Amber's Star Read online

  “Why are you still wearing your wig?” he asked, confused. It took me a few seconds to understand his question. Before I could answer, he spoke again.

  “Never mind,” he said. “Was it you making that snowman yesterday?”

  “It was,” I answered, remembering him and his father.

  “You have a cute dog. Do you take him on walks often?”

  “I do,” I lied, trying to sound like a good owner.

  “You know, we only live one block away, maybe one day we can walk him together,” he suggested.

  “Sure,” I answered fast, seeing Ms. Flowers walking in.

  “Take a seat everyone, take a seat,” she said. I looked at the spot in front of Ms. Flowers and found it empty. I looked around for Skylar, but she wasn’t there. I tried to whisper at Emily to see if she might have seen her outside, but she was too busy chewing on a Twinkie to hear me.

  “Emily, Emily,” I hissed. But she couldn’t hear me. I leaned over to poke her, but as I leaned, I saw Skylar stand on the door.

  “You’re late,” said Ms. Flowers. Skylar didn’t answer. She looked around and spotted me and then spotted Noah. She gave him a mean look then walked in and sat on her spot. At lunch, Emily seemed as if something was bothering her, I saw her looking at Noah’s table and asked her what was wrong.

  “It’s Noah,” she said, disappointed.

  “What about him?” I asked.

  “It’s obvious that he has a crush on you,” she said. What she said was crazy. We were only eleven, and no one could have a crush at eleven.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “I just know he does,” she said. I looked back and saw Noah looking directly at me.

  “Ever since you moved here, he stares at us. At first, I thought he stared at me, but now I’m sure he stares at you,” she explained.

  “And him shaving his head for you, it’s really sweet of him. If I were you, I’d feel special,”

  I thought about what Emily had said, and didn’t know if she was right. Only one person could advise me on this, and it was my sister Grace. After school, I waited for Grace to come back from school and told her all about Noah and how he had returned from his suspension with a bald head.

  “Aww, Amber,” she said in a sweet voice. “He has a crush on you,” she added, making me blush. It took me a few minutes to get used to Grace talking like she was.

  “That is so sweet,” she said excitedly. I felt my face turn red and tried to change the subject.

  “Do you feel the same for him?” she asked, smiling.

  “No, I don’t,” I said firmly.

  “And I don’t want him to feel that way about me either,” I added.

  “Amber you can’t control what others feel for you.”

  “If that boy Noah has a crush on you, there’s nothing you should do to avoid it,” she said.

  The following day I tried avoiding Noah at all costs. At lunch, Emily told me he was looking at me and I ate fast so we could go to the playground and hide. I felt his eyes looking at me in class, while Ms. Flowers explained to us something about fractions. It was hard to concentrate, knowing Noah was always staring at me and it was bugging me. After school I saw him staring at me and then he waved at me goodbye. I ignored him and went inside mom’s car. Grace teased me at home and by the way she smiled, I knew she wouldn’t stop teasing me for a while. I couldn’t wait for Thursday. Dad’s co-workers were coming to have dinner and dad had assigned me a very important job to photograph the entire night.

  The next day at school Noah did something I would never forget. I arrived early that day, a little too early I would say. I went inside the classroom and waited for Emily to arrive. I saw Noah walk in and his backpack looked much bigger than usual. He spotted me and automatically blushed. He walked up to me and looked around to make sure no one was watching. His smile was inevitable.

  “You don’t want anyone to know, do you?” he asked silently.

  “No,” I answered, not knowing what he meant.

  “Okay,” he said winking. “Does he know, I know he has a crush on me?” I asked myself. I begged for Emily to arrive fast, but she didn’t. Ms. Flowers walked in and asked us all to be quiet. Ms. Flowers informed me that Emily was sick and that she’d be back until Monday. Today was our last day before a four-day weekend. I wanted the day to be over. Without Emily around, I felt like nobody knew I was there, except Noah.

  Lunch was awkward. I sat alone and ate my lunch, missing Emily’s cookies.

