"Do you work tonight?" Manny asked Emma, walking to her locker the next day with her for their second period class.
"Nope, I'm free as a bird." Emma wore a yellow little sundress and it showed off her summer tan. Her hair was in soft loose curls.
Manny smirked, "Well birdie, want to go out?"
"On a school night? You know my answer."
Manny was halfway rolling her eyes when she then saw who was coming down the hall , "Oh man. See yeah!"
Emma wondered what had Manny quickly walking the other direction. As Emma opened her locker, she turned her head to see Peter on his way over. He walked with Darcy Edwards who seemed to swallow a lump in her throat while she locked eyes with Emma and then walked the other way when Peter said something to her. Peter than locked eyes on Emma and came over.
"..hey."
Emma tried to force a smile, "Hey. How are you?"
"Good." He nodded his blonde head, then crossed his arms. He awkwardly leaned on the locker next to hers. "How are you? You didn't pick up my last call."
Emma bit the end of her tongue and shoved her books into her locker as she tried to think of another excuse to come up with.
"It's fine." He sadly chuckled but shrugged, "I mean, we broke up months ago and I should of taken the hint before."
Emma cringed and offered, "I'd still like to be friends."
He cleared his throat, looking over his shoulder and lowered his voice, "Actually..Darcy wouldn't like that."
"You guys are dating?"
Peter was not going to be happy with the 'no touching below the waist' rule girls like Darcy had. Which Emma totally respected and use to be one of those 'wait til marriage' kind of girls herself. But Peter himself wrecked that, since such a horndog when they were dating and a year in a relationship he somehow convinced Emma he deserved it. They were anothers first.
"Yea."
Wow. He must really like her.
"Good. I'm happy for you." Emma admitted with a soft smile.
Peter grinned. "Cool. See yeah around." He gave her one final longing gaze and walked off. Emma finally exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding and watched him leave.
Finally! She'd been wanting to break free from him for a long time now. She went to turn and almost bumped into somebody. She cursed and shut her eyes, "Why are you just standing there like a little freaky stalker!?"
Jay Hogart scoffed in disgust, "I wouldn't waste my time stalking you."
Emma glared up at her rival since grade Nine. "Yet here you stand."
Jay looked in Peter's direction, "What'd he want?"
Emma laughed. It was remarkable really! Jay Hogart had some insane issues he needed to deal with. "And here you pretend to 'care'. Do my eyes deceive me? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me now?"
"I want nothing to do with you if you don't want to keep seeing me."
She rolled her eyes, "It's not like we were dating Jay! We were sleeping-" Emma stopped, flushing a bit and didn't want to say it. She looked around to make sure nobody heard that. Her and Jay had slept together maybe once or twice. Honestly, it was a BIG mistake. One time being when she was still dating Peter. He had yet to find out. She felt so horrible. It was a bad night, a night Emma thought she was going to break up with Peter but instead ended up leaving the party with Jay Hogart. Someone she didn't think she'd ever leave a party with. She was drunk too, entirely way too drunk.
Lets just say she was going through some growing up issues then. Now, Jay nor Peter could take the hint. She just wanted to be on her own now. She was really figuring herself out. The sex part I guess was good with Jay. Peter was really just her first and never really that experienced. Jay taught her some things. But that was it, and neither had that 'spark' Emma wanted to find in a guy. In a real relationship.
Jay didn't know what a real relationship was.
"Sleeping around together isn't 'seeing' another." Emma taunted.
Manny was on her way back as she looked Jay up and down like poison, "I came back to save you from the ex to find you with the vulture." She taunted Jay, "Fly away."
"Whatever" Muttered Jay, ready to leave but snarled at Manny. She always got under his skin. She gasped. He hated Manny because, well, because she hated him. Manny thought he used Emma like he used most girls. Usually him and Manny were on somewhat good terms but not anymore.
"Lets go." Huffed Emma, pulling Manny along to stop another fight between her and Jay again. Sometimes Manny and Jay could really go at it.
((***)))
Later that day on the walk home from school, Manny walked with Emma, since she was coming over to hang out.
"And then Mia and Chanel even told Paige that I should be the assistant captain." Manny told Emma. "I mean, every school has one but us! But noooo, Paige can be the only.."
Manny faded out as Emma walked up to her driveway and slowed her pace down as she saw Sean standing in his own driveway, working on a motorcycle today. He had some car grease stains on his wife beater and jeans. He looked so hot, pushing his hair back as he focused so hard on a part on the front of the bike, bending down to view it and holding a wrench.
"Who is that?" Manny asked, jaw dropping at the site of the hottie next door.
Emma's heart stopped, ripping her eyes off of Sean and at Manny. Before Sean saw or heard them, Emma grabbed Manny inside the house.
