Chapter Two; The Webs We Weave
Disclaimer; Yet again - Bree and Bri do not own any of Degrassi's characters except for Ms. Skye. Nor do we own The Webs We Weave by Escape the Fate.
Thanks to; DaniCaliforniaML, FindMeBroken, TammyWammy,
and to Xo Junior's Cinderella oX - You'll just have to keep reading to find out. ;)
-x-
Emma Nelson found herself three weeks after the party washing dishes with only three days left until judgment day, her daughter was going to be attending the school that made her dreams as well as her nightmares. She was calmly letting the water run, as her constantly looked back to see if Skye was working on the summer reading she put off until days before, three to be exact, "Skye. . I meant it. Don't leave that spot until it's done."
But Mom... it's so boring!" Skye sighed and laid down on the couch, continuing to read.
"If it were mine it'd would've been done in July. . " She trailed off.
"That's because you're like perfect, mommy." Skye smiled, sucking up to her mom. Just then Jay walked in; he had been in the other room watching the football game with Sean. Jay opened the fridge door like it was his own house and grabbed a soda.
Emma turned her head around and shut off the water, and walked over to Jay snatching the soda right out of his hand, "Hey you, that's mine!" Emma sounded like a menacing child and Skye was all too used to her mother's silly goose antics when it came to her mom and Jay. It seemed like the three to her, were the best of friends in high school and Skye was so wrong.
"Please, Em, you don't even like soda." He smirked. He heard Sean holler and whoop in the living room, he turned slightly to Skye "Hey Skye, wanna go see what happened in the game?"
Skye smirked with anything to get out of the summer reading assignment. Emma didn't even care that Jay just let Skye leave. Emma just laughed and checked to see if Skye had disappeared into the living room yet and then put her hand on Jay's shoulder, "As a matter of fact I do. . like soda - yes." The cold soda remained in her left hand.
"Oh really?" He rested his hand on her waist, enjoying the closeness of Emma. The dangerousness of her being near sent shivers up his spine and he loved it. He wished he could kiss her, that she fell asleep in his arms every night, rather than Sean. But all they had together was one night and a dangerous secret.
She bit her lip holding back a lot, and gave nothing but a nod. She knew she had wishes that she never said I do but what else was there for her to do, it left her little choice. She just gazed at Jay, he was closer to her than he had ever been and she did like it. In silence they stood, but nothing else the risk of Sean or even Skye walking in was abundant.
Emma leaned up and whispered after moments of silence "You can have it." She smirked, putting the soda in his free hand and slowly backed away.
"Wanna know a secret?" Jay snickered, "It wasn't for me."
Emma tilted her head and gave Jay a confused look, "It's for Sean?"
He nodded with a Cheshire cat smile on his face as he began on his way out.
As Skye re-entered the room, with a light smile, she told him "Jay, the other team fumbled." In silence Emma turned around feeling so mortified as she turned on the water and stared off into the nothingness, Skye obeyed her mom and started back on her book report. More and more minutes passed by as the water slowly began to fall upon the floor.
Skye watched as the water fell but said nothing; she turned again and continued to read her book. Skye sighed when the girl and the boy, forever forbidden to be together, kissed secretly. Somehow this scene felt all too familiar to Skye, like she's seen it in a movie or read it before, but something told her it wasn't in a movie or a book. .
Emma continued her constant thoughts as the water slowly pulled a glass forward to shatter onto the floor causing Emma to shriek flashing her back into reality. "Skye. . "
Skye jumped up, going to get something to clean up the mess. She brought it back to her mom. "Here ya go, Mom."
She took it smiling sheepishly, "I'm such a ditz." as she knelt down to grab the shards of glass, "I'll just mop this again. . and Skye don't go near the sink."
Skye went and got a trash can for Emma to put the glass in, "It's okay, everyone makes mistakes." She smiled a bit.
"Understatement." She told her.
Skye looked at her, confused, "What do you mean?"
"Like them shoes I wore to Paige's daughter's party, the one at the really exclusive spa I so wore the wrong shoes."
