28. In which Emma learns a new skill
Something in me has snapped. Caution to the wind, I'm tired of denying that I love him.
Hillary found near the end of the movie that her head no longer hurt and Craig had fallen asleep, slumped on her shoulder. She smiled at the peaceful look that had come over him. He had obviously not slept that night, and she worried it might be because of her. She shifted her weight and slowly lowered his head to her lap. He remained asleep and curled up further, wrapping his top arm around her legs as he would a stuffed animal. This motion caused Hillary to laugh out loud, then stifle the noise as he stirred a little.
She began to stroke his hair slowly as she thought about the decision she had come to the night before. Her conversation with Jay had been fairly eye opening, and she felt bad for being so suspicious of his motives. He had been right, though, and she realized more and more that loving Craig was just something she was going to do. There was no point in making them both miserable, no matter what the outcome would be.
She was just beginning to explore the issue further when Ryan appeared in her doorway. His eyes passed over the situation and he smiled a little. She motioned him over and he came to sit on his heels next to the bed.
"Did you just get in?" she asked, in a voice barely above a whisper. He nodded.
"Yeah. You have fun last night?" he wondered aloud, examining the tall coffee and large aspirin bottle with a raised eyebrow. She frowned sheepishly.
"I know, Ry. It won't happen again." She replied to the innuendo. He looked mildly concerned, but finally smiled and gave her hair a fluff.
"I trust you Hill." He told her, then pushed himself to a standing position. He yawned and then walked towards the door. "I'm going to sleep."
She waved a little as the credits began to roll on the screen. She looked down to where Craig still lay, huddled on her lap. She gently crawled out from his grasp and replaced the space where her legs had been with her nearby stuffed tiger. He grabbed it tightly and rolled over, face getting buried by a pillow.
She pulled the comforter up and over him, then delivered a gentle kiss to his head before moving out of the room. She walked into the bathroom and was accosted by the sight of her hair stuck completely flat on one side and completely out on the other. Here eyes were still rimmed with eyeliner, and glitter was stuck all over her body in the most interesting places. She laughed at her reflection as she stripped down and took a quick shower.
When she emerged from the steam filled bathroom Craig was still sleeping. She dressed quickly in a pair of baggy jeans and a lightweight army green tee shirt with an obscure band logo emblazoned on the front in yellow. She ran a brush carelessly through her wet hair and then went downstairs for something to eat.
She was just devouring some leftover Chinese when someone rang the doorbell. She could hear Ryan in the basement, beating loudly on his drum set. He certainly wasn't about to get the door. Heaving a sigh she hopped off of her stool and carried the container to the door. Taking a bite of her shrimp lo-mien she pulled open the door and found Emma on the doorstep wringing her hands. When she saw Hillary she flew into her arms, causing the girl to choke a little on her makeshift brunch.
"Hey Em." Hillary spoke, pulling away to see if her friend was angry with her. Emma only looked relieved. "Sorry about last night..."
"Hillary, I'm just really happy you're okay. I was so worried, you were acting so oddly. What happened?" she asked, removing her coat and dropping her bag. Hillary shrugged as she took another bite of noodles.
"Long story. Strange ending. You hungry?" she asked, and Emma shook her head as she took off her shoes and followed Hillary back to the kitchen. Once there Emma took a seat at the island and Hillary threw her container away. "How was your Eco-Watch meeting?"
"It was great. Once the snow melts were going to plant trees near the old playground." Emma replied, watching as Hillary began to root through the fridge for something else to eat. She finally emerged with only a bottle of water, which she opened and quickly consumed half of. Emma turned her head toward the noise coming from the basement. "What is that?"
"Oh, that's just Ry. I thought he was going to bed, but I guess he decided to mess around on his drum set instead." Hillary told her, leading the way through the living room and down the staircase into the cold basement. Emma followed, and looked surprised at the room she found beneath the surface of the large and immaculate house. The basement was unfinished, really, just four walls and a concrete floor. The walls were covered in band posters and strings of lights, and musical instruments were strewn everywhere. This was the last refuge of the Thomas children.
Ryan sat behind a set of drums, beating on them wildly. His blonde hair flew out around his face and he glistened slightly with sweat. Emma watched with amazement, though not for the reason that any other girl would have. Ryan was abnormally attractive, but what interested Emma the most was the sound coming from his instrument. There was a raw power behind it, a power that Emma was obviously looking to capture.
Hillary watched the look on Emma's face change and laughed quietly as she picked up a nearby guitar and plugged it into an amp. She strummed on it a little, giving it a little adjustment. She knew the song Ryan was playing and began to pick out the notes after him. Emma watched as the two collaborated without words, a song suddenly appearing from nowhere. Hillary knew her guitar skills were slightly sub-par. After all, she hadn't played in a year or so. Still, she could bang out a song here or there when she needed to.
The song ended and Ryan looked up at the audience he hadn't realized he had had. Hillary wondered where he thought the guitar was coming from, but didn't think too much on the subject. Most of her brother's actions were quite mysterious. Brother and sister shared a look, then both turned to gaze at Emma. Hillary motioned towards the girl with her head.
"Hey Ry, why don't you show Emma how to play?" she asked, and Ryan nodded. Emma looked suddenly stricken.
"Me? I don't know how..." she began, and Hillary interrupted her by standing and leading her over to Ryan.
"I know, hon. That's why Ryan is going to show you how." She explained, and Emma finally took the seat and accepted the drumsticks. Hillary smiled encouragingly as she returned to her own seat to practice her craft.
Ryan began with a few basic beats, explaining the best way to hold the sticks and the function of each drum. After a while Emma was moving proficiently on her own, and as time went on she became better and better. She seemed to have a natural talent for it. She and Hillary were just starting to play a Green Day song when Craig wandered down the staircase. He had been drawn to the noise, and now stood at the base of the stairs looking sleepy and disheveled.
He listened for a little, looking more and more awake by the minute. Emma was good, and Hillary could tell he had noticed. After a moment more he walked over to join Hillary on the couch. He listened until the song was over, then looked at Emma incredulously.
"Emma, you're amazing. How long have you been playing?" he asked, and she and Hillary shared a look. Emma smirked proudly.
"Oh, I'd say about an hour or so." She told him, and he sat back. Hillary put down her guitar and turned to Craig.
"You looked tired, I decided to let you sleep." She told him with a smile, and he looked at her as though he didn't know what to say. She knew he was still reeling from her sudden change of heart, but didn't really feel like explaining just then. Instead, she kissed his cheek and stood up to replace her guitar on the stand. Emma watched with extreme interest, then smiled at Hillary as she stood.
"My mom's going to be here soon." She told them, then turned to Ryan. "Thanks for the lessons, it was so much fun. Hill, I'll call you later. We need to talk."
Hillary nodded and smiled. Emma wasn't the only one she needed to talk to.
