My Heart's Always With You

That Friday Amber and Alyce were hanging out in the backyard. They were both looking forward to that night since they were meeting the guys at the bowling alley. They didn’t think anything could bother them. But there were wrong.

“So you like having your mom know a lot don’t you?” Alyce asked

“Yeah. It sucked having to hide from everyone in this house. Now I only have to hide from two. But that is better than before.” Amber laid back in the grass and closed her eyes, thinking about Matt.

“I can’t wait for tonight!” Alyce joined her and thought about Kellan.

“It is going to be so much fun.”

“And all the flashy lights!”
“I agree! Alyce how do you make a bowling alley such an awesomely fun hang out?”

“Simple. I rock.”

“Yes you do!”

“So has your dad been pushing Aaron on you anymore?”

“Yeah.” Amber had been dealing with her dad pushing Aaron on her even more in the past few days. He’d even had him and his dad over almost every evening. Since it was a Friday and Anthony’s practice was closed for the day she expected the Marshells to show up any minute. And Aaron come out to try and impress her. That is when her phone went off with Matt’s text message alert. She read the message and smiled.

I can’t wait 2 c u.

She selected reply and typed in response then sent it.

I can’t wait 2 c u either. Only a few more hours.

That is when the door opened and Aaron appeared in the backyard with them. He had a soccer ball with him and Alyce realized it was to impress them. She laughed as he began trying. Finally he kicked and the ball flew into the stone wall fence and his leg came up in the air. Alyce thought of something and couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

She clapped and he looked over. “Good job! Now let me go get your pop-pops since you have a cheerleader kick!” Amber burst out laughing and had to cover her mouth so she could hear whatever lame comeback he had.

“Ha ha, very funny Alyce.” He went to go get the soccer ball again. As Amber stopped laughing she realized that her sides hurt from laughing so hard. She sat up and realized that Alyce was still smirking.

“Come on Alyce. Let’s go up to my room.” She told her as she got up. Alyce jumped up and followed her inside. In Amber’s room Willow was lying on her bed sound asleep. Alyce grabbed the cat and looked at Amber.

“Your cat is so fat! Look at this thing.”

“Well she likes her food. You know you love her.”

“I know I do. And I like her tail!” Amber laughed and plopped down on her bed. “So what are you going to do about Aaron?”

“I don’t know yet Alyce. I don’t know how to get rid of him.”
“I could get rid of him for you.”

***

“So has Amber gotten rid of Aaron yet?” Zacky asked.

“Not yet. He’d really pissing her off too.”

Matt smiled thinking of Amber and how pissed she’d gotten the last time when they saw each other and her dad had called her to tell her Aaron was at their house. Matt knew he didn’t have to worry about her picking the other one over him. It also was nice to not have to watch what he said to her to avoid saying I love you.

He was glad that Esme knew because Amber was insanely happy to have her mom in on their secret. And he knew that their biggest problem would be Anthony. But he wasn’t sure how much longer Amber would put up with her dad pushing Aaron on her. But nothing mattered that much at the moment since he knew that he’d see her in a few hours.

***

“Where are you girls going?” Anthony asked that night when Amber and Alyce walked into the living room. The Marshells were still over to no surprise of Amber’s.

“Just to go hang out. It is a Friday night.” Amber answered.

“Wouldn’t you like to come hang out with me?” Aaron asked looking at her.

“I’d rather eat dirt.” She turned to Alyce and grabbed her arm. “Come on Alyce. Let’s go. Bye mom! Love you!”

“Bye sweetie love you!” Esme smiled at her daughter and Alyce, knowing the complete plan. Once in Amber’s car Alyce said what she had bit her tongue inside not to say.

“What a jackass!”

“Alyce be nice! Don’t insult the mules.” Amber said seriously causing Alyce to laugh.

“Fine I won’t insult the mules. But you know what I mean.”

“Yeah I know.” They let that subject drop as Amber pulled out of the drive way and headed for the spot. Kellan was already there when they got there and Alyce ran to him so she could hug him. That is when Matt drove up.

“Hey Matt!” Amber went to greet him with a kiss.

“Hey Amber!” He told her after the kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist as they went inside where Alyce was already getting stuff turned on. Amber liked it when Matt did this. She liked being close to him.

They took their normal spots and waited for Alyce to finish with her project of lights and music. They would get around to bowling, but not right away. “Alyce basically called Aaron a cheerleader this afternoon.” Amber told Matt with a laugh.

“I wish I could have saw that one!”

“It was priceless. Trust me.” When Amber’s mom’s ringtone interrupted their conversation she didn’t know what to think. “Hey mom what’s up?”

“I have good news for you!”

“Okay what is it?”

“Tomorrow we are going up to the cabin in Big Bear with the Marshells. But I convinced dad that you had to stay and open the store for me even though I have someone else opening it since aunt Carrie is going with us!”

