Words, Words, Words

"Where is she?" Tom asks, running a hand through his hair. He's been waiting for Amelia to show up at our parents' anniversary dinner for an hour and a half now. He's already called her seven times.

I casually take small sips of my beer as I watch him. All his friends are here, but he hasn't taken any time to talk to them. Instead, he stands near the glass sliding door so he can hear the doorbell if Amelia finally comes.

"Tom, take a load off. If she comes, she comes. If not, don' let 'er bring yeh down," Lee, one of my band mates, says. Tom scowls a bit at him before looking into the house. I sigh and take a sip of my beer before putting a hand on Tom's shoulder. I'm about to tell him that she's not worth all this worry when the doorbell rings.

"She's here!" Tom cries happily. He rushes into the house and towards the door, opening it quickly. Amelia, in an small, black dress, walks in bashfully with a gift in her hands, apologizing right away for being so late. She explains that she didn't know what to get mom and dad. "It's fine, it's fine. Yeh here now, tha's all tha' matters."

He grabs her free hand and pulls her into the backyard. I stare at her and I know she can feel my eyes on her, but she doesn't look my way. Instead, she smiles at the people who notice her presence as Tom tugs her in mom and dad's direction.

"Damn, Amelia looks very nice tonight," Lee says, glancing at me before taking a long sip of his beer. I glance down at him, sneering a bit, but can't help but agree with him inside. The dress compliments her petite body as her matching black heels make her seem a couple inches taller, making her legs look longer.

I watch her as Tom gets her a drink. She stands awkwardly in the mass of people, playing with her necklace a bit, glancing here and there. A small frown is placed on her red lips. The caters come up to her and offer her some appetizers. She forces a smile and shakes her head 'no.'

I look away.

"Olleh, did yeh invite SJ?" Another one of my band mates, Matt K., asks, walking up to me. I nod as I take another swing of my beer. "When's she coming?"

I shrug, "She said she had teh do some stuff. Probably will come in an hour or so."

Just as I finish my sentence, Tom and Amelia walk up to us with smiles - Tom's is genuine, Amelia's is so obviously forced. I look at them with a bored expression. Tom pipes up, "Doesn' Amelia look stunning tonight?"

Amelia blushes and elbows Tom lightly as she looks down at her drink. His smile only grows as he looks towards the guys. They nod and compliment her as she blushes an even deeper red. I don't say anything.

Dad bangs his BBQ tongs against a flat surface to attract everyone's attention. He announces, "The food's ready!"

People crowd themselves around the table filled with food, grabbing at hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs. My other band mates, Curtis and Matt N., walk up to us. Mom takes this hectic time to walk up to us, between Tom and Curtis, with seven plates in her hands skillfully, handing them to each of us, "Here's yeh food."

"Thanks Mum," We all chorus together before stuffing our mouthes. Mom smiles wide as she kisses Tom's cheek and rubs Curtis's arm affectionately then turns and walks back to dad. I eat and glance around the silent circle to see five other smiling, eating guys - and one frowning girl who's staring at her food.

Tom looks up from his plate at me but I'm not looking in his direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him look to where I'm staring - at Amelia. He sees that she hasn't touched her food and nudges her with his elbow kindly. She glances up at him as he says, "It's jus' food, Amelia. I'm sure my mum didn' poison it."

At this point, everyone in the circle is staring at her. She forces a weak smile and picks a french fry off her plate, popping it into her mouth. She stares at her plate as she chews and I can't help but wonder what's running through her mind. Everyone looks away from her and goes on eating, conversing amongst themselves.

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They say curiosity killed the cat but that's the last thing that I find myself thinking about as I watch Amelia walk into the house. I glance at Tom who watches her as well until she's out of sight. He sighs and walks towards one of his friends.

I look back at the house before deciding to follow her, leaving SJ and Matt N to talk to each other. I walk through the door and listen for her heels that clack against the tile. The bathroom door shuts and the fan behind it goes off.

Slowly, I walk up to the door and press my ear to the door but I can barely make out a sound. I wait for a minute, expecting her to come out but she doesn't. Before I know what I'm doing, my hand grabs the gold knob and twists it, opening the unlocked door.

I'm greeted by an odd sight. Amelia's on her knees, in front of the toilet, tears running down her cheeks. She looks sick as her head turns to me. Quickly, she wipes her mouth and eyes and flushes before standing up and glancing at me with worried eyes.

I'm so confused, even though I had my own suspicions. I stare at her for a moment, brow furrowed before I ask, "Wha' is goin' on, Amelia?"

She opens her mouth for a second but nothing comes out. She closes her mouth, clearing her throat, then says while avoiding eye contact, "I just didn't feel too great, that's all. Probably ate something that was a bit off."

I keep my eyes locked on her as she fidgets awkwardly, biting the inside of her cheek. Dumbly, I ask, "Are yeh sure?"

She finally makes eye contact with me, her eyes cold as she says, "Yeah, I'm sure," then turns towards the sink. She washes her smudged make up off and washes out her mouth as I watch her. I don't know what to do.

She wipes her face dry, then flips the fan and light off and pushes past me. I turn to watch her walk back to the barbecue, but I don't follow.

Oh, I know this is my fault.