"That's not what I meant, Mom."
"Then nothing, never mind. Forget what I said."
Skye nodded then went back to her reading, "If I read 20 more pages can I go play?"
"If you promise to do it as soon as you get home. . no instant messages, no emails straight back to reading." Emma told Skye sternly.
Skye nodded and speedily read her book. After a half and hour Emma had gone into the living room and Skye finished reading. She ran out to the back and went on the huge jungle gym that Jay and Sean had built for her.
Meanwhile Jay felt awkward discomfort as Emma sat on the couch on the nearest side to Sean, leaving Jay third wheeling as usual in the corner of the long curved couch still watching the game.
"Does anyone want anything?" Emma asked, glancing over to the awkward Jay.
"Maybe you should watch the game for once instead of worrying about everything." Sean reassured her that they're all fine. "And Skye'll get her report done, you don't need to worry. . "
"Skye's out playing, she read the amount she had to read today." Emma once again looked at Jay "You positive you don't want anything. Maybe another. . soda?"
Jay made a face as if she was proposing something he didn't understand, "Eh, I guess."
Emma hopped up "I'll get it." She smiled and headed for the kitchen. She honestly hated football, although she'd never tell Sean that. She stood in the kitchen for a while, hoping to not have to see anymore football.
Jay took Emma's seat that had a better view of the game.
Sean sighed, "They're so not going to win, Jay."
Jay frowned, "They'll be out of the playoffs if they don't. So they better get their shit together."
"Yeah in a minute. . like that'll ever happen."
"Well, they should try."
"Well I know that Ben Collins is a lazy bum who makes excuses as to why he can't get his shit together . . Every effing game he's friggin benched they should trade him."
Just then the team got a touch down, "See man, they know that if they don't win we'll kick their asses."
"Yes!" Sean yelled as the game ended with all the loud sounds amplifying the room with the television and the enthused announcers commented in the glory.
Emma came back in the room, "They won?" She asked in amazement.
"Yes!" Sean exclaimed more thrilled then ever. In all his thrill he managed to get up off the couch, and run into the kitchen, "I gotta call Trac!" He absentmindedly left Emma and Jay in the same room.
Emma rolled her eyes "I swear that boy needs football rehab." She sat down next to Jay.
"My lucky day, this is the second time I've had the pleasure being alone with Miss Nelson." He commented on the days events, "he honestly does, I mean don't get me wrong I like it but I wont go and marry the game."
She laughed, "If he wasn't married to me who knows what he'd be doing." She looked at him smiling, "And it is your pleasure because if I know Sean, and I do, he'll be on the phone with his brother for at least an hour."
"I bet he'll be on for two, especially when it comes to football - Track don't have television he's gotta explain every detail."
"Every detail down to the player's numbers." She agreed.
"You do know him better than me, you're good."
"Well, I'm married to him so I do hope I know him well." Every time she says 'married to him' or something like that she cringes slightly, like even after all this time she still doesn't believe it or she doesn't like it.
"Oh it sounds like a bad thing?"
She shrugged, "Can you keep a secret?"
"I've got too many, sure."
"It still scares me to think I'm married to him." She told him.
"Still have cold feet, how many years later?"
"Eleven years." She informed him.
"Wow. . it's been eleven years "
"Time goes by too fast."
"For me it's the opposite - too slow."
"I'm going through this mid life crisis - everyone in my life is with someone everyone's lives are planned out and they're happy with where it's at and where it's going to go - half my friends have kids - heck, Alex and Paige adopted a girl."
"Well, I never said I was completely happy with my life. There's a lot of things that I've wanted to do and never get to, because I have Skye. In my opinion you're privileged to not have to worry about your daughters well being. I can't do the things I want because I have to make sure I take care of Skye, save money for her. ."
"Do you ever ask yourself stuff about. . the last time you got cold feet?"
"All the time. ."
