Chapter 31

The Grand Scheme

It was the end of the day and Emma spotted Sean and Toby walking the halls toward Toby's locker where they stopped and could be seen talking. Sean needed to be there for Toby and help him get his things from his locker and ensure the beers were not in his locker in case Hatzilaco's decides to do a random search. Sean asked sternly, he didn't see Emma coming by, "In this backpack is all of it?"

Toby nods wordlessly. Emma walks over to them reading that there was something serious going on being Emma she needed to know what was going on so she asks them as she approaches, "What's up?"

Sean, preoccupied, still acknowledged her, "Emma, hey."

"Are you still dropping me off at home or should I just walk home today?" Emma wondered aloud curiously, "if you have something going on right now I can take the bus or walk home."

He looks up and confirms, "Yeah I'm still taking you home, mind if we take Toby home too and make a pitstop on the way?"

"I don't see why not. I'm not in a rush." She turned to Toby, "How are you?" Emma asked him with concern as Toby grabbed a few class books for his homework and Sean helped him put them in the backpack. She didn't ask what exactly is going on but Sean seemed to have a handle on the situation whatever it was.

Toby darted his eyes to Emma, "Eh, I'm okay."

"I heard something happened today," Sean shot her a look like 'don't mention it' and Emma retracted, "If you need to talk to people I'm here for you. After all, we've been friends for a long time, since grade seven that's gotta count for something."

Toby didn't say anything at first but he sighed and turned to Emma breaking the silence, "I'm sure we both know what you heard, but could you really blame me?"

Emma shook her head no, "Of course I don't blame you. I went off on my own for a while too. I just want you to know if there's anything you need Sean and I can be someone you can go to. It's good that we're talking again."

Toby shut his locker somewhat frustrated from the day and turned to face them again, it's not that he wanted to dismiss Emma but he didn't want a lot of people to know about what he had done on the roof with Sean. Sean wanted to keep it quiet and between Toby and him but Emma was among the people outside and heard some commotion. She wanted to make sure Toby was alright but didn't know all the details from down below. "Let's go. It's been a long day for me."

"Whatever you need, man." Sean, Toby, and Emma walked out of the school and into the school parking lot to Sean's car. Emma got in the front seat and Toby sat in the back with his backpack.

Emma turned her head to face Toby and looked at him sympathetically and offered him a soft smile, "It's going to be okay."

Toby doesn't say anything and then looks out the window as Sean backs up. He didn't want to say anything cruel but he felt that Emma doesn't know what she's talking about even though she knew more than she let on and she was simply putting on a brave face.

Emma turned back around, a bit hurt but she didn't know exactly what had happened on the roof. They rode quietly to the dump and Sean removed the beers from the backpack and threw them in a dumpster and opened the door on Toby's side and gave him back his backpack, "No more drinking, got it?"

Toby sheepishly complies by nodding his head, "If you want to drink, call one of us and we'll talk to you."

Emma was surprised that Toby was drinking away his sorrows, he wasn't as different as she presumed they had more in common than she had initially thought.

For Toby, if he had a beer he would drink it. It didn't matter what time of day it was. It was a daily thing almost like a routine, a ritual. He'd skip homeroom through the third period and be blitzed by lunch. The rest of the day he'd just schlep through the school. Nobody really seemed to notice he was drunk for the better part of the day. Granted those classes early in the day were study halls because he was in advanced classes for the first couple of years so no one thought to check up. Toby might've fallen through the cracks and put on a front he was fine to teachers and such and they never thought they'd have a closet alcoholic on their hands in him so they didn't bother to check where he'd been in the school. No one had ever made Emma go straight, maybe the car accident where she nearly lost her memory and the wish that she'd forget the traumatizing experience of nearly being shot and watching Rick who she had despised die and then regaining her memories was enough. Emma is good at letting drinking go by the wayside until she's nineteen or the next special occasion to come along. This summer was an every night thing, she'd cope with being as fucked up as she could be to go through the motions with those ravine parties. She and Toby weren't that far off except Toby slipped away for a while from everyone. Emma constantly had a circle of support around her whether it was Jay, Sean, her parents, and Manny.

