Takes place starting with "Mercy Street," although I changed the episode slightly (only very, very slightly). If I owned Degrassi, this would be how things would go, but I don't – so don't sue me.
I felt a moment of regret after tripping Rick. I was not the type who was mean normally, but Alex made me so mad! Tearing up the check in the hall, suggesting Rick had a crush on me in front of everyone at the Dot. I couldn't help but wince as I tripped Rick and turned to see him looking up at me. 'I'm sorry,' I wanted to say, but I didn't, scared to go back to being alone. That's what unpopularity was, as I learned last year, without Sean, without Manny, without Craig, with my parents busy with chemo and Jack, with JT busy trying to get Manny, with Liberty busy with her boyfriend, with Chris not understanding.
He looked confused, which was soon replaced by anger. I felt myself flinch, despite the crowded restaurant. I knew what Rick was capable of and that look frightened me.
Before Rick could approach come near me however, Jay stepped in. "That's it," he said angrily. "It's on!" Jay pushed Rick out the door in front of him.
I felt a momentary pang of relief, Jay my night in shining armor, before my senses kicked in. Forgetting my earlier fear in the heat of the moment, I got up, my dislike of violence overshadowing everything else.
"Let him go!" I heard my voice shouting following everyone outside.
"You started this, Cause Girl," Alex retorted.
"What are you going to do? Hurt me?" Rick asked Jay.
I watched horrified as Jay removed Rick's glasses. Don't want a repeat of that whole Sean-Jimmy thing, but what do I do? "Number 1, violence is never the answer." He punctuated his sentence with a punch to Rick's mid-section. "Number 2, we don't care." He gestured to the crowd behind him as he removed Rick's glasses from his own nose and deliberately, slowly stepped on them.
I was stunned. Alex was right, I had started this with the stupid ribbon campaign, it was all my fault, but I had thought Rick would go somewhere else. Why didn't he want to start over, somewhere new?
I snapped back to reality in time to see Alex step towards Rick. I may have started this which made it up to me to stop it. I grabbed Alex's forearm putting myself between Alex and Rick.
"Ribbon campaign's over, Emma!" Alex sneered at me.
I pushed Alex away as hard as I can. "So is this!"
Alex glared at me, then over her shoulder at Rick. When she returned her gaze to mine, I could have sworn something else, was it victory? flash across her face as she left.
Jay stared at me in disbelief before his glare intensified. I took a step back, afraid of that look too, before realizing he was looking over my shoulder where Rick was getting to his feet. As I moved, Jay looked at me again and a hurt look replaced the anger, so quickly I wasn't entirely sure it was there right before Jay's face returned to its typical cocky expression as he followed the others.
I started to follow him, looking back at Rick for a quick glance. 'Well, Emma,' I said to myself, 'you've made quite the mess of things.'