They were friends. Simply friends.

“Guess what Amber? I GOT INTO COLLEGE!”

“Congratulations! Now don’t talk to any aspiring rapists in the corners of campus!”

Every single day they joked around, simply having fun and cherishing their time together. He was a senior, and she was a junior, and he would be leaving her alone when he graduated.

Amber was of two minds when she thought about her predicament. Something about her relationship with Henry bothered her. Nothing made sense in her mind until she stood back and examined herself in detail. There were two things she figured out. Three, in actuality, but she refused to admit the third.

She couldn’t figure out what bothered her so much until she realized how much more of a life she had compared to him. Amber was a cheerleader, captain of the team, and was involved with the school’s social aspects. She went to games and yelled at the opposing school, spent weekends with friends, and lived the life of an average high school student. Amber’s perpetually smiling face and bubbly personality drew people to her, and she all around had more friends than Henry as a result.

The other thing was when Amber stood back and looked at her life, she realized that Henry’s physical aspects bothered her, almost to the point of repulsion. She felt horrible and shallow and mean, but she, like many other teenage girls, noticed a lot about looks and in a school that had a slight reputation of having better-dressed males, Henry stood a bit.

Henry wore giant, rather unattractive glasses, sweatshirts, and last year’s too small jeans every single day. He didn’t pay much attention to shaving, which was evident in the missed spots and red patches on his face. His hairstyle didn’t suit his face, and he was just all around an unflattering person. Henry was the type of person that sat at home and played video games until 2 in the morning, not the type of person that even thought about going out with friends. But his one aspect of absolute flawlessness though, was his violin. Henry’s skill with the violin surpassed everyone in the school, district, and even the state by far. He was amazing.

Anyway, the third thing she noticed, that she would vehemently deny, was that despite his looks and lack of a life, she had a crush on Henry.

“I just don’t understand,” she confessed to her best friend, Soojung. “I like him, but he’s just so unattractive and I’m a horrible person for thinking that and letting it get in the way of a potential relationship.”

Soojung understood. With her immense experience with boys, Soojung knew the merit of personality vs. looks in a guy. She was absolutely gorgeous, probably the reason she had so many guys throwing themselves at her.

“It’s natural to want a good looking boy, though. You’re in high school, and you’re pretty, and so you deserve someone just as hot as you are!” Soojung smiled triumphantly, ignoring the disdainful look Amber threw at her. “Just wait and someone you think is absolutely perfect will come along for you.”

“Yep. I’ve already got the perfect guy in mind. His name is Sprout and he is my pet rock.” Amber deadpanned, flopping onto her back on her purple bedcovers. “Prom is in a few months and if Henry asks me…I feel like I’m going to say no just because of his face. I’m a terribly despicably horrible person aren’t I.”

“Oh, shut up you negative brat. I’ll make sure he doesn’t ask you, okay?” Soojung said, rolling her eyes.

Amber sat up with a huge relieved smile. “Thank you omigod you’re the best friend in the entire world Soojung I love you!”

Prom thus passed without a hitch. Amber looked gorgeous in her flowing, deep blue dress, laughing and smiling with her friends. Henry looked as good as a more than slightly awkward teenage boy could, one of the few senior boys without a date. Amber felt slightly guilty, but she soon forgot in the whirlwind of colors and music during the night.

~*~.~*~

Henry was graduating from high school. He was off to college, and Amber couldn’t help feeling like a when she felt slightly relieved that he was leaving. The small bother in her life wouldn’t be suffocating her anymore. She tried to smash the little nasty thought into an insignificant dot, but it refused to die.

“Promise to tell me about college?” Amber asked, giving Henry a small (obligatory) hug.

“Of course. I’ll update you with my amazing life while you’re stuck here in this hellhole of a high school for your senior year,” he joked, and she punched his arm.

“I hope you trip and break your head open,” she said.

He gasped in mock horror. “You don’t actually mean that!”

“I do, and you’d best be going to get off to your new life. Bye!” she waved him off with a giant smile.

And with that, she let go of her friend in search of a new life.

~*~.~*~

All of Amber’s predictions came true. Henry was but another friend gone off to college, and she was living a blissful senior year. Cheerleading consumed her time, and she adored her friends and all the wonderful senior memories she was making. That is, until the graduates came back to visit before winter break.

Amber was in orchestra, in the midst of her solo, when the door opened. Heads turned, and familiar faces walked through the door.

“Oh my GOD!” Amber shrieked, setting her violin down hurriedly, forgetting that she was in the middle of rehearsal.

Most of her close friends were a year older than her, and she had missed them dearly when they left high school. So when Zhoumi, Victoria, and Jessica walked back into the orchestra room they had spent so many of their high school days in, Amber was absolutely ecstatic.

“Well, as our first chair violinist has decided for us, let’s stop for the day,” the director grinned. “Welcome, graduate students! I hope you are enjoying college as much as I did. Please feel free to have a nice long chat with me so that we can catch up and you can tell me all about your lives far away from this miserable school you absolutely abhorred.”

Amber paid him little attention as she gave hugs to all of her friends. “Zhoumi, you dyed your hair! And got new clothes of course. Why am I not surprised? Omigod Vic you got another piercing and it’s so pretty and Jessica your hair is longer and wow this is a really long overexcited runon sentence but I’m so happy to see you all and—”

“Breathe, Amber breathe!” Jessica cut her off, laughing. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? We’ve got so many things to tell you about college. It’s a-mazing there like you wouldn’t believe!”

“So I’ve noticed from your twitters,” Amber commented dryly. “Seems like college is a never ending party. I’ve been…” she trailed off when someone else pushed open the orchestra room doors and the chatter of students packing up their instruments faded away.

The newcomer had dyed burnt orange hair, slightly hidden under the snapback he wore tilted to the side. Skinny jeans and Nikes covered his legs, while a white graphic t-shirt and a black leather jacket covered his muscled upper body. With a clear complexion and contacts, Amber almost didn’t recognize him.

“Henry?”