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August 13
In detention, they were all perched wherever they pleased, as Jane rehearsed her speech and the T-Birds offered commentary.
Amber, meanwhile, with a nagging pain in her chest, peered through the blinds as cheer practice occurred outside on the field; bitterly observing Susan confidently taking over her role and mimicking her every move, appearing to thrive on her absence.
Carelessly leaning back in his seat, with one foot on the floor and the other resting on a stray chair, Richie listened to a determined Jane's speech, but as the somber girl caught his eye, he felt a strange warmth in his chest: empathy, tenderness, it made his heart ache, he detested having so much of when it came to Amber.
When a wicked idea suddenly struck him, he slowly rose from his chair and smiled mischievously.
Nobody paid any mind, even as he moved cautiously toward Amber, whose eyes were fixed on the field. She was soon startled by Richie, who shouted dramatically and put his hands on her shoulders simply to give her a start which turned heads as she let out a scream and he laughed with the T-Birds and Cynthia. The girls, meanwhile, were wide-eyed and puzzled.
With a hand over her rapidly beating heart, Amber caught her breath in the aftermath.
"Seriously?" Richie stepped back, puzzled, "You're not gonna tell me to fuck off or something?"
That was how it had always been with Richie, and it made Olivia roll her eyes and chastise him for his desperate attempts to break Amber, whose eyes widened at the blue-collared profanity as she shook her head.
"I've got something," Nancy called out, her tone matching the sinister smile on her face, which caused the four girls to enthusiastically retreat to their desks as she grinned and motioned to her notebook, "Okay, first up, the Red Cherries! We may look sweet, but if you tick us off, we get real sour."
Unwittingly passing judgment while puzzled, the girls analyzed the sketched jacket adorned with cherries and the name, as well as the dramatic tone used by their friend, who soon read their expressions:
"You hate it."
"-No!" Amber lied as guilt overtook her, shaking her head even though the distaste on her face gave it away.
"-Yes," Olivia blurted out at the same time.
Nancy paid no mind and swiftly turned to the page depicting a leather jacket and a cartoon-like bee that had the words: "yellow jackets" on it, "Or the Yellow Jackets, 'cause we wear yello- I hate it!"
The girls were dejected, afraid nothing would ever feel quite right.
"Okay, mm-mm," She hummed and nodded while flipping the page to a flamingo that earned mixed reactions as she could hardly get the words out before being cut off by Amber's admired gasp and Cynthia's immediate dismissal.
