just because we don’t talk often that we aren’t okay.” She smiled faintly. “We’re friends, after all. I just want to take a breather.”

I tried hard not to laugh. Amber couldn’t fool me. I knew her too well.

“It’s about Damon, isn’t it?” I pressed, trying to get the truth out of her.

She leaned back on her chair and sighed. “Oh please, meg. What do you want to hear?”

“I just want to hear the truth.” I explained. “I can’t stand seeing you lie to yourself and pretend nothing’s wrong when in fact there is something wrong.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I know now that Carter has feelings for me even if he didn’t directly admit it and I dint know what to do now that Damon’s coming. I wouldn’t want him to get into a fight with Carter. I don’t want him to know anything, to be exact.”

“Well, you can’t hide from him forever. He’s going to find out sooner or later.” I pointed out.

“No. he doesn’t have to find out, I’m sure Carter will get over those feelings if I don’t acknowledge them.” She smiled.

“Besides, Damon will only be here for two weeks and I want to focus on him. So please, drop the topic and let’s move on with our lives, okay? Where’s Carly?”

Oh well, if she really didn’t want to face the problem then fine. There’s no point in trying to help out someone who wants to turn a blind eye from her problem.

Carly came down from her room. She sat across me.

“Sorry, I’m late.” She smiled. “I stayed up all night finishing the routine for the squad.”

“Oh please, let’s not talk about work here, Carly.” Amber scoffed. “It’s a lovely Monday morning so don’t go on about business yet. Even if I’m in love with cheerleading, I think we all deserve a break.”

“I’m just prepping up for practice later.” Carly laughed.

“Oh, and don’t forget the Thanksgiving dinner Marcus is organizing for the family on Wednesday, Amber.” I reminded her.

She snorted. “Good luck with that, who knows what new disaster Amelia’s gonna cook up for us?”

I couldn’t blame her. The last Thanksgiving dinner we had had not been a perfect one. And of course, Amelia had taken part of wrecking it by shaming me in front of the family because of what happened with Luke.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.” I nodded at Aaron. “Hello there, brother.”

Amber glanced at her watch. “You’re late. Did you sleep well?”

My brother looked so wasted. I guess he had been out drinking with Nick again.

“Do I look like I slept well?” he groaned as he ate his breakfast. “Sorry, I was out with Nick last night.”

I laughed. “We figures that. I thought you haven’t been drinking for awhile since you started teaching Carly.”

Carly shook her head. “Oh please, he doesn’t have to be with me every day. I think I’m getting used to it more each day.”

“Yeah, I’m getting tired of her face, to be honest.” Aaron remarked.

“What is it with you two?” Amber asked. “You could never get along. Come on, Aaron, finish your breakfast and take Carly and me to school.”

“I’ll go with you guys!” I stood up and grabbed my bag.

Amber looked surprised. Since Seth and I started dating, I rarely went with her to school anymore.

“I missed riding the car with you, I guess.” I smiled at her.

***

As we got to school, I met up with Seth since we had our first class together. I kissed him as I walked up to the locker room.

“You seem to be in a good mood.” He said happily.

I wanted to laugh. We’ve had our share of petty fights these days because of my unpredictable mood swings that he seemed too ecstatic to see me in a good mood. Poor guy, he must have gotten tired of putting up with all my grouchiness. I was glad Seth could accept me at my worst times.

“How’s the bar going?” I asked him as we walked to the room. The downtown bar, Frontline, where he was working at, was being renovated and it had stirred quite a buzz with its new design.

“It’s cool. My boss talked to me about increasing my pay since the sales of the bar was increasing as well. I had to give your grandma credit for recommending the bar to the editor of Elite magazine.” He smiled at me. At least Amelia had done something helpful in her life which sadly only happens once in a blue moon.

I pouted. The Frontline had been my favorite ever since I had met Seth. Getting more patrons meant it would be a lot noisier and less peaceful than before.

“I can’t wait for our little vacation with Tara’s family.” I said excitedly. It would be so fun to finally bond with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Dom, not to mention Seth and I would get to spend more time with each other too.

“Are you sure it would really be okay if I come with you?” He asked. He’s really so insecure with himself. I’ve told him countless times that everything was going to be fine.

I rolled my eyes and put my arms around him before we entered the room.

“You look so cute when you do that.” I winked as I kissed him again, not minding that we were actually blocking the door.

