Amelia's POVBeeMiles: You should've seen his face when I said you were sick and couldn't make it. Me: Who?BeeMiles: Girl, did you hit your head? Christian Grammer, that's who?Me: Oh. BeeMiles: Yes, oh. And Angel says you're lying about being sick. I believe him. Me: You can tell him to shut up. Now stop texting me, I'm at Spanish class with my mum.BeeMiles: Hey, how did you get well enough to get dressed for Spanish class? You were lying about being sick. Me: 🙄🙄BeeMiles: Why did you lie? Is this about the wanton list?Me: Why should it be about that?"BeeMiles: You've been dodging your coach and I since we made that list, that's why. Why the hell would you pass up a chance to show Christian Grammer your banging body when he personally invited you?Me: Because! Look, there'll be other chances, okay?BeeMiles: I take my question back. You did hit your head. And oh, Angel says to tell you that he'll rib you in about your secret Spanish classes. Me: Is he seeing this chat?Bee
Amelia's POVMy mother parks in front of the store and unstraps her seatbelt "Well, that depends."I roll my eyes because I know my mother. She's about to strike a deal with me."I'm putting together a small dinner party for Emilio in a few weeks. I want you to make sure Angel is on his best behavior at the party. I promise to make sure Emilio plays nice too. If you can promise me that, we have a deal."Asking Miguel Angel to be on his best behavior has more often resulted in him doing the opposite but I can see that my mum believes that I have some kind of hold on her stepson, even though I don't understand where she got that idea."Fine." I agree.She beams at me and opens her door"I'll get you a bike too so he doesn't suspect anything."I follow her into the store "And make sure to give it to him when I'm not there.""Deal."*************************"So, you're not talking to Adam. Again. What happened this time?" I try to keep the judgement out of my voice but from the glare B
Amelia's POVMiguel skipped school for the rest of the day. I found out when I went to ask Bianca to take him to the nurse to get his knuckles and lip checked. He'd turned off his phone and all my messages went unanswered. I didn't know why I was worried. Miguel had skipped school several times. But even when we were frenemies, he'd never left school without informing me or Bianca.And right now, I couldn't probe Bianca because I was giving her the silent treatment. There was no doubt in my mind that she had a hand in orchestrating the disaster that people were still gossiping about hours after the incident. "Knew I'd find you here" she who shall not be named says and drags out a chair rather loudly. The librarian gives her a look and she smiles sheepishly, turning her attention back to me. "So, this is not the reaction I was expecting." She whispers and I raise up my head to glare at her. "The library is going to close in the next thirty minutes, Bianca and some people, yes, pe
Amelia's POVShe squeezes my hand "I don't think so. I've never seen him mad at you. And believe me, he's pretty scary when he's mad. You should ask the girls in my class that come on to him when he's not in the mood." Unstrapping her seatbelt, she hugs me tight and I lean into her touch"Don't feel so bad, Mimi. Just find him and apologize. You're good at that. That's why everyone loves you."I snicker and she grins, kissing my cheek before she hops out of the car."Bye, good girl." she says with a knowing smile and the knife in my heart twists at Miguel's nickname for me that has become more or less a term of endearment.Yep, I'm going to do a lot of groveling.**************************I went to the lake.I went to the diner.I tried his phone.I went home.He was nowhere to be found, although Maria the third had said he'd come to the diner briefly before disappearing.My stepdad wasn't at dinner, having left for a two day trip before I got back from my search so it was easy to li
Chapter 21Amelia's POVSomeone knocks on my bedroom door and I halt the process of toweling my hair dry."Who is it?""It's the Grinch, here to steal Christmas spirit away." Miguel answers and I'm about to retort that it isn't even close to Christmas when I do a double take and look at the tiny towel covering my body. Opening my wardrobe with a squeal, I begin searching for a robe when he knocks again and adds"You do know I can pick locks, don't you, Mia?"Of course he can. Is there any bad thing he can't do?Finding a red woolen robe, I throw it over my body and run to the door, opening it to see him holding a pin in his hand, ready to pick my lock.Ugh."What happened to your manners?"He breezes past me into the room. "Buenos dias, Mia.""And what is good about this morning? It's a school day, I'm not a morning person and you're interrupting me in the middle of my preparation for school, shall I go on?"We take in each other's appearances at the same time.He's wearing a big y
Amelia's POVWe spent the day playing. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed this much. Miguel didn't want to do anything in town, so I drove into Denver and served as his personal tour guide. We visited an art gallery, the aquarium and climbed to the very top of the biggest church in the vicinity even though Miguel had nearly puked all over my body from fear of standing too close to the edge.We tried different foods and he even tried to teach me how to use the camera. I failed in flying colours. Three times, people stopped us to say how cute we were as a couple. Those three times, neither of us corrected them. A lady holding a camera of her own had even volunteered to help take pictures of us and it had taken persistent begging before I agreed to stand beside Miguel. It was like standing beside Poseidon. Yes, Poseidon because he's the god of earthquakes and Miguel is just that pretty. Some teenage girls who I guessed were skipping school recognized Miguel and asked me to hel
