A weary sigh escaped the lips of the very much exhausted Emma Nelson. After 2 long hours of unpacking, she could finally wind down and rest. Collapsing on her bed, Emma stared at the old picture that adorned her bedside table. It was a photograph of her, her mother and her father when she was about 5. She took it into her hands and recalled the day it was taken as if it was just last week.
"Now, be good, sweetheart. Today's your first day and you want to make sure you're extra nice to everybody so you'll make a lot of friends. I'm sure you'll have a great time." Christine Nelson comforted, giving her daughter a teary hug.
"Oh, please, Christine, she's only starting kindergarten." Her father, Shane McKay gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and rested a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "Don't you worry about a thing. Everyone is going to love you and we'll be picking you up right after school in this very spot."
The small blonde girl smiled up at them, putting on her Barbie backpack with the assistance of her mother.
"Wait, honey, just one picture." Christine held the camera up and snapped the picture of the three of their heads.
The little legs of the girl scurried towards the playground where all of her new classmates were playing. She scanned the crowds of kids and decided to make her way to the jungle gym. When she got there, 3 boys were hanging upside down and 2 girls sitting below them.
"Hi, I'm Emma." She introduced herself.
The dark-haired girl smiled at her, "I'm Manny and this is Paige. I like your braid, it's pretty."
The boys from above waved, the brown-haired one taking initiative, "That's Craig, that's Gavin and I'm Sean. My brother, Jay, isn't here today 'cause he's sick. He should be back tomorrow." He climbed down.
Emma smiled at all of her new friends, "I can't wait."
"Emma! Dinner's ready! Are you going to have a plate?" bellowed the deep voice of her Uncle Ben.
Emma blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, "I ate already, Uncle Ben, thanks. I think I'm just going to go to sleep early. I've got a big day tomorrow." She shouted up through the bottom floor of the house that was once hers.
The gruff voice of her Uncle made its way down, accompanied by her Aunt's, "Goodnight. We'll see you in the morning!"
The girl stood up and threw on a hooded sweatshirt. She quickly slid her feet into her jogging shoes and climbed out of her window and into the night.
What, at first, was a fast-paced walk now became a steady jog down the street that had become a stranger to her. Her legs relentlessly continued down the next couple of blocks until she stopped in front of an old bark tree that stood taller than the school building it rested next to. She sat on the soft dirt it lay on and took a breath.
"Come on, you guys. You are going to get in soooo much trouble." Manny pointed, shaking her head at the four boys that hid behind the bushes.
"You come on, Miss Proper. Don't be such sour sports," retaliated the boy in the black baseball cap.
Nine year-old Emma crossed her arms, along with her friend Paige, "Jay, don't be rude to us just because we care if you guys get suspended. It's a lot more boring when you aren't around to amuse us."
"Amuse, that's a smart word, angel." The light brown-haired boy mocked, passing something to the third boy. "Where do you think she learned that one, Craig?"
"Hey, Gav, cut it out. She's not trying to be mean." Spoke up the last boy in the grey hoodie.
Craig hid a snicker, "And 'amuse' was in our vocabulary homework from last night. You'd know that if you had done it, stupid."
"Shhh…Mr. Kravitz is coming!" Gavin whispered, cueing the girls to walk on the other side of the tree so as to not appear involved.
All at once, the boys rose with plastic masks pulled over their faces; they flung two water balloons each at the principal who had assigned them detention for writing on the desks (a crime they hadn't recently committed).
As soon as the objects left their hands, their bodies traveled at remarkable speeds through the school to destroy any evidence of the being the culprits. The girls waited to be in the clear before collapsing into fits of giggles, "That was too good."
Emma jump-started on her feet at the sensation of brisk water colliding with her body. She moved onto the sidewalk to avoid the water being forced out of the timed sprinklers. The flow of the water slipped between the cracks and down the edge of the sidewalk. In a mindless gaze, she became in a quick step beside the water; her mind as open as the street in front of her.
She followed the trail around the curb and stopped in front of a restaurant she wasn't familiar with. She reached into her hoodie pocket and felt a couple bills, so she decided to take a look.
Emma stepped into the cozy little stop, immediately sitting in the corner stool. It didn't take long before a brown-haired guy appeared beside her with a notepad.
"Welcome to the Dot where we're not happy 'til you're happy. My name is Gavin, how can I help you?" the dull-toned voice of the teenager carried out.