"So how's Manny?" Toby changed the subject of silence and shifted his eyes to Emma in the front seat desperate to make conversation while Sean opened the cans and poured them out when he tossed them in the garbage dumpster.

Truthfully, Emma didn't know. Since the hospital, she's been 'out' almost every night. While she comes in before curfew she's quiet on the details. It wasn't like she had spirit squad or any clubs since she's persona non grata since Peter's pictures circulated the school.

The truth was Manny was seeing Craig privately. They didn't want to make a spectacle out of it so they are keeping things on the down-low and not telling anyone until they know it's real. Emma still wasn't fond of Craig after the holiday season debacle when Manny was left heartbroken by Craig and how he handled Manny's pregnancy and tried to strong-arm her and she had never been more disappointed in him. She's also hopeful that people could change, I mean Jay sure did, and look how that turned out. She doesn't think Craig is capable though, not at this point and time and she doesn't know that Manny and Craig are even seeing each other at the moment in any capacity.

While the condition of Emma giving Manny a place to live was no more secrets, she guess Manny is entitled to keep at least one because Emma kept a few from Manny at first over the summer. Emma finally answered Toby's inquiry, "Manny's good, as good as can be expected. I just haven't been able to hang out with her much," she added, "I've been pretty busy too."

"You with Sean now?"

Emma raised her eyebrows and shook her head, "Sean? No we're just friends."

"What happened between you guys? I thought you guys were basically endgame."

"There was a time where I thought that too, I won't lie." Emma glanced over at Sean who was preoccupied at the time doing what he can for Toby, "He's got a lot going on, and besides I met someone who despite it all makes me happy. I know it hasn't been easy since Kendra moved away, but there's plenty of girls at degrassi who would if you got out of your comfort zone."

"Who would want to date a mess like me?"

"I'm sure plenty of girls like you, girls get nervous too."

Sardonically Toby mutters, "Rick and I did a kiss list last year and I only got pity kisses and shit. I'm not blind or stupid."

Emma relented, "You try too hard when you get around them though. You tried a little too hard with me."

Toby was slightly amused, "You barely knew my crush existed and I do not, I don't even bother anymore."

"Well maybe you should come to a party once in a while."

"Sean is keeping me away from drinking, a party wouldn't help. It'd only drive me to drink and make a complete fool out of myself."

Emma realized she made a mistake and put her foot in her mouth there, "Sorry, I mean there's clubs and local hang outs. You should get out more. I'm going to this trivia night at the rec center tonight, why don't you come with me and see who's there?"

Sean came back to the car questioning, "I think I got the last of the beers. Is there anything else in the backpack?" He wordlessly showed Sean the backpack was empty aside from a few books and some pencils.

Emma blurted, "Sean, after this do you think we could go to the rec center if you don't have plans later?"

Sean kindly shrugged his shoulders, "I don't see why not, what's the rec center?"

"Trivia night, anyone is welcome. They order a few pies from pizza pizza and we play trivia with teams. There's different categories and themes and such every week. My therapist thinks it's a good idea to be social without you know, getting drunk and all."

Sean glances at Toby, "Yeah see, that could be fun, Tobes."

"They're encouraging spreading the word."

Toby was unsure at first but then he realized they might actually have a chance, "Well I do have some strengths in science."

Emma chirped, "Awesome! It's not far."

Jay texted Emma:

Babe, are you coming to my place tonight after trivia?

Emma read his text and then typed back as Sean drove the trio to the rec center. She knew inviting Jay to come to trivia where Toby's concerned would be a conflict of interest so she was careful not to mention that.

Yeah of course, I'll come by after. Love you3, I'll text you when it's done and I'm on my way.

