A/N: Alright, here we go. Sick Inside Part Deux. I know it has been so long. This semester has been crazy, and I'm so thankful that it's Winter Break and I have an entire month to sit here, read fanfic, celebrate the holidays, and write like there's no tomorrow. I really hope you guys like this. It's only the Prolouge. It can be read as if it isn't a sequel to something, also. I already have many chapter typed up and ready to post and many more chapters that I have handwritten that I wrote in Psych when I should have been listening. Writing seemed more important at the time though, and this story won't leave me head. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!

--

Finding You in a Crowded Hallway

Emma Nelson tossed in her bed, sweat pooling on her forehead, her eyebrows knit closely together as she grimaced in her sleep. It was one of those running dreams, again. She's running down the endless hallways of Degrassi High School, all her peers pointing and laughing at her.

She doesn't understand why at first. She feels tears start to flood her eyes as she tries to run past all of them, trying to get away. But she can't. She's screaming now, asking them why they were laughing at her, when Manny is suddenly by her side, smiling.

"Hey, babe," she says, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her soundly on the lips in front of the entire school. Emma pushes away from her roughly, ignoring the hurt look on Manny's face. She hears someone call her a lesbo in the background, but she can't tell who it is.

"What's wrong?" Manny asks, giving her a confused look. "Emma?"

"Make them stop," she breathes, her voice hoarse. She closes her eyes, shutting them tightly, the pressure in her chest mounting. She feels as if she's going to break, like one of those porcelian dolls. She'd felt fragile before, especially when she was in the hospital, but it was never like this. It was as if all those people could crush her at any moment without caring.

--

"Emma!"

Her eyes widened, the bluriness fading until she could see Manny's concerned expression above her. Lifting herself into a sitting position, she rubbed the sweat off her forehead, breathing heavily. Her stomach was growling at her angrily.

The worst part about recovery was getting use to the hunger signals again. They made her feel out of control at times. It was like, as soon as she started eating again somewhat normally, her body jumped into overdrive until she felt even more hungry than she did while she were restricting.

"You okay?" Manny asked while reaching over to the bedside table, grabbing the glass of water that was there and handing it to her friend.

Emma nodded. "Thanks," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "What time is it?"

"Three AM."

"Shit."

Manny laughed, resuming her spot in the middle of the bed, her legs crossed underneath her.

Emma finished her water and handed it back to Manny, who set it back down on the table. This was how it normally was these days, well, if Manny was awake this early in the morning. Emma smiled at the thought. Manny was normally asleep and snoring.

"How long have you been awake?"

"I haven't slept yet," she said, looking down at her hands.

Emma raised an eyebrow, concerned. "You haven't? Why?"

"Just thinking about tomorrow." She gave a small smile. "I'm nervous."

"Since when has Manny Santos ever been nervous for the first day of school?" Emma asked, laughing. It was almost as if the entire nightmare had been pushed to the back of her mind.

"Since we," she pointed back and forth between herself and Emma, "became... something more than friends."

Emma sobered instantly, pressing her lips together. "Oh."

"Yeah," Manny said awkwardly. If anyone ever said a relationship was easy, boy, were they wrong. "So, we are, you know, more than friends, right?"

"Manny," Emma said, pouting. "I thought we already talked about all this."

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it. I said I didn't want to label it before, but I do. It's driving me crazy. I don't know even know if this is real or not." She frowned.

"Give me your hand."

"What?" Manny looked up at the request, confused. "Why?"

"Please?" Emma said, giving a small smile. Manny sighed and gave in, knowing she couldn't argue. "I promise it's nothing bad."

Manny raised an eyebrow as Emma intertwined her fingers with hers, leaning down to press her lips against the palm of her hand.

"Em, what are you-"

She stopped as Emma's mouth traveled upward along her forearm, her lips caressing the sensitive skin there. Her heart began to beat like it always did when she was around her, quickly. Emma looked up for a moment, smiling. Then, she pressed a kiss against her shoulder, and Manny suddenly felt overheated. She was driving her crazy.

"Does that answer your question?" Emma asked, grinning up at her.

"Does that mean you're my girlfriend?" Manny retorted back, raising an eyebrow, her veins still pulsing under her skin. She could still feel Emma's lips there. It was a feeling that was engrained in her mind, never to be forgotten. She didn't think she could forget it even if she tried.

Emma bit her lip, her eyes wide. Manny had never said that word out loud before. They both had never been brave enough.

"Yes," Emma breathed, closing her eyes as she moved in closer, feeling Manny's breath against her cheek.

Manny's heart skipped for a second, and before she knew what she was doing, she had pressed her lips against Emma's forcefully, pushing her backwards onto the bed. She could hear Emma laugh from underneath her, her voice muffled as they continued to move backwards until Manny straddled her, their lips moving together quickly, passionately.

As the night continued on, both the dream and the nervousness over the next day were completely forgotten as Manny's lips continued down Emma's body, caressing her, making her feel like every nerve in her body was on fire.