“Miss Hampton, you can save the intimacy after class.” Our professor in American Literature, Mr. Hobbs, growled as he stood at the door.

Talk about grouchiness. I sighed as I held Seth’s hand, and together we entered the room. If only time pass by as fast as it does whenever I’m with him, then we could all be heading to the camp now enjoying our vacation.

After class, Seth and I went our separate ways. He had to go straight to the bar. I found Tara sitting in the school café while studying her script.

I waved at her after buying my Oreo frappe. One good thing that happened after the Marks and Spencer event was the fact that I didn’t have to act as if I was also mad at Tara. Before that, I had to go along with Amber’s snobbish attitude towards her. Now that their relationship was a bit better, it made things a lot lighter.

“Hey,” I smiled at her as I stopped by her table. “I heard you’ve already joined Laurent’s models. Modeling does really fit you.”

She smiled. “Yeah, but I told him I’m gonna have to focus on the play first.” She referred to her script.

“Well, ask me if you need my advice.” I winked. “Amber isn’t the only model in the family.”

She laughed. “Sure, I’ve already asked Carmen to be my manager so I’m confident I’m in good hands.”

“Good for you then.” I said. “So I guess we’ll see you on the weekend. I hope we’re still welcome for that vacation Uncle Dom invited us in. have you invited anyone else from school?”

“Um, no.” she shook her head. “I don’t really know anyone that much.”

“Is that so?” I was surprised. I would’ve thought everyone would be dying to be her friend after her debut at the event. Apparently, everyone still avoided her. I pity her, in that way. She was really a lot nicer that what they thought of her.

“Well, what’s important is that we could bond together as family.” I assured her.

She smiled faintly. “Yeah, I guess.”

So I bid her goodbye and left. If I was to decide, I’d let Tara and her family back in the clan again. Somehow, it seemed impossible for Amelia to accept them.

CARLY

Since I had a long vacant period before my last class that day, I decided to practice the routine I had finished in the gym. It was a good thing that it was empty that period.

I laid down my bag on the bleachers and did some stretches while music blasted from my portable speakers. If it wasn’t for cheerleading, it would probably be hard to keep my feet on the ground because of all the privileges I got form being Amber’s assistant.

She had been right about one thing. I wouldn’t be touched by anyone as long as she’s got my back. Even Amelia couldn’t plot against me because she knew Amber’s power a the Theta Alpha Chi’s president. I never walked to school anymore and I had to say goodbye to the dozen sweats I owned.

I closed my eyes as I laid my back on the floor. The moment I opened them, I almost had a heart attack when I saw Aaron sitting on the bleachers staring at me in a weird way. He totally creep me out.

I instantly got up and looked at him curiously. Was he still drunk? ‘Cause if he was, I wouldn’t be surprised. But if he was indeed drunk or stoned or whatever, it probably wasn’t such a good idea to be alone in the same room with him. I mean, who knows what the creep had in mind?

I knew we got along better than before since he started training me, but that didn’t mean I now only have good words for him.

“What’s up with you?” I demanded. “You almost gave me a heart attack. And what are you doing just staring at me?”

He smirked and laughed as he threw a paperback textbook at me which missed my face by only a few inches. I stared back at it as it landed on the floor. It was my Communications textbook.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I scowled as I reached for my book.

“You left it in the car.” He said. “You should at least thank me for returning it to you, you know.”

“Yeah, whatever.” I rolled my eyes. What would he do with a Communications textbook if he hadn’t returned it anyway? It’s not as if it would be of any use to him.

“Thanks,” I said carelessly.

“What are you doing here all alone during class hours anyway?” he asked as he began to do some practice shots with a ball. “No wonder you’re having a hard time catching up on lessons. You don’t study well, do you?”

I scoffed. “It’s my vacant period and FYI, I balance my studies and cheerleading just fine so you don’t have to judge me. Don’t tell me you study well. What are you doing here anyway? You’ve already given my book so you can go now.”

“I can come here anytime as I please, Carly.” He smiled at me sarcastically. “I’m meeting up my teammates here to practice. I was hoping there’d be some hot cheerleaders here but look what I found.” He nodded at me as if I was a hopeless case.

I immediately looked down my body. I was only wearing a white sports bra and black boy leg shorts. I instantly slid into my varsity jacket and glared at him. So much for practicing in peace.

“You really know how to spoil my mood, don’t you?” I grumbled as I started to pack up my things.