  After lunch, a girl I had never talked to, dropped a piece of paper onto my desk.. It was a pink sticky note. I opened it slowly and placed it close to my chest for no one else to see.

  ‘Happy Birthday Amber!

  Your secret is safe with me

  Meet me at the soccer field after school so I can give you your present.

  Noah.

  I looked again and couldn’t believe what I had read. I remembered the day of my birthday and how I had lied to Noah about my birthday being on November 28th. I looked up into Ms. Flower’s board and saw the same date written on the top right corner of her whiteboard. “He remembered,” I thought. From the corner of my eye, I could feel Noah staring at me, rocking his chair back and forth. I blushed. I hid the sticky note in my back pocket and sat quietly. After school, I went around the far side of the school and into the soccer field. I knew Noah wouldn’t leave me alone until I accepted his gift. There he was, waiting on me. We were the only two in the field and I approached him.

  “Happy birthday,” he called once we were a few feet apart.

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling guilty. I saw him reach for his backpack, and for a second I thought about telling him the truth. He struggled to pull something out and began pulling hard on it. He finally pulled out a brown teddy bear with a missing ear. He looked disappointed, but this was the first gift I had got from a boy, so I snatched it from his hands. It smelled great, and the teddy bear wasn’t the only thing Noah had bought me. He pulled out a chocolate box in a heart form and handed it to me.

  “I’m sorry I must have pulled hard on his ear and that’s why it came off,” he said, disappointed.

  “I love it,” I said. Noah blushed and hugged me goodbye. I ran back to the parking lot and looked for mom. I slipped the missing ear in my back pocket and thought about asking mom to sow back in place for me. Mom dropped her phone and jaw when she saw what I carried.

  “What is that?” she asked, poking her head out of the window.

  “I’ll tell you when we get home,” I said getting in the car. Boys and girls stared at my missing ear teddy bear. Mom said nothing on our way home. It was obvious she was wondering who had given this to me. I tried to think of the perfect lie to give myself more time to tell her about Noah, but couldn’t come up with anything.

  “It was that boy Noah,” I said, trying to get it over with. Mom picked up the box of chocolates and inspected them.

  “These are quite expensive; you wouldn’t want Noah’s parents to be concerned about what he spends his allowance on,” she said. Mom was right. I took a quick photo of Ernest next to the missing ear teddy bear. Mom told Grace about my gifts, and that gave her a bigger reason to tease me. She walked into my room and sang a song she had just composed.

  “Amber has a new boyfriend, Amber has a new boyfriend,” she sang.

  “Quit,” I said.

  “I don’t like him,” I added.

  “He’s super nice to you, Amber,” said Grace.

  “I know he is, and I don’t mind him being that way. I just don’t like him like I think he likes me,” I explained.

  “Sometimes you sound older than I do,” she said, walking out.

  I knew mom wouldn’t forget to tell dad about the presents I had received today, and he would ask all about when we all had dinner.

  “Was it the same boy that stood up to you, that gave you all those chocolates?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Might wa
nt to tell him you both are a little too small to be thinking about that, you just turned eleven,” he said.

  “It was my fault,” I said, making the three of them stare at me waiting on what else I had to say.

  “Your fault?” asked dad.

  “Yeah, we share birthdays. And on that day I lied to him, telling him my birthday was today and somehow he remembered,” I explained. Grace laughed, but dad hushed her.

  “Well, I think the least you can tell him is the truth,” said dad.

  “Tell him he and you share birthdays,” he added.

  “You might also want to tell him you don’t like him,” said Grace.

  “I don’t think you have to do that, just tell him you see him as a friend,” winked dad.

  Chapter Ten

  Noah: I was convinced to shave my head. If it could make Amber feel better, I’d do it without doubting. Amber’s birthday was around the corner and I wanted to get her something nice. I only had eighteen dollars and knew nothing about presents for girls. I knew eighteen wasn’t enough, so I asked mom for extra chores, hoping she’d double my allowance. She gave me the toughest chores, but they were worth it, one day before Amber’s birthday I had close to thirty dollars. I asked dad if I could go to the park but ditched it and went to the closest market all by myself. I had no idea what to get her. But knew whatever it would be, it had to be today.

