Emma didn't walk to school with JT the next morning. In fact, she'd been avoiding him completely since he had asked her to talk. It was hard to do, what if them living in the same house and sharing a room, but she was managing at the best.

Instead, she was walking with Manny.

"So, why won't you talk to JT?" Manny asked, twirling a strand of her hair and not exactly paying attention to her best friend

"Because things will change," Emma said simply.

"And you don't want them to?" Manny asked

"I don't know," Emma answered honestly.

"I thought you liked him,"

"I do but we've been best friends forever. Looked what happened when you two tried dating." Emma pointed out, actually ready to start discussing her feelings with Manny.

"That was my fault, Em. Not JT's. Plus, he's grown up so much since then." Manny said softly

"But still," Emma persisted. They ended their conversation has they walked up to Kendra, Toby and

JT…

Emma inhaled at the sight of him. Why did she have to have these feelings towards him? Why couldn't things have just stayed the same?

What Emma wasn't aware was that JT was thinking along the same lines.

"Um… go jewelry shopping recently, Manny?" Kendra asked, pointing at the bracelet on Manny's wrist. Manny mentally kicked herself for not taking it off before school.

"Um… no!" Manny said, pulling down her sleeve but she wasn't fast enough. JT grabbed her arm and yanked up her sleeve. The blue bracelet left a pregnant pause.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emma breathed, breaking the silence.

"Em, it's not what you think!" Manny begged

"Then tell what it is," Emma demanded, praying that it actually wasn't what she thought it was. Manny, however, had no reply. "Right. Just when I started to think that you had actually changed." Emma shook her head, tears springing into her eyes. She turned and fled into the school.

"JT… help" Manny whimpered.

"Not this time, Manny. You made your bed… now lie in it." JT said, following Emma into the building.

"I'm guessing that was the wrong thing to do," Kendra said slowly. Manny burst into tears and flung herself into Toby's arms.

WITH JT AND EMMA

"Em!" JT called, rushing up to her.
"Go away," Emma whimpered, burying her head in her hands.

"Not a chance, Nelson." JT said, sitting down beside her.
"God, can't you ever just be a bad friend?" Emma snapped, wiping at her tears.

"I have been. Very often." JT said, speaking the words he'd wanted to for years.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked softly. In her memory, JT had always been much too good a friend for her.
"I couldn't stop you from making those mistakes with Jay, I wasn't even around after Rick almost shot you, I wasn't there for you when you wanted to find your biological dad, I didn't know that you had an eating disorder…" JT began, tears coming to his eyes against his will.

"JT…" Emma said, shocked that JT had even had those sorts of thoughts. "You're the best friend I'd ever had."

"Do you know what you said when I showed up when you were hospitalized for your eating disorder?" JT asked, refusing to look at her.

"Not really… the entire experience is sort of a blur." Emma admitted.
"You said 'I didn't think you'd come.'" JT said, a single tear slipping down his face. "I'm SUCH a horrible best friend that you didn't even think I'd come to see you in the hospital."

"No.. JT, I don't even remember saying that." Emma began "you're-"

"Just stop okay, Emma? I'm a horrible friend, I know. You've been there for me through anything and everything and I've never been able to help you. No wonder you don't love me." JT wanted to smack himself. Why was he saying these things?

"Whoa… Wait. What makes you think I don't love you?" Emma exclaimed.

"I don't mean like a friend, Emma." JT said coldly.

"I know," Emma said, leaning forward and kissing him with everything she had in her being. The kiss lasted moments… or possibly several sunlight days. When they broke apart, they were both smiling like idiots.

"My stomach hurts a little," JT commented.