The two other teenagers managed to calm Dane and persuaded him to bring Erick back. And soon after, Erick was back to normal, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the fog in his mind.
He blinked his eyes furiously and then turned to Hamish, looking confused as he held his head. "What happened?" he asked.
"Dane was taking over you," Hamish said solemnly.
Erick's eyes widened in surprise. "Did he say anything?" he asked slowly.
"He said something about Amber," Jeayan replied.
Erick went quiet. And then said, "Something probably happened to Amber."
Jeayan quickly grabbed his shoulder and shook him roughly. "What happened to her??" she asked urgently.
Erick pulled away from her grasp and exclaimed, "I don't know."
"Do you want to go to her?" Hamish asked quietly.
Erick looked down at his hands. He then shook his head. "I don't know," he said again. "I want to. But… I don't know."
Jeayan then smacked him on the head. "Make up your mind!"
Erick held the back of his head and turned on his seat to glare at Jeayan. "What is it with you women and my head??" he exclaimed.
"Why don't you give her a call?" Hamish asked, ignoring their antics. "Just to ask whether something had happened."
Erick gave him a thumbs up. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that?" he said happily.
Jeayan just rolled her eyes.
Erick immediately went to grab his phone but then Hamish stopped him. "What are you doing?" Erick asked, looking confused. He had just suggested calling Amber and now, he was stopping him. What exactly does he want?
"Don't call and drive," Hamish warned. "We're still young and I want to be able to mate with Makena before I die."
Jeayan immediately burst into huge laughter while Erick just looked shocked. It appears that Hamish's words had just rendered him into speechlessness.
Erick then drove them to school safely. And after he had parked the car, he went to make a quick call to Amber.
Unfortunately for him, the three times he had tried calling her, it seems that her phone was switched off, making him feel more worried.
They just walked through the front entrance of the school when Hamish noticed the concerned look on Erick's face. "What's wrong?" he asked his friend.
Erick turned his head to look at him, his face still looking worried. "Her phone is switched off," he replied.
Jeayan patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry! She's probably in the class already and she just forgot to switch on her phone," she assured him.
Erick nodded, turning to her. "I hope you're right," he said.
Jeayan then shrugged. She wasn't so confident herself but she just did not want to make him worry more. It felt weird seeing him so dejected. Like a lost puppy.
Since Jeayan has a different homeroom from them, they parted ways and Erick fast walked to the class, followed by Hamish from behind.
When he opened the door to the class, his eyes started to dart around the room. Unfortunately, his eyes could not find that familiar blonde girl that he was looking for.
He took a step forward, his eyes still darting around the room, wanting to see that familiar blonde girl. At least, just a glimpse.
Just then he heard someone clearing their throat loudly from behind him. He turned around and saw Mrs. Harris, their homeroom teacher, standing behind him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Get to your seat, Mr. Kendall."
Erick dejectedly went to his seat. He then noticed Hamish already sitting in his. He glared quietly at him, silently accusing him for not warning him about the teacher's arrival. Hamish just looked away, pretending as if he did not see the other young man's glare.
Once everyone had settled down in their seats, Mrs. Harris walked over to her table and sweeped her glance over her class. "So, Amber will not be coming to school today so there's no need to look for her, Mr. Kendall," she said pointedly at Erick, who was surprised by the news.
'She was sick?' Erick asked Dane in his mind.
Dane murmured positively.
'Why didn't you just tell me??' Erick scolded furiously.
Dane just kept quiet.
All throughout homeroom and other classes, Erick was greatly distracted, his mind was already thinking of escaping the classes to get to Amber. But Hamish and Jeayan stopped him from doing that.
Hence, when it was finally lunchtime, Erick immediately ran out of the class and ran towards Amber's house. He did not even use the car as his mind was flooding with sentences like, 'I need to see her!'.
It was fortunate that the car keys were with Hamish as he would be able to drive the car home later. Jeayan was about to join them for lunch but was slightly surprised when she heard from Hamish that Erick had already left the school.
"So… He's not coming in for the afternoon class, huh?" Jeayan asked sarcastically as she sat next to Hamish at the cafeteria.
"Doubt," Hamish simply said as he ate his food.
Jeayan put her chin on her palm as she sighed wistfully. "I envy Amber for having a mate like Erick."
Hamish turned to look at her, a shocked glint in his eyes.
Jeayan then realized how she sounded and quickly turned to Hamish. "No, no! What I mean, I envy that Amber has someone who really cares about her and all. Dropped everything just to make sure she's alright," she explained.
Hamish tilted his head in question.
It was as if Jeayan understood what he was trying to say as she nonchalantly talked again. "Yeah…" she said slowly. "It's as if I'm not his mate. Did you know how many times I've seen or talked to him ever since he first told me that I'm his mate?"
Hamish patiently kept quiet as he waited for her answer.
"Once! That only one time when he came over to my house to give me breakfast!" she exclaimed hotly. "After that, it's nada! Zilch!"
Hamish just nodded as he turned back to his food.
"Hey!" Jeayan exclaimed. "Aren't you even listening to me??"
Hamish again just nodded.
Jeayan leaned back against her seat and let out a long sigh. "I wish I could be closer to my mate…" she said softly, looking up at the ceiling.
-----
Erick stood in front of Amber's house, his eyes looking at the door then at Amber's bedroom window and back again. He was contemplating as to whether to go knock on the door or climb up the window.
He then looked around him. Although Amber lived in a quiet neighbourhood, there was bound to have people nosing around. And if he was to climb up the window, they might alert the police and he might be in trouble with his father.
Before he could make the decision, the front door to Amber's house was opened, revealing an older version of Amber, yet still looked quite young. She also has blonde hair but much darker than Amber.
She looked surprised when she saw him standing alone, looking a bit lost. "Erick, is that you?" she called out.
Erick jumped in surprised and he quickly turned his head towards the voice. He became a bit nervous when he saw Amber's mother looking at him curiously. He did not know why he suddenly felt nervous. It was not as if it was his first time meeting her.
Not wanting to make her wait for him, he rushed over to her.
"Mrs. Keene, how are you?" he politely greeted.
"Erick, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking confused.
Erick scratched the back of head awkwardly, looking a bit sheepish. "I heard Amber was sick so I rushed over from school."
Mrs. Keene cocked an eyebrow. "But school hasn't ended, has it?"
Erick immediately went silent, looking down at his shoes.
Mrs. Keene then let out a laugh. "It's fine. It's sweet that you've come over to visit her. Come on inside," she invited.
Erick followed the older woman into the house.