  Romantic gifts were pricy. I looked around to find the perfect gift and found a small teddy bear. It had nice round ears which made him look extra fluffy. I saw a teenage boy buy himself the same teddy bear and also a box of chocolates. I grabbed a box of chocolates as well and headed for the counter.

  “It’s really nice for you to get your mom a bear and chocolates,” said the old lady behind the counter.

  “They’re not for my mom,” I said. The old lady lifted her face and turned it to show me her hairy ear.

  “What did you say, young man?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” I answered, shaking my head. My total came up to be twenty-two dollars and some change. I wasted my entire year’s savings on a small teddy bear and some chocolates.

  I headed home running, hoping mom and dad would believe I had been at the park. I reached home, sweaty and tired. I placed the teddy bear the furthest away from me as possible. I didn’t want him sweaty or dirty. I tried looking through the living room’s window to make sure mom and dad weren’t around. I didn’t mind them seeing what I had bought but preferred to keep it a secret. I saw mom and dad sitting on the living room couch, so I entered through the back door. I sneaked trying to make no noise and tiptoed into my room. I took out a few notebooks from my backpack and shoved the teddy bear and chocolates deep inside my backpack. I thought about the best way of telling mom and dad I was going to shave my head. I couldn’t come up with anything. I decided the best way was to go to the barbershop myself and have mom and dad see me afterward. I took my bike and left again without mom or dad noticing. I went to the closest barbershop and waited for my turn.

  “What will you like?” asked the barber once I sat.

  “Bald,” I said silently.

  “Bald?” he asked in a surprised tone.

  “Bald,” I answered firmly. I saw the hair clipper go front and back all over my head, I felt my thick hair falling from my shoulders to the floor. Within minutes, I was hairless.

  “Thanks,” I said as the barber finished cleaning me up.

  “Seven,” he said. I had just enough to pay him and was now completely broke. I looked at myself in the mirror, and instantly regretted what I had done. My cool wavy hair was gone. I looked ridiculous but knew it was for a good cause. I left home feeling the cold air at the back of my head. Mom and dad were outside, and mom waved at me. I placed my hoodie on, trying to hide what I had just done.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  “I went to get myself a haircut,” I said.

  “Oh yeah, and who paid for this haircut?” asked dad.

  “I did,” I answered.

  “Let me see,” said mom. My eyes went wide as I walked faster, towards the garage pretending not to hear.

  “Noah, let me see,” she insisted. I pretended to not hear and opened the garage, but before I knew it, mom had caught up to me and had pulled my hoodie off.

  “What happened to your hair?” she complained.

  “What did you do to your hair?” asked dad.

  “I told the man I wanted it short but never told him I wanted to be this bald,” I lied.

  “This is unacceptable, we are going right now to that barber,” said dad.

  “Why didn’t you tell us, this will take months for your hair to grow back!” complained mom.

  Dad grabbed his keys from inside and ordered me inside the car.

  “I’ll take him,” he said, not looking happy.

  “Dad,” I said, getting ready to explain why I had decided to go bald.

  “You can’t go off shaving your head or doing crazy things just for someone to like you,” he said. Dad was smart. He knew me better than I knew myself. Without me thinking, I knew he was right. That was exactly what I had done. I wanted to impress Amber and wanted her to like me.

  “You can’t take advantage of this,” he explained.

  “Don’t show off to her that you shaved your head to make her feel good because it won’t. She’ll find it awkward,” he said.

  Dad drove us around for a while and finally drove back home.

  “There’s nothing the barber can do,” he lied as we walked in.

  “He can’t make Noah’s hair grow back,” he added.

  “Did he at least get his money back?” mom asked.

