Chapter 5 : Suspicious

Amelia's POV

Tristan didn't come to school for a week, so I didn't have any problem avoiding him. Caleb was annoyed with me for a week and didn't talk to me much. Brandon might have informed him about my alleged 'date' with Tristan. I was happy to avoid my brothers but I missed Tristan like a sore thumb.

When Tristan came to school, I was disappointed since he avoided me as well as Caleb. I wanted to ask him so many things but even after waiting the whole day, I didn't get any chance to talk to him. My heart was breaking and I was desperate to know what was happening. By now I was suspicious that my brothers might have threatened him somehow. That evening, Caleb knocked on my bedroom door and peeped in.

"Amy, we need to talk." He said in a grave tone, standing next to my bed.

I sat up and asked him warily, "What about?" Although I knew what he wanted to say, I feigned ignorance.

He paced angrily in front of me. "Tristan is not my friend anymore. He is my arch enemy from today onwards. You need to stay away from him. No talking, no smiling, nothing. Am I clear?" He ordered angrily. His tone annoyed me but I knew better than to argue or go against any of them. They were just like my dad!

"Okay," I sighed. Why must I suffer all the time? My love story ended before it could even begin. "Anything else?" I asked when he didn't make any move to leave.

"I'm just looking out for you, Amy. I hope you understand that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I said in a dull tone. When would they realize that I didn't want their interference in my life? It was suffocating me. I wasn't the meek type of girl who could live being a doormat all her life but at home, my family had reduced me to just that. All I wanted was to grow up and leave this prison forever. He let out a deep sigh of relief and left my room.

The next few days went by in a monotonous way, same classes, same boring subjects, same locker. I didn't receive any letter for two consecutive Mondays and I was extremely upset. A thousand questions came up in my mind and I didn't have any answers to them. Why did the letter stop? Why did my anonymous admirer lose interest? Did my brothers catch him red-handed?

I didn't see Tristan much, as he too avoided me and Caleb. So all the answers to my questions were left hanging in the air and continued to play around in my mind. At home too the situation was hostile. Brandon avoided me, but true to his promise, he didn't utter a word to my parents or Leo. My parents and Leo were always busy handling our businesses, so I didn't see them much, except on weekends.

It was Friday at last, two weeks of not seeing Jay had made me upset. As I walked dejectedly to my locker to get my books for algebra class, I bumped into a hard chest. Immediately two arms caught me tightly to arrest my fall. Stunned, I looked up into dark jade green eyes, filled with sadness. His arms crushed me to his chest, like steel bands and a gasp escaped me realizing that I was locked up in Tristan's embrace. Being in his arms felt so right as if I had come home. A sob escaped me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his hard chest. "I'm sorry, Jay. Did Brandon say anything to you? Did they harass you?"

"Don't be sorry, Baby Doll. No, he didn't," he said dejectedly. "I missed you so much," he admitted, embedding his face into the crook of my neck, causing an overwhelming desire to comfort him and ask him why he was so heartbroken. I wanted to hope that it was because of me.

"Me too," I mumbled. "What happened between you and Caleb?" I couldn't help but ask him.

A muscle clenched in his jaw as he struggled to control himself. Releasing me abruptly, he said gently, "Go to your class or you'll be late. I'll see you later." He kissed my forehead and walked away, leaving me cold and missing his warmth.

As I opened my locker, out fell the blue envelope which I had missed so much for the last two weeks. I was surprised to receive it on a Friday for the first time. I put it inside my backpack to read later. I took my books in a daze and went to Algebra class.

"Amy, what's wrong with you? You seem dazed," Nicky asked as we came out after the class.

"I met Tristan. I also found a letter in my locker today," I said looking at the floor, dragging my feet towards our next class, French.

"Well?" she prompted.

"Nothing happened. He just avoided me when I asked him about his hostility with Caleb," I told Nicky.

"He'll open up, don't worry. He likes you too much. That boy is whipped with you. Only you are too blind to see. Maybe he is your anonymous love," she said in a serious tone, looking at me for my reaction.

"You're imagining things, Nicky," I said, shaking my head. Her words had already affected me but I wouldn't accept them in front of her as it would make her overreact and draw all attention toward us.

"You're in denial now. Think about it. You'll realize," she said to prove her point.

I shrugged and sat down waiting for Madame Barnett, our French teacher. My mind was running in circles around what Nicky told me just now. Was it a coincidence that every time I got the letter, Jay was always there near me? He always asked about it. He knew about it and I had no idea how.