"I apologize. . " Even if he didn't, he wanted to be around her that night, he didn't expect things to go the way they did but he still thinks about it constantly and he constantly wondered what if she left Sean at the altar - but he knew it was only wishful thinking, they've been married for so long, and given the fact Seam's best friend is Jay the last thing he wants is to loose his best friend again. It was then he had to come to grips with harsh reality - he can't change it or shake it so he hasn't really much a choice, or does he?
"You don't have to apologize, it wasn't your fault." She looked over at him and sighed. She had cold feet and she knew he would make her feel better, and well they did more than just that. They both know it was a mistake but some how it was something they both would never take back or change, as unfortunate as it was, it was perfect. Perfect in it's own dirty lying way.
"I still feel like shit, doing that to Sean again - keepin' something behind his back like that."
"And you'd feel better if you told him? Ha." She laughed sarcastically, "There's nothing you can do to change it now."
"Rather not tell him."
"Good. I like it as our little secret." She paused, thinking. "But Jay. . do you ever think about. . what if Skye is actually. . yours?"
"Every day."
"And. . . what if she was?"
"I don't know. . se already thinks Sean's her father. . can you imagine trying to tell her he might not be."
"I know. But I'm talking about you, what would you do if she was yours?"
"There's not much I can do given she'd never speak to me again probably."
"Please, she loves you. It's Sean that would never speak to you." She glanced at him, "But would you be happy?"
"Yeah, it'd definitely clear a lot of air but at the same time it would be a blessing in disguise. . even if she does still talk to me - you'd be trying your best trying to work out things with Sean."
She sighed at a loss for words. Truthfully she didn't know if she would work things out with Sean, maybe she wasn't meant to be with him. After seventeen years she still finds herself questioning him, even more so in these past eleven. But Jay. . Jay fascinated her, the way he always made her laugh and smile even when she was at her worst. Sean just brought out the worst in Emma.
He looked at Emma with sympathy, "Re-remember when we uh got in that fight backstage on opening night? I told you I knew the real you - when really I didn't know but I know who you are now isn't you. Does it make sense, sue me if it doesn't."
"That makes no sense." She laughed lightly.
"Well let's just leave it at that, you don't make sense. You're acting like your secure when you aren't, if you don't like the direction your life is going do something about it like Sean told me you used to."
She shrugged, "There isn't much I can do now."
"Sure there is. . . I just don't know what. You're smart; you usually come up with smart stuff. . "
"I've had my share of stupid things too. ."
"You walk around egg shells when you're with, Sean. I remember you told me you hated when people treated you different - you treat Sean different but not a good different. . and in the process you've ditched your real personality." Jay told Emma pacing around the room not really making a great deal of sense but trying his best, he's just going by experience.
"Well, I don't think I want him to find out that Skye isn't his." She told him, anger rising in her voice. She didn't like being criticized, especially by Jay. "It's not like you're much better, you sneak around behind his back to see me and then when we're both around you're totally different and awkward."
"What are you saying, Em? Are you honestly trying to say Skye is mine?" He hollered hoarsely before realizing his loud volume, but tried hard to cover up his mistake with, he just eyed Emma not even beginning to react to the last thing she had added, he knew she didn't like his demeanor but there wasn't much else to say or do, he looked behind his back seeing Sean nowhere in sight as usual and he just simply did something that changed the whole argument, he leaned in, even closer than they had been and it was as if it was supposed to happen just by the way they two had been standing so close, with that last brief thought he kissed her.
"So Trac the super bowl party sounds good, nice talkin' bro." Sean tells Tracker as he started to get off the phone. Jay heard the receiver click and with that he pulled away.
"Eh Sean?" Jay called louder than usual, Emma stood in a daze as she does most days especially now with Skye's increasing age, "Do me a favor and tell Skye I'll swing by tomorrow to drop her at school I'm going to go."
Emma simply nodded and watched as Jay walked away. Jay walked past Sean, and with a simple, "Later Jay." He walked out of the door and Sean back to the living room. The mask returned to Emma's face, and life returned back to the form of routine normalcy.