The funeral was beautiful. Emma had never realized how many students
respected Snake as a teacher and she was touched by it, but it didn't make
the time any easier.
At the receiving of friends following the funeral, Emma sat in a chair that was placed in the corner of the room. She had her legs crossed, her arms folded, and she carried a solemn grin on her face. Her eyes were cold and her demeanor even colder. She hadn't been much for conversation since she'd seen Snake's lifeless body.
".and yes, we do appreciate it," she heard her mom say, shaking Mr. Raditch's hand. The Degrassi principal was actually showing emotion as he wiped a tear away from his eye. Emma had never seen Raditch show any vulnerability; he was as hard-nosed as they come.
"Christine, I've known you for a long time," Raditch began, "and I've known you to overcome a lot. You can handle this. We at Degrassi will certainly miss Archie. He was incredible as a communicator and mentor."
"Yes, yes, I know," Spike said, her eyes focusing on a group of Degrassi students who were standing in a cluster sipping on drinks, a cloud seeming to loom over their head.
"I just can't believe it," Jimmy said. "I mean, it's like, well, I don't know."
Terri nodded and began, "I knew he was sick, but wow, I didn't know it had gotten this bad. I thought he'd just spent the remainder of the year out to finish up chemo."
"It's just how life is," Ashley said. "You don't realize how fragile it is until it hits this close to home."
"Mr. Simpson was a pretty amazing teacher," Jimmy said. "I'll miss him, for sure. Media Immersions wasn't easy, but he certainly knew his stuff." He chuckled. "Damn, he was a dork."
The faces of the group of students lit up when remembering some of the goofy things that Snake had done as their teacher.
Suddenly, they stopped.
"Is it okay to laugh over this?" Craig asked, his eyes suddenly becoming filled with concern.
The group paused and looked down at the floor as an awkward silence filled the area.
"Of course it's okay," a female voice said.
The group turned and saw Spike walking towards them. There was a chorus of greetings and she smiled sheepishly.
"Don't worry about laughing at Snake," Spike said. "He was a goof. But, he prided himself on that. I can't think of anything he'd love more than to hear you guys laughing at him and the things he did."
"Well, we loved him," Terri said. "I don't think any of us would have admitted it when he was quizzing us on Photoshop, but we did. I actually looked forward to going to his class."
"And he looked forward to teaching the classes he taught." Spike looked around. "You guys are all in grade 10, right?"
The students in the group nodded.
"He had a special bond with you guys. Don't get me wrong, he loved all his classes, but there was something about your class that he just adored. I think I see why."
Terri wiped a tear from her eye and Jimmy put his arm around her.
"We're so sorry Mrs. Simpson," Ashley said. "I know you've heard it a lot, but really, we are. We'd give anything."
"I know," Spike said, cutting her off. She stretched her arms out and embraced several of the students. "I would too."
Emma was still sitting in her chair as the crowd began to clear out. She had moved only once throughout the several hours that people had crowded their house and that was only to wipe some tears from her eyes. She had cried, but her expression had never changed and she never felt any different. She would just tear up and that would be the end of that.
She looked at the front door and saw her mom hugging several different people as she held baby Jack.
"He's so innocent," Emma thought to herself. "He's so lucky. He has no idea what's going on. I would give anything for that right now."
Spike finally shut the door and then cradled Jack in her arms. She looked adoringly at him and grinned. She looked up and did a double take on every visible part of the house. Her grin faded. Finally, her glance landed on the stern Emma.
"It'll be okay, Emma," Spike said slowly.
Emma just glared at her, not sure of what to say. It wasn't like Spike had delivered earth-shattering news, but she still wasn't sure how to respond.
"Emma, please, don't lose control of yourself," she said.
Emma just looked down at her knees.
Jack let out a cry and Spike quickly put him against her shoulder. "I'm going to go put him down for the night," she said. "I'll be back out in a few."
Spike disappeared into the hallway and Emma found herself sitting in a room that was symbolic of the way she felt-empty.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She wanted to get up and answer the door, if only to stop the knocking from making her crazy, but she didn't. There was another series of knocks. She still wouldn't get up.
Finally, the doorbell rang.
"Em!" Spike cried from the backroom. "Emma, please get that. I don't want the doorbell to wake up Jack, he's starting to fade, thankfully."
"Fine," Emma muttered, finally standing up. It felt good to stretch her legs out a bit as they were definitely cramped. "I'm coming!" she cried unenthusiastically.
