Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Summary: Geez, whatever you reckon.

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There was silence around me, as I held Kane. What was I to do? Let Emma have the child and have my family and Boromir hate me for the rest of my life? Or give the child to Boromir and have all my friends hate me? I stared helplessly at the two groups. I opened my mouth but not a sound came out.

"Don't do it, Jamie, you know what he'll do." Came a voice.

"Jandimara!" I cried, hugging her scarred body. "What am I to do?"

"Don't give the child to Damon's side," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "You know what he did to me. And now that I see him, I know for sure it was him."

Damon scoffed. "What did I do to you? Black girl?"

Jandi bristled like an angry cat. "Do you want me to tell everyone that it was you, who burnt me seven years ago?"

Damon turned white as a sheet. The whole room seemed to gasp. All eyes looked at Damon. Emma looked terrified.

"WHAT?!" she practically yelled. "YOU did that to her?"

"N-no. She's lying! I don't even know her!"

"Oh but you do. Don't you remember watching me play with my friends and sister and when the bell rang, you came over, dumped petrol on me and lit me with the cigarette you were holding?" Jandimara asked, hate glinted in her eyes.

Everyone, including Emma, Billee and Legolas were looking at Damon in shock.

"Then you ran back to your hiding place, while Elrond tried to put me out, and later, you befriended Benny, and told him you were just an innocent bystander? Didn't you?"

I looked at Emma then Damon, then Emma again. She was looking at me, pleading me to say it wasn't true.

"It's true, Emma. Jandimara told me last night. I'm sorry."

"Emma, just think of what he did to me. Think of what he could do to you, and your son, if you stay with him. I don't want to see you get hurt. He might look sincere. But believe me. He isn't. He'll use you and then he go look for another woman to satisfy his needs."

Benny, Lucas, Blaze and Forrest held Damon. Jandimara marched up to Damon and held up a piece of torn cloth. It matched the pattern of Damon's shirt exactly.

"Do you remember me holding on to your shirt and tearing it, Damon? Do you remember running for your life when Elrond came out and tried to put me out? Do you remember all of this? I don't want to see my friends or my friend's friends get hurt. Admit it."

"Okay! All right!" Damon yelled, crumbling under pressure. "I have a grudge against Black people, okay?! Happy?! I was there that day, and watching you play chase or tiggy or whatever you called it, And I had the petrol tank. I lit you up! Okay!? I hate you all! I love Emma! Emma please believe me!"

Emma looked at him with a mixture of love and hate. She began to move slowly toward me and Kane. Billee and Legolas did the same. Boromir, who had been listening to all of this, looked completely shocked. I sat down in the middle of the floor and held Kane closer to me. Ria waddled toward me and sat in my lap. I held her and I held Kane and I cried. By golly, I cried my heart out. I hated keeping secrets and lies from my friends. It just wasn't right.