Stand By Me :: JT/Emma
Notes: This one fulfills a special request by Amy, and was written as my birthday present to her! Yay. It involves nothing particularly offensive, other than subject matter taken directly from the show. It takes place in an ever-so-slightly AU season three; almost everything is the same, except that Emma never got with Chris. What I have done is taken several specific scenes from season three and presented them in a slightly different way, ultimately creating the AU. Just read, it should make sense if you remember season three at all. (The scenes are from U Got the Look, This Charming Man, Accidents Will Happen pt. 2, I Want Candy, and Our House, FYI.)
o :: o :: o :: o
It was ninth grade and things were changing. There was tension between Toby and JT, between Manny and Emma, and it left a void to fill. Walls were going up. More and more often, during that up and down school year, JT and Emma found themselves standing side-by-side. Sharing jokes, sharing sandwich halves, sharing oxygen. Side-by-side, they filled in the spaces. Side-by-side, they faced the changes.
-o-o-o-o-
She followed him as he walked. Under the scaffolding, under their matching frowns. They walked together as they watched Manny slip away, swallowed up by the glass window that framed her and her new life. She sat in the Dot, with Sully, ignoring them. They felt the sting of adolescent betrayal.
It was ninth grade and things were changing. They could only walk on, not saying a word. Emma stayed close behind JT. He didn't want to say it out loud, but he was glad she was there.
-o-o-o-o-
Months later, in the hallway, JT joked, "Did you seen Sean and Amy in class? Totally classic."
Then her face appeared, narrowing her eyes. He kind of liked her angry-face. Sullen but glowing, heavy eyes against sand-colored skin.
He cleared his throat. "I mean… that's mean and awful and I hate Sean."
He stood beside her as she pouted, leaning against her locker, leaning against the crumbling pillar of the heart that Sean had broken. Her eyes were sad, but his smile was bright, and somehow his jokes were the perfect salve for her love-scars. It was hard to whine about Sean when JT kept her laughing. He always stood beside her in the halls. He was near when so many things she used to know felt far away.
-o-o-o-o-
She stood beside him, in the middle of the searing hush that had fallen over the cafeteria.
"These two idiots, they're pregnant," Ashley spat, storming off.
Side-by-side, they watched Manny's heart break. They stood together, stunned, afraid to move, unable to say anything. They could only meet eyes, and share the shocked confusion. JT was crushed by the truth about his crush. Emma was choking on the reality that her best friend was further away than she'd ever dreamed. It was ninth grade and things were changing. There was only one person standing beside her. She felt her heart race as she watched Manny run out of the cafeteria in an explosion of tears.
Emma was scared for her, and for some reason, she reached out and squeezed JT's hand for comfort. "I have to go to her," she said softly to him.
JT nodded. "I'll save you a sandwich," he answered, squeezing her hand in return.
-o-o-o-o-
He stood beside her as she bent over the keyboard, staring at the computer screen with her eyes glazed over in horror. Last will in testament. The last words her father would leave behind, if he died. Died. It was ninth grade and things were changing, and Snake was dying on top of it all. Her heart was ticking nearer and nearer to explosion. Her parents had been leaving her in the dark for weeks, and she could only assume the worst. It was too much. Too much for a girl to handle all by herself.
Gentle as feathers, JT placed his hand on top of hers. She took a deep breath as she stared at their side-by-side hands, and in the next moment she found herself throwing her arms around him, burying her sobs into his t-shirt. She couldn't say it out loud, but she was glad he was there.
-o-o-o-o-
The first warm rays of summer were streaming down from the sky. All that was left before this school year came to an end was final exams and the Bollywood Nights dance. JT sat on top of a picnic table, clutching two tickets in his hands. His elbows rested on his knees as he contemplated.
"Boo!" said Emma, sneaking up and prancing beside him with a radiant smile on her face. Things had finally started getting back to normal at home. She was glad to see this school year end, and was looking forward to the summer that lay ahead.
JT smiled softly as she took a seat beside him. He liked lining of light around her blonde hair.
Emma gave JT a playful stare. "What's that I see there? Two tickets to the dance? One of those wouldn't happen to be for the long lost Manny Santos, would it?"
JT sighed, rubbing his fingers nervously over the paper tickets. "Well, I thought maybe…" He turned and looked at Emma. "But I was kind of hoping, maybe you'd want to go with me?"
Emma laughed. She reached out stroked JT's fuzzy hair affectionately. "Oh, come on, JT, don't give up that easily. Even if Manny says no I'm sure you can find a date…" She pinched his chin. "With a face like this? Give 'em the puppy dog stare, that'll work."
JT laughed gently, but lifted his eyes to meet Emma's. "I don't want you to come with me as a friend, Emma. I want… I want you to be my date."
Emma's playful face began to fade. She felt a flutter in her stomach and looked away, certain she was blushing. "Oh," she said softly. "Me?"
JT reached forward and touched Emma's hair. "You've always stayed by me, Em. Everything this year has been so crazy… but when I'm with you it doesn't matter. I really like you, Emma. It'd make me really happy if you liked me as more than just a friend, but I understand if…."
Emma dove forward and kissed him. His feet wobbled underneath him as he tried to get his balance back after the surprise. So close to one another, they both felt the warmth and the gentle tickle of excitement as they kissed.
Carefully, they pulled away. They looked at each other and blushed. Emma stuttered for a moment, shocked but still smiling. "I think I've been wanting to do that for awhile." She laughed. "I mean, yeah. I don't know how else to say it. It's just… it's you, JT."
JT exhaled in relief. He took her hand. "So I guess that's a yes for the dance, then?"
Emma grinned and kissed him again. "Yes. That's a yes. A resounding yes."
With their fingers woven together, they sat side-by-side, watching the school year fade away just as something new began.