Aaron suddenly blocked me with his arms and smiled mischievously. “Why? What mood were you in before I came anyway?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was acting really weird and did he just try to flirt with me? ‘Cause that was downright scary that I could feel the hair at the back of my neck stand up.

Before I could speak, Allan entered the gym. It was so embarrassing that he had to catch us in that awkward scene. I could feel my face turning red.

“Carly?” he smiled at me as Aaron leaned back casually and started dribbling.

“Hi, Aaron.” He acknowledged him but scowled as he turned his back and approached me.

Aaron didn’t look too happy with his presence either. He tossed the ball in the basket and turned to leave. He glanced at me and Allan then shrugged.

“I guess I’ll see you later, Carly. Your privacy’s now been invaded.” He scowled at Allan and left. He left me baffled at him. What was up with him? Was I the hangover?

Allan scrunched up his face. “What’s his problem?”

I shrugged. Who knew what that unpredictable guy thinks about anyway?

“Beats me, you’ll just have to get used to it. Don’t you have class today?”

He shook his head. “Nope. I just came here to practice with the new assistant head cheerleader.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. Since Amber had made me assistant head, Allan had done nothing but to gush about it and be so supportive of me,. I should thank him, though.

“So how’s it going with your new life?” he asked as he did some stretches beside me. “Everyone seemed to be talking about Amber’s ‘protégé’ that I thought I should at least hear your thoughts about it.”

He was right. Becoming the sorority assistant and assistant head cheerleader had been a struggle much as it became a dream come true. That meant more responsibilities and bigger expectation s not only form my mentor, but from the society. It was like people were monitoring my every move the way they did to Megan and Amber.

Which was why I considered my ‘alone time’ a precious one until of course, Aaron decided to invade it.

“It’s all good.” I smiled at Allan. “A bit hard, but hey, at least I got what I wanted.”

And what was that again? To get into the world of the high society.

“Well, just so you’ll always remember, I’ll help you in every way I can so you can do your job in the squad.” He winked at me.

“Whatever side you’re on, I’ll always be there I promise.”

I smiled. Having Allan was really a relief. Of course I knew he wasn’t only doing it for friendship since he’d been dropping a few hints of wanting to ask me out since I joined the Blue Phoenix but it didn’t matter. He was a good friend.

“Thanks,” I told him. “I don’t know how I could manage without your never-ending support.”

“Well, if you want to pay me back you could always think about that dinner I’ve been inviting you to since the first day of the team.” He grinned expectantly.

I glanced at him and bit my lip. I have rejected his invitation countless times already since I didn’t really want him to expect anything but he’d been such a good friend lately and besides, it was just dinner.

My alarm clock on my phone then rang reminding me that it was time for my second class. I grabbed my bag as I pulled over my blouse and a blazer. I smiled at him.

“Hold on to that thought,” I said. “I’ve got to get to class. See you at practice.”

As I went out of the gym, I bumped into Aaron again who was texting by his locker which was just across the gym. I decided to ignore him.

“Are you really thinking of going out with a male cheerleader?” he sneered.

I stopped and scowled at him. “Were you just spying on me? And so what if I was anyway? I can go out with whoever I want.”

“Oh please, as if Amber would allow that.” He snorted. “Come on, Carly, you could do better than that. But of course, if there really isn’t anyone interested in you, then go ahead. Good luck being with Mr. Cheery Guy over there.”

I looked at him in disbelief. For a moment there, I’d actually thought my hatred for the jerk I met at the café last time was actually diminishing but now I’m not so sure. He could really be a jerk when he wanted to. The most annoying thing was he could be nice on minute then tick you off at another.

“So what are you saying?” I snapped. “You know what, Allan may not be as popular and as hot shot like you but at least he can be a great friend. Believe me, that’s what matters and what is your problem anyway? Can’t you just mind your own business and leave me alone?”

I cat him a frustrated look and walked away. Aaron Hampton could really be a pain in the ass. It’s a wonder he couldn’t find someone who really liked him for who he was and not just his fortune.

Amber

I hurriedly headed to the field for cheerleading practice to avoid bumping into Carter. It was so hard to avoid him for too long, not when we were so okay the last time we talked and let’s face it. I did really miss him a lot and I was starting to doubt how long I could carry on avoiding him.

