Disclaimer: OK, I'm keeping the disclaimer short this time. Here's the
stinking chapter!
Emma was out of breath when she knocked on the Jeremiah's door. She knew Craig would know something was up, but would Craig even want to talk to her? Emma bit on her nails and waited in anticipation for the door to open.
When the knob turned and Joey stood there looking forlorn, Emma didn't know why she was even there. Oh yeah, the babysitting job, Emma remembered.
"Hello, Mr. Jeremiah," she tried to smile, "I'm here to pick up Angie."
"Come on in, Emma. I decided not to go out tonight but you can stay over and keep her some company." Joey rubbed his bald head and opened the door wider so Emma could come in.
"Oh, alright." She entered the house and hoped all her tears had dried off. She looked at her arms; they were covered in bruises shaped like Toby's fingers. She tried to hide them by putting her hands behind her back.
Angie was sitting with Craig on the couch who was holding ice to his stomach. When Craig saw her there he perked up and looked around like he wanted to escape. Emma felt a tingle in her stomach; she still loved him. Well, she thought she loved him. She was having a distorted thought about love.
Emma also wanted to escape but Joey nudged her forward and she sat on the couch with Angie next to her and Craig on the other side eyeing her. His face wasn't scarred but under that flannel shirt, Emma knew that he was bruised badly and it was all because of her.
"Hi, Emma. We're watching cartoons!" Angie smiled a wide smile. "My daddy's going to stay too because Craig got hurt."
Joey was in the kitchen getting beverages but Craig heard this loud and clear. He looked at Angie frantically and then at Emma like he couldn't believe Angie had just said that.
"I-I wanted to talk to Craig about that." Emma stood up and accidentally let her hands fall to her sides where her bruises were clearly in view. Craig saw them and his eyes widened.
"OK, E-Emma let's talk. Angie you stay here and keep watching Bugs Bunny, alright?" Craig stood up, his tall stature looming over Emma's. She couldn't help but feel oddly protected by his presence.
"OK, Craig." Angie then was captured by the gray and white bunny bouncing around trying to escape Elmer Fudd on the screen. They went outside and Craig had a concerned expression on his face.
"Emma, what happened to you?"
Emma's eyes widened and she looked at her bruises and hid them behind her back. "Oh, nothing."
"They look like finger prints. Was it-was it Sean?"
Emma answered quickly. "No, no it wasn't Sean."
Then Emma stepped a little closer and touched the bottom of his shirt. "Can I?"
Craig sighed and looked a little distressed. "A-Alright."
She lifted his shirt and his stomach was polluted with black and blue marks. He also had a bandage where his rib cage was. She touched one of the bruises and Craig flinched.
"Oh, Craig. God, I'm so sorry." Her eyes welled up AGAIN and she turned around so Craig wouldn't see her cry.
"It's not your fault, Emma. I don't know why he did that, but it isn't your fault."
"Don't stick up for me. I should have never broken up with him. Then at least you would have been safe."
Craig touched Emma's shoulder and even though Emma was inconsolable she couldn't help but feel like she yearned for him. She turned around and faced him. "No, Emma. It wasn't your fault. I guess, Sean was starting to notice something-."
He stopped there and looked at the ground wondering what he was saying. He had been thinking a lot the last few hours and he knew he felt something, what it was, he didn't know.
Emma had this warm feeling in her stomach, a small one that was surrounded by the discomfort of the memory of what Toby had just done to her and she looked at her bruises again.
"Those look awful, Emma. What really happened?" Craig traced his finger over the bruises.
She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to talk about anything that had happened that day, so she didn't answer.
"Remember when I couldn't find the word to describe you?"
Emma had not forgotten. She nodded meekly and wondered if he knew what it was yet.
"Beautiful. That's the word. Everything about you is beautiful, your personality, your intelligence, you in general. You're just beautiful."
Emma didn't know how to take this. It was something she had been wanting him to say (or something like that) since the first day he had blessed Degrassi Community School with his presence.
"Will you tell me who gave you those bruises?"
"I could, it was-it was-Toby."
END OF CHAPTER
Sorry the whole cliffhanger thing (would this be classified as a cliffhanger) has overwhelmed me. Anyway, you can review if you want (would be very appreciated) but I'm just trying to make this good.
