Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
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"NORMALLY, I don't like dances, but you've made this one pretty tolerable." Amber runs the smooth pad of her thumb along my cheek. "It sucks to think that you could have come to all the dances with me."
"Sounds like torture," I joke.
She tilts her head back. "Ouch. Am I not good company?"
"Nono." I chuckle and pull her a little closer. "You've been great company. I'm just saying, dressing up and going to dances aren't my thing. This is more of Pepper's scene. You have made this fun though."
"Maybe next time we hang out like this, we go somewhere more our scene then?"
I open my mouth to accept when the soft voice of Pepper murmuring my name brings me out of my intoxicated haze. My heart stops. Looking over my shoulder, I witness the distraught written all over her face. I drop my hands from Amber's waist. Suddenly, I'm feeling enough guilt to drown in.
This was my chance to show her how perfect I could be for her and I let myself get distracted.
"Pepper," I mumble her name and prepare to find an excuse I know I don't need to have.
Though I don't get a chance to say a word because Pepper turns her attention to Amber and feeds her a smile so fragile, I'm afraid she's going to break. "I hope you don't mind. Can I talk to Lucas for a moment, please?"
"Of course," Amber says with sudden emotion. She places a gentle hand against her shoulder and offers a sympathetic smile. "Next time you have a get-together, I'll totally be there."
"Thanks," Pepper rasps.
Amber throws me a light wave. "Later, Luc. It was fun."
"Later."
She pulls out her camera and with a slight duck of her head, slips through us.
My stomach twist as Pepper's smile crumbles. "You know, I thought I was strong enough to be alone," she begins gently while staring down at her fidgeting hands. "I was wrong."
"I'm sorry." I wring my fingers together and tear my gaze away from the hurt in her eyes. "I shouldn't have been so invested in Amber."
"Don't apologize. I was the one who encouraged you to. I-I mean, I felt like I was truly ready to cut Mason out of my life, but when I saw him..." She rubs her arm and looks at the ground. "I kissed him."
A terrible weight crushes my chest, nearly suffocating me.
"Well, I tried to kiss him." She laughs without an ounce of amusement. "After he told me he loved me, I said I loved him too." Her tone weakens with each word and I can feel her edging towards breaking down. "Right after that, he left me again." She drags her hands down her face as frustration takes over. "I'm so confused right now. I just don't think I can take being alone."