Emma couldn't stop staring at the familiar boy's face, "Uh, hi. Can I just get a hot chocolate? I could use something to warm me up before I've got to head home."
"No problem. If you want, I can get it for you in a Styrofoam cup so you can just get up and go when you're ready." He offered. At her nod, he turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.
Her eyes wandered around the homey dining area, smiling whole heartedly at the couples relaxing on the couch at the back wall. There was a small cough to the left of her that cut into her thoughts.
"Here's your hot chocolate." The server placed the cup on the table. He smiled up at her, but her eyes focused on the cursive letters that were inscribed on his wrist; they read loyalty. They evoked a deep-rooted memory.
" 'Intrigue'. I-n-t-r-i-g-u-e." The confident voice of Emma Nelson spelled.
"Well done, Emma. Peter, your word is 'deniable'." The teacher checked off the list.
The entire class turned to the boy standing next to the determined girl; most rooting for her. He shuffled on his feet and thought for a second, " 'Deniable'. D-e-n-i-a-b-a-l." He finally let out, looking at the teacher for her answer.
"I'm sorry Peter, that is incorrect. Emma, you're going to go to the school-wide spelling-bee."
Paige and Manny ran to their friend, jumping up and down. Gavin, Craig, Jay and Sean clapped with the rest of the class, but were interrupted by the deep voice of their principal.
"Emma, please come with me." Silence dispersed throughout the room as Emma took those few steps towards the man. "You 6 need to come as well." He motioned to her friends.
Together, they walked down to the office and stood in the cramped space. "Emma, I'm afraid we have some bad news. Your parents were in a car accident. They were driving home when a man ran a red light and hit them dead on…they died instantly."
He paused as the group embraced the crying girl, "Your Aunt Stacy and your Uncle Ben are on their way here from California. They're taking the first flight tomorrow morning. Miss Santos, do you think she could stay the night with you until then?" The tearful girl nodded her head, "I'll give your parents a call. Emma, I'm sorry for your loss." He stepped out of the room, giving them a moment to themselves.
"Oh, Em, I'm so sorry." Paige cried, gathering the girl's hair in a ponytail.
Emma wiped her tears and tried to catch her breath, "what am I going to do, you guys. I lost my mom and dad and now I'm going to lose you! They're going to make me move with my aunt and I don't want to. What am I supposed to do without all of you." She buried her head in the crook of Sean's neck.
The end of the school year came in what felt like weeks, and in no time Emma was packed up and was ready to move to the states. Her friends had met in front of her house just as she was about to leave. They stood in silence and took turns hugging her. Sean pulled back with a kiss on her cheek and held her hand, instructing everyone else to hold hands. He wasn't a guy of prayer, but he needed to believe that something would keep her safe. His head bowed down and the rest seemed to follow: "We lost people very close to us and there's not a doubt that we'll be losing sight of each other now. Even though we'll have states and borders between us, we'll never be far from each other with our loyalty and faith. Keep our angel safe, Amen."
They drew closer and echoed, "Amen."
Emma took a sip of her hot chocolate, welcoming the warm, soothing feeling of the liquid easing down her throat. She looked at the clock suspended on the wall and stood. It was almost 11 and she needed to get a good night's sleep for her first day of school tomorrow.
Dressed in a white halter top, low-rise jeans and black heels, Emma made her way in through the doors of Degrassi Community School. She stalled when she saw everyone's eyes fixate on her before she turned towards the direction of the office with a smile.
"Well Emma, I think that's it. It's great to have you at Degrassi. Now, you should go. Your homeroom starts in a few minutes." Mrs. Hatzilakos shook her hand.
Emma thanked her as she walked out of the office and into the crowded halls. She started a slow pace through the hallway, looking at the students that surrounded her on the way. There was the group of cheerleaders, a few people dressed in baggy pants and huge hoodies, and a couple loners here and there. She stopped in front of the water fountain beside her classroom door. A guy in black dickie pants and a grey hooded sweatshirt with his sleeves pulled up was drinking in front of her.
He stood straight and almost backed into her, "Sorry." He put his arm on the side of the fountain for balance before walking around her and into the classroom across the hall from hers.
Emma bent down to get a drink of water, 'he has the same tattoo as the waiter at that restaurant from last night…' She turned around and walked into her class just as the bell rang.
"Alright class. It's a new year and it's your last year. Congratulations you made it this far. First and foremost, I would like to go over the rules: there's no talking when I'm talking. I don't care if you talk while you're working, but don't interrupt me. Respect me and I will respect you. Any questions? Good, now here is a list of books you are suggested to read so while I take roll, take a look at them." He turned in his desk and proceeded to work with his computer.