Amelia's POV"You're going to be a great doctor." I hear him say and my eyes move away from his beautiful mouth to his eyes. "How'd you know that?" I whisper because my voice is weak. Tired. Lost in the depth of his gaze."Because asides that beautiful brain of yours, and your brain is beautiful, you have the biggest heart. And that is the best combination. And that's why you're capable of seeing something in me that isn't my body."Oh, I can see his body just fine, but I can see more. I want more. And it fucking terrifies me. I laugh softly and when he removes his hands from my face reluctantly, I shiver from the loss of his warmth. "This is why I brought that jacket." I tell him and he stands, taking the camera from my hand "I'll go get it for you." He picks up the pile he arranged earlier "And put this in the trunk. To dispose on our way home." And he says there's nothing good about him. I stand up, turning to watch him go and when he comes back, the jacket in his hand, he pau
Amelia's POVI answer the messages pending from Bianca.BeeMiles: The media is blowing up about it. They think it's his new girlfriend. Others are saying it's a model. His manager posted the pictures too, with the caption 'He's back. Thank you for your love and supportive messages'. I think it's because of his mum's rehab situation and his DUI charge. But whatttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!?! I know it's you. I mean, not from the pictures, but because he told me about y'all skipping school and then this turns up. Am I right? Am I right?Before I finish reading the message, she calls me. "How does it feel to your brother's muse? You're such a lucky bitch."I don't want him to be my brother, B. Can your mum adopt him?"Anything on the gossip blog?" I say instead, my chest tightening even further."Everyone is speculating. But no one has your hair at school. So the census is either it's you or he got someone to wear a wig the exact shade as your hair. Either way, everyone wants to swap pla
Amelia"And here to deliver the valediction for the graduating class of 2019, Amelia Rose Hart, everyone." I don't look at my mother or my stepfather or my best friend or the applauding crowd that have gathered to celebrate all the graduating students, I look at the stage as I slowly advance towards it. And I remember the last time I saw anyone giving a speech on a stage was at prom. My ex boyfriend. Because yes, we did have a relationship contrary to what our parents think. Miguel Angel Sanchez. It seems like just yesterday when our love story started and ended. After he left that night, I'd spent the remainder of the days before graduation on Bianca's bed. My mother couldn't have moved me no matter how hard she tried. There was nothing to threaten me with. Especially when she knew I'd be leaving to go to New York in a month. Yes, Bianca and I got accepted to study at Columbia University just like we'd hoped we would. My mother didn't even bother about talking me into going to
AmeliaHave you ever heard that saying that warns you to look over your shoulder when things are going too smoothly for you?No? Me neither. Right now, I'm frozen in place by the door. Too forward?Okay. After Miguel's beautiful speech, we danced some more and Jane cornered me right before we left, her words cryptic and a smug grin on her face. I'd been so happy about the events of the night to pay her any mind even though now looking back, I should have. The good girl of Evergreen High, whatever will mummy say? "How dare you come here and do this?" Emilio roars and I flinch and shrink into the ground, even though he's not referring to me but the son he's currently holding by the neck. My mother is observing the scene with terror but riding on the back of that terror is disappointment. She's standing inches away from where I'm crouched on the ground."Let me go, Dad." Miguel breathes and that seems to be the sentence that sets Emilio off because he rears back and punches his s
Amelia"You know it's not because you're a jock, right?" I whisper and Christian nods, even though his face tells me that he doesn't quite believe me. The song ends and another starts, signalling that it's time to switch partners. We stop dancing and Christian places a kiss on the side of my mouth. "Till we meet again, fair maiden" He whispers to my still form and moves away to another partner. Slowly shaking my head with a smile, I turn around to find a new partner and cue the hammering heart and dancing butterflies. Miguel is standing in front of me. And that's when I finally hear the song playing. My song. Our song. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me to him. My lips part as our bodies meet and I grip his shoulders to steady myself as we begin to move"I'm still mad at you." He whispers, pulling me even closer "No, not mad. I could never be mad at you. Frustrated, perhaps." He rests his forehead against mine "But I wanted to dance with you. To your song. Our song.
