Even If It Kills Us (On hold)

Chapter Forty-One {Edited}

The Summer Music Festival
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Under the scorching Los Angeles sun, Ember's sun-kissed skin glistened as they stood amidst the sea of festivalgoers near the stage of the summer music festival. The speakers blared with music, while an unfamiliar rapper energetically darted across the stage, passionately delivering his lyrics. Yet, the audience remained dead, leaving Ember feeling utterly bored.

Adonis, Malik, and Namiko had all gathered there to show their support for Trevor during his first performance. It was so hot that Ember hid behind Adonis from the sun.

"Do you want anything? I'm going to get a popsicle," Ember said, and when she looked up, she noticed he had been already looking at her.

"I'll come with you." Adonis tells her.

She gazed at him in admiration, "I'll be fine, I promise."

"I'll go with her. I need to use the bathroom too," Namiko interjected.

Upon hearing Namiko's voice, Ember couldn't resist rolling her eyes. Namiko had been attempting to engage her in conversation the entire time, acting as if everything between them was fine. However, Ember continued to ignore her.

"I'll be right back," Ember whispered against Adonis's lips, stealing a few quick kisses.

"All right, I love you," Adonis replied, his words washing over her like a soothing melody. She responded with a radiant smile, saying, "I love you."

Stepping away from him, she skillfully navigated her way through the dense crowd. As she strolled toward the assortment of concession stands and food trucks scattered across the field beside the festival, her eyes darted about, uncertain of where to begin. The craving for a popsicle lingered, but the array of tempting choices made her reconsider her initial decision.

"Can you come with me to the bathroom first? Please?" Namiko's voice sounded.

Ember had momentarily forgotten that Namiko was following her. Given Namiko's continued relationship with Malik, her presence had become a constant in Ember's life, and Ember often found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to share the same space with her. She despised it.

Without offering a reply, Ember casually walked over to the portable toilets, where she patiently waited for Namiko. Once Namiko was done, Ember joined the lengthy line at the "Cool Breeze Treats" truck, a spot for refreshing icees and popsicles. As she perused the menu, the sound of Namiko's voice continued to grate on her nerves.

"I think we should work on mending our friendship. It's been a while since we've had a proper conversation, and I don't want to be on bad terms with you," Namiko expressed.

Ember let out an annoyed sigh as she turned to her, finally speaking to her, "Namiko, you told my mother that I was sneaking around with Adonis. You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew how my parents felt about the relationship. I was a good friend to you, I would have never did you like that."

"She was worried about you and she threatened to come over to see if you were really there, Ember. What else did you expect me to do? You weren't answering the phone! You could have been missing or something. Did you not see what happened to Paisley?"

"She said, you told her everything."

"Sorry but your mother lied to you. I never told her anything else about you and Adonis other than where you were that night."

"Remember when you said that you were tired of covering for me, so you went and opened your big mouth to my mother. And then you apologized for doing it. You even said that you were mad at me because I was spending most of my time with Adonis."