She opened the door slowly, without checking the peephole to see who it was, and she felt like a weight was taken off her shoulders-it was Sean.
"Sean!" she cried.
"Hi, Emma," he said slowly. "How are you?"
"I'm not good," she said. "How are you?"
"Been better, definitely."
"I was wondering if you were going to show up or not."
"You were?"
"Yeah, well, I sat in the corner for the last few hours-I didn't have much else to think about." Emma noticed her words were coming out smooth and her thoughts were coherent. It definitely helped to see Sean.
"Well, I got to the service late, and I decided I'd wait to come over here, so I could talk to you alone some."
"I'm glad you did."
"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked.
Emma looked outside and noticed the sun was almost done setting. It was a very nice night and she needed some fresh air.
"Actually, let's go for a walk," she said.
"You sure you're okay to leave?" he asked.
"Yeah, I need it. Please don't say no."
"Oh, oh, of course, not."
"Hang on, though," Emma said. "Let me go tell my mom. She won't want me to just leave."
Emma made her way into Jack's nursery room and saw her mom sitting in a rocking chair, her nose peering over the crib walls.
"Mom," Emma whispered.
Spike turned around, her eyes slightly puffy. "Hi, Em," she said. "Who's at the door?"
"Oh, it's Sean," Emma said. "He came by to see how I was. Do you mind if I go take a walk with him?"
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Are you sure you're up to it? I won't leave if you need me to stay."
"No, Em, you finally sound normal. Go take this time and hang out with Sean some. It'll be okay. Trust me."
Emma looked at her mother, her eyes filled with admiration. "Thank you." She walked over to her mom and put her hands on Spike's shoulders, followed by a kiss on the cheek. She finished it off with a bear hug around her neck. "Mom, we made it once-we can do it again."
Spike smiled, goosebumps running up her arms. "You're right," she said. "The Nelsons did it once-the Simpsons can do it, too."
Emma left the room and saw Sean still standing on the front porch stuff, obviously feeling a little awkward.
"Let's go," Emma said. She walked outside and joined Sean, shutting the door behind her.
They strolled for about a minute with very little conversation outside of a comment about the breeze being wonderful. They approached a dead end of a street and Sean stopped. He hopped up on the wall that signaled the dead end and told Emma to join him. In her best dress, she managed to leap up and sit beside him.
"Emma, I want you to be honest with me," Sean said. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Am I going to be? Probably. Am I right now? No."
"You know, I lost both my parents. Maybe not physically, but emotionally, it's like they don't exist to me. And I'll tell you, that's difficult. But, look at me, as weak-willed as I am, I overcame it."
"Yeah, I know, but right now, it just seems so hopeless."
"It'll probably be like that for a while," Sean said. "It won't be an easy summer for you or your mom."
"Sean, did you bring me out here to bring me down even more?" Emma asked.
Sean chuckled and looked up at the sky. "No, not at all. I just was saying, that's all."
"You know, you can't accuse Snake of not fighting this thing," Sean said. "It's pretty awesome to think he put all his fight into it just so he could be around for you and your mom. He really loved you. You are really lucky."
"Yeah, I was," Emma said.
"No," Sean said, "you are. People get sick all the time and selfishly give in so they don't have to fight it. Mr. Simpson pushed himself to the limit for you. You'll always know that."
"Sean, I'm scared," Emma confided. "What if my mom can't handle it? What if I can't handle it?"
"Your mom not be able to handle it?" Sean asked. "Your mom's been thrown more than one curveball and she's been okay. And you, you're a product of your mom. You have nothing to be scared of. You can handle it. And if you have trouble, then I'm here."
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be."
"What?"
"After how snobby I acted to you, there's way you should still be with me. I was a bitch, don't deny it."
Sean smiled and laughed softly. "Maybe, but I wouldn't come back for just a bitch." Sean looked up at her with affection in his eyes.
"Well, what would you come back for?"
Sean wasn't the type to throw romance cliché's out, but he knew the only answer he could say: "Love."
Emma's looked at him and her body fell into his arms, just as she had done many times when they were still dating.
"I love you, Sean," Emma said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I love you too, Emma," Sean replied, tilting her head back and kissing her.
They kissed for a moment and then Emma pulled back and rested her head on Sean's shoulder. "Thank you for being here tonight, Sean. You're the only person who could have made this day have some sun."
