Perfect Now

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: This is AU and my first Degrassi fan fic, so let me know what you think pretty please.

"Emma, wake up!" Manny said, giving her friend a forceful shove as the alarm clock continued to ring. It was hopeless though, like her, Emma wasn't exactly in the land of the wakeful.

"Emma!" She repeated giving her friend another shove and turning the annoying alarm off.

"Uh…?" Emma groaned rolling over and burying her face in her pillow.

"Emma!" Manny grabbed her friend by the shoulder and shook her until Emma rolled over to look at her. "Peter is going to be here in an hour to pick us up for JT's graduation party."

"What!" Emma exclaimed, shooting out of bed like she'd been lying on pins and needles. Definitely faster than Manny had assumed to be humanly possible.

"I turned off the alarm clock by accident." Manny said apologetically as she watched her friend race around the room.

Emma didn't reply. She raced around her bedroom trying to get ready, realizing unfortunately, she had no choice but to omit the shower. If she went that route they would be ridiculously late.

Emma was still putting a few finishing touches on her outfit when she heard the screen door slam shut, and the sound of her boyfriend's voice conversing with her parents. Just a few minutes after that she heard a knock on her door.

"Come on down," Emma called out, tossing her curling iron into her vanity drawer.

"Emma you look…fantastic." Peter said giving her a kiss, lingering just ever so slightly on her lips.

"Manny, ready to go?" Emma called in the direction of the bathroom. Emma grabbed her purse and quickly rifled through it, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything.

"All set." Manny said coming out of the bathroom and looking absolutely gorgeous. "Hi Peter."

"Hey Manny," Peter said glad to see that she was in a good mood. He didn't like being around Manny when she was in a bad mood because she tended to take it out on him. Leftover aggression from the video incident, as Emma called it.

"Emma, Manny, breakfast?" Spike said stopping them before they could get out the door.

"Mom we have to go. We're going to be late." Emma complained. Emma hated how her mother would do this, it made her feel like a little kid.

"The party doesn't start for another half hour actually." Peter said. "And those pancakes look delicious Mrs. Simpson."

Emma sighed, she was fighting a losing battle and she knew it.

"Fine." She said. "But then we're leaving."

Spike mouthed the words 'thank you' to Peter once the girl's backs were to them. She had to admit, she hadn't been so sure about Peter at the start but he had impressed her more every day. Ever since last year, taking care of Emma the way he had…she really liked him, he was good for her.

"Chocolate chip," Peter said happily digging into his plate of pancakes. "My favorite."

"Mine too." Emma said with a smile.

Manny rolled her eyes. Those two could just be so sickeningly sweet sometimes she thought, but if it hadn't been for Peter she didn't know if Emma would have been as well as she was right now so she sucked up how much she disliked him and tried to forget about what he'd done to her.

"These are really great Mrs. Simpson." Peter said. "I wish my mom cooked like this…actually it would be nice if she cooked at all."

Everyone laughed, especially Manny and Emma as Peter's mom was notorious for not being particularly domestic.

"Well, I'm glad somebody likes it." Spike said pointedly looking at Emma who hadn't eaten much of her breakfast.

Emma guiltily took another bite, a big bite to appease her mother and was relieved when crying dragged her mother into the other room.

"Wow!" Emma said as they entered JT's backyard, a little surprised by what she saw.

"Yeah," Manny agreed surveying the area. "This is pretty awesome/"

"Hey guys," JT said when he caught sight of them towards the entrance. "Whatcha think?"

"It's awesome, really." Emma said. "Especially that dance floor."

"Its killer man." Peter said looking towards the stage in the back, and wondering how long it would be until his girlfriend dragged him onto the dance floor.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" JT said in his usual cocky manner. "When JT Yorke throws a party, he throws a party."

Satisfied with the laugh he got out of his friends JT excused himself to go talk to the caterers.

"Oh man," Emma said as she, Manny and Peter sat down at one of the tables. "I can't believe its over. I can't believe we're all done at Degrassi…I can't believe how much we've all changed, and grown up."

As soon as she said it though Emma felt as though she should eat her words as she saw a balloon, filled with who knows what, fall from the garage roof onto their hosts' head.

"Well…some of us." Manny said laughing as she pointed to Toby who was scurrying off of the roof. "Looks like Tobes finally did it. He pranked JT."

"Let's dance." Emma said later to her boyfriend as the band played one of her favorite songs.

"Emma…" Peter complained trying to stall he wasn't a dancer and making a fool out of himself was something he rarely did.

"Pretty please…?" Emma flashed him a smile, his weakness he loved her smile.

"Your clever alliterations have won me over." Peter said pulling her over to the dance floor.

Emma laughed and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed in sync with the music.

"You look gorgeous Emma." Peter said, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.

"Thank you." Emma said lifting her head off of his shoulder to give him a kiss. "You don't look half bad yourself."

"Well, I try." Peter said with a smile, before lowering his mouth to hers to deliver a tantalizing kiss.

Emma sighed happily, wondering if things could be any more perfect—yeah, Emma corrected herself, they could, your best friend could be happy. Manny was a little upset, Emma could see, that Craig hadn't been able to make it to the party but she was taking it pretty well.

"Hey Manny," Emma said once they got back to their table. "I can't believe you aren't their dancing…you're usually the first one out there."

"I know." Manny said after Peter excused himself to go and get drinks. "I just miss Craig. I know he said he probably wouldn't be able to make it but…"

Emma gave her friend a hug.

"Bright side," Emma said. "Just a couple more months and you'll be on the same campus as him."

As she said it she watched as Manny's face lit up, and she turned around to see what made Manny so excited—she knew it wasn't anything she said—and watched in stunned silence as Manny got up from the table and ran over to entrance where none other than Craig Manning was standing.