“Amber!” I heard his familiar voice calling after me. I had a strong urge to turn around and stop but I couldn’t. I had to keep going or else things would get more complicated and…

I pretended to look surprised. “Oh hey, Carter. I’m sorry I thought it was that guys from my last class who kept bugging me.” I lied.

Of course there wasn’t any guy. Most guys were probably intimidated than have the guts to actually like me enough to stalk me.

He frowned. “Why are you avoiding me? You were running away.”

“No, I wasn’t.” I instantly replied innocently. “I told you I was running away from someone and it isn’t you. Why would I run away from you?”

Why would I? Carter was my best friend and I would never even think of running away from him if my life, or my relationship with Damon, depended on it. Why would I run away from someone who’d just told me a couple of weeks ago how much I meant to him?

Because I didn’t want it to cause a rift between me and Damon. Maybe I was numb enough to turn a blind eye on Carter’s feelings for me before but now I knew it even though he didn’t tell me those three words yet. What I was doing now was damage control. If Damon even noticed Crater’s feelings, he would tell me to stay away from him for sure. And I didn’t want to do that of course so I had to avoid Carter so he’d stop whatever he was planning to do while Damon’s in the country.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” He said, obviously not pleased. “Why haven’t you returned my phone calls? You even told Megan not to let me in inside the sorority mansion.”

Oh, Megan and her big mouth. Being with Seth Lawrence could really be bad for my cousin sometimes. It makes her forget everything else.

“What’s the problem?” he asked as he held on my arm. “I thought we were okay last week. We were more than okay actually. So what’s the deal?”

I didn’t care what he was probably trying to point out ‘cause I knew what it is and he was wrong. I couldn’t explain it to him anyway. It would only stir up more issues.

I sighed. “Look, I’m just preoccupied right now okay? With then nationals coming up I need to focus on the squad. I can’t be distracted.”

He laughed, obviously still not getting it. “So you’re saying I’m a distraction? Look, I’ve given you space when you got busy with the sorority. I thought we promised to spend time with each other after that.”

The thing I was scared about when Carter became vocal about his feelings was now happening. He was starting to act like my boyfriend which was going to be bad if Damon ever noticed.

I had to convince him everything was fine in order for him to stop. After he had told me how he felt, I didn’t know what to do. But one thing was for sure. I didn’t want to lose him and I would never do anything to hurt him. But then, there’s Damon, my loving boyfriend, and I would never betray him either.

I smiled at Carter and touched his shoulder. “I know, but I really have to focus first. I’m so sorry. I promise to make it up to you. See you around, Carter.”

I had to leave before he could think of something else to say.

***

As I walked along the halls to the field, thankful that Carter didn’t run after me, something caught my eye on the bulletin board. I took a step back to check it out.

It was a Polaroid picture of Carly and Aaron in a seemingly compromising angle. It looked like they were inside the gym and Aaron was trying to kiss her.

I took a sharp breath and shook my head in dismay. Now, I don’t have any problem if the two were actually developing feelings for each other but I was supposed to be looking out for Carly from these types of rumors. I was pretty sure she hated Aaron too much to even take an interest in him unless he was taking advantage of her which was more likely of him to do.

And for goodness sake, I thought I had told Carly to always be careful of things that may stain her clean image. Being in a photo like this surely didn’t count as a careful thing to do. I wouldn’t want people to say she just got into this social class just because she was flirting with a Hampton.

I called to immediately as her to see the picture and after five minutes, she was there beside me, staring at it in alarm.

I took off the picture and held it in front of her face. There was no point in taking it off anyway since everybody had probably seen it by now.

“I thought we agreed to be aware of our actions, Carly.” I said sternly. “Explain this to me so I could stop thinking of other things about this photo. And it even says ‘gold digging commoner’ here!”

She shook her head and threw up her hands in dismay. “I don’t know, honestly, Amber, I have no idea who took the picture and you know none of this is true.”

“Yeah, none of it may be true but I’m not asking who did it, I’m asking why you guys look like that, Carly.” I told her pointedly. “Don’t tell me you guys are dating.”

“What? No, that’s insane!” She sighed. “Aaron came to the gym to return my book and well, you know how he could be, he was just making fun of me but I swear, there’s nothing between us.”

Of course I believed her. Aaron would never think of dating someone in a lower social class than him and it was a relief to know he wasn’t trying anything in her too.

“Okay, I believe you. Just be careful next time. I trust you, Carly.” I said, “Don’t destroy your reputation. Obviously, the one who did this is jealous of you.”

