Through My Eyes

Prologue

Amber

One month before

"Amber, just come, it'll be so much fun", my best friend Adelaine tells me as she flicks mascara on her eyelashes.

 I hang upside down on her bed and watch my long, wavy black hair pool on the carpet below me as I try to make up my mind. 

"I'm not sure...."

"Oh come on, you're the one who always complains about having super strict parents and being sent to that religious private school and not being able to have fun. Now here I am inviting you to a New Years' party and you're saying no?"

"I didn't say no." I say. "It's just that I won't know anybody there. People from your high school are hosting it after all."

"You'll know me. I won't ditch you, I promise", Adelaine says without moving her lips as she traces them with blood red lipstick.

"Isn't Tyler going to be there?" I ask, absent-mindedly twisting a strand of hair around my finger. "You're definitely going to forget about me if he's there."

"Tyler's in Aruba on a family vacation. He won't be back for another three days but he did promise to Facetime me at midnight. My midnight, because I'm pretty sure they have a time difference there."

"Oh that's why you're inviting me. You guys are so cute together that it's sickening", I tease and proceed to dodge the beauty blender she throws at my face, giggling.

"Just tell me if you're coming or not. It's new years', we're almost 18 and we only live once. I promise we won't drink anything and I'll get us home by 12:30", she says as she pulls a straightener through a strand of her curly hair and expertly flips the end.

She had a point. If I spent my whole life listening to my parents, I'd end up becoming a nun whose idea of fun was solving trigonometry equations. I had to be more outgoing. Might as well start my new years resolution early.

"You're right. Let's go", I say, picking myself off the bed and flashing a grin.

"Yay! I'll call your parents and tell them that you're spending the night at my place so we can do calculus or something", she says, pulling a face. "Nothing will be more believable to them than doing some good old integration to welcome the new year."

I roll my eyes, knowing my parents would believe any sentence that had to do with the word 'study'.

"We need to find you a dress!" she cries running to her wardrobe.

Twenty minutes later, I'm dressed in a short, but modest black dress. My long dark hair falls in glossy waves to my waist and my tan skin is illuminated by traces of makeup. I slip some heals on and grab my purse.

Adelaine looks over her work appreciatively. "Dang girl, you look fabulous. This will be the best night of your life, I promise!"