Jay was sort of hoping Emma would invite him too. It wasn't the end of the world to him but it would've been nice to see her sooner. He heard a knock at his door so he set his phone down and he looked through the peep hole and saw someone unfamiliar, "Hey, who the fuck are you? Who sent you?"

"Chill out, the name is Peter," The guy at the door responded, his eyes widened, there's no way it was some weird coincidental thing where he was the Peter from the pool, he reluctantly let him in when he said, "Rich your dealer sent me here, he said you have the good stuff." He looked about the room and saw a picture of Jay's late mother and some other weird knick knacks hand me downs from her estate that dad tried to pawn off.

Jay could see Peter silently judging his meager apartment and possessions, "I don't give out free samples, poindexter." Jay sat on his couch and gestured to Peter, "take a seat in my office."

"It's Peter," Peter replied less than enthused following Jay and sitting across from him in the arm chair, "I'm good for it as a matter of fact."

Jay relented, and thought he could assume he wanted some weed, "Well alright, how much do you need?"

Peter was a novice and Jay knew it but he knew more than the average teen, "I don't know, dad sorta found my stash when I threw this huge rager at my place" Jay wasn't really paying attention, and just blanky stared at him, "and you don't really care do you?"

"Not my problem, find a better hiding spot." Jay muttered annoyed with Peter's entire demeanor, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what you need or how much?"

"Something like untraceable, undetectable by drug tests. I need GHB."

Jay wasn't expecting what Peter was inquiring about, "You want to incapacitate someone?"

"It's the only thing I need. I need to settle something with someone. I need the upper hand."

"This stuff is powerful and no joke, it can take down a bear." Jay stood up. He knew he was getting a lot of money for this but he also was slightly concerned because of how vague Peter was being, "Wait right here let me go get it."

Peter waited on the couch a bit anxiously, he decided to give him a bottle, "Put this in their drink of choice, preferably when they're not looking and -"

"I know how it works. I used it before."

"Oh, well I need $200 for this bad boy."

Peter's eyes widened as he tried to grab up and Jay stepped back with it as he remarked, "It's steep."

Jay pushed back brandishing it, "This stuff is no joke, I don't run a charity."

Peter thought for a moment and then took his money out of his pocket giving him the money and Jay slipped the drugs in his hand which Peter pocketed immediately, "Here you go."

Jay extended his hand for a handshake, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Peter shakes his hand without a second thought before blurting out an invite, "Come to the party I'm throwing Friday Night. You can bring whoever you want."

"I'll consider it."

"I'll shell in more for an eighth of your best bud."

Jay smirked, narrowing his eyes, he seemed almost desperate to have Jay come to his party, a total stranger after buying a strong quaalude of drugs. Against his better judgement, "I'll be there, love parties. What's not to like? Where is it?"

Peter told him, "Two words: Stone Manor."

"You live there?"

"Yeah I do," He nods, "It's my dad's place, I go to school at Stone Prep a stone's throw away you see what I did there? It's a fun party joke, anyway, it's right around there next door. He's going to a dean's conference so the house is as good as free." He looks at his watch and tells Jay, "Shoot well Hogart, it was definitely a pleasure doing business with you, but I gotta go make my rounds, send out the invites and make the shindig happen. See you there."

For a loser in a preppy ass golf shirt, Peter could hang he thought to himself, he never made the correlation that Peter was Emma's huge crush at the beginning of the summer from the pool club. He just assumed he was this lost pathetic teen who wants to hang with the big boys. When Peter left he knew he had everything he needed for his plan and once he hit his baby blue Mercedes coupe and headed out, he made what was to be to him a very important phone call, "I'd like to report a dealer in the area," the voice could be heard asking questions which Peter could answer with a smirk he answered, "His name? Jayson Hogart."

"What did he try to solicit you for?"

Peter put on a song and dance act, "He tried to sell me some well you know, potent potables, we need to get people like that off the street." He thought to himself in his head, that Emma would be easy to get for him. He hadn't forgotten about how she humiliated him by calling him out about Manny. She was the next conquest and he knew more than he let on about her.