I'm done! I'm officially done! I can't do this any longer. I've begun feeling so uncomfortable. Feeling for Justin is not something I planned on doing. There's just something about him. The way he seems to care for me. I mean I know Kylie cares but this is...different. The next few days really showed me that I needed someone like him all along. This just wasn't who or how I planned for it to happen. Kylie had taken a vacation so she was seeing Justin more. I can't be mad. I mean he is HER boyfriend. There's nothing I can say. It's just the little unappreciative comments she's been making that have been getting under my skin. Like the one she's about to make right now. 

"Honey you should have gotten me a blue sweater. I already have a green one" I watched the look on Justin's face. All he wanted to do was impress and surprise his girlfriend. But she didn't seem to care. 

"You're right. I forgot, I'm sorry" What? He was apologizing? He never forgot, he didn't know she had a green sweater to begin with. I rolled my eyes and continued onto my room.

"Maybe Amber would like this one" Kylie said as she threw the sweater over to me. Lucky I caught it. I looked at Justin who looked upset that she didn't want it. 

"It's for you though, Kye" I said, my voice very low.

"I know but I already have one like it. Justin won't mind. Right baby?" She turned to Justin for approval. 

"No--No. Not at all. Take it Li--Amber" He said almost saying my nickname. He didn't say it around Kylie too much because she would ask too many questions. 

"Great!" She said before walking to the bathroom. "I'll go shower babe. Be out in 30" I watched as she shut the door and turned on my heel to head back to my room. I ignored the fact that I heard Justin's footsteps behind me. 

"You know you don't have to take the sweater if you don't want it. I can just return it" I turned to face him. 

"Are you crazy? Justin, you bought this for Kylie. I can't believe she actually gave it to me. But I'm not letting you return it. I'll wear it" I flashed him a smile as he did the same. "I'm actually sorry she didn't want it. Next time come to me before you buy her anything. I can help" He laughed. 

"I don't think I'll be buying her anything for a while" He said. I'm confused.

"Why not?"

"Nothing. I shouldn't have said that. Nevermind"

"No, Justin wait. Why not?"

"Because she never wants the things I give her. Or uses them. She throws them to the side like nothing. Like that sweater didn't cost me over $400" THANK GOD HE NOTICED! I really didn't wanna have to be the one to tell him. But wait, what did he just say? That the sweater costs over $400. Holy crap. I've never had a $400 sweater or piece of clothing before. 

I swallowed hard before speaking. "This sweater cost you $400?"

"Well $468 to be exact" I found myself not able to find air. I just stood up to walk out.

"Excuse me while I go smack Kylie" Justin began cracking up. 

"Lily you don't need to do that" I turned back around. 

"Justin you bought this for her and she doesn't even care. All she cares about is the fact that it should have been blue instead of green" I was really truly upset. This was so nice of him and Kylie was being a spoiled ungrateful bitch about it. 

"That's okay" Justin said with a laugh. "I'd rather you have it now. I know you'll appreciate it"

"I do" I said while sitting back down on my bed. "It's a beautiful sweater" I said while running my fingers on the stud buttons. The sweater was cashmere with beautiful crystal studs for buttons. How could she not want this? "Thank you" I said. "For letting me keep it" 

"Oh, no problem. Here, come on, try it on" Justin said, making me get up. I did as told and put the sweater on. I looked in the mirror as Justin came up behind me. He wiped off some of the lint before getting closer to my ear. "Wanna know something?" 

"Hmm?" was all I could say.

"I think it looks 10 times better on you than it would've on Kylie. You look beautiful" I couldn't help but blush. 

"Honey, I'm ready!" I heard Kylie call as Justin and I both turned around. Justin smiled at me before walking out the room. "What were you doing in Amber's room?" I heard Kylie ask, as I shut my door. This was really happening. 

-------

"No I am NOT calling her" I said as I placed the phone back down on the table. Things were back to how they were with Kylie going back to her busy schedule and Justin and I spending more time together. Things were weird for that week. And I must admit...a bit lonely. Right now I was fighting with Justin who was pressuring me to call my mother. I didn't want to speak to her. Yet he insisted. 

"Just see how she's doing. Let her know that you're alive" He said while picking the phone back up and placing it back in my hands. 

"Justin please. She never cared if I was alive before, why would she now?"

"Lily. Look at me" I did so. "She realized what mistake she made. Please. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for me" He gave me the puppy dog lip. I for some reason found it irresistible and began to dial. My mother was now living in Florida and had a new husband and a teenage son. 

As the phone rang, I looked at Justin, my eyes pleading for him to tell me to forget it and hang up. But those words never came out of his mouth. Instead, he mouthed, "Relax" as he rubbed my arm. Here goes nothing. 

"Hello?" It was the voice of a boy. Probably my...my brother. I pressed the speaker button.

"Hi, may I speak to Marleny Mendoza or um, Peterson?"  

"Hold on. MOM!!!!!" I heard him yell. "PHONE!" I looked at Justin who nodded at me to keep going. 