  “Of course he did, his money and an apology,” dad continued lying. Mom said nothing else, and dad winked me goodbye. I headed for my room and went to check on the teddy bear and chocolates. I still had to figure how I was giving them to Amber. I didn’t want anyone other than Daniel to know I had a crush on her.

  Before I went to bed, I sneaked into mom’s room and got a pair of pink sticky notes from her drawer. I found they would be useful for tomorrow. I still hadn’t decided how I was going to give the stuff to Amber, but had a few ideas in mind.

  I inspected the teddy bear and chocolates one last time before I had my mom drive me to school. They looked clean and new. The bear was getting a little squashed from his face, but the rest of him looked fine. I wore a hoodie not because I wanted to hide my hairless head but because it was freezing outside. Mom insisted on me wearing a scarf, so I did. The only things visible to me were my eyes and the upper part of my nose.

  I walked inside the classroom and saw Amber standing next to Ms. Flowers’s desk. She had her wig on and wore a thick jacket too. I slowly began taking my jacket and hoodie off.

  “Noah, what did you do to your hair?” asked Daniel, recognizing me. I lifted my shoulders. I started putting my things down when I felt someone poke my back. I turned fast, expecting Pete’s fist. But it wasn’t, it was Amber. She looked at me and smiled, I could see her looking at my hair and down on the rest of me.

  “Hey Noah,” she said.

  “I wanted to thank you for what you did for me,” she added. “She’s talking about my hair,” I thought. “She knows I did it for her,”

  “It was nice for you to stand up for me,” she added. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed my hair. I scratched my head, hoping she’d notice, but she didn’t.

  “Why are you still wearing your wig?” I asked. Amber looked at me confused. It was clear she hadn’t liked my question. I wanted to say happy birthday to her, but knew it wasn’t the right time.

  “Never mind,” I said.

  “Was it you making that snowman yesterday?” I asked.

  “It was,” she said.

  “You have a cute dog. Do you take him on walks often?”

  “I do,” she answered.

  “You know, we only live one block away, maybe one day we can walk him together,” I suggested.
r />   “Sure,” she answered smiling, and turned around to take a seat. I waited for Ms. Flowers to announce Amber’s birthday, but she didn’t. She began writing on the whiteboard and my head almost met my desk when I saw Ms. Flowers write November 28th on the corner of her board. I had brought the teddy bear and chocolates one day earlier. I couldn’t believe my mistake. I felt stupid for my mistake that I didn’t participate in class. After lunch, Daniel threw a curveball at me.

  “Why is your backpack so full?” he asked, staring at it.

  “I-I have a second jacket inside,” I lied.

  “A second jacket?” he asked, confused.

  “Yeah, I’m walking home today and it could be cold,” I lied some more.

  “I can tell mom to give you a ride,” he said.

  “No,” I answered fast.

  “I’d rather walk,” I insisted.

  I was the first one out as soon as the bell rang. I ran to mom’s car and asked her to leave fast before Daniel saw I wasn’t walking home.

  “Let’s go, mom, let’s go!” I shouted.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I have to go the bathroom! Hurry fast!” I lied.

  “Go here!” she exclaimed.

  “I’m not going number two here!” I shouted. Mom hurried out of the parking lot and drove faster than usual. I was good at lying sometimes. As long as mom didn’t see my face, I could lie to her with no problem.

  I jumped out of the car and raced to the bathroom with my backpack on. I sat on the toilet for a few minutes to make my lie more realistic. I came out and rubbed my stomach as mom spied on me.

  “Much better,” I said in relief. Mom smiled, and I headed for my room before she could ask me anything. I kept the bear and chocolates in my backpack and often checked on them to make sure they were okay. I finished my homework early and went to bed right after dinner.

  The next day was a sunny one. I couldn’t lie to Daniel again about my backpack being full with a jacket, so I had made my mind to give Amber the bear and chocolates as soon as I saw her. I walked inside the room and saw her. Today was her eleventh birthday. She had a pink light sweater on and white pants. I walked up to her and couldn’t avoid smiling.