Sean didn't respond. He just looked at her, and pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. It was all he could do and all he wanted to do.
At the receiving of friends following the funeral, Emma sat in a chair that was placed in the corner of the room. She had her legs crossed, her arms folded, and she carried a solemn grin on her face. Her eyes were cold and her demeanor even colder. She hadn't been much for conversation since she'd seen Snake's lifeless body.
".and yes, we do appreciate it," she heard her mom say, shaking Mr. Raditch's hand. The Degrassi principal was actually showing emotion as he wiped a tear away from his eye. Emma had never seen Raditch show any vulnerability; he was as hard-nosed as they come.
"Christine, I've known you for a long time," Raditch began, "and I've known you to overcome a lot. You can handle this. We at Degrassi will certainly miss Archie. He was incredible as a communicator and mentor."
"Yes, yes, I know," Spike said, her eyes focusing on a group of Degrassi students who were standing in a cluster sipping on drinks, a cloud seeming to loom over their head.
"I just can't believe it," Jimmy said. "I mean, it's like, well, I don't know."
Terri nodded and began, "I knew he was sick, but wow, I didn't know it had gotten this bad. I thought he'd just spent the remainder of the year out to finish up chemo."
"It's just how life is," Ashley said. "You don't realize how fragile it is until it hits this close to home."
"Mr. Simpson was a pretty amazing teacher," Jimmy said. "I'll miss him, for sure. Media Immersions wasn't easy, but he certainly knew his stuff." He chuckled. "Damn, he was a dork."
The faces of the group of students lit up when remembering some of the goofy things that Snake had done as their teacher.
Suddenly, they stopped.
"Is it okay to laugh over this?" Craig asked, his eyes suddenly becoming filled with concern.
The group paused and looked down at the floor as an awkward silence filled the area.
"Of course it's okay," a female voice said.
The group turned and saw Spike walking towards them. There was a chorus of greetings and she smiled sheepishly.
"Don't worry about laughing at Snake," Spike said. "He was a goof. But, he prided himself on that. I can't think of anything he'd love more than to hear you guys laughing at him and the things he did."
"Well, we loved him," Terri said. "I don't think any of us would have admitted it when he was quizzing us on Photoshop, but we did. I actually looked forward to going to his class."
"And he looked forward to teaching the classes he taught." Spike looked around. "You guys are all in grade 10, right?"
The students in the group nodded.
"He had a special bond with you guys. Don't get me wrong, he loved all his classes, but there was something about your class that he just adored. I think I see why."
Terri wiped a tear from her eye and Jimmy put his arm around her.
"We're so sorry Mrs. Simpson," Ashley said. "I know you've heard it a lot, but really, we are. We'd give anything."
"I know," Spike said, cutting her off. She stretched her arms out and embraced several of the students. "I would too."
Emma was still sitting in her chair as the crowd began to clear out. She had moved only once throughout the several hours that people had crowded their house and that was only to wipe some tears from her eyes. She had cried, but her expression had never changed and she never felt any different. She would just tear up and that would be the end of that.
She looked at the front door and saw her mom hugging several different people as she held baby Jack.
"He's so innocent," Emma thought to herself. "He's so lucky. He has no idea what's going on. I would give anything for that right now."
Spike finally shut the door and then cradled Jack in her arms. She looked adoringly at him and grinned. She looked up and did a double take on every visible part of the house. Her grin faded. Finally, her glance landed on the stern Emma.
"It'll be okay, Emma," Spike said slowly.
Emma just glared at her, not sure of what to say. It wasn't like Spike had delivered earth-shattering news, but she still wasn't sure how to respond.
"Emma, please, don't lose control of yourself," she said.
Emma just looked down at her knees.
Jack let out a cry and Spike quickly put him against her shoulder. "I'm going to go put him down for the night," she said. "I'll be back out in a few."
Spike disappeared into the hallway and Emma found herself sitting in a room that was symbolic of the way she felt-empty.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She wanted to get up and answer the door, if only to stop the knocking from making her crazy, but she didn't. There was another series of knocks. She still wouldn't get up.
Finally, the doorbell rang.
"Em!" Spike cried from the backroom. "Emma, please get that. I don't want the doorbell to wake up Jack, he's starting to fade, thankfully."
"Fine," Emma muttered, finally standing up. It felt good to stretch her legs out a bit as they were definitely cramped. "I'm coming!" she cried unenthusiastically.
