A/N: Just kidding! I require nothing, except for maybe a sandwich. It would be nice to share a sandwich with one, raven-haired girl with a not so little secret, wouldn't it Sweet-T?
this girl does not give change
7
Emily
"I'm sorry Emily. Paige is my best friend, but she can be terrible sometimes. It seems like the more she cares about someone the harder she tries to push them away. I promise that you mean a lot to her." Paige's friend, Taima, was trying to comfort me, but I didn't want her to make excuses for Paige.
"It's fine, Taima, thank you. I honestly don't care. There is only so much a person can take before the source of their pain isn't worth it anymore." I said before climbing into Hanna's car.
"Emily, what happened?" Hanna was pulling me into a hug.
"Nothing that matters." I was trying to hold back my tears. In the short time that I've known Paige I have already cried too much over her. "Hanna do you think you could just drop me off in town please?"
She nodded her head as we set off towards town. I looked back at Paige's house just in time to see Paige walk out and head towards her motorcycle. For a moment I let myself hope that she was coming after me, but quickly pushed the thought out of my head when I realized that I didn't want her to.
Paige
"And I don't think she's coming back again, Paige."
"Well, that's wonderful news. I mean that's what I wanted; now I can continue to live my life without that distraction." I smiled my best fake smile at Taima. The look in her eye told me that she wasn't believing a single thing that I just said though.
"Paige, when are you going to pull your head out of you ass?"
"You know, for someone that is supposed to be my best friend you have done and said a lot of hurtful things to me today." I was getting angry now. "Just go back to Philly, I didn't ask you to come here and I sure as hell don't need any help living my life."
"You're right; you are doing such a good job living your life already. You already have all the love you need right, Paige? What was the name of the last girl you took home; do you remember? Did you even get her name? Oh, but that's love though, that's the right way to live your life. You're pathetic." Taima's words cut through me like a knife. That's the problem with friends, they are always trying to "help". My face began to feel hot as my anger started to increase. I grabbed my keys and bolted for the door. Emily was heading north so I hopped on my motorcycle and headed south. My only plan was to never see Emily again.
I continued south until I came across a wooded rest area. After being so angry earlier and coming up with the not-so-brilliant plan of just never seeing Emily again, I realized that my plan needed more thought. Never seeing Emily was not obviously not possible, unless I wanted to fail English. Lying on my back in the grass, I felt calm again. A job! A job is just what I needed. It would be a way to earn some extra money and it would take my mind off of Emily. With the extra money I earn, maybe I would even start fixing up the house. This guy I met at school the other day, Toby, said that he was pretty good with carpentry work and I could probably get him to help me for a small wage. I felt pretty proud lying in the grass, making plans like a responsible adult. As for Emily, I guess I have to let her live her life without me.
I climbed back on my motorcycle and headed back towards Rosewood. There was a small town that I passed not too long ago, Ravenswood, I wanted to stop in. When I reached Ravenswood, I guessed it to be less than a half hour outside of Rosewood. My chances of running into Emily here would be slim. There was an unnerving energy in this town. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I assumed it would be the best place to find work. I walked around stopping in shops asking if they had any positions available. So far I was striking out left and right until I headed down a side road. There was only one building on this road, but I thought I would give it a try. To my surprise there was a "help wanted" sign in the window. Hungry Owl Tavern I thought, well I'll give it a shot. There was little light in the bar even though the sun was shining brightly outside. All the blinds had been closed and the windows were tinted. I knew from years of watching my brother drink that sunlight is alcohol's worst enemy. The place was empty with the exception of a few old men at the bar, I assumed they were probably the regulars. Every bar had them. I only saw one person working so I approached him.
"Hi Hun, what can I get for you," the weathered man greeted me.
"I saw your sign in the window that said you are looking for help. I'd like to apply." He gave me a once over while I spoke.
"This isn't Coyote Ugly. I'm looking for someone that can tend bar not take their top off," he replied.
"Well that suits me just fine. I don't take my top off for anyone, Pops." I don't know what it was about this place, but it was making me talk like I was living in a Western movie.
He chuckled a bit. "Are you even old enough to be around alcohol, Miss..."
