/Amber's pov/
After an hour, well, it seemed like an hour anyway, but was actually just about a minute, everyone was cheering wildly, so I decided to open my eyes for a brief moment of clarity. Josh was going down the stairwell with no shattered bones or blood on his hands. I leaped up and applauded along with the rest of the audience, choosing to pretend I'd been watching. I'd have to tell him that the next time I couldn't make it. I've just squandered his extra ticket by not even bothering to see it.
He rushed up to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Wow, it was incredible!" I burst out laughing. I chirped happily.
He chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “Yeah? "Did that seem okay through your eyelids?" he said, his laughter becoming
more intense.
I glanced at him with apologies in my eyes. "Please accept my apologies! Josh, I was unable to view it. I was feeling quite ill. "I couldn't because I was too terrified," I said, apologizing profusely.
He made a shaky motion with his head. "There is no need to apologize; everything is great. "I did, however, land it," he bragged, a smile bursting over his face.
I smiled and nodded. My voice was a touch apologetic as I said that I had heard people applauding. I felt a great deal of remorse. Despite the fact that he'd brought me here to observe and encourage him, I couldn't even do that! I think I was a completely ineffective stepsister.
We sat down again, and he went through everything that I'd missed, play by play, as we waited for the scores and other important information to be tallied. Fortunately, since Josh was one of the last people to go on, the results were not released for an extended period of time. When the person stepped onto the platform, I cautiously clutched his hand, hoping he had received a favorable evaluation.
"All right, so we had some really good tricks today. "The judges were extremely impressed, so please accept my congratulations," the man on the small platform said. "All right, let's do it the other way around. Josh Brice, who finished in third place with a score of forty-four points out of fifty, was announced by the announcer.
As he laughed, I shrieked and leaped on him with joy in my heart. "Oh my God, Josh, that's incredible! "I'm so proud of you," I said, nearly breaking down in tears.
He flashed a smile. "Thank you very much, Amber. "It's time for me to go get my trophy." He looked up at the stage and nodded. I stood there applauding and shouting like a complete moron as he walked up to the stage and received his little silver award. He raced back to me and held me, whirling me around in a circular motion.
"Wow, Josh, that's very fantastic. "Please show it to me." I almost seized it from his grasp and turned to gaze at the little silver award, which featured a small figure on a skateboard.
With forty-four points, I'm really delighted with my performance. "That's the greatest I've ever done." He had a smug look on his face.
"Hey, how about we go out to eat to commemorate this occasion? "I'll give you a treat," I said cheerfully.
“Sure. I simply need to change first; I can't really go out like this." "I just need to change first; I can't go out like this." He made a funny expression as he glanced down at his shredded t-shirt, skater shorts, and scuffed shoes, which were all a mess.
Why in the world would he feel the need to change? "Josh, I couldn't care less about what you're wearing," I remarked candidly as we began our trek back to his vehicle.
He burst out laughing. "Amber, I'm in a state of disarray." These are the clothing I'll be wearing for the tournament. I always wear the same outfit; it's almost as if they're my lucky clothes. It appears that they are all ripped and filthy. "Besides, I'm all sweaty and stuff," he countered, a shrug forming around his shoulders. We went into the back of his vehicle. While pulling out of the parking lot, he stated, "I'll just go home and change, and then we'll be good to go."
Oh my my, that's terrible! He wants me to accompany him to his home? I began to feel ill a little while later. I couldn't go because I didn't want to see my father and I couldn't bring myself to do so. I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that I wouldn't panic out. Due to the fact that Mike was not around, I did not want to experience a full-blown manic episode.
"I'm sorry," I said in hushed tones.
He looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was probably because it was my suggestion in the first place that he inquired, "You can't go to dinner?" he said, staring at me as if I was insane.
I made a shaky motion with my head. "I'm sorry, Josh, but I'm unable to see you at your residence. He's driving in the other way of my home, so please, I can't see him," I pleaded as he continued to travel in the opposite direction of my house.
"Stephen?" he inquired, a frown on his face. The lump in my throat prevented me from speaking. I nodded instead. My grip on the steering wheel was trembling. I closed my eyes and focused on Mike, attempting to maintain my composure. In my mind, I pictured the color of his eyes, the feel of his hair when I ran my fingers through it, and the tone of his voice.
"Are you all right?" Josh inquired, his voice filled with anxiety.
I gave a shaky nod. My voice was low as I turned in my seat to face him. "I don't want to see him, Josh," I said, moving away from him.
He was attempting to keep his eyes on the road while still looking at me, but he was failing miserably. "Why not?" He inquired, his voice low. I made a shaky motion with my head. I couldn't speak about it, particularly not to him, since, for goodness sake, that man was his stepfather and he lived with him.
"Please, I simply don't," I pleaded with him, pleading with my eyes.
He let out a sigh and shook his head. "He's not going to be there anyhow. He and my mother, Stanley, went away for the weekend to relax. "They aren't expected back till late tonight," he said further.
He won't be there, will he?
"Are you sure?
" I inquired, as my body was beginning to relax.
He reassured her with a nod and a grin. “Positive. They took a weekend trip to Mersey to see my grandparents, who live nearby. They won't be back till like ten o'clock or something."
In order to be sure he wasn't lying or attempting to fool me, I looked him in the eyes many times. He seemed to be speaking the truth from his demeanor. Josh was a genuinely good man; he would never do anything like that to me, and he would never lie to me about anything. "All right," I said gently.
He grinned and returned his gaze to the road. "Do I now get to see why you and Jake despise Stephen so much?" " he said, his voice full of curiosity. I closed my eyes, since I really didn't want to have this talk with him, or with anybody else for that matter, about anything. Even Kate had no idea who my father was or what happened to me while I was growing up.
"Josh, I really don't want to speak about it right now. "It's in the past, and I'd want for it to remain there," I said, hoping without hope that he would back off.
He nodded, his face a touch dejected and depressed as he did so. “OK. So, if you ever need to speak with me about anything, please don't hesitate to do so. You are aware of this, aren't you? His question came as he approached a particularly attractive street. I nodded as I looked out the window; the homes were enormous, with large, costly automobiles parked in their driveways. As he turned into a driveway, I raised my eyes to the massive light blue home in the distance. My father seemed to have done rather well for himself, based on the appearances.
"Are you certain he isn't here?
" I inquired anxiously as I exited the vehicle and moved to Josh's side.
"I'm certain of it. "The vehicle isn't even here yet," he stated, indicating to the empty drive in front of him. I took it easy and followed Josh up to the house, keeping a careful eye on him. I was struggling to take a breath. As he opened the front door, I grabbed the back of his t-shirt and squeezed it tight. He made a chuckling sound. 'There's no one here, Amber,' he informed me, shaking his head as he threw his arm over my shoulders and dragged me inside the home. The home was very stunning. "Would you want anything to drink? I took him up on his offer, and he led me into the kitchen.