Amber & Ice

Chapter 30: Caught up in a bad group

Athena found herself disappointed to be back in her London flat the following afternoon. She had enjoyed her quiet weekend with Dyo at her parents’ house. They had loved meeting him - her mum had sent her a dozen messages that day telling her so. She missed the space, the sea, the stillness and, even though they had only been apart for a couple of hours, she missed Dyo.

It didn’t take her friends long to realise that something was up.

“Earth to Athena. Are you in there?” Cress waved a hand in front of Athena’s face, looking concerned.

“Sorry, Cress. I zoned out.” Athena shook her head, trying to drag her mind from the beach hut back to the here and now. Unfortunately her imagination was throwing a diva strop and holding on to the hut’s door for dear life.

“You have been doing that a lot. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Honestly, Athena, I don’t even know where to start. You’re not even wearing a scrap of green.”

“Green?”

Cress rolled her eyes.

Athena looked at her friends closely. Their pink clothing had vanished. Instead, they were wearing a forest of greens: emerald jeans, sage tops, jade jumpers. When had that happened? While she had been away?

“When… I thought the pop colour was pink…”

“Seriously, Athena, this is why I am so concerned. I know you’re caught up with your new boyfriend, but really, you are taking things too far - the pop colour changed last week. We have been wearing green for days. How could you not have noticed?”

How indeed. Had she really become so oblivious to the changing pop culture around her?

She could only shrug at her friends. But could she even still call them that, when she tuned out most of what they said and had missed the colour revolution that had taken place in their wardrobes? Had Cress’ room been repainted over the weekend? Would she find a jungle where there had once been a palace of pink and, before that, an ocean of blue?

She needed to pull herself together. She didn’t want the girls to give her up as a lost cause. “I am really sorry. A lot has been going on. I need to make more of an effort to keep up.”

They looked at each other sceptically.

Athena was saved when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” she told them, jumping up, desperate to get away from their concerned stares.

On the other side of the door to the flat, she found Dyo.

“Hey,” she breathed, barely able to stop herself from launching towards him. She was torn between wanting him to take her away, back to the beach and a less complicated world, and going back to her friends to try and reintegrate herself in her everyday life.

“Hey yourself.”

“What are you doing here?”

He looked slightly sheepish. “Call me crazy and obsessive, but I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She smiled.

“How about we go for a walk then?”

She looked back into the room. Demi and Dora were talking quietly, but Cress was observing her, her brow creased in concern.

“I would love to-”

“Great, grab your coat then.”

“But-” she continued, refusing to be caught up in his words. “I should really stay here this afternoon. For a few hours at least. Maybe we could meet for dinner later? I need to catch up with my friends. Or you could always come in and meet them too.”