"McCullers. Paige McCullers." Great now I'm in a Bond flick. "And yes I am." I handed him my fake ID.
He erupted with laughter. "Shoot Girly, do you think I was born yesterday? This ID is as fake as my teeth."
"It's work for me so far," I contended.
He scratched his chin for a bit, looking down at the bar. "Listen Girly, I'll give you a job, but you only work for tips. That way I don't have to be bothering with all that paperwork. The cops leave this place alone so I'm not really worried, but if anyone asks you are 21. Got it?"
I nodded my head eagerly.
"Also, names Red. I have a few rules: don't be late and don't drink the booze. Now, I assume you are in school so I'll only have you here on the weekends. We have a college crowd that comes in and I think they'll like you." He started to walk away before turning back to me. "And Thursdays. It's karaoke night on Thursdays. I expect to see you back here then."
"Thank you," I called out to him as he walked away. He threw up hand in a slight wave.
I made my way back to Rosewood, elated, and hungry.
Emily
After Hanna dropped me off and I convinced her that it was okay to leave, I wandered around town for a while. I was furious with Paige. I wanted to yell at her. She had her chance to yell at me, why shouldn't I be able to yell back? She is so stubborn, so smug, so damaged. I was pacing around town angry, wondering why she hadn't told me about her parents. She could trust me. It didn't matter anymore, though, there was no way I was going to forgive her now. Yeah right.
I was so lost in my thoughts over Paige that I didn't even realize that I wasn't alone anymore. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I jumped. Paige?
"Sorry, Emily, I didn't mean to startle you." It was Maya. I tried to hide my disappointment, of course Paige wouldn't be looking for me.
"Maya. Hi. It's fine," I kept my words short, hoping she would get the hint that she is last person I wanted to see right now.
"Ouch, Em." She got it, she just didn't care. "Can we talk please?"
"I don't have anything to say to you."
"But I have things I want to say to you. Please, Em. You broke-up with me out of the blue. I think you owe it to me to talk to me so I can have closure," she said.
"Fine," I responded coldly.
"Great!" It bothered me that Maya was so pleased that I agreed to talk to her. I was hoping this would be a somber affair for her, but as soon as I heard her tone I knew "closure" wasn't what she was after. She tried to grab my hand, but I pulled away. She looked back at me and pouted. Sorry, but Paige's pout is a million times better than yours.
"Just walk," I said harshly.
We walked until we got to the Grille and she reached for my hand again. She doesn't take direction very well, but I let her grab it this time. I just wanted to get this over with and not start a fight about hand holding. She pulled me to a booth in the back and sat next to me, trapping me at the table.
"There is another seat on the other side. Away from me," I gestured across the table.
"I want to be able to talk to you without have to talk over the table. I don't want anything between us during the conversation," She squeezed my hand.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Speak quickly. I have other things to do." My harsh demeanor towards Maya was surprising me. I had never been like this with her before. I always just let her have her way, not wanting to cause a fight. When we fought, she would disappear for days, until I begged her to come back. I had to promise her that I would never do whatever it was I did again; in reality, she just didn't want me to stand up for myself anymore.
"Emily, I miss you," she started.
"Okay, this conversation is over," I tried to scoot out of the booth, but she wouldn't move.
"Please, you said you would talk with me. Just listen to what I have to say and I'll leave you alone. Deal," she said smirking. It only made me realize how much I liked Paige's smirk. "As I was saying, I miss you. What I did to you was wrong and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything, leaving you in the woods, making you feel like you didn't matter, being selfish..." I finally meet her gaze and noticed her eyes were glossy from the tears that were building up. "I treated you so unfairly Emily. I took you for granted, but I need you to know that I love you. I love you so much more than you realize." I was starting to relax. She seemed to notice it too, because she continued. "I still love you. I know that I don't deserve it, but can I please have a second chance? I'll change."
"If you loved me so much then why did you treat me like crap," I asked.
"I was foolish. I thought you still knew how much I loved you even though I wasn't showing it. But you breaking up with me was the best thing for me. It made me realize how much I need you in my life. I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you." I shook my head, but I felt myself starting to cave a bit. She moved closer to me resting her other hand on my leg. "Please give me another chance. We can go to homecoming together like we planned. We'll just take things slow until I earn your trust again."