Amelia’s POV"Is this the wrong time to tell you that everybody has been staring since you walked into this hall?" I turn away my attention from where Miguel is standing and talking to Pamela Bradshaw–who seems to be smiling at everything he says even though he doesn't look like he's trying to charm her– to my best friend. She hands me a drink and when I raise my eyebrows "There's definitely no alcohol in this place. There are teachers everywhere in this hall to make sure of it."When I still raise my eyebrows, she snickers and whispers in my ear "Okay, Blake and the others might have smuggled some in, but this is purely punch. I promise.""Thank you." I tell her and collect the cup, taking a tentative sip before nodding"What's that about people staring? Is there something in my hair?" She shakes her head "You look like a princess. And of course, you arrived in the arms of a prince" Her face softens and she whispers "How are things between you two?" I shrug, ignoring the weight th
Amelia’s POVI can hear two voices at the base of the stairs as I take tentative steps towards it. "And what's your excuse, young man for not having a date to prom? I mean, look at you. I'm sure you have your fair share of ladies vying for your attention." My mother. And if she's talking to who I think she is...My heart skids to a halt. Please come to prom. Please. Saying no to you is an exercise in effort, Mia. He's going to prom. And we're going to be in the same car and not able to say anything because of his dad's driver. But he's going. I'll find a way to end this silence between us. Because I can't afford to go another night without talking to him. I pause when I hear his reply"I don't have a date because the one person that I want to go with doesn't feel the same way."Oh, I feel the same way. My mother gasps "Some girl in this world is immune to your charms? This is a revelation."He snickers and I suck in a breath as I make my presence known. The second their head
Amelia"Ooh, yeah, you lose, Miles, pay up ASAP." Miguel yells with a fist bump in the air and I look away from the novel I'm reading on my phone to see Bianca rolling her eyes and dropping a bill in his hand. "A rematch, Angel. I demand a rematch." She whines and I roll my eyes because Bianca hates losing and Miguel is even worse so we're going to be here for a long while. I should get very comfortable then. The duo dragged me to the arcade about an hour ago and have been at it like animals. This is the first time I've been able to go with them because I've been busy with the decathlon–which we won by the way in flying colours and got me the gold neckpiece I'm wearing from Miguel– and I can honestly say that I want nothing more than my bed right now. "And you're done. Again. Pay up, Bianca." "I demand a rematch."Oh my God, is this ever going to end?"You're on, Miles."Gahhhhhhhhhhh, this is never going to end. "So, Mimi–" Bianca calls without looking at me "–what time are we
Amelia’s POV"It's beautiful" I gasp as I look at the Miguel's arm with awe. We're at a tattoo parlour in Denver and Miguel just finished getting a tattoo on the left side of his arm. Of a rose. I'd imagined it would be a horrifically painful experience the minute I saw the large needle, but as the tattoo artist got to work and I sat by Miguel, talking to him about anything and everything and holding his right hand, time had passed by really quick and it was done. Speaking of tattoos, I've gotten around to completing the wanton list or beginner's wanton list, according to my dearest best friend, Bianca. Skip school? Check. Get drunk? Check.Kiss a random guy? Christian Grammer, my former crush and now friend takes this one. Fail a test? Okay, I couldn't do this so it was scrapped. Get detention? To be fair, Miguel made me laugh in Mr Davis's, our boring History teacher's class and got detention with me. Bianca also got detention for clucking her tongue. It was a swell time. Go
Amelia"Are you good?" I ask Miguel as we lie on my bed, his head on my chest and my hand softly stroking his hair. I've had to lock my door more because he's been spending almost all of his nights in my room. Half of my closet has been cleared out because he forgets his clothes here and showers here, to my immense satisfaction. "Is it okay to be scared?"He murmurs, drawing circles absentmindedly on my exposed abdomen. Exams are starting tomorrow and he's been working even harder than I have towards it. He finally got around to telling Bianca and her reaction was as easy as she is. You'd think we told her the time. Since then, we've been working with Jennifer and the teachers whose subjects he's finding most difficult. He's had two panic attacks and I was by his side for each one. So I can understand his worry even though everything else has been smooth. He hasn't pushed me on the topic of telling our parents about us, but I know it's because he's been busy obsessing over the exa
Amelia’s POV Amelia ...the internet says seven because that's when I officially started learning how to paint but I knew when I was six. I wasn't good at school and I didn't talk much but for some reason.... ....Reading and writing is hard for some of us, not that you'll know anything about that.... ....He's in the counselor's office. You'll have to ask him. He sees her at least two or three times a week.... ....And yes, there are indeed things I am not good at. Like, school.... ....I'd like to think that in another life, I'd be good at it. And it wouldn't be so hard to like school.... ....Reading was difficult. Writing was worse.... ....She bought me crayons and said 'If you cannot read and write about the world, you can colour it'.... ....She read to me every night and suggested that I be homeschooled since the school environment wasn't working for me.... ....Something was wrong with me. Because why else would my parents not want me?.... ....It's not like you were ever goo