😳 Shayla finally told Amber what Anthony asked her… and Amber’s reaction said EVERYTHING.
SHAYLA FINALLY OPEN HER MOUTH ABOUT ANTHONY
The sky over town was painted in soft shades of orange and pink, the kind of sunset that usually made Shayla feel calm. But tonight, her heart was racing too fast for her to enjoy it.
She had been holding it in all day.
Ever since Anthony pulled her aside after class.
Ever since he looked at her — not casually, not jokingly — but seriously.
And asked her something that changed everything.
Shayla swallowed.“It’s about Anthony.”
Amber’s eyebrows instantly lifted. “What about him?”
There was a long pause.
Shayla’s voice dropped to almost a whisper.
“He asked me something.”
Amber leaned forward. “What did he ask you?”
Shayla hesitated. Her chest felt tight just remembering the moment.
It had happened behind the gym. The air smelled like rain. Anthony had been unusually quiet.
“Shayla,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck — something he only did when he was nervous. “I need to ask you something… and I need you to be honest.”
She laughed nervously. “That sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Then he looked straight into her eyes.
“Would you ever choose me… over everything else?”
Shayla blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he continued, stepping closer, “if it came down to it — your friends, your plans, your future — would you choose me?”
Her heart pounded so loud she could barely hear the wind.
“And… if I asked you to leave with me after graduation. Start over somewhere new. Just us.”
Back in Amber’s room, Shayla finally forced the words out.
“He asked me if I would leave with him. After graduation. Start over somewhere else. Just me and him.”
The room went silent.
Amber didn’t blink.
She didn’t move.
Her face drained of color.
“…He what?”
Shayla’s eyes filled slightly. “He said he doesn’t want to stay here. He said he feels trapped. And he wants me with him.”
Amber slowly stood up.
“That’s not romantic,” she said flatly.
Shayla frowned. “It kind of is.”
“No,” Amber snapped. “It’s not.”
The air shifted.
Amber’s reaction said everything — fear, disbelief, maybe even anger.
“You don’t just ask someone to leave their whole life behind,” Amber continued. “You don’t put that kind of pressure on someone you love.”
Shayla’s heart twisted. “He said he loves me.”
Amber looked at her sharply.
“That’s exactly why this scares me.”
Shayla stood up too.
“You think he’s manipulating me?”
“I think,” Amber said carefully, “that he’s desperate. And desperate people make selfish choices.”
Shayla shook her head. “You didn’t see his face. He was serious. He looked scared. Like he was afraid of losing me.”
Amber’s jaw tightened.
“And what about losing us?”
That hit hard.
Shayla hadn’t thought about it that way.
Amber stepped closer. “You’re my best friend. Since we were kids. And he’s asking you to just… disappear?”
“He didn’t say disappear.”
“He didn’t have to.”
Tears welled in Shayla’s eyes.
“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted.
Amber’s expression softened — but only slightly.
“Did you say yes?”
Shayla hesitated.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Amber let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“Good.”
But the look on Amber’s face wasn’t relief.
It was worry.
Deep, heavy worry.
Because Amber knew something Shayla didn’t.
Anthony had been talking about leaving for months. Complaining. Blaming everyone else for his problems.
And now he wanted Shayla to follow him.
That wasn’t just a question.
That was a turning point.
“Do you love him?” Amber asked quietly.
Shayla nodded.
“Yes.”
“Enough to give up everything?”
The silence that followed felt louder than any answer.
Shayla looked down at her hands.
“I don’t know.”
Amber walked to the window and stared outside.
“Then don’t let him rush you.”
Shayla felt torn in two directions.
Her heart pulled toward Anthony — toward adventure, passion, risk.
But her history, her memories, her stability — they all lived here. With Amber.
The next day, Anthony texted her.
“Did you think about it?”
Her stomach flipped.
She typed. Deleted. Typed again.
Then she went to Amber.
Amber looked at her phone, then at Shayla.
“You have to decide what kind of love you want,” Amber said quietly. “The kind that grows with you… or the kind that makes you leave everything behind.”
Shayla’s eyes filled again.
“Why does this feel like I’m choosing between you and him?”
Amber’s voice cracked slightly.
“Because maybe you are.”
That was the moment Amber’s reaction truly said everything.
Not anger.
Not jealousy.
But heartbreak.
The kind that comes when you realize someone you love might walk away.
Shayla stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Amber hugged back — fiercely.
“Then don’t.”
That night, Shayla met Anthony at the same spot behind the gym.
He looked hopeful.
“So?” he asked.
She took a deep breath.
“I care about you. A lot. But I’m not running away from my life.”
Anthony’s expression shifted — disappointment flashing across his face.
“You don’t love me enough,” he said quietly.
Shayla’s voice trembled — but she stood firm.
“No. I love myself enough.”
The wind picked up between them.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Anthony nodded slowly.
“I thought you’d choose me.”
Shayla swallowed.
“I did choose. Just not the way you wanted.”
When she walked away, her heart hurt.
But it also felt steady.
Strong.
Later, she knocked on Amber’s door.
Amber opened it instantly, like she had been waiting.
“Well?” she asked.
Shayla smiled softly, tears still in her eyes.
“I’m not leaving.”
Amber’s shoulders relaxed.
And that reaction — the relief, the silent gratitude, the understanding — said everything.
Sometimes love isn’t about running away.
Sometimes it’s about staying.
And sometimes, the hardest choice…
is the one that protects your future
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