All at once, everyone began to talk with the people beside or next to them. Emma looked around the room once and jumped when she saw a blonde boy sit at her side.
"Hi." She greeted.
The boy smiled at her cluelessness, "I'm Peter Stone… You don't remember me?"
Emma tilted her head to the side, trying to remember where she recognized him from. "Oh my God, Peter! From the 6th grade. I remember I beat you to the-"
"-Spelling Bee." He finished for her. "As if I could forget the face that smashed on me in front of the whole class." He laughed.
Emma chuckled, "Come on now. You took my place when I had to move. It wasn't that bad."
He nodded, "Yeah, you're right. So how've you been? It's been a while."
She sighed, "Yeah it has. Things have been okay. I just felt like I needed to be back where I belong; especially for my graduation. I need it to be where I spent most of my life." She took in a big breath, the overwhelmingly warm feeling that overcame her rippling through her body.
"Alright, give me your attention please. Today is a pretty laidback day so I'm just going to give you this survey about yourselves to take home with you and bring back tomorrow. Can I get a volunteer to pass these out?" No one raised their hands. "You in the white top, do you mind?" He held up the sheets.
Emma rolled her eyes as she stood and took them. She swept up the rows, taking her time around the organized room. Her eyes scanned the students and paid extra attention to the students that weren't passing notes, texting or listening to music. She passed a guy that was engaged in a well-detailed drawing of a girl clad in a bra and shorts reclining on the couch. To the back was a girl with her hand on the thigh of the guy beside her and laughed to herself, 'It's a wonder why adults call us sex-mongrels.'
Her eyes stopped at the cursive inscription on the inside of yet another wrist that lay on a girl in a cute wool sweater. "I like your sweater, it's cute."
The girl looked up and smiled, her brown hair bobbing in curls. They held eyes for a few seconds before Emma took a step forward and finished passing out the papers. 'Faith…' she thought to herself, her thoughts lingering over her tattoo.
Emma stretched out of her seat just as the lunch bell rang; her top revealing her sparkling belly ring. She hid her blush at the whistles she got walking out of the classroom.
"Hey, hold on."
She turned to the kind sounding voice of a tall, strong built guy in a black flattop cap. As all the students rushed out of the front door, the boy advanced towards her.
"I don't think I've seen you at Degrassi before." He stated in a curious tone.
Emma smiled and looked him over. 'So cute. And a bad boy, it seems. He could be fun…" "You haven't. I'm new."
"That's cool. That's real cool…" He trailed off, "Uh, listen, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You're hot and although I've got a girlfriend, I've also got a friend that would love to get to know you. If you're interested, there's a party tonight at the park besides the school. You'll hear all the music. The best way to start off the school year is with a good party and you'll find nothing less there." He gave her a cheeky grin, "Hopefully I'll see you there."
She blinked at his casual forwardness, but shrugged it off as she made her way towards her next class. 'Maybe this won't be such a bad day…'
The rest of her day was uneventful; other than noticing one other girl with 'faith' tattooed on her wrist and a guy with loyalty on his. She spent her lunch in the library with Peter who knew hardly anything about what she was talking about.
Now she was looking through her closet for what to wear for the party. She went from a mini skirt and a spaghetti strap shirt to booty shorts and a tube top to finally a mini skirt and a red belly top. Applying her makeup and hoop earrings, she hopped through her window and made her way towards the park.
She was feeling a little nervous about whether or not she could trust those that were there, but agreed that she needed to unwind. 'That guy was right… the best way to start off the school year is with a party.'
It was nearly 10pm when she arrived and there had to be at least 30 people at the far end of the park; they almost all had a beer in hand. Grabbing one herself, she made her way to the middle of the dancing crowd and began to grind to the beat of "Low" by Flo Rida.
She felt someone rest their hands on her hips and move with her, enjoying the carefree environment she was in. After a few more beers, the rhythm of the fast-paced music drove her over the edge and with all control put aside, she let herself free. Her arms flailed above her head, her body dropped to the ground and twisted its way back into the arms of the stranger she continued to dance with.
"What's your name?" the voice whispered into her ear huskily.
"Emma." She replied, turning to face him.
The look of pure shock held his face as his ceased to move. She tilted her head to try to see what the problem was and vaguely remembered him from school. Her eyes shot down to his wrist where, nevertheless, 'loyalty' was engraved.
