Chapter Two: Surprise Company

As Manny, Craig, and Jimmy scrambled to get all their stuff together before running off to New York City, a certain person was watching outside Craig's bedroom window.

"Okay, so, Manny, how much money do we have right now?" Craig asked as he grabbed his guitar.

"Um, sixteen thousand, four hundred seventy...and eighty two cents." Manny replied. "That's twelve thousand, five hundred sixty eight and thirty cents in American currency."

Craig rolled his eyes. "So subtract at least three grand off that, that doesn't even leave us with ten grand."

"Look, we can make it back. Sean knows people." Manny replied.

"I don't wanna know the people Sean knows. As soon as all of this dies down, I'm coming back." Jimmy replied.

"Well, that could be months, so get used to it."

"Need some company?" a voice asked. Craig, Manny, and Jimmy jumped at the voice, and turned to find Emma Nelson climbing in Craig's window.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" Manny demanded.

"Simpson wanted to know your story, so I told him. Then I put two and two together, gave Sean a buzz, and here I am." Emma replied, plopping down on Craig's bed.

"Em, I think you'd better get back to school. It's not safe around us." Craig replied as he stuffed clothes in his duffel bag.

"I'll take the risk." Emma replied. "So can I come?"

Jimmy, Manny, and Craig all stopped what they were doing and looked at her. "Come where?" Jimmy asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb, Jimmy. You know what I want."

"Emma, you can't come. Your parents would kill you." Manny replied.

"Look, I haven't seen Sean in six months. I'm going."

"Sean? That's what this is about? You wanna see Sean? Forget it, Emma. This isn't a field trip, and we don't have the money to pay for your ticket." Jimmy replied.

Emma rolled her eyes, opened her purse, and pulled out her bank card, dropping it on Craig's bed.

"You want money? I have money."

Manny gasped. "Emma, that's your college money!"

"Consider this an extracurricular field trip. Who knows, maybe I'll look at NYU while I'm there." Emma mused.

Manny and Craig looked at each other, then at Jimmy. Jimmy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Okay, fine. But this isn't a sight seeing trip, Emma. You need to be aware that you're in real danger traveling with us."

Emma walked over to Craig's open window, grabbed her bag, and set it on Craig's floor. "I'm aware."

Later...

"How long is this flight again?" Manny asked as she walked down the airplane aisle.

"I think an hour?" Jimmy replied. "Just relax, you'll be fine." He kissed her bare shoulder to calm her down.

"I hate flying." Craig said as he stuffed his duffel bag in the overhead bin. Jimmy and Emma did the same with their bags, leaving Manny to glare at them. They all stopped and looked at her.

"What???" they asked.

"A little help?" Manny asked.

"With what?" Craig replied. Manny threw her bag at him.

"Hello, 5'3!!!" she replied. Jimmy laughed.

"I got it, Manny. Just sit down." Jimmy replied. Craig and Emma looked at each other, amused.

"Alright, here we go!" Emma said as she buckled her seatbelt.

About an hour later...

"Emma, we're on the ground now. You can unbuckle your seatbelt." Manny told her. Emma shook her head.

"The plane hasn't stopped yet. We could hit another plane." She replied, her fingers gripping the armrests hard, her knuckles turning white. She hadn't moved since takeoff.

Craig laughed. "Em, don't worry your little blonde head, okay? We're fine."

"Hey, you guys?" Manny asked. Jimmy, Craig, and Emma turned to look at her.

"Look out the window." She said.

Emma, Craig, and Jimmy leaned over to look out Manny's window. Stretched out before them was the New York skyline.

"Holy shit." Emma said. "My mom is gonna kill me."