Emma was out of breath when she knocked on the Jeremiah's door. She knew Craig would know something was up, but would Craig even want to talk to her? Emma bit on her nails and waited in anticipation for the door to open.
When the knob turned and Joey stood there looking forlorn, Emma didn't know why she was even there. Oh yeah, the babysitting job, Emma remembered.
"Hello, Mr. Jeremiah," she tried to smile, "I'm here to pick up Angie."
"Come on in, Emma. I decided not to go out tonight but you can stay over and keep her some company." Joey rubbed his bald head and opened the door wider so Emma could come in.
"Oh, alright." She entered the house and hoped all her tears had dried off. She looked at her arms; they were covered in bruises shaped like Toby's fingers. She tried to hide them by putting her hands behind her back.
Angie was sitting with Craig on the couch who was holding ice to his stomach. When Craig saw her there he perked up and looked around like he wanted to escape. Emma felt a tingle in her stomach; she still loved him. Well, she thought she loved him. She was having a distorted thought about love.
Emma also wanted to escape but Joey nudged her forward and she sat on the couch with Angie next to her and Craig on the other side eyeing her. His face wasn't scarred but under that flannel shirt, Emma knew that he was bruised badly and it was all because of her.
"Hi, Emma. We're watching cartoons!" Angie smiled a wide smile. "My daddy's going to stay too because Craig got hurt."
Joey was in the kitchen getting beverages but Craig heard this loud and clear. He looked at Angie frantically and then at Emma like he couldn't believe Angie had just said that.
"I-I wanted to talk to Craig about that." Emma stood up and accidentally let her hands fall to her sides where her bruises were clearly in view. Craig saw them and his eyes widened.
"OK, E-Emma let's talk. Angie you stay here and keep watching Bugs Bunny, alright?" Craig stood up, his tall stature looming over Emma's. She couldn't help but feel oddly protected by his presence.
"OK, Craig." Angie then was captured by the gray and white bunny bouncing around trying to escape Elmer Fudd on the screen. They went outside and Craig had a concerned expression on his face.
"Emma, what happened to you?"
Emma's eyes widened and she looked at her bruises and hid them behind her back. "Oh, nothing."
"They look like finger prints. Was it-was it Sean?"
Emma answered quickly. "No, no it wasn't Sean."
Then Emma stepped a little closer and touched the bottom of his shirt. "Can I?"
Craig sighed and looked a little distressed. "A-Alright."
She lifted his shirt and his stomach was polluted with black and blue marks. He also had a bandage where his rib cage was. She touched one of the bruises and Craig flinched.
"Oh, Craig. God, I'm so sorry." Her eyes welled up AGAIN and she turned around so Craig wouldn't see her cry.
"It's not your fault, Emma. I don't know why he did that, but it isn't your fault."
"Don't stick up for me. I should have never broken up with him. Then at least you would have been safe."
Craig touched Emma's shoulder and even though Emma was inconsolable she couldn't help but feel like she yearned for him. She turned around and faced him. "No, Emma. It wasn't your fault. I guess, Sean was starting to notice something-."
He stopped there and looked at the ground wondering what he was saying. He had been thinking a lot the last few hours and he knew he felt something, what it was, he didn't know.
Emma had this warm feeling in her stomach, a small one that was surrounded by the discomfort of the memory of what Toby had just done to her and she looked at her bruises again.
"Those look awful, Emma. What really happened?" Craig traced his finger over the bruises.
She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to talk about anything that had happened that day, so she didn't answer.
"Remember when I couldn't find the word to describe you?"
Emma had not forgotten. She nodded meekly and wondered if he knew what it was yet.
"Beautiful. That's the word. Everything about you is beautiful, your personality, your intelligence, you in general. You're just beautiful."
Emma didn't know how to take this. It was something she had been wanting him to say (or something like that) since the first day he had blessed Degrassi Community School with his presence.
"Will you tell me who gave you those bruises?"
"I could, it was-it was-Toby."
END OF CHAPTER
Sorry the whole cliffhanger thing (would this be classified as a cliffhanger) has overwhelmed me. Anyway, you can review if you want (would be very appreciated) but I'm just trying to make this good.
