Saturday

Carter straightened at the sign of possible movement, but he still couldn't see Amber in her room.

He went back to slouching. Fiddling with his phone, Carter tried once again to distract himself, but he kept waiting in anticipation for it to buzz with a new text or call. Lord knows she wasn't answering his; he'd given up after ignored call number twelve.

Tapping a finger against his windowsill, he attempted to ignore thoughts of her a second longer, then pushed away from the desk. Grabbing his keys and wallet on the way out, he bounded from his room, down the stairs, and out the front door.

Temptation pulled at him as Amber's house teased his peripheral, but he knew way better than to drop in on the Blakes unannounced. It was a well known fact her mom didn't take surprises well, and if Amber didn't hate him already, getting her in trouble with Mrs. Blake would ensure it.

Carter walked purposefully down the driveway, popped the creaky door of the truck, then slid behind the wheel. He kept his cool through the engine stalling twice and didn't let frustration get the best of him when the parking brake stuck. Carter knew he would need all his patience for who he was dropping in on instead.

Shifting the car into reverse, Carter kept one eye on his rearview mirror and a closer eye on Amber's street-facing window. He hoped the truck's shotty engine would make enough noise to draw her attention, but even as he straightened out on their street, her window stayed empty.

Sighing, he turned his full attention to the road and drove.

Carter was instantly reminded why he didn't eat at the diner; the smell alone was enough to make his stomach turn.

Strolling past the napping hostess, Carter stopped at the old 50s bar top. Only a few patrons hung off the busted up stools, most too absorbed in their meals to notice him. The waiter manning the counter had his back to them, but tufts of brunette hair stuck out from under his Pink Whale hat. Carter's anxiety shot up.

That is, until the guy who definitely wasn't Mark turned around; his nerves quickly dissolved into annoyance after that.

"Well, look who needs something from me," Tyler sneered. "I wouldn't order anything if I were you. The guy working the bar today spits in assholes' food."

"I'm not eating," Carter said shortly. "Is Mark here?"

"Can't say he is at the moment," Tyler drawled. "Why, is it his turn to get beat up for talking to Amber?"

"Nope. That's reserved for those who can't keep their hands to themselves. I just need to talk to him."

"Yeah, well I need my Saturday night back, but thanks to your little freak out landing me in detention, my parents grounded me. Not only am I missing out on going to Darren's, I can't even work. So, we both lose."

Carter glanced pointedly around the restaurant. "What the hell are you talking about? You're working right now."

"I don't see him doing any work," an older guy at the bar interjected. "I've been waiting ten minutes for my check."

Rolling his eyes, Tyler went to the POS system, printed the check, then slammed it down on the counter. "Pay at the hostess stand."

Carter watched as the man hopped down from his stool, dug around in his pocket, then pulled out a few crumpled bills. Taking his check, he left the measly cash and walked away.

"See," Tyler held up the money, "Trash tips. Everyone knows the real business is at night, but when my shift ends in twenty, all I have to look forward to is Friends reruns with my mom. So thanks for stopping by, but the charity case isn't here. Go look somewhere else."

Without thinking, Carter bunched Tyler's shirt up in his fist and yanked.

"Watch your fucking mouth, Hampton." The calming exercises were little help to him now as a familiar red haze clouded over his thoughts. Like the dick that he was, Tyler only grinned.

"You know, Hayes, I don't think I will," he said, each syllable undercut with a sharp edge. "And I think I'll let my hands roam wherever they wanna go. My chat with Amber after detention confirmed she's single, so maybe sneaking out to Darren's would be worth it for a round two. Parties are kind of our place."

"There a reason you're manhandling my wait staff, boy?" a gruff voice asked behind them. Looking up, Carter found the surly old manager, his underlying instructions clear. Carter kept his grip tight a second longer before shoving Tyler away.

"See you tonight," he called towards Carter's back as he stormed out through the double doors.

Slamming into the truck, he punched the wheel until his hand was numb. That hadn't gone at all like he planned, and he wasn't any closer to talking to either one of them. Yesterday was the sign he'd been waiting for, and he didn't want to wait a second longer to make things right.

Carter hadn't been planning on going to Darren's. Parties weren't his thing, so attending the biggest one of the year held very little appeal. Mix it with his mild dislike for the host, and it was the last place he wanted to spend his Saturday night.

Contemplating it a second longer, he opened his phone and dialed.

It rang twice before Chloe picked up. "Well hello, handsome. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Are you and Amber going tonight?"

"Mmmm, depends who's asking."

Switching to speaker, he threw the phone into the cupholder and pulled out of the lot. "Probably the person literally asking you right now."

"Ah, I see I have Huffy Carter on the line. Well, we're supposed to be going together, but she isn't texting me back. I still doubt she'll ditch, though. It's a Wexler party."