We proceeded to practice after that.

***

Carly surely didn’t look thrilled with her first ever scandal but she was professional enough not to let it get into the way of practice. Well, at least she already had her share of rumors which only validated that her social status was now on a higher level. I was busy calling out the steps while Carly was checking the squad’s performance when she slowly approached me.

“Um, Amber, I think someone’s here to see you.” She nodded at the field. “And it’s not Carter.”

Who could it be? I spun around to see Damon standing by the field bleachers looking as hot and cute as ever with his black shirt and white shorts. He pushed up his shades and gave me that same smile I fell so hard for back in France.

He never told me he was arriving today. But then again, he was always good with surprises.

I immediately ran up to him and gave him a long, well-deserved, after all this time of being apart, kiss. Never mind the facts that we were at the open field with practically the whole university seeing us. My ultimate man was now here, in the same place with me, and that was all that mattered.

“Surprise,” he grinned as we pulled away from each other. I was sure the squad was staring at this perfect guy in awe. I mean, he was one of France’s most eligible bachelors after all. But to me, he was more than that. He was Damon Wright, the love of my life.

“You didn’t tell me you were arriving today. I should’ve picked you up at the airport and skipped school.” I pouted.

He smiled. “I knew how much you loved surprises.”

“Of course, especially when it’s the hottest guy I know.” I winked at him. “I missed you so much it feels like heaven having you back.” I held on to him tightly.

“Me too.” He murmured. “I’ve waited too long to be with my beautiful goddess.”

“I certainly look far from a goddess right now,.” I wrinkled my nose, referring to my sweaty towel that was draped over my sports bra.

“Listen, I’ll have to practice today so if you want, you can watch over there.”

“Sure, I wouldn’t mind a good view.” He winked. “And why don’t you dance with me while I’m here?”

I laughed. “Are you sure? You might not be able to take the challenge of my squad.”

He shrugged and grinned. “I’ve always wanted to see you dance with your squad.”

And so with the music blasting, I pulled him over to the squad as he joined us in dancing in pairs to one of Carly’s formulated routine. I smiled as Damon moved to my rhythm. Having him around now made me feel more satisfied and secured again. He was all I needed after everything that stressed me out these past few months.

I was doing some of my photography projects at the field when I saw the scene from the cheerleading squad. They had created quite a loud noise that I had no choice but to look.

The real reason I stayed at the field was to watch Amber anyway and maybe get a clue on whatever it was she was hiding from me. I mean, come on, who would believe she was just busy? I knew her too well to even fall for that.

So when I heard their loud noise, I turned to look at them and almost wished I didn’t ‘cause dancing with Amber was a guy who looked as if he stepped out of a stupid men’s health magazine. He looked like those type of multimillionaire guys. Of course he had to be no other than her ‘perfect’ boyfriend, Damon Wright, judging from the way he held Amber’s waist and the way he smiled at her.

I smirked to myself for being stupid. So this was what she had been hiding huh? Of course there would be no reason to avoid me after I told her I needed her if it hadn’t been her boyfriend. I should’ve known the minute Mr. Perfect came waltzing up to her then she’d blow me off.

I knew I should’ve bolted out of there already but I kept watching them bitterly from afar knowing I probably could never make Amber smile like that. She really looked happy dancing with him.

I decided to finally pack up and leave. I just could bear to see her happy in the arms of someone else. Or maybe I needed to get used to it since I knew she’d always love him more anyway.

As I got in the car, I took one last look at them and sped off, not bothering about the people looking at me as I drove the car fast leaving the engine to make such a loud noise.

I didn’t care about driving safely, I honked the horn of the car to anyone who blocked my way and it almost hit Lana who was about to cross the road.

“Woah! Are you trying to kill me, Simmons?’ she called out, startled.

I parked the car at the side of the road and took a deep breath before I rolled the window down. Lana came over.

“Everything alright?” she asked. “Or do you wanna talk?”

Yeah, maybe I desperately needed someone to talk to for the first time.

***

So Lana and I headed to a bar near the park. It was a good thing she didn’t have Drama Club practice that afternoon.

She smiled as she poured her glass another round of gin. “So tell me, were you trying to kill me or yourself awhile ago? That was real fast but I didn’t see any finish line ready for you.”

I smiled grimly as I drunk my vodka. “I wish I was just trying to kill myself. Sorry about that.”

