Highway to U

Chapter 2

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Amber asked warily as she walked to the couch and sat, watching her huddled parents. Worried or scared didn't seem to be the right words to describe her. Perhaps... Anxious? Yes, anxious was the perfect word to describe her mood.

"We've just gotten a phone call and," her father paused, "your grandmother had an accident. We need to go take care of her."

"What? But that's all the way in Denver!" Exclaimed an incredulous Amber. 

"Dear, please, try to understand-" her father started but got cut short as Amber stood sharply.

"Understand? You want me to try to understand? I've never been outside of Portland, but now you want me to travel all the way to Colorado? You want me to leave behind my school, my friends, Derrick?" Amber managed before breaking down into sobs that racked her body.

"Amber," her mother's soft voice cut through the young girls sobs as two skinny arms wrapped around her frame, stroking her soft red hair, "I don't want to make you do any of those things, but we need to go to her. She's family, you know that. We can't leave her alone. Do you understand?"

Wordlessly, Amber nodded, staying relatively still in her mother's embrace. Before long, she blinked, but didn't open her eyes again for a few hours, despite feeling like it was a few seconds. She found herself in her room, under the blue comforter of her bed. Dread filled her as she recalled the conversation prior to her falling asleep.

"This won't be my room much longer," she thought sadly, looking around before sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. She reached to her cherry-wood nightstand and grabbed her phone. Unlocking it, she instantly tapped her speed dial, calling Derrick. It rung a few times before she heard his voice.

"Hello?"

"Derrick-" She started, only to be cut off.

"I can't hear you. Hello?" Derrick's voice said again, causing Amber to get slightly irritated.

"Derrick-" She started again.

"Haha! Gotcha! Leave a message after the beep!" 

It was Derrick's voicemail. Hurt, Amber hung up before angrily throwing her phone. Of course. What did she expect? He never answered his phone when she needed him! She groaned and climbed out of bed before calling him again. She didn't fall for the trick again, and instead left him a message.

"It's over."