Opening Up

Chapter 14

As Vicky and I walked around the store, there was so much pink and red around that we couldn't forget it was Valentine's Day. The one day a year I hated the most. I hadn't ever had fun or gone on a date for it. Dean kept telling me he had planned a special evening for us, and I told him not to waste his time. I could never change my mind about this holiday.

"Vicky, how can you love this day?" I whisper as we walk by a mom and her three children. It's just another day.

"You used to love this holiday. What happened that made you hate it?" Vicky asks as the guys walk back over to where we are.

Dean is wearing his favorite jeans and a pink polo, and I smile. It's nice seeing him happy and enjoying spending time with other people. Peter is wearing his dress pants, which seem to be the only thing he owns. I can't even say I've ever seen him in a pair of jeans, and he had a dress shirt on that was red enough for it to match Vicky's lipstick.

"Vicky, why do you love this holiday so much?"

"For the fact..." she stops and tries to think of why she likes it. I knew she couldn't give me an actual reason she loved it so much, but for the first time in a long time, I didn't worry about the small things. "I guess I don't have a reason. I just love it. I enjoy holidays and have someone other than you and Dean to spend them with."

"Fair enough." I smile, and Dean wraps his arms around me.

"Well, have you girls looked at everything you wanted to?" Dean asks, smiling down at me as he pulls me into him.

"That's up to Vicky," I spoke quickly, and Dean finally dropped his arms.

"Vicky, are you done?" Peter asks her as he grabs her hands. She had been looking at something and wasn't listening. This time, she jumped back from wherever she was and gave him a funny look. "Are we good to leave and head for dinner?"

"Oh, um, yeah." She dropped her eyes, and it was almost as though she had gotten in trouble for doing something that she shouldn't have. "We are good to leave." She almost looked sad; her green eyes seemed bluer at that point. As we left the store, she grabbed my arm and whispered, "Eva, I need you to come over when we get back home. I need you to try on something I've been working on."

"Okay, but what would that be"? I had to ask. I had to know what was going on. I hated not knowing what was going on around me. "Okay," I spoke as my phone rang. As we walked out of the store, I stepped to the side of the group and pulled my phone out. It was Peyton calling. Today would be the first day that Amy got to see Thea. "Hello?"

"Eva, do you know if Amy is still planning on showing up?" Peyton asks. She sounds upset. "I spoke to her last night, and we agreed to meet at Jazzy's, but she hasn't shown up, and I'm worried."

"I haven't spoken to her today; I'll call her."

"I've tried, but she's not answering me. It's been two hours, and she hasn't shown up, and I'm worried that she has hurt herself." As Peyton spoke those words, I felt my heart stop. I hadn't talked to Amy in weeks. However, I knew she and Peyton had been talking, so I wasn't as worried about her—well, until now.

I feel tears burn my eyes, look up from the ground, and see Dean walking back to me. My heart is breaking. This wasn't what I wanted to hear. I didn't want Amy to harm herself, and I hoped that didn't happen. It was my biggest fear since the day she left after we spoke to Peyton. Fear built up inside of me. The tears were streaming down my face, and I worried that something would happen and this would not end well. I feel Dean wrap his arms around me.

"What's going on, darling?" his voice was soft in my ear. I felt myself losing control. I was crying, and I couldn't stop. "Hey, what's going on? You're scaring me. Please tell me what happened."