Never As It Seems

Chapter 14

The next few days passed uneventfully. There was still a lot of tension in the house and Amber used it as an excuse to be out as much as possible. Her mother hadn't spoken a word to her all week, mainly because they didn't see each other but on the few occasions that they did, the silence was painful. She had spent every waking moment with Jay and although she had only known him for a week, she couldn't remember how she had ever been without him. He seemed more relaxed as the days went on and the dark looks that had crossed his face early on were now non existent. When she was with Jay, everything seemed light hearted and fun. When she was at home, there was a heaviness that felt like a suffocating weight. Dad had retreated into his work and apart from greeting her as they passed each other around the house, they had not had a conversation. Erin and Callum had finally finished school but they were never at home. Amber guessed for the same reason that she stayed away.

On Thursday morning Amber awoke with a nervous feeling in her stomach. She couldn't place it. The feeling abated though, when she rolled over and set eyes on the flower Jay had presented her with the night before. She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes at the knowledge he had taken it from one of the flower arrangements in the press room at the arena. She reached out and touched one of the delicate, wine coloured petals and mused over the fact that although probably one of the most beautiful blooms she had ever seen, neither she nor Jay knew what it was. She picked up her phone and was surprised to see no text message waiting for her. Checking the time, she realised it was actually a lot earlier than usual. She decided to try and sleep a little more but the feeling in her stomach grew and she couldn't relax. She swung her legs out of the bed and stretched, her body was not ready to be awake yet but her mind was searching for the reason that she felt uneasy. As she slumped down the stairs, aiming for a strong cup of coffee, Callum whizzed past her, almost knocking her down the last few steps.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed swinging open the front door. "And good luck today." He called back to her with a sympathetic look. Before she could ask him what for, he slammed the door behind him.

Massaging the soft carpet with her toes, she tried to think why Callum would have wished her luck. She came to no conclusion and shrugging, she continued on her course to the kitchen and more importantly, the coffee machine. Stuck to the machine on a recycled envelope was the answer to her questions. She pulled it off and read:

"Don't forget dinner with your Father and I. He will pick you up from the house at 6.30. Please be there! Mum x"

The uneasy feeling turned to one of pure dread. Not only did she have to face her mother for the first time since they had argued but she also had to address the Uni thing with her parents. This was not going to turn out well. She needed some serious distraction before tonight and she knew just where it would come from. As if reading her mind, Amber's phone sprung to life.

"Are you awake? I miss you! X" She smiled at the text from Jay and tapped out a reply.

"Yes and I miss you more! X"

She flicked on the coffee machine and while she waited, she practised explaining to her parents why she was taking a year out before starting Uni. The more she thought about it however, the more the sick feeling in her stomach took hold. Why had things gotten so bad between she and her mother lately? Amber winced at the memory of wanting to spend more time getting to know her and she felt bad about not pursuing that. The regret was quickly replaced with a pang of anger though, when she decided that her mother would never have had the time to spare anyway, so what was the point of even trying? She paced the kitchen and then, when her coffee was ready, she traipsed into the sitting room. Putting the mug down, she flopped onto the couch and assumed the foetal position, curling her arms around her legs. It seemed to Amber that things had changed in her family since her decision not to be involved in her mother's career any more. That made her feel selfish but surely she was entitled to a life of her own. Technically she was an adult. She looked at the new message on her phone.