"Great." Carter ended the call without saying goodbye, his mind already preoccupied with what he was going to wear.

"Dude, you gotta stop. It's getting depressing."

Tanner's voice barely reached Carter's ears through the cheers around them. Pulling his attention away from Darren's front door, he tuned back in to find Clay in the middle of his third keg stand.

"So Amber doesn't show up. Big deal," Tanner continued, slinging an arm around Carter's neck. "Not like you won't see her at school on Monday. Or outside your window tomorrow."

Carter held his breath against the smell of beer on Tanner's. He was trying not to get annoyed with his friends, but their agenda for the night was vastly different from his. The four of them took a lap when they first arrived, but he hadn't spotted Amber anywhere, and that was hours ago.

Sopping up beer on his chin with his shirt, Clay joined them. "Let me guess. Carter's brooding again."

"I'm not brooding," Carter mumbled, shoving Tanner off, "and it is a big deal if she doesn't come. She's the only reason I'm here."

Feigning hurt, Clay clutched his chest. "What about the boys?"

"Just go look, then," Tanner said simply. "Standing here with us clearly makes you miserable, so take another lap. Maybe pick up a drink while you're at it. We'll most likely still be here, though twenty bucks says this guy's out by the time you get back."

Clay waved them off. "I'm barely even buzzed. When the room stops spinning, I'll show you how sober I am. Cartwheels and everything."

Sharing a knowing look with Tanner, Carter raised a hand in salute and headed for the stairs. He merged into the traffic working its way up to the second floor, scanning the living room below for a head of curls. Even with a bird's eye view, it was hopeless.

Just as he was contemplating where to check next, he spotted Chloe standing against a wall, struggling with her phone.

"Where's Amber?" he asked, squeezing in beside her. From the glaze hanging over her eyes, he could tell she was going to be little help.

"Ah, finally a familiar face, just not the one I was looking for," she laughed, clapping him on the back. "Haven't seen that hoe all night. I was kinda hoping you two were hiding away in the basement or something."

He looked at her sharply, heart stuttering in his chest. "She told you about yesterday?"

Chloe's eyes widened. "There's a yesterday to tell?"

"I need to talk to you."

Carter was surprised to find Tori interrupting them, her face sour; he was even more surprised when Chloe pulled her in close, purring something about services in her ear.

"Uh... what is happening right now?"

Tori gave him an annoyed look, as if he were the one butting in. "Go away, Carter, we're talking."

Then, in a blink of an eye, they were disappearing into a bedroom and the door was slamming in his face.

Stumped, Carter journeyed further down the hall, filing away his questions for later. He tried to quiet his thoughts as he combed through the upstairs, but something about what Chloe said was nagging him. Her mention of the basement triggered another memory of his, one from the locker room when he first heard about Amber and Tyler. He couldn't be sure, but part of him swore that the guys had mentioned it happening in a basement.

"Sneaking out would be worth it for round two. Parties are kind of our place."

Carter's legs moved of their own accord, hustling back the way he came and struggling down the staircase. His heart was pumping by the time he hit the main level, turning into the nearest hallway and opening the middle door to the basement.

Calm down, he told himself when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Carter knew he couldn't burst in and beat the shit out of Tyler, not if he really wanted to talk to Amber. He needed a cool head and all the rational thinking he possessed if this was going to go better than yesterday.

It was way quieter down here than he was expecting. Wandering further into the darkness, sounds of the party drifted away, making it easier for him to hear any noise behind bedroom doors. Noticing a light under one of them, he threw it open blindly.

Carter went numb at the sight of two bodies thrashing until a familiar voice shouted, "Dude, close the door!"

Cheeks flaming, Carter averted his eyes from Aiden and the girl glaring underneath him. "Shit, man, sorry, sorry—"

Yanking it shut again, Carter hustled away from their door and down to the one at the end of the hall. He leaned against it to calm his nerves, then, having learned his lesson, knocked and listened.

"Amber?" The room sounded quiet, put something pricked at his ears. He took the risk and turned the knob. "Am, are you in here?"

At first glance, it was empty, just a bed and pile of pillows on the floor. Frustrated, he went to shut the door, but again the sound of the room made him pause. It was quiet, yet the air tingled with a soft hissing sound. Almost like wheezing.

Then, he flipped on the light — and the pillows weren't there anymore.

Instead, he found Mark. Eyes wide, mouth agape, and a drizzle of foam dripping into the boring beige carpet.

"Shit, Aiden!" Carter screamed over his shoulder as he sprinted across the room. Hands shaking, his instincts kicked in and turned Mark on his back, then jumped straight into compressions. "Aiden, go get some help!"