Rewind: Amber made dinner as a thank you for the whole crew, including Garrett's mom. As they were leaving, Amber see's a picture and Garrett confirms that it's he and Lisa, his older sister.

Song of the chapter - Spaces by One Direction

My heart was racing the entire drive back to my house. I could hardly swallow, my mouth was so dry. I kept hearing Garrett's words repeat in my head, over and over, "that's my sister...Lisa."

His sister...his sister...I had so many questions, some that had been stewing in my mind for a month, and now new ones that were overwhelming me. But I also kept hearing April's warning about asking him anything regarding Lisa. Don't do it.

My thoughts were at war with one another. One part of me wanted to ask every question running through my increasingly curious mind in a rapid fire succession, most likely faster than Garett could even answer them. Not that he would. But a stronger and much more rational part of me wanted to heed April's warning, as I had for a month, and say nothing. Me, being one to always err on the side of caution, and let's be honest, total fear, went ahead and remained silent the entire ride home.

The problem was, so did Garrett. I had typically allowed him to talk when he felt like it, not asking tons of awkward or trivial questions just to keep conversation going. Sometimes he would engage me, but more often than not, he left us in a comfortable silence. It wasn't always comfortable. Those first few times he brought me home were pretty bad. Awful, actually. The silence had gotten easier, however, as we spent more time just casually hanging out at Nico's place. So recently, it had become a pleasant break from April and Nico's high energy. Relaxing.

This silence was anything but relaxing. It was thick, filled with anxiety and confusion. I felt it radiating off of Garrett, so I knew it wasn't just me. He was equally as uncomfortable as I was. The ride felt ten times longer with that vibe filling the car.

I glanced his way a few times and noticed his jaw clenching and unclenching, giving his face a chiseled appearance. If I wasn't so miserable sitting next to him, I might have been able to appreciate his profile, which was incredibly appealing. His facial features were quite attractive, even with his prominent scar. I had noticed that he never wore the hood around me anymore. I thought that was a sign that he felt comfortable with me, or even that he wanted me to feel comfortable around him.

This ride pretty much shattered any thoughts of comfort.

It was all I could do to not run all the way to my door and slam it shut behind me, keeping the horrible tension out of my house. I kept my composure, waved goodbye because saying anything would have made the awkward silence more...awkward, and then walked as calmly as I could into my house.

As soon as the door closed, I took in a huge breath, finally feeling like I could breathe. The kitchen light was on, and my mom called to me from somewhere in the house, "Home already?"

"Um, yeah" I struggled to find my voice after being subjected to such oppressive silence, "I'm in for the night."

"Okay. Did you have a nice time at dinner with your friends?" She asked as her voice drew closer to me. She was making her way towards where I was standing in the hallway.

"It was nice, yes." until the ride home, that was. I stepped over to the front closet to put my purse and jacket away.

"Good. I just made brownies, would you like one?" She offered as she was finally standing in front of me, heading into the kitchen.

"That's okay." I couldn't eat a thing. My stomach was in knots. All I wanted to do was talk to April. Hopefully she could text me, even though she was still at Garrett's house. I wouldn't want him finding out I was talking about Lisa.

Just the thought of that caused a chill to run down my back.

I rushed into my room, pulling my phone out of my back pocket as I walked. I didn't waste a second sending an SOS message to April.

Are you alone?-Amber

I didn't have to wait long for a response, thank goodness.

Sort of. Y?-April

Garrett mentioned Lisa as we were leaving the house. Then he stopped talking. It was so AKWD 😩-Amber

WHAT?!? What did he say?-April

Just that she was his older sister-Amber

Oh. Then nothing?-April

Right. Now what? I can't handle that kind of tension!-Amber

Hang on. Let me see what Nico thinks-April

I put my phone down and started pacing, unable to sit still. I knew that there was no way I could hang out with any of them if that was going to happen again. The atmosphere was suffocating.

Just when I thought I might lose my mind waiting, I hear my phone ping with a new text.

G went straight to the garage when he got home. Nico is out there talking to him. Sit tight-April

Crap! More waiting. I needed a distraction, so I opened the new Tap app. I figured reading chat stories would keep my mind off of things.

