"At least I am doing it for someone I care about. Steph is not just a friend to me, she is a sister to me, and for her, I will do anything. I will protect her with my life, and the sooner you get that, the better it will be for our relationship."
Dylan broke into loud, sarcastic laughter.
"Will she do the same for you? God! She didn't even blink an eye before foolishly accepting Ivan's proposal and leaving you alone, yet she knew how scared you are of being alone," Dylan said in disgust.
"Okay, Mr. Know it All, what did you do? Didn't I ask you to move in with me, and you refused without second thoughts?" Amy asked in anger and heartache.
"I don't believe in cohabiting! This is about my beliefs and if you loved me enough, you would care about that," Dylan reiterated.
"Enough of this, you two! Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here? To you, Dylan, I will take a bullet for Amy. She is the sister I never had!" Steph said confidently, and Amy shut her eyes at that sentence. Tears rolled down her face freely, and without stopping herself, she swiftly moved to hug Steph tightly until it seemed she was squeezing the air from her.
"Wow! Wow! Wow! I didn't expect things to turn out this way though I must admit it seems a lot more fun. Did I hear you two calling each other sisters and claiming you will take bullets for each other?" Dylan asked sarcastically as Amy and Steph slowly moved out of each other's embrace.
"Yes, Dylan. Do you have a problem with that?" Steph asked in a challenging tone, and Dylan shook his head and stared at Amy, who was throwing daggers at him and challenging him to talk.
"Me? Never!" Dylan asked as he pointed at himself and shrugged. His voice was dismissive but beneath it one could hear the lie he was trying to hide.
"No, I'm very much okay. It's Amy who has a problem," Dylan answered.
Amy felt her heart race wildly and almost stop beating. Was Dylan really going to play dirty and let the cat out of the bag in front of Ms. Hill? No, she had to take charge immediately.
"Steph, dear," Amy said as she held Steph's hands in an assuring manner. "I know I haven't been a good friend these past few days, but that's because I was dealing with so much from home. I also know you had to move out because things are demanding your attention from home, and I'm so sorry for holding your exit against you. Please forgive me," Amy said in a polite tone, and Dylan couldn't believe it.
He hadn't known Amy could act, and he honestly didn't understand why it was so difficult for Amy to just tell Steph the truth about all her suspicions once and for all and forget it.
If everything turned out to be the truth, wouldn't it be better if Steph overcame her grief once and for all?
"I get it, Amy. Please don't be so hard on yourself," Steph said as she hugged Amy, an act that infuriated Dylan making him storm out of the room.
Amy hurriedly rushed out of the room after him.
"What is that you were about to do, Dylan?" Amy shouted, forcing Dylan to stop in his tracks.
He turned to look at Amy angrily, but Amy endured the hatred and anger in his eyes.
"I was looking out for you, Amy, just like I'm looking out for Steph. More than anything, she deserves to know the truth. Do you think she will forgive you if she finds out you knew about it all along?" Dylan asked as a matter of fact.
Amy inhaled and exhaled deeply and moved to hold Dylan's hands, but he took a step back.
"I'm sorry, Dylan, you don't understand how difficult this is for me. Plus, I'm just speculating. I still don't know the real truth. I'm just waiting to get to know what exactly happened 20 years ago before I can tell Steph the truth. Such things need facts and evidence which, unfortunately, I don't have," Amy responded in defeat, and Dylan shook his head in understanding, making Amy believe they were on the same page.
"You said you found the photo hidden deep inside your parents' drawer. You also said you think you have seen a photo of Steph alone in the same dress in Steph's house. Plus, you and Steph were wearing similar clothes! That's enough to join the dots, Amy!" Dylan almost shouted in anger.
Amy had always been one to understand things quickly, yet it seemed what Dylan was saying couldn't get past her skull.
"It's not enough because we are family friends, Dylan. Maybe our parents were hanging out together, then the photo was taken, or maybe…." Amy said and trailed off because she couldn't think of any excuse.