'I have to train tomorrow. Cleo said she would help me.' Emma quickly typed into her phone. 'We can meet up today or the day after tomorrow.'
She only had to wait a few seconds for the reply. 'Today asap.'
Emma smiled down at her phone. 'I'll be there soon.' she sent back. She waited a minute for a reply and realized she wasn't going to get one. She tucked her phone into her pocket and tried to think of an excuse she hadn't used before.
"Mum!" she called out into her house. "Mum?"
"Yes, Em?" Emma's mother answered from the kitchen.
"I'm going for a run. I'll be back by dinner." she invented on the spot. Her mum appeared from beneath the staircase with a smile and oven mitts on her hands. Her face fell when she saw her daughter.
"Oh, Emma, you have to stop training in your good clothes. You kick up sand when you run and they ruin all your shorts." she said, looking over Emma's outfit. She had on blue jean shorts, a sky blue tank top and flats. Her bikini was on underneath of her clothes.
"Um...I'm not really running, just jogging to the beach and then I might go for a swim. I promise I won't ruin anything. See you soon! Whatever you're making, it smells great."
"It's a new tofu recipe." she replied, momentarily distracted from Emma's excuse. "We're eating at six, be back by then."
"Okay." Emma readily agreed. That left a little more than an hour and a half to spend with him.
Once she was out of the house, Emma quickly sped up her pace. She was always so eager to see her boyfriend. It also felt weird to think of Zane Bennett as her boyfriend. They had known each other forever. She'd always thought of him as a jerk until recently, when he'd asked her to help him improve his swimming. They had started spending more time together and Zane let down his walls around her. She realized now that he was actually a really nice guy. The whole 'bad-boy' image was just that: an image.
About a month ago, Emma and Zane had kissed for the first time. After that, they started seeing each other outside of the pool. They were careful not to be caught together, meeting up on his boat or secret spots on the beach. Emma knew her friends would never understand that she genuinely liked (loved?) Zane, and he felt the same way about her.
Zane Bennett, she thought and shook her head. Who would believe of all people, it would be Zane who's my first...love?
Emma's body tingled in anticipation and apprehension at the same time. She loved being with Zane, she really did, but lately he'd been changing. They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret from the very beginning, but Zane had changed his mind. He wanted to be public, to hold hands on the sidewalks and go to the JuiceNet together. Emma wasn't ready to be judged like that. She didn't want to be another one of Zane Bennett's girlfriends. Because if their relationship went public, that's all she would be: Zane Bennett's girlfriend of the month.
On the other hand, part of her wanted to openly date Zane, too. She wanted to tell her friends about the sweet things he did for her. She wanted to change her relationship status on Facebook and yell out to the whole world, "We're in love!"
But she couldn't. Not with Zane. It was better kept a secret. Now, she just had to convince Zane of that.
The walk to the marina was pleasant. The sun was shining brightly, the water looked inviting, and she was off to see her boyfriend. So why was she shivering? Why did she feel like something was going to go wrong?
Emma ignored her gut instincts and kept going until she saw Zane's familiar red Zodiac tied up at the dock.
"Hey stranger!" she called to him, an inside joke. They had decided that the phrase meant, 'do you want to hang out?' rather than the friendly greeting it appeared to be. It was their secret way of asking if the other was free. If he replied, 'I haven't seen you in a while' it meant he would be busy, and if he asked what she'd been up to, he was free. It was kind of dumb, but Emma found that secrets made them bond.
"Hey!" he yelled back. "What're you up to right now?"
"Going for a swim, supposedly." Emma walked quickly up the dock and towards Zane. Their voices got quieter. "I have an hour and a half."
"Hop in." he told her softly with a huge grin. He shifted to make room for her on the small boat. Emma looked along the deserted marina before jumping in. She did it expertly, the boat only rocking slightly. Emma had done that many times before.
Unexpectedly, Zane handed her a paddle. Emma frowned. "We're rowing?"
"Yeah, someone stole my spark plug." he replied, his voice filled with annoyance. "I bet it was Nate, this would be his idea of a joke."