Bad idea. Every story I tapped was about some major secret that some person was finally getting off their chest.

Ahhh! I tossed the phone on the bed in frustration and decided to change into sweat pants and a t-shirt, ready to just pull the covers over my head and cry.

Ten minutes later I finally heard the ping of my phone.

He's a mess-April

What do you mean?-Amber

He barely talked to Nico and now he's working out in the garage-April

That didn't sound so messed up to me. He was pretty buff for someone as thin as he was so I always figured he worked out. The talking thing wasn't so off either. The guy hardly said more than a sentence or two most of the time.

Nico tried to get him to tell you everything-April

What? Oh my gosh, I was completely shaking after reading that. I could tell for sure that Garrett was no where near ready to talk about it.

Things just got too complicated for me to handle.

April, he's not ready to, I could tell. But I can't hang around him with this tension.-Amber

Doll, that is brilliant!-April

I was still getting to know April, and it was statements like that which made me realize I didn't understand her at all.

What are you talking about????-April

Your absence, doll. G needs to miss you a little-April

???-Amber

You and I will play hooky from the boys this week. I'll tell Nico to keep his trap shut and G won't know what hit him.-April

Oh. At least I wouldn't have to suffer through awkward silence. I had already planned to keep my distance for a while and now I had someone to keep my company.

Although any time alone with April could be exhausting.

What the hell. I might as well enjoy my break, and April wouldn't disappoint.

Okay. What do you have in mind?-Amber

****

The week went by in a blur. April kept me busier than I thought possible. That girl had energy. And always wanted to have fun.

The first day we just hung out at my house and April smooth talked my mom into making more brownies. Her brownies were seriously good, so good that the fact I had turned them down the night before was unheard of. That in itself should have tipped off my mom that there was a problem.

But she kept whatever she was thinking to herself and left me alone to wallow in my own self pity. I guess that's what it was, just being pathetic about my life. I missed the drama free days.

When April showed up at my door, my mom raised her eyebrows, most likely at the piercings. But then again it could have been the pink tipped hair, or the eye makeup. Actually, it was probably the see through shirt and black lace bra.

I shouldn't have worried though, which of course I did, thinking that once April left my mom would give me an earful about being careful what kind of friends I made. She was pretty conservative herself and had high expectations for me. But April could charm a snake, so after ten minutes of talking to her, I could see a spark of appreciation in my mom's eye.

"So, April, what are your plans after high school?" my mom didn't waste any time asking the deep questions. She had a thing about planning for the future.

"Well, now, who knows. I'll probably make some rash decisions, take classes at the local junior college because that's all I can afford, get a low paying and going nowhere job at a restaurant or department store and eventually marry my boyfriend. You know, the usual."

April was so casual about her disregard for expectations from parentals. Her little speech had my heart racing. I gave a sideways glance to my mom, figuring there was no way she would find any redeeming value in her plans.

"I have to say..." my mom began, arms crossed loosely and perfectly manicured nails tapping near her elbows... "you are hilarious!" And then she laughed and shook her head.

Umm, what?

My mom didn't seem to be phased by April's larger than life personality. In fact, she liked it. Who was this woman in my house?

The next thing I knew, April was sitting in the kitchen, licking the bowl from the infamous brownies.

The rest of the week held the same amount of shock and awe. April made even the most mundane activities into an event.

Grocery shopping, returning books to the library, filling the tank with gas, all of it left me feeling like I had never appreciated those errands before. April made a new friend everywhere we went. The butcher laughed at her chainsaw massacre jokes. I, of course, cringed. But he called out as we left, "come back soon, ladies!" with a grin and a cleaver.

By Friday, I was ready for a night to myself, resting and reading in my room. April had planned to come "kidnap" me by knocking on my window and taking me for a wild night on the town, as she put it. I told her to save it for some other time, not wanting to experience her level of "wild" quite yet.

She insisted and told me to be ready by nine.

There was no getting out of it, so I needed a nap if I was going to survive. I may have only been eighteen but I wasn't used to the pace that April kept. Sleep was a necessity.

I woke up to my phone, pinging from an unread text.

As soon as my half asleep brain registered the sound with the source, I sat up and grabbed the phone. Reading the text caused my heart to explode with anxiety.

