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huge honor to win it. It’ll mean a lot on transcripts and everything. Why should I forfeit that?”
    Amber didn’t look at Brittany while she formulated her words. “Look, Brittany. I shouldn’t have said it. It had been kind of atough week for me personally. I’d been worried about my family—my dad had some interviews that didn’t go anywhere—and thinking about my future. It was selfish, and I wasn’t thinking about anything but the car.”
    “You know … it’s not my fault your dad got fired.”
    Amber’s head reeled as if slapped.
    Brittany’s eyes immediately flashed with regret, but it was too late to take the words back.
    “I can’t believe you said that. My dad didn’t get
fired
. He got laid off. And no one ever suggested you were at fault. That’s ridiculous. Like I said, I was only thinking about the car—which you
don’t
need, by the way—I wasn’t thinking about the other benefits of winning.” She took a few breaths to calm her fuming nerves. “Wait a second. You mentioned transcripts.” Amber narrowed her eyes. “We found out weeks ago that we both got awarded full scholarships. So, how does this contest help with that? What do our transcripts have to do with it anymore?”
    “I meant that at the time you brought it up, it might have mattered.”
    “No, it really wouldn’t have. This is a made-up, local contest that wouldn’t have been over by the time colleges made their decisions. We would still have the perfect attendance and the grades, even without the contest. So, I’m not buying that argument. It all comes down to the car.”
    “Are you saying our friendship comes down to the car?” Brittany’s eyes welled up with angry tears.
    “No! I didn’t say that. You did. I said the
contest
comes down to the car.” Amber closed her eyes and took a few ragged breaths, hoping to collect her thoughts enough to find a way to fix things. “You know what? If you’ll remember correctly, that day in the principal’s office, I said this contest would lead to no good between us. Remember?”
    “I guess that’s because you know yourself well enough to know you couldn’t handle the competition.” Brittany’s eyes grew cold.
    “That stung, Britt. I hope you don’t mean it. I hope this whole conversation is because of the pressure you’re feeling.”
    “According to you,
I’ve
got it easy.
You’re
the only one with pressure, Amber.”
    Amber stared at her best friend for a moment. What had gotten into her? “I’ve never seen you like this. I don’t know what to say. This really hurts my feelings.”
    “Now you know how it feels.”
    “Look, I said I was sorry. I said I made a mistake—had a judgment lapse. If you can’t forgive me or understand it, I can’t help you. But I’m not going to sit here and take this. You’re acting so cold. I don’t know where this is coming from.” Amber bit her lip. “Maybe you should drive me home.”
    “Probably a good idea.” Brittany stood up and dropped a few dollars on the table for a tip and headed for the door.
    Amber added two dollars and followed her out.
    The ride took about fifteen minutes, but in the silent car, it went on for ages.
    “We’ve never argued before. I don’t know how to do this with you.” Amber gazed out the window.
    “I’m sure we’ll get over it. I just need some time. I have to focus on my studies right now. It’s hard because I know in the back of my mind you don’t want me to win. It’s hard to know your best friend would prefer that you fail.”
    “What? I don’t want you to fail—I just happen to want to win. Same as you.”
    “No, that’s where you’re wrong. Not the same as me.” Brittany pulled into the driveway.
    “Not at all.” She stared straight ahead. “If you won, I would be just as happy to see you sit in that car as I would be if I won it myself. Not so with you. I don’t know how to deal with that. I’m sure I’ll figure it out, though.”
    Amber wondered if she