"Not a very funny one." Emma commented, dipping her oar into the water and pushing the boat along.
There was no noise but the lapping of the water as they rowed. They went far enough out to see so that no one from shore would be able to distinguish who was on the boat. Emma's shoulders were sore, but it was a relief to be alone with Zane. With him, she didn't have to be perfect, straight-A swim champ Emma Gilbert. She could just...be. No pressure involved.
Zane's lips found hers and they stayed together like that for a long, blissful moment. Sadly, that moment came to an end.
"Have you changed your mind at all?" Zane whispered.
"About what?"
"You aren't getting sick of this? All the secrecy?" Zane gestured around him. "The only place we can hang out is hundreds of meters from shore!"
"It's necessary." Emma argued softly. "You know it is. No one will understand..."
Zane took both of her hands in his. "We'll make them understand." he leaned in to kiss her again, but Emma pulled away.
"They won't and you know it. Your dad doesn't like me. My friends don't like you. Nothing that we say or do will change that." her voice rose slightly with passion.
Zane rolled his eyes. "Who cares?"
"I do! People will think I'm the new Miriam or something. That's not what I want. We agreed to keep us a secret, so why are you trying to go back on that?" Emma's cheeks were flushed. The air got colder, almost corresponding with their fight.
"You're really bringing up Miriam again? I told you, she doesn't mean anything to me." Zane said. But it wasn't her Zane speaking, it was the facade that he put on for the rest of the world. While Emma was sharing all of her concerns, Zane was putting his walls up. The walls she'd worked so hard to knock down.
"How long will it be before you stop caring about me, too?" her voice took on an icy edge.
"You want to know what I think this is about? You're ashamed of being with me. You care too much about what other people think. You're jealous of Miriam. And you were wrong for once in your life." his words were bitter and angry. Emma had a feeling that he'd been holding them in for a long, long time. "I'm not the bad guy here."
It was time for damage control. She'd never meant to start a fight. "None of that is true! I'm sorry, I just don't think we should go public yet."
But Zane obviously wasn't done fighting yet. He pulled away from her and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm done with being kept a secret. Either we tell everyone we're together, or we're done."
Emma flinched at his ultimatum. She answered instinctively, her stubbornness kicking in. Zane was right about one thing: she hated to be in the wrong. "Alright. Have it your way."
His mouth dropped open. Clearly he'd been expecting a different response, and Emma wasn't planning on giving it to him. Despite the fact that she was fully clothed, Emma dove off the side of the Zodiac. She swam quickly, years of swim practice having honed her muscles. Her mind, however, was overflowing with crazy thoughts. Should she give up control to her heart rather than her brain? Should she turn around and go back?
Tears started to mix with the ocean water. Emma never turned back. Perhaps if she had, her life would've turned out much differently.
Xxx
That night, Emma put on a mask. She appeared happy and cheerful to her family that night, and the next morning she invited her friend Cleo to help her train.
Zane wasn't quite as productive. He was out for revenge. And because he didn't see Emma, he focused his attention on the person closest to her: Cleo. He tricked Cleo onto his boat and pushed it out to sea, not knowing the consequences that would affect her, his former love, and his future love.
Zane fell hard for Rikki, eventually ruining his chances with her by kissing Sophie. Emma found love with Ash Dove, the riding instructor. But every time Zane got a little too close, Emma picked a fight with him. Every time she heard Zane say "hey, stranger" to her best friend, she felt a pang of longing for that summer.
Emma left for a trip around the world, hoping that when she returned the past would be firmly in the past. But old feelings die hard, especially first love. One day they could get back what they had. Maybe that day would be sooner than either of them imagined.
So there you have it! The possible beginning of a brand new story! :) I haven't decided yet whether or not I should make this a one-shot or a story...if a lot of people are interested in seeing this expanded, then I will continue it! My inspiration for this story is just plain old young love, and the fact that I really like Emma and Zane together. The title comes from an episode of Gossip Girl entitled 'The Wrong Goodbye'. A chapter two would push the story forward to after season 3, when Emma returns from her trip and Rikki and Zane are broken up. So if you'd like to see chapter two, let me know what you think! xx