Are you home-G

Garrett was texting me. Garrett. How should I respond? Obviously I was home, but I wasn't sure what he was after so I didn't know if I should tell him that.

I decided in a split second to respond with the truth and see what he had to say.

Yes I'm here, why?-Amber

Sending my response was harder then I thought. My hands were shaking, but it almost felt like excitement. A week away from Garrett gave me a new perspective on his friendship. I was startled by the feeling of sadness and longing for his presence, which just got stronger as the week dragged on. I was more than curious to know what he was thinking.

Can you go on a drive with me?-G

What?!? A drive? Alone in a car with Garrett? Why would he want to do that?

Me?-Amber

I want to talk to you?-Garrett

I decided to send April yet another SOS text to see what she knew.

April! Garrett wants to go on a drive with me! Help!-Amber

Thankfully I didn't have to wait long.

It's about time. Calm down and just go with him. He's ready-April

Oh God. He was ready? But was I ready to hear it? I worried that the tension would be too uncomfortable. But then I realized that I needed to be there for him. Whatever he needed to tell me was bound to be difficult for him. He had watched over me, allowing me into his world to protect me. The least I could do was be there for him and listen.

I took a look out my bedroom window, which was at the front of the house, and saw that his Charger was parked out front. He really was ready for this.

I texted him that I would go, grabbed my jacket and headed out the front door. Each step I took was met with a deep, calming breath and a resolve to be the friend Garrett needed no matter what.

I got in his car, noticing that although he seemed stressed, the vibe was completely different then it had been a week before. That in itself gave me a reason to relax, and a strength to hold him up if he needed it.

Giving him a small smile, he pulled away from my house and onto the road, going who knew where.

****

I couldn't stop crying. These tears weren't bitter, they weren't self-pity. They were tears of heartbreak.

How could anyone do such a thing to a child? A young boy just looking out for his sister, trying to protect her in a way her father never could. I was not a violent person. During my entire relationship with Matt I never once screamed at him or even pushed him away, although that may have been part of the problem. But something in me snapped when Garrett was telling me his story. I wanted to find that Brett person and slice his face with a broken beer bottle. I wanted him to know that fear and pain that he had put Garrett through.

My thoughts shocked me. I wasn't surprised to feel sad for Garrett's ordeal, but I was surprised to feel protective over him. He had been the protective one, in a way. He had watched over me and made sure that Matt hadn't come close. Not that Matt had even tried.

Even with the sense of protection that I got when I was around Garrett, there was always a distance that he kept. He would let me in for a short time, a conversation, sometimes just a sentence. Then he would retreat back into his shell, as April called it.

When he dropped me off at my house, I could sense that he had put himself out there for me and was once again drawn back into his shell. I had no idea if or when he would come out again, but I was grateful for the short time he had let me in. I felt closer to him, like I understood his brooding and his concern for me.

What I didn't understand was the distance he insisted on putting between us. Just when it seemed that we had drawn closer together, that he had let me in, he shut the door on whatever was building between us. I wasn't sure how to take that, especially after feeling that we had connected on a deeper level.

After spending the evening with him, talking about what he had gone through, I was no longer able to deny the attraction I felt towards him. Or how it had felt to sit close to him, with my head on his shoulder and our hands connected. It wasn't much, but at the same time it was everything.

I just wish I knew if it had meant as much to him.

I was sitting in my room wondering about Garrett's possible feelings for me when I heard a knock at my window. I guess that April had decided we still had time to have that wild night, even though it was closer to eleven.

I got up and walked over to the window, shaking my head at my crazy new friend. When I pulled the curtains aside, I gasped, surprised at the face staring back at me.

What is he doing here?

^^^^^^

I know, I know... cliffhangers suck. But I bet you already know who it is, right? Guesses???

And please take the nanosecond to tap the star and vote!! Thank you, thank you!

Next up will of course be Matt, and we will find out more about his obsessive texting, more about his mom and, well, some other stuff.

Can I say, thanks so much for reading!! I love you guys, you keep me going 😊

Spaces refers to the distance between Garrett and Amber. Not too challenging. I like the vibe I get from the song, kind of how Amber is feeling in this chapter. Plus she would probably be a Directioner. Don't say it...

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