EXTRACT FOR
The Education Of Amber Steward
(Riley Blackwood)

      She was nervous, her heart was racing. She was two seconds away from just plain and simply refusing to do it. But she didn't want to ruin the party. It was just a random party a friend of hers from school threw together, but it was still a party. She looked around the circle of seventeen to nineteen year olds sitting on the floor in a circle and noticed everyone was staring at her. Now she was really nervous. She leaned forward, grabbed the bottle that was lying on its side in the middle of the circle, turned it clockwise an inch or two, then spun it counter clockwise as hard as she could.

      It spun around and around, the mouth of the glass bottle pointing at teenager after teenager. As Amber watched it spin she secretly prayed for it to be pointing at Ryan Salazar when it finally stopped. Ryan Salazar was a nineteen year old who had just graduated from her school and was now working at his father's auto shop. 

      'Or he will be once the summer ends' Amber corrected herself in her mind. Ryan was every girl's dream; six feet tall, muscular but still lean from being the quarterback of the school football team. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and he drove. Amber had been in love with him her whole Junior year, but she could never work up the courage to even talk to him. And the few times he had talked to her, she was so scared she couldn't talk! She'd just turn and walk away.

      She hated herself so much. After about seven or eight rotations, the bottle slowed down, and finally stopped. For a second her heart leapt out of her chest when she followed the invisible line that started from the mouth of the bottle and it seemed like it was pointing at him. But after looking closer, it actually pointed at the person sitting next to him. Kasci Summers, her best friend.

      "Hell no." She blurted out.

      "Hell yes." Kasci said, smiling.

      "No, I'm not doing it."

      "Come on Amber! You know the rules. The bottle landed on you and Kasci. Now you both have to go into the closet for ten minutes in heaven." A guy off to the side of the circle reminded her.

      "No way!" Amber said.

      "Come on, it's no big deal. We don't even have to do anything." Kasci said, getting to her feet and walking over to Amber. Amber just looked up at her for a second. She sighed deeply.

      "Fine, but nothing's going to happen." She said, snidely. Kasci took Ambers hand, helping her up from the Indian style position she was sitting in. They headed into the big, double door closet as everyone made kissing noises. They stepped in, closing the door behind them. There were some much old pieces of clothes, furniture, and anything in the house that they just weren't using. So even though the closet could probably fit all twelve people at this little party, Amber and Kasci were almost pressed face to face. They stood there, Kasci looking at Amber, and Amber looking at the floor.

      Kasci was always jealous of Amber. Yeah, everyone told her that she was beautiful and sexy, but she never felt as hot as Amber. They were both eighteen, even though Kasci had just turned it and Amber was about to turn nineteen. They both were about five foot three, five foot four. They both fit perfectly fine in extra small shirts and size five pants, which let them share clothes all the time. They both even wore 36 B bras. But Kasci weighed about a hundred and thirty pounds, and Amber was only a hundred and twenty two, which drove her crazy. They were both white, but Amber had a perfect, light tan. Kasci was just white. She had brought all this up with Amber once, and she had admitted that she was jealous of her, but Kasci thought she was just trying to make her feel better. Amber had said she had beautiful blue eyes, and blond hair with light brown highlights that all the guys loved. And she said that even though she had blue eyes too, it wasn't the same with her dark brown hair. But being in the closet, so close to each other, Kasci couldn't help but notice how beautiful Amber was. She also looked extremely nervous.

      "Why are you so spooked out? Amber, we're best friends, we've been alone before."

      "I know, I just don't like the idea of everybody thinking we made out or anything."

      "So? What if they think that?"

      "Kasci, I'm not gay." Amber said with an "if you didn't know" tone.

      "Just because you do stuff with another girl, doesn't make you gay. I've always wanted to try being with another girl, but it doesn't make me gay,"

      "Kasci!" Amber said, partly shocked and partly laughing.

      "What?" Kasci asked, laughing. "Come on Amber, try it. It's no big deal."

      "Yeah it is. I'm going to be nineteen in like four months, and I've never even kissed a guy before. I don't want my first time to be with a girl!"

      "Come on Amber." Kasci said, slowly moving her mouth slowly towards her. Amber's heart started racing, she started breathing hard. She closed her eyes, started moving closer to Kasci. But a split second before their lips touched, Amber came to her senses and pulled away. Confused, insulted, embarrassed, and about ten other emotions she couldn't even name, she threw open the closet doors, running across the room and up the stairs that led out of the basement and to the rest of the house. Kasci just walked out of the closet, everyone looking at her and giggling. 

      The stairs led right into the kitchen, but once in it Amber didn't stop. She sprinted out the back door. The night air felt good, it wasn't hot, more warm. She sat on the back steps, burying her face in her hands. The only light was from the one shining straight down on her from over the back door. That's when she heard the sound. It was such a soft noise that if it wasn't almost completely silent outside she wouldn't have been able to hear it. It sounded like something burning. She looked off to the side and saw a floating, glowing, red ball.

      "Who's there?" She asked.

      "I am the ghost of Christmas' past." A voice said. When Amber had first seen the light, she was creeped out, now she was officially scared. The person who the voice belonged to must've realized that, because he stepped into the light. He was a big guy. About five foot nine, with a big frame and big broad shoulders. Dark brown, almost black, hair worn straight up in a long, spiky flat top. A medium tan. Big muscles, not huge, but Amber was still impressed. Even though it was so late, he was still in jeans and a t-shirt. But who was she to judge, she thought, since she was wearing Capri pants and a tang top. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, with a slight tone of concern in his voice. His voice was deep, but soothing. "I was just messing around." By the look on her face, that didn't remove her fear any.

      "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

      "Ok, you know Bobby Huber, his sister owns this place. I'm a friend of hers. She said Bobby can have this little party while she was gone. Well she said I could crash at her place while she was gone too."

      "Are you her boyfriend?" He took a drag from his cigarette.

      "No, I guess the best way to describe us is just friends. I live about two hours away, a little town called Morgan Hill. I got tired, she said I can crash here for the night if I behaved." He said, laughing a little.

      "What does that mean?"

      "She told me a bunch of teenagers were going to have a party in the basement. She said not to corrupt any of you guys. I told her not to worry - that I don't touch minors."

      "Well the only minor is Bobby, he's seventeen." He looked Amber up and down.

      "You're eighteen?"

      "Nineteen soon."

      "Even better." He said with a small smile on the side of his face. "Single?"

      "Why?"

      "Just wondering."

      "How old are you?" She shot back. Marc smiled.

      "Twenty-four. So are you?"

      "Yeah."

      "Mmm, a single virgin."

      "How do you know I'm a virgin?"

      "Well first of all, your answer. A non-virgin wouldn't said hell no. Two, I can smell it on you."