Chapter 3: When He Started Choosing Her

I had no idea when Cole and Amber actually started getting close.

It just happened. One morning, out of nowhere, the strawberry milk Cole always brought me was replaced with plain, whole milk.

I stared at the carton in my hand.

"You know I hate plain milk."

"Give it a rest. You only like the strawberry one because the box is pink," Cole said, patting me on the head. "You're too old to be drinking that stuff anyway. Plain milk is healthier."

Amber was holding a carton of the exact same plain milk. She turned around, putting on a bashful, apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that, Barbie. I mentioned I liked plain milk, so Cole grabbed this for me."

She took a sip.

"Besides, strawberry milk is basically just liquid sugar. It's so gross. Do all you little girls actually drink that?"

I slammed the milk down on my desk and glared at her.

"Do you just get a kick out of giving people nicknames?"

She stiffened, then let her face fall into a mask of pure shock and helplessness.

"Haha... why are you making such a big deal out of it? It was just a joke. God, you're so sensitive."

"Am I sensitive, or do you just know exactly what you're doing?"

"That's enough, Aurora."

Cole cut in, rubbing his temples like I was giving him a massive headache.

"Amber just talks without a filter sometimes. Don't make a big deal out of nothing."

I was shaking. My eyes burned. I shoved Cole hard in the chest, shooting one last glare at Amber.

"If you don't know how to talk like a normal person, just shut your mouth."

Cole panicked. He immediately wrapped an arm around my waist, his tone shifting into an easy apology.

"Alright, alright, my bad. Don't be mad. I'll bring you the strawberry one tomorrow, okay?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amber's expression drop. She stared dead at me.