Sirius just sat there gaping at her.
"Y-your boyfriend?"
Emma didn't say anything but just weakly nodded her head.
"Oh," Sirius sounded more hurt than angry, "W-why?"
Emma's head shot up, "What do you mean why?!" her eyes flashed dangerously, "because he just is! And I like him, okay?"
Sirius looked back at her with mingled disgust and anguish.
"You like him?" Sirius put on a mocking voice, "Oh and I can tell the feeling is sooo mutual!"
"You don't know anything, okay?! So stop acting like you do!"
Emma was on her feet now, her face all red.
Sirius jumped up too.
"Okay? Okay?! No that's not 'okay'! Did you not see how he treated you? What, do you like jerks treating you like dirt or something?!"
"Listen. You don't understand! And don't call him a jerk!"
"Why the hell are you sticking up for him?"
Emma sat back down and put her head in her hands. She started crying and rocking back in forth. Sirius hadn't meant for her to get so emotional but he almost thought she deserved it.
Sirius sighed and sat back down. He didn't get why she was crying, he hardly meant to be yelling at her. It was just that he was kinda hurt she had a boyfriend and angry at how he treated her.
Emma finally looked up, tears shining in her green eyes. "Oh course I can't honestly tell you I like him!"
Sirius was so confused.
"I don't have a choice, okay?" (Sirius really wished she would stop saying 'oksy')
"What do you mean you don't have a choice?"
Emma sobbed even harder. "Todd's dad is my dad's boss and he told me if I ever broke up with him, he'd have his dad fire mine."
Sirius was still confused, "Well why doesn't your dad just quite?"
Emma shook her head violently, "He can't! Mum doesn't work and dad is our only source of money. We can't afford for him not to have a job. W-we d- don't really have m-much."
The story was starting to dawn on Sirius. "Would this man really fire your dad because you broke up with his son?"
Emma had stopped crying by now. "Yes. It was his dad that told me I couldn't break up with Todd."
"That's sick."
"I'm sorry. I should have told you. But I figured it wouldn't matter, there is nothing I can do."
Sirius nodded weakly, why were muggle lives so confusing?
"Do you hate me now?" she asked.
"Of course not. You're right. I didn't know."
"Well I guess I'll just go now, it was nice to meet you Sirius B-"
"Black."
"Oh okay, Sirius Black," she looked at him a moment before standing up, "Thank you for bearing with me so long. I wish that- well I guess it doesn't really matter."
No, thought Sirius, it does matter. "Wait! Emma so that's that? You go and I never see you again? Couldn't we just be friends? Todd wouldn't have to know."
Emma's face lightened up a good deal, but then it was quickly replaced by fear. "I don't know Sirius. I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again after all the trouble I've been."
Sirius took her hand and smiled. "Of course I want to see you again."
s
"Y-your boyfriend?"
Emma didn't say anything but just weakly nodded her head.
"Oh," Sirius sounded more hurt than angry, "W-why?"
Emma's head shot up, "What do you mean why?!" her eyes flashed dangerously, "because he just is! And I like him, okay?"
Sirius looked back at her with mingled disgust and anguish.
"You like him?" Sirius put on a mocking voice, "Oh and I can tell the feeling is sooo mutual!"
"You don't know anything, okay?! So stop acting like you do!"
Emma was on her feet now, her face all red.
Sirius jumped up too.
"Okay? Okay?! No that's not 'okay'! Did you not see how he treated you? What, do you like jerks treating you like dirt or something?!"
"Listen. You don't understand! And don't call him a jerk!"
"Why the hell are you sticking up for him?"
Emma sat back down and put her head in her hands. She started crying and rocking back in forth. Sirius hadn't meant for her to get so emotional but he almost thought she deserved it.
Sirius sighed and sat back down. He didn't get why she was crying, he hardly meant to be yelling at her. It was just that he was kinda hurt she had a boyfriend and angry at how he treated her.
Emma finally looked up, tears shining in her green eyes. "Oh course I can't honestly tell you I like him!"
Sirius was so confused.
"I don't have a choice, okay?" (Sirius really wished she would stop saying 'oksy')
"What do you mean you don't have a choice?"
Emma sobbed even harder. "Todd's dad is my dad's boss and he told me if I ever broke up with him, he'd have his dad fire mine."
Sirius was still confused, "Well why doesn't your dad just quite?"
Emma shook her head violently, "He can't! Mum doesn't work and dad is our only source of money. We can't afford for him not to have a job. W-we d- don't really have m-much."
The story was starting to dawn on Sirius. "Would this man really fire your dad because you broke up with his son?"
Emma had stopped crying by now. "Yes. It was his dad that told me I couldn't break up with Todd."
"That's sick."
"I'm sorry. I should have told you. But I figured it wouldn't matter, there is nothing I can do."
Sirius nodded weakly, why were muggle lives so confusing?
"Do you hate me now?" she asked.
"Of course not. You're right. I didn't know."
"Well I guess I'll just go now, it was nice to meet you Sirius B-"
"Black."
"Oh okay, Sirius Black," she looked at him a moment before standing up, "Thank you for bearing with me so long. I wish that- well I guess it doesn't really matter."
No, thought Sirius, it does matter. "Wait! Emma so that's that? You go and I never see you again? Couldn't we just be friends? Todd wouldn't have to know."
Emma's face lightened up a good deal, but then it was quickly replaced by fear. "I don't know Sirius. I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again after all the trouble I've been."
Sirius took her hand and smiled. "Of course I want to see you again."
s