"Woah! Chill." Teased Manny, closing the door behind her and getting Emma's point. "You call dibs?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "He's our neighbor Manny. He's off limits. Okay?"
Manny smirked at Emma's unusual behavior. She almost looked nervous.. She had never seen her friend act this way. Maybe Emma just really didn't want her to mess with her neighbor. Manny liked to drive boys and men crazy.
Emma had to silently wonder if Sean would go for Manny. She wondered if Manny was his type? Probably. She was every guys type. Emma was a beautiful girl but in high school, Manny was more 'preferable'. She was 'funner'. Emma also didn't like one night stands, which Manny didn't seem to mind. But that was just an act. Emma knew Manny was a big romantic. She just hadn't found the right guy yet.
Neither had Emma..
"Girls, you want dinner?" came Snakes voice.
Manny teased, "Depends Mr.S! Did you make my favorite?"
Emma giggled and followed her friend to the dinner table. Baby Jack was set up in his high chair with his babysitter Imogen there. Emma was going out later and so were her parents for 'date' night.
"Hey." Imogen greeted Manny and Emma happily. She liked them, and also looked up to them. She was younger, still a freshmen.
"Mmm, pizza!" Manny exclaimed, happily picking up a cheezy piece of pizza.
"Two slices each." Spike confirmed, picking up her own pieces and Emma laughed at Manny's pout. Manny practically was another daughter to them for how long she and Emma have known another.
"How was school today girls?"
They both mumbled unsatisfyingly. "Just three more months." Breathed Emma, not waiting to get to college. She blushed when she caught Snake's glare to not remind her mother.
Woopsie!
(((*))))
Emma threw her covers over herself when she got into bed that night. She had a long day tomorrow, it was the day Mr Armstrong went over their final projects for their class. She was excited, yet nervous.
When she went to drift to sleep, Emma heard a baby crying. She sat up in her dark room and heard that it was a faint cry. That was definitely not Jack. Emma didn't know what other neighbors had a kid but she scoffed and laid back down, trying to block the noise out by putting a pillow over her head.
Meanwhile, at the party Manny wanted Emma to come to tonight, she smiled sharing a shot with Mia and giggling madly together.
"I'm glad you came!" Mia exclaimed. She was another cheerleader from school who was the one throwing this party. "Do you want more!?" she lifted the shot glasses.
Manny waved her off, "I'll go get it! You stay here."
Mia nodded and Manny moved through the crowd. She saw a cute guy eyeing her as she went down the hall and she hid her smile a bit, but invited him to come say hi with her open and welcoming glances. He was about to come up to her when she stopped at the fridge for more drinks but the guy who stood against the fridge scared him off.
Manny frowned with confusion and turned to see what scared the cutie off. Jay Hogart stood by the fridge.
"Hey Dimples." He greeted with that little nickname she just loathed! Even if it was a little cute.
"I need a drink." She said bleakly. She crossed her arms over her chest, making her little tight black dress tighter around her.. He bit his tongue, trying not to glance down at her body. Everyone knew Manny Santos was a sex kitten though.
"What's the password?" he teased, not moving.
"Kickyouintheballs?"
He cringed playfully then noted simply, "Errrrrk. Wrong." He chuckled and scratched his short boxed beard. Had I mentioned he failed a few years ago? Jay was really 19, still stuck in highschool, trying to finish off his last classes. I guess Manny had to give him credit, his other juvenile friends either went to jail or dropped out.
"Out of my way, Jay."
"Make me, Manny" just the way Jay said her name, Manny felt her legs get weak, and she got slightly hot and bothered. She liked the way he said her name, her real one, with such a dark and smoldering look in his eye.
Manny swallowed. She hated to admit to herself now and then that she did think Jay was hot as hell, but he was a BAD guy, or at least he always had been in the past and his little 'thing' with Emma was a shock even to her. She didn't think he'd ever go for her. Or Emma go for a guy like him. They weren't another's types yet neither was she and Jay but they had more chemistry she thought. Or at least had.
Manny was almost hurt when she heard they had hooked up. But she'd never tell them that.
"You know for years I've enjoyed our banter. But something really has a stick up your ass lately." Great. Jay was noticing now.
Manny scoffed at him and just turned, leaving. Jay went to go after her but then abruptly stopped and sneered a little until he sighed and watched her go back to her friends. He then frowned deeply, watching her and her friends leave to the next room until out of site. His face fell and then he raised his beer to his mouth and drank it down. He didn't know why their relationship changed lately, it use to be cute banter but now was actual banter.
Jay went to leave the party and bumped into the guy who was giving Manny 'the eyes' before she bumped into Jay. "Watch it." Jay growled and stormed off.
