Confessions of the Fragile Heart

Chapter 2

I was on pins and needles all day at school the next day. I wore my torn skinny jeans with my black boots. For a shirt, I wore my pink tank top under my black shirt that hung off one shoulder. I let my hair hang naturally. It hung wavy and a little past my shoulders. I took my car, but I was starting to regret it. Everyone was staring at it and me. It was a black Z06 Corvette convertible. I guess I would stare too if a car like mine came by this small town. I met Denver in the courtyard before school. He stood with two cups of coffee in his hands. I could see him talking to Claire through the glass. I walked in and went up to them. Denver turned to me, smiling.

"I'm guessing that you had the fancy car everyone was talking about," Denver smiled handing me the coffee. I nodded. I smiled and sat down. A cold breeze blew through. I clutched my coffee tighter. I pulled my arms in tighter as well. I forgot my jacket today. Denver noticed this and put his jacket around me and sat next to me.

"No... no, you don't have to do that," I started. I put down the coffee to try and take it off.

"I want to," he smiled. I smiled and looked deeply into his gray eyes. He leaned in until his lips were close to mine. My eyes fluttered before I closed the distance. My eyes closed completely. I heard the door leading to the courtyard open and close. The bell rang, but our lips stayed pressed together. My hand reached up and rested on his cheek. The hallways around the courtyard filled. I reluctantly pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. I smiled as our foreheads touched.

"For what?" I laughed softly. My hand ran through his hair. His lips formed against mine again. We pulled away and started heading to our first class. I held my coffee with both hands. I still had his jacket around me. At lunch, I got my food and sat next to Denver like I had been since I started here. He held my hand underneath the table. I blushed. His sister smiled up at me.

"So Denver, there are quite a few rumors going around about you in the courtyard this morning," his sister, Madison, smiled. The table waited in silence. His friend, Nick, eyed me. I blushed and looked over to Claire glaring at me. Denver smiled regardless.

"Well, rumors are lies. They aren't rumors if they're true," he smiled before he leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. I turned as red as an apple. They all looked surprised. I was a little surprised too. If anything, Denver was not shy about me. After lunch, he walked to my next class. I turned and faced him.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked a little worried. "Claire didn't look to happy when you kissed me."

"Amber, I like you a lot," he smiled. "Everything will be fine; you'll see." After a quick hug and kiss, I sighed and went into my class. He called me Amber because that's what he thought me name was. I didn't enjoy lying; especially to people I liked, but I had no choice. I wasn't going to tell him now; I didn't want him looking at me any differently. I thought about what he said for the rest of time I was in my classes. I fiddled and impatiently drummed my fingers against the tables. I met Denver at my car after school let out. I practically ran to him.

"What movie are we watching?" he asked. I thought for a second. Since we were already going to be going to my house anyway, we might as well make the most of our time.

"I got a better idea. Why don't we go horse back riding?" I suggested. He looked confused.

"There aren't any ranches around for miles. Where would we go?" he asked as we got in my car.

"You'll see," I smiled. We drove up to the house. He was shocked. His jaw dropped to the floor. I began to regret bringing him here. What if he caught on to my real identity? It's not like I changed my hair color, or did anything to change my features to make it even harder to find out who I really am.

"You live here?" he asked still in awe. I nodded with a serious look on my face.

"Yes, but please don't tell everyone. I don't like to be the talk of the school. I hate being the center of attention," I explained. He nodded. I parked the car and we headed to the door. Inside, Heather was starting to make cookies.

"Heather, I'm home. Denver is here too," I yelled. Heather came out with an apron on. She took it off and smiled at Denver.

"Nice to finally meet you, Denver. There's a lot of talk about you in this house; I'm Heather," she greeted him, shaking his hand. I shot her a look. He greeted her back.

"Anyways, Heather, we're going out for a ride before the movie. Can we take some food to picnic in the clearing by the lake?" I asked. She smiled and started making us a basket as we headed out to the barn. I switched into my riding boots. Heather came out with the picnic basket and the blanket just as our stable hand, Michael, handed us our horses. I was going to ride Venus, and Denver was riding Colorado. We mounted and took the food and blanket with us. Once we reached the clearing by the lake, Denver set out the blanket and basket while I tied the horses up. I rested my head on the blanket and popped a grape in my mouth.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked sitting up. I ran my fingers through my hair lightly.

"Blue or green; I can't make up my mind. You?" he smiled.

"Definitely all the colors of the neon rainbow; oh and purple, and red," I answered. I passed him a water and rested my head in his lap.

"What did you get for your 17th birthday last July?" I smiled. He shrugged and fed me a grape.

"Mostly money," he replied. "When is your birthday coming up?"

"April 13th," I smiled. I had just turned 16 a while ago. I was completely free here in the clearing with him. I wasn't Amber or Leana; I was just me. It was silent as we ate.

"Heather's an awesome cook. Why do you call her Heather instead of mom?" he asked curiously.

"She's not my mom; but she is my guardian. Things got... a little crazy and a lot complicated with my parents," I answered truthfully but vaguely.

"Amber, it's getting late. We should probably start heading back," he stated after we finished eating. He was right. I saw the sun starting to set behind the trees. I untied the horses and folded the blanket back up. After grabbing the basket, we headed back. Heather was waiting for us in the barn. We got back just before the final rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon.

"The cookies are inside," she smiled. She held the horses while we dismounted. She helped Michael put the horses up. Denver and I headed inside. We put the cookies on the table in the living room and sat down. I rested me head on his shoulder. We sat there talking and laughing until Heather interrupted.

"Amber, its 10 o'clock; I think Denver needs to get home now," she announced politely. I could tell she didn't really want to mess up. I nodded and placed another cookie in my mouth. I put some cookies in a container for Denver to take with him. He seemed to enjoy the cookies more than I had expected. We got in my car and he guided me to his house. After he kissed me goodbye, I drove back home. I pranced back into the house and left my keys on the front table. Heather was sitting on the couch smiling at me. I could tell she wanted to know if we hit it off.

"I approve of him. He's charming, sweet... and cute," she joked. I rolled my eyes and smiled. "So how'd it go?"

"It went great. He really likes your cooking," I answered leaving out the kissing part. I went upstairs to my room. There was a text from Denver.

"Courtyard, same time?" it read. I replied with a yes. I sighed. I was exhausted from the day's events, but at the same time, I was too excited to go to sleep. I managed to finally fall asleep with a smile across my face.