The Perks Of Being Amanda Summerlyn

Chapter 16: Pressure

November passes quickly that I'd thought, and soon, December makes itself comfortable in the city of Seattle. It's Wednesday, the last of school until winter break. I had called Oliver, asking if he could give me a ride to school, and then I called Ally, telling her not to come since I have a "dentist's appointment" and would be there late. I know Ally hasn't picked me up for school in ages since Oliver is giving me rides, but I can't just give these chances up. That's just like giving up a double chocolate sundae with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and everything you want on top at a diner. It's like a sin.

Mom has already gone to work and Dad is still sleeping, after I brushed my teeth, got dressed, and did up my face, I left him a note, ate some breakfast which was just a bowl of Cheerios and orange juice, put on my coat, and was out the door.  I stomp feet against the frost-covered concrete as I wait for Oliver's car to pull up in my driveway. The air is still and freezing cold. The sky is a perfect, pale blue. The sun has just risen, weak and watery-looking, like it has just spilled itself over the horizon and it's too lazy to clean itself up.

Five more minutes pass and I'm about to call Oliver when I see his car pull up in my driveway. He honks his horn twice and I smile, feeling butterflies flutter around in my stomach as I quickly walk down the steps towards the street. When I'm close to his car, Oliver rolls down his window and smiles when he sees me. "Hey," he says.

"Hey," I say shyly.

"Sorry I got here so late," he says. "Faith and Anthony made me go pick up some food from Dunkin' Doughnuts."

"Can't go to school with an empty stomach," Faith says from the back, pegging Oliver in the back of the head with a crumbled-up napkin. "Hey, Amanda!" she yells.

"Hi," I say loudly.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Oliver teases, turning back to me. "The heat's on high in here, and you'll die from pneumonia if you stand out there too long."

My legs already feel numb from the cold, but I still walk to the other side of the car and jump into the passenger's seat. The heat radiating from the air vents melts my ice-cold skin and brings me back to life. I shut the door and strap on my seat belt. "We've got some breakfast sandwiches back there," Oliver says.

"Faith's sitting on them," T.J. says. He's sitting in the backseat on the left. I can clearly see that Aliza is sitting behind the backseats.

I turn around and look at Faith who's sipping on some coffee. Her hair is in a ponytail, showing her beautiful face, and her lips are pink and glistening, giving away that she's wearing lip gloss. She catches me looking at her and her expression drops into confusion. "What?" she asks. Then she panics. "Is there something on my face? Or in my teeth?"

"No, no," I say. "You look beautiful." More beautiful than me. More beautiful than I ever could be. She smiles at me, her cheeks turning a warm pink.  

"Careful not to squish those sandwiches, beautiful," Oliver says.

"You all know you want a piece of this," Faith says, giving her butt a smack.

"I doubt you still want the food after that," Oliver says to me, laughing.  

"Do you have a cheese, bacon, and sausage sandwich?" I ask, my mouth watering. I could really go for one right now. The Cheerios didn't really calm my hunger.

"You know it," Faith says, handing me the bag from under her butt.

I open the bag and take out the first wrapped sandwich I see. Sure enough, it's the right one and I dig in. The cheese melts on my tongue, the bacon crunching beneath my teeth. Not to mention the bread tastes like heaven.