He took her hand and dragged her out of the crowd and towards a dim lit fire where less noise followed them, "Emma, what's your last name?" He placed a hand on her shoulder with a sudden serious expression.
"…Nelson. Why, what's wrong?" She furrowed her eyebrows at the ridiculous claim this boy was trying to bring up. 'Sure, she thought, he looks a little familiar but why was he making such a big deal?' Her questions were soon answered when he signaled the very five people she recalled with the corresponding tattoos. It suddenly all made sense now.
"Craig!" she screamed, jumping on the boy she was previously dancing provocatively with. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, laughing as he bounced over to his friends.
"Craig, I think we could've all done without seeing you and your little… 'friend's' show." A blonde sneered, getting ready to turn.
Craig only laughed louder, letting Emma go, "Do you guys know who this is?" At their blank looks his grin grew.
Emma took a minute to look over the faces of those that stood before her now; the same faces that stood before her nearly 7 years ago. Manny had beautiful dark hair that reached below her shoulders with a smile as bright as the sun. Beside her, she recognized Jay as the guy that had invited her to the party. He still wore a black cap just as he did when they were kids, but his body had definitely matured. On the other side of Manny was the blonde that had expressed her attitude. Paige looked just like she imagined she would when she grew up; dressed in classy boots, a denim skirt and a fashionable top, she rocked her outfit. Then there was the boy that was intensely looking her over. He was the guy at the drinking fountain earlier that morning and although he had changed into grey dickies, his grey hoodie remained. There was no doubt in her mind who it was.
"Sean…" she stepped forward, cautiously raising her arms and wrapping them around his neck. "Sean, it's me, Emma."
Without another word, his arms instantly wound around her waist, holding her to his body. Warmth and comfort blanketed their bodies, reminiscing in soothing peace. "Angel…" he spoke softly.
"Come on, Angel, we're going to miss it if you don't hurry up!" Sean tugged on her hand as they scurried down the street.
"You still haven't told me where we're going, Seany." She scrambled to keep up with him.
He had shown up at her house at nearly 5:30 in the morning and snuck her out. It had been a straight up interrogation up to this point.
"We're almost there, Angel, just hold on a little longer." He turned the corner and they upped the small hill of grass that lead to the entrance of the park. His hand tightened on hers as they stood there catching their breath. The glow of the golden sphere rose from behind the trees; its flame blushed pink with the contrast of the sky. Wind blew all around them, forcing them closer to one another. Wordlessly, they hugged, keeping their gaze on the openness that surrounded them.
"Thank you." She murmured into this hoodie, holding back the tears that well in her eyes. "I'm really going to miss you."
"It won't be too long before we're all together again. Don't worry about it now. Today's your last day here." He kissed the top of her head and gave her another squeeze.
"Uhhh-humph!" coughed the pushy blonde. "Not that I don't feel the joy, Sean, but we've known her just as long as you and we all want a turn." She snapped, rushing into the girl's arms as soon as she was free. "Oh honey, it's a miracle you survived the changes in fashion without me. I barely managed to save Manny from a few near-disasters." Paige stepped back and allowed the said girl to step in and squeeze their long-lost friend.
"Angel! It's been too long!" she cried, dancing in a small circle. "I missed you sooo much. I have so much to tell you! Ya' know what? Last week I got-really-drunk-at-Jay's- house-and-the-craziest-thing-happened-" she was cut off by Jay, how coughed loudly.
"Ya' know what, it doesn't matter. It was the same old shit-she got mad, slapped me and we watched a movie." He quickly blurted out.
"Don't you 'member, Jay? We played 'Rough 'n T-", her words were mumbled underneath her hand before she gagged. They watched her bend over and begin to hurl; they quickly turned away.
"I should go help her out. It's great to have you back, angel. I'm going to take her home so I'll see you guys tomorrow." Jay gave her a firm hug and kissed the top of her head before scurrying to the highly intoxicated girl.
"It really is good to have you back, Em. Sorry about the whole…ya' know. Hitting on you thing…" Craig scratched the back of his head, embarrassed to have passed a move on his figurative sister.
Emma laughed and gave him a quick hug, "All we did was dance, Craig. So, we definitely need to catch up." She announced, addressing everyone. "No better way to start than a party, right." She turned to a nearby ice chest and handed down cans of beers to her remaining friends. She opened her can and held it in the air, "To friends." Her smile was reflected by the rejoiced circle who took sips of their drinks. The night was thiers.