"Hello?"

"Um, Marleny?"

"Yes"

"This is um...this is Amber. Your um...your daughter" I said with my eyes tightly shut. 

"Ayyyy Amber! Ay dios mio how good it is to hear from you. I can't believe you actually called. How are you mi hija?" I took a deep breath. 

"I'm alright. You?" 

"I'm good. Listen, I want you to please come talk to me. Just for a week, you can stay at my place"

"I don't know if that's a good idea"

"Mi'ja listen. I know I made some terrible mistakes. But please, just come" I looked at Justin.  He nodded. 

"Alright. A week. That's all I can stay" 

"Thank you so much. I will call you tomorrow with directions and information" She said. We exchanged a few more words before hanging up. 

"I can't go out there" I said as I put the phone back on the receiver. 

"What? You just told her you would" 

"I know, but I can't. Let me just call her back and tell her" I said while picking the phone back up.

"No!" Justing yanked the phone from my hand. "I'm going with you"

"What? You can't. What about Kylie?"

"I'll tell her I got an important meeting in LA. You're not doing this by yourself and Kye is too busy to go out there with you. So I'll go" He said. He was firm with his decision and there was no way around it. We were going to Florida. 

--------

"You ready to do this?" Justin asked me as we walked out of the airport. We had a smooth flight thanks to the fact that I was knocked out for most of it. 

"No. But you're making me so whatever" We waited for a cab where the ride was mostly silent. Justin grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"It's gonna be alright. I'm here for you" Yeah but not the way I'd like for you to be. Oh god, I shouldn't have said that. 

"Thanks" We pulled up to my mother's house in Orlando pretty quickly. When I knocked on the door I was greeted by a huge hug from her. 

"Amber baby. I've missed you" She said. "Y este? Es tu novio?" I shook my head quickly.

"No, he's just my friend Mami" Oh my god, I called her mami.

"Nice to meet you. Marleny" She introduced herself. 

"Justin" he said while giving her a kiss on the cheek. There was a little moment in between them that I just decided to brush off. We had bigger things to handle. 

"Your room is this way. I'm sorry there's only one guest room so you'll have to share" Juuuuuuuuust great! I'm so ecstatic about this. 

"Thanks" I said while walking in and looking around. The decorating was amazing. From the curtains on the window to the fabric of the bedsheets. We even had our own bathroom. I placed down my luggage and headed back to the kitchen. 

"You all are just in time for dinner" She said. She told us to wash our hands and get seated. On the way to the table I saw a young boy who looked about 15.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Alex, that's no way to treat guests. This is your sister, Amber" He looked me up and down. I smiled nervously, thankful that Justin had finally sat down next to me. Alex's eyes lit up as he watched Justin. I forgot the man sitting next to me was rather famous. We said a prayer, before eating. My mother was a complete different woman than how I remember her. Her hair a salt and pepper color. And her husband Jeff. He was a nice man. Conversation wasn't left out at the dinner table by the way. Although I wish it was.

"So Amber, what is it you do now?" My mother asked while filling her own plate. 

"I'm an accountant" I answered simply. 

"That's a great job" Jeff said with a smile while passing me the potatoes. 

"I heard you ran away when you were like 15" Alex blurted. I looked up at him and then my mother. 

"What?"

"You know, you got bullied in school so you ran away" She lied to him. She never told them she had kicked me out. I stayed quiet and decided I'd play along. Just so I wouldn't ruin someone else's life. 

"I did" I couldn't believe this shit. 

------

"You believe she fucking told him I ran away!" I said to Justin who was in the bathroom. I was getting ready for bed and fuming mad. 

"I know" Was all he kept saying. But did he really? I don't think so. 

"I mean why couldn't she just have been honest. Just let everyone know what a horrible mother she was!" I was flipping the covers over roughly and getting in bed. "Now I'm the bad guy" Justin walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a pair of boxers and a wifebeater. I tried my hardest not to stare. Not to notice the way his muscles were perfectly outlined. The way I just wanted to lick him from head to toe. NO! NO Amber! That's Kylie's boyfriend!

"Lily, relax. I know you're upset but you've gotta understand he's only 15. She can't tell him just yet" He got into the bed next to me. "Border?" He asked. 

"Huh?"

"You know? A border. We take the pillows and put them in the middle to separate. So you won't feel uncomfortable" That was so sweet of him. 

"I think I'd actually like to use all those pillows to suffocate myself right now" He laughed. 

"Okay so no border it is! Goodnight. Don't kill yourself with me next to you" He placed a kiss on my forehead and laid down. I laid down and looked over to him. Inhaling his scent. I closed my eyes and tried falling asleep before feeling a few tears come down my  face. I kept my eyes closed but I felt Justin turn his body. He grabbed my waist and held me close, saying no words. 

"What are you doing?" I whispered. 

"You sounded like you needed somebody to hold you" And with his arms wrapped around me, I drifted off to sleep. 

We could have been so good together 

We could have lived this dance forever 

But now who's gonna dance with me 

Please stay