I thought back to what made me break up with Maya in the first place, it was Paige's words. Paige made me think that I was too good for Maya, even though I'm apparently not good enough for Paige. Perhaps I was too hasty to end things. Maya and I had plenty of good times to make up for the bad ones. I felt like I owed it to her to give her one more chance. I slowly nodded my head without looking at her.
"Is that a yes," she asked excitedly.
"Yes, but the second you mistreat me I'm gone," I got the feeling that my warning was falling on deaf ears.
"Okay, I got it. I love you! I'm not going to let you down," she squealed and leaned in to kiss me.
Her lips felt blah. She wasn't kissing right. She wasn't kissing like Paige. I was growing frustrated at how bad of a kisser this girl was and that I never realized it before. I took control of the kiss trying to salvage it, but it wasn't working for me. She moaned a little. I'm sure it was meant to be sexy, but it just made my stomach turn. Finally, I broke our kiss apart. I was going to tell her I changed my mind until I saw Paige standing in the Grille. Staring at us. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I grabbed Maya's face again and continue to kiss her. I didn't close my eyes this time, instead I stared right back at Paige. She was standing there with a dumb smirk on her stupid, gorgeous face like she was challenging me. Oh God, can she tell I'm not enjoying this? She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, daring me to continue. I was about to give up when Maya slid her hand further up my leg, a lot higher than her hand should be in public. My eyes widened. I noticed Paige's face changed too. She was no longer grinning, but scowling. Her eyes were intense with rage, her fists were balled up. I knew I needed to stop this before Paige killed Maya. I pushed Maya away and moved her hand off of my thigh.
"I'm sorry, that was too much. It's just that that kiss was so hot." Of course Maya would say that. She could never tell when I wasn't enjoying myself. I looked around her, to see if Paige was still there, but she left. I heard a motorcycle rev outside and my stomach dropped. Still not totally understanding what happened.
Paige
When I got back to Rosewood I decided to make my way to the Grille. A celebratory hamburger after finding a job sounded pretty good. I put in my order at the counter; a blue cheese bacon burger with sweet potato fries. Eating unhealthy food was not a common occurrence for me so I liked to do it right when I indulged. While I was waiting for my food I looked around for an open seat, witnessing some commotion in the back booth. Ah, young love I thought until I recognized the pair. Emily and Maya. What the hell? How could Emily make that mistake again? I was going to pull them apart, but as I got closer I decided against it. I had already interfered in Emily's life enough and if Maya was who she wanted then I just needed to leave them alone. Except when the girls pulled apart I saw Emily's face; I could tell that she wasn't enjoying it. I couldn't stop looking at her face. She was kissing Maya even though she didn't want to. I didn't understand. Then she looked at me and a hint of something devilish flashed in her eyes. She pulled Maya in for another kiss and I had to stop myself from laughing. She did not want to play this game with me. I smirked at her, cocking my head to the side. Emily was hating this and I wondered how long she was going to keep it up. I started to get a little more cocky when I saw her wince a little. Looks like Maya got a tad too aggressive with a bite. Crossing my arms over my chest I gave her an "I dare you" look.
Seeing Emily kiss Maya hadn't bothered me, I thought it was funny. Emily was hating it, but the silly girl kept going to make me jealous. It wasn't until Maya got to confident, that I got angry. She put her hand on a part of Emily's body where it didn't belong. I tried to calm myself down by squeezing my fists tightly. I wanted to yank her off Emily. Let her know that I was the only that could touch Emily like that, but knew it would be bad if I did. Luckily, Emily pulled away from Maya and moved her hand. Emily took her eyes off of me and I seized the opportunity to slip away. Still enraged. There was nothing that I could do about it though. I was the one that told her earlier that I didn't want to be with her. It was my fault she was back with that snake. My plan changed, instead of avoiding Emily I was going to make it so she couldn't escape me. I understood that this was meant that I was going to have to open up to Emily, but I didn't care. Maya was bad news and I just drove Emily back into her scaly arms.
I started my bike and made my way towards home. I needed to get someone laps in, get my conditioning back up. Of course there would be no more hamburgers for me. Try-outs for the swim team started Monday.