She opened the door slowly, without checking the peephole to see who it was, and she felt like a weight was taken off her shoulders-it was Sean.
"Sean!" she cried.
"Hi, Emma," he said slowly. "How are you?"
"I'm not good," she said. "How are you?"
"Been better, definitely."
"I was wondering if you were going to show up or not."
"You were?"
"Yeah, well, I sat in the corner for the last few hours-I didn't have much else to think about." Emma noticed her words were coming out smooth and her thoughts were coherent. It definitely helped to see Sean.
"Well, I got to the service late, and I decided I'd wait to come over here, so I could talk to you alone some."
"I'm glad you did."
"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked.
Emma looked outside and noticed the sun was almost done setting. It was a very nice night and she needed some fresh air.
"Actually, let's go for a walk," she said.
"You sure you're okay to leave?" he asked.
"Yeah, I need it. Please don't say no."
"Oh, oh, of course, not."
"Hang on, though," Emma said. "Let me go tell my mom. She won't want me to just leave."
Emma made her way into Jack's nursery room and saw her mom sitting in a rocking chair, her nose peering over the crib walls.
"Mom," Emma whispered.
Spike turned around, her eyes slightly puffy. "Hi, Em," she said. "Who's at the door?"
"Oh, it's Sean," Emma said. "He came by to see how I was. Do you mind if I go take a walk with him?"
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Are you sure you're up to it? I won't leave if you need me to stay."
"No, Em, you finally sound normal. Go take this time and hang out with Sean some. It'll be okay. Trust me."
Emma looked at her mother, her eyes filled with admiration. "Thank you." She walked over to her mom and put her hands on Spike's shoulders, followed by a kiss on the cheek. She finished it off with a bear hug around her neck. "Mom, we made it once-we can do it again."
Spike smiled, goosebumps running up her arms. "You're right," she said. "The Nelsons did it once-the Simpsons can do it, too."
Emma left the room and saw Sean still standing on the front porch stuff, obviously feeling a little awkward.
"Let's go," Emma said. She walked outside and joined Sean, shutting the door behind her.
They strolled for about a minute with very little conversation outside of a comment about the breeze being wonderful. They approached a dead end of a street and Sean stopped. He hopped up on the wall that signaled the dead end and told Emma to join him. In her best dress, she managed to leap up and sit beside him.
"Emma, I want you to be honest with me," Sean said. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Am I going to be? Probably. Am I right now? No."
"You know, I lost both my parents. Maybe not physically, but emotionally, it's like they don't exist to me. And I'll tell you, that's difficult. But, look at me, as weak-willed as I am, I overcame it."
"Yeah, I know, but right now, it just seems so hopeless."
"It'll probably be like that for a while," Sean said. "It won't be an easy summer for you or your mom."
"Sean, did you bring me out here to bring me down even more?" Emma asked.
Sean chuckled and looked up at the sky. "No, not at all. I just was saying, that's all."
"You know, you can't accuse Snake of not fighting this thing," Sean said. "It's pretty awesome to think he put all his fight into it just so he could be around for you and your mom. He really loved you. You are really lucky."
"Yeah, I was," Emma said.
"No," Sean said, "you are. People get sick all the time and selfishly give in so they don't have to fight it. Mr. Simpson pushed himself to the limit for you. You'll always know that."
"Sean, I'm scared," Emma confided. "What if my mom can't handle it? What if I can't handle it?"
"Your mom not be able to handle it?" Sean asked. "Your mom's been thrown more than one curveball and she's been okay. And you, you're a product of your mom. You have nothing to be scared of. You can handle it. And if you have trouble, then I'm here."
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be."
"What?"
"After how snobby I acted to you, there's way you should still be with me. I was a bitch, don't deny it."
Sean smiled and laughed softly. "Maybe, but I wouldn't come back for just a bitch." Sean looked up at her with affection in his eyes.
"Well, what would you come back for?"
Sean wasn't the type to throw romance cliché's out, but he knew the only answer he could say: "Love."
Emma's looked at him and her body fell into his arms, just as she had done many times when they were still dating.
"I love you, Sean," Emma said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I love you too, Emma," Sean replied, tilting her head back and kissing her.
They kissed for a moment and then Emma pulled back and rested her head on Sean's shoulder. "Thank you for being here tonight, Sean. You're the only person who could have made this day have some sun."
Sean didn't respond. He just looked at her, and pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. It was all he could do and all he wanted to do.