Chapter 102
Amber dragged Vivian through the streets, their shoes slapping against pavement until they finally skidded to a stop in the heart of a bustling crowd. Chests heaving, they bent double, gulping air.
Vivian caught her breath and asked, “Why did you save me?”
Amber paused for a moment. When she saw the confusion and shock in Vivian’s eyes, she let out a cold snort and looked
away.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t save you for your sake–I did it for myself. We both have the last name Hart, and if you get into trouble, people will drag me into it too. It’s such a pain sharing the same blood as you.”
Vivian watched her lift her chin, putting on that aloof act. ‘Has no one ever told her how cute her face is?‘ she wondered.
And that silly little cowlick on her head just kept bouncing around.
“Amber, if you don’t want to share the same blood as us, you could always change your last name to Turner. Aren’t you and Jocelyn pretty close anyway?” Vivian blurted out.
She hadn’t meant to bring up Jocelyn, but the words slipped out before she realized it.
Amber’s anger flared instantly. She snapped, “Vivian, what does my last name have to do with you?”
Vivian wanted to say “sorry” and “thank you,” but the words caught in her throat when she saw anger and disappointment in Amber’s eyes.
“Hey, cutie, you’re adorable. Let me treat you to some barbecue,” a drunk man slurred as he stumbled over, reaching out to grope Amber’s cheek.
With a sharp slap, Vivian smacked the man across the face. “Get lost! Who the hell do you think you are, touching her?”
Amber quickly wiped her face, trying to get rid of the disgusting feeling.
The man, now a bit more sober after the slap, saw how beautiful Vivian was and decided she wasn’t someone to mess with. He lowered his head and quietly slipped away.
Vivian kicked him hard in the butt, sending the man stumbling forward. But Amber grabbed her hand.
“He’s probably just drunk. I’m fine,” she said.
They were just two girls–nothing good would come out of arguing with a drunk guy at a time like this.
In Amber’s view, they should just call the cops.
Vivian shot her a glare. “Being drunk is no excuse! He just tried to grope you, you know that? Amber, are you stupid or what? You’re always so tough, so why are you chickening out now?”
Amber felt a bit wronged. She was just afraid the guy would go crazy and hurt Vivian, but Vivian yelled at her for that!
“Vivian, I already called the cops! How can you yell at me? I hate you, you vicious woman. Get lost!”
Amber pushed her away and stormed off.
Vivian now saw the police come over. It turned out the station was just nearby and they could show up in no time.
When she glanced again in the direction Amber had run off to, she was nowhere to be found in the sea of people.
33)
Amber was still fuming when she accidentally stepped on an empty water bottle. The cap shot off, bounced off the wall, and came flying right back–smacking her square in the forehead. “Ow!”
Tears sprang to her eyes from the pain.
‘Seriously? Even a stupid water bottle is bullying me now, she thought bitterly.
Frustrated, she stomped hard on the empty bottle. Then, spotting another one nearby without a cap, she marched over in a huff and gave it a fierce kick.
But there was a puddle of water underneath, so with a loud splat, she slipped and landed flat on her butt. For a moment she just sat there, dazed, her stubborn cowlick sticking straight up like a flag of surrender.
Her eyes went wide, and a sharp pain shot through her butt, making her whole body tremble. She just couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out crying with anger and grievance.
Sienna watched the whole thing silently.
With a helpless shake of her head, she walked over and picked Amber up.
Amber whirled around, tears streaming down her face. The moment she recognized Sienna, her breath hitched–then she wailed even louder, her cries raw and hiccupping.
Between gasping breaths, she pointed at the abandoned bottle on the ground. “It–it bullied me!” she sobbed before collapsing against Sienna, her face buried in her chest like a child seeking shelter from a storm.
What really made her feel so wronged wasn’t the pain from the bottle–it was what happened with Vivian.