“Thank you so so so much mom!!”

“No problem sweetie. Go have fun, I just thought I’d let you know.” Amber told her mom bye and flipped her phone closed.

“What is it?” Matt asked no sure what to think of what he’d just heard. He knew it couldn’t be bad, not with Amber having this reaction anyway. But he was still confused and Amber looked like something great had just happened.

“My family is going up to Big Bear for the weekend tomorrow morning!” She hugged him tightly before Alyce interrupted the moment.

“Sweet! Matt, you, me, Amber’s house, Mario cart tomorrow night!” Alyce yelled at them making Amber and Matt laugh. They were both ecstatic about not having to worry about Anthony for the rest of the weekend. “Now get up! It’s time for Kellan and I to kick your butts at bowling!”

“Don’t be sure that you’ll win Alyce!” Amber reminded her.

***

“Amber get up!” Amber covered her head with her pillow to block Alyce’s attempts to wake her up. It had been about 2 in the morning when they’d gotten back to her house after hanging out and she wanted more sleep.
“It’s 5:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning! Are you crazy Alyce?! Let me sleep!”

‘You have to tell your parents by. Then you can sleep. Remember your family is going out of town again so you can spend time with Matt without worry.” That did it. Amber sprang up and threw the covers off.

“Meow!” Willow complained as she stuck her head out of the covers and went back to sleep. Amber got dressed quickly and went downstairs, where her parents and Lisa already had their bags and were preparing to leave.

“Have fun in Big Bear!” She told them as she hugged her dad, then Lisa.

“It’s a shame that no one else will open the store for your mom and aunt. Aaron really wanted you to go.” Anthony commented. Amber grimaced to herself as she heard his name. But she moved on to her mom.

“Thanks for taking care of things sweetie. I’ll see you Monday afternoon. I love you.” Esme hugged her daughter then kissed her cheek.

“No problem mom. See you then. I love you too.” Amber watched as they left before sleepily making her way up to her room. Alyce was almost asleep again, but her head popped up from her burrow of blankets and pillows to look at Amber.

“Are they gone?”

Amber went into her bathroom and quickly changed back into her pajamas before coming back out and answering Alyce. “Thankfully, yes. My dad was saying how it is a shame I wasn’t going because Aaron really wanted to me to.” Amber plopped down on her bed and pulled the covers over herself.

“Oh Aaron can jump off a cliff.” Then Alyce made fake gagging sounds which made Amber laugh. After that they both fell asleep soundly. When Amber opened her eyes again Alyce was staring at her. She immediately jumped back and Alyce laughed.

“Why were you staring at me?!” Amber gasped recovering from the scare of seeing her best friend staring at her while she slept.

“I knew it would wake you up. It’s noon already. Time to get up. You want to see Matt don’t you?” Alyce was already dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, and makeup done. She had also eaten breakfast already.

“Thanks. So are you going to hang out with us today?” Amber went to her closet to grab a pair of jeans and a tee shirt.

“Nah. You two love birds can have the afternoon. I’m going to the beach with Kellan. But I’ll be back tonight for the Mario cart rematch! Well I’ll see you later.” Alyce hugged Amber before leaving to go meet Kellan. Amber took a shower then got ready. Once she was done she grabbed her cell phone and sat on her bed Indian style. The phone rang as she called Matt to see what he was doing.

“Morning.” He answered.

“Morning. Sorry I just got up to call you.”

“Don’t be. So what are you doing?”

“Calling you to see if you are ready to come over yet.”

“I’ll be there ASAP.”

“Okay. See you then.”

“See you in a bit. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She slid her cell phone into her pocket after closing it and went downstairs to get something to eat. She decided on some cereal and sat down to eat her bowl. She heard the footsteps of her cat going to her water and that is when she realized how quiet the big house was.

She finished her food in the same silence and then went to wait in the living room. She finally heard a car coming down the drive way and jumped up. It was Matt so she opened the door and smiled at him as he walked towards her.

“Hey.” She smiled as he place his hands on her sides and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her before telling her hi back.

“Hey. Sorry it took so long. Traffic.”

“No problem. I hadn’t ate anything yet anyway, so it worked out.”

“So what do you want to do today?”

“I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?”

“Not really.”

“Would it be okay if we just hung out around here?”

“Amber I don’t care what we do, as long as I’m with you.”

They ended up in the den watching horror movies, which occasionally scared Amber when spiders or snakes appeared. When the spiders or snaked appeared she could move closer to Matt who liked it when she did. “So Alyce will be back tonight.” Amber told him when they were done.

“Mario cart rematch?”

“Yup. She went to hang out with Kellan though.”

“Oh I see why she isn’t here now.”

“How are the guys?”

“Crazy as always.” Amber had become friends with Matt’s friends just like he had with hers. She knew that her dad was planning another family dinner, this time with Aaron. And she was sure the whole night would be dedicated to getting the two of them together.