“Let me guess, is Amber accepting a date with some other guy you don’t approve of again? If that’s so, I think you should put a leash on her so she wouldn’t get away.” She teased.

If only it was that easy. It would’ve been much better if she was just making a deal with Vin again but no, this was her boyfriend now and how could you put a leash on someone who wasn’t even yours?

I laughed and shook my head. “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now how I feel about her. She’s been avoiding me and I found out her boyfriend’s in town right now.”

Lana cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean that big time young businessman from France? Yeah, I’ve heard of him. It’s all over town. I’m surprised you haven’t heard.”

“I was hoping she’d tell me about it herself but I guess she wanted to just dump me like that.” I said.

“Or maybe she was trying to protect you.” She suggested. “You see, that’s the problem with dating girls like Amber. There’s always someone who could do better than you for her. It’s just up to you to prove you’re the better man. That guy will be a hard competition for you but hey, you’re her best friend. I don’t think she’s going to let you go just like that.”

But none of her words gave me comfort. Let’s face it. Even Lana thinks Damon was better for Amber.

“I guess I’m screwed.” I laughed. “Hey, I tried calling you last night but I couldn’t.”

She blinked. “Oh yeah, I lost my phone. I think someone stole it.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know anyone could get away with things like that from you.” I laughed. Lana was usually very alert and fast when it comes to things like that. After all, she was raised by a mafia lord.

She shrugged. “Well, he must have been very clever.”

“He? Do you know him?” I asked.

“It’s just a guess.” She smiled. “Anyway, I’ll inform you once I get a new one. Meanwhile, I think I gotta get home now before my father starts freaking out again.”

“Hey, thanks for listening to me even though I nearly killed you.” I grinned at her.

“We’re partners in crime.” She winked as she grabbed her black leather jacket and left.

I stayed at the bar for a little longer after she left. I couldn’t blame Amber anyway. That was her boyfriend after all. If I really wanted her then it was up to me to make things happen.

***

I decided to visit Mom and Dad at Lancaster since I knew Kevin wouldn’t be home yet at this time. I didn’t want to mop around an empty penthouse again.

“Hi, honey. We missed you!” Mom greeted me happily. “Wait, where’s Amber?”

“Mom, Amber doesn’t have to be with me all the time.” I sighed. So much for forgetting Amber for a while. “We’re just friends. Why are you putting so much meaning to our relationship?”

Mom looked at me strangely. “Aren’t you a bit grumpy today. I didn’t say anything unless of course I have to say something, just tell me.”

I rolled my eyes as I plopped down the couch.

“Mom, why do you like her so much?” I wasn’t the type to sit and have a deep conversation with people, not even my own mother, but I just had to know.

‘Cause really, I may not be a very sociable and visible guy like Damon Wright, but Kevin once told me that my aloof and snobby attitude were what lots of ladies found appealing. I was like a challenge they’d brag to have solved. I could get anyone I wanted, except for Amber Hampton of course.

Mom looked surprised. She glanced up from me from the magazine she’d been reading.

“You mean Amber?’ she laughed. “Is that something you still need to ask? Carter, ever since middle school until you met Amber, you were the quietest kid I knew. You never talked much and it was like you were scared of opening up yourself to people not even to your own family. When you got close with her during high school, you changed. Not a lot, but at least you opened up yourself more to your friends and family. You smiled and laughed frequently. She even got you interested in photography when she took you to that art gallery. Only Amber could do that to you, not even me.” She smiled. “Besides, she’s the only daughter I could go shopping with.”

I couldn’t help smiling. I guess my mother really loved her a lot.

“Why do you ask?’ she narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you thinking of giving up Amber? Don’t you even dare, Carter Simmons! I heard her rich boyfriend’s visiting town. Don’t worry too much about him. Not all hot and boring businessmen can get all the girls. Hey, we’ve got a huge bank account too.” She haughtily flipped her hair over her shoulder.

I shook my head and laughed. No wonder my mother preferred Amber so much. They both have high regard of themselves that it was funny whenever they were together.

She got up and patted my shoulder. “Show her who’s the man, son. If you need to bid for her as high as an auction sale would make an artist bid for a beautiful painting, do it. We’ll back you up in terms of fortune.”

I snorted as she headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. If only it was as easy as that. Fortune was easy to compete with. Unfortunately, Amber’s love was something even the fortune of the richest guy in Lancaster couldn’t buy.