“Matt if I asked you to beat someone up for me would you?” Amber wouldn’t actually have Matt beat him up, but it was a nice thought. And if Aaron ever found out about them it would be good to know if Matt would shut him up.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” He looked at her wondering who had done what to her. He would beat the up. Especially if they hurt her. He waited tensely for her answer so he would know who did what.

“I was just wondering.”

“The asshole hasn’t tried to hurt you has he?” Matt had been wondering if he would try and hurt her since he’d came back to town. But no he couldn’t just wonder anymore. He had to know.

“No. And he won’t. he too scared of what Alyce and I will do to him.” Amber knew that Aaron was afraid of both of them. Amber had dropped him on several occasions and Alyce had done the same thing.

“Has he ever experienced what the two of you could do to him?” Matt wondered now after Amber had said if they’d ever hurt him before.

“Several times. He acts like a pervert around us. We’ve been hurting him since we were like 10. Especially Alyce. He is terrified of Alyce actually. She’s made him cry before.”

“Are you serious?” Alyce didn’t seem like the mean type. She seemed to bright and happy and funny. But she had her mean streak in her.

“I’m not kidding. Alyce has a dark side to her. She has a very twisted mind. She has a morbid side too.”

“Alyce having a morbid side just seems strange.” Matt couldn’t picture it. Not after the time he’d spent with Alyce.

“It’s a small side. Are you hungry?”

“A little bit.”

“Come on let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll make us dinner.” Matt followed Amber into the kitchen where she got started on spaghetti and garlic bread. Matt kept asking if he could help her, but she told him she didn’t need any help.

So instead he just stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. She liked this and didn’t want him to move. The food didn’t take long though, and then he did left go. They ate as they talked and laughed and Amber looked at the time. Alyce would be back soon.

For some reason Amber had a feeling that Alyce would just walk through the door and yell something completely strange or something that made no sense. After all something like that was 100% normal for Alyce. As a matter of fact when she didn’t act funny Amber worried she was sick.

Then Amber’s cell phone rang she looked at Matt. “It’s my dad.” Matt snapped his lips shut and she knew he wouldn’t make a sound. She flipped the phone open and lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hi Amber. How is everything?” She knew he had a reason besides this to call.

“Great. How about up there?”

“Wonderful. Aaron and I were wondering. Do are your favorite roses red roses or pink roses?” In the silence of the house Matt could hear Amber’s dad and when he wear the question his temper began rising. So was Ambers.

“How about you tell Aaron that it is none of his business which roses I like better?” Amber could tell it was on speaker phone, so she knew he heard what she said.

“But what if I want to buy you some?” His voice asked.

“Simple answer. Don’t. I do not want anything from you. Now did is there anything else?” Amber planned on hanging up even if there was something else.

“Well you could be a little nicer to Aaron. But other than that no.”

“Well don’t hold your breath. Bye dad.”

“Bye.” Amber closed her phone and put it back into her pocket before looking at Matt who was calming down now that she wasn’t on the phone. He didn’t like what this guy wanted to know, and he didn’t like how he was being pushed onto Amber.

“Shows what they know.” Amber laughed with a smile at Matt.

“No kidding. Since they weren’t even close.” Matt knew her favorite color of rose was a black rose. She liked red next followed by white, and finally yellow. He knew so much about her that Aaron didn’t, and more than anyone else ever would.

“He doesn’t know me. Aaron never has. Funny thing is he never will. Just in his wildest dreams.” Amber loved how she felt so comfortable with Matt that she could tell him anything. More than that though, she loved him so much.

Amber’s phone went off again with Alyce’s ringtone, so she pulled it out and flipped it open. Alyce had sent a text message to her.

Just gotta grab some stuff from my house . Be there in a bit.

Amber laughed and selected reply.

K. See u in a bit.

“Alyce is on her way. So be ready for that Mario cart rematch.” Amber laughed looking at Matt who started laughing with her.

“Oh I’m ready.”

They stayed in the dining room and were still there when Alyce opened the door with her key. She saw no one was in the living room so she yelled “The Mario Cart Queen is here! Where are you two?” she heard laughing from the dining room.

Amber was laughing when she heard Alyce singing “Where O where has my Amber gone? Where O where could she be?” before she walked into the dining room and smiled hugely. “Hi my friend!”

Amber went over to hug Alyce as she laugh. “Hi my friend!” Amber repeated making Alyce laugh. Then Alyce turned her attention to Matt.

“You! Mario cart. Now.” She turned and headed for Amber’s room. Matt and Amber were following when Alyce called “Hurry up! We’ve got a game to play!” They laughed and walked faster to keep up with Alyce. Amber liked having Matt over at her house, and had no intention of letting him leave early. Besides Alyce would probably have them playing Mario cart until 4 in the morning again. Before they walked into Amber’s room Matt kissed Amber again and she felt butterflies in her stomach when he did.