A Stupid, Worthless Boy
Summary: Emma/Dean. Don't write it off.
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Degrassi. "A Stupid, Worthless Boy"
is Blink 182 lyrics from "Story of a Lonely Guy."
A/N: Please don't kill me just yet. This is an odd idea that came to me after playing dolls with the girl I baby-sit. She was the perfect animal loving girl, Emma, and I was the bad boy turned monster, Dean. I was like... whoa, Degrassi-ness. So this needs to be written so that I can be happy. The only reason I'm posting it is that I want to see how the viewing public will respond.
Chapter 1: Believe in Me
Emma sat solitary on the steps of the courthouse. She was still debating fervently whether or not she should leave. Despite their patched last few months, Emma still owed a great deal to Manny Santos, her best friend. She silently cursed Chris again for having to help his cousin in the studio today of all days. She knew how important it was to him, but damnit, didn't he care about her at all?
She looked hopelessly at the only other figure out in the cold, Canadian morning. He was only a handful of yards away, but she could make out barely more than his outline in the dense fog. She knew she shouldn't have gotten here so early with only coffee to accompany her. He was pacing and her subtle glances showed that he was decked out in a brand new suit. He was either a very young lawyer, or he was facing a judge. She knew that it was most likely the latter since his appearance was uncanny to Spinner only a few months earlier after he was arrested for a DUI. She hadn't actually gone to the court proceedings, but after he was cleared because of an error in the breathalyzer, Paige had happily shown everyone pictures of her and Spinner in the courtroom. Leave it to Paige to take pictures at someone's DUI trial.
Her thoughts began roaming after she opened the "Paige" can of worms. After everything she's done, it was Emma's first reaction to be glad Paige got raped. She got what was coming to her. Then, Emma cringed for thinking it. Of course no one deserves to be raped. It's a horrible thought, but as much as Emma tried to push it away, it lingered in the back of her head. Then, Manny came out with the news that Dean raped her, also. Looking back on it, Emma wondered why she hadn't had the same thought about Manny that she had about Paige. Manny was less conservative than Paige in her dress, and Manny could whip out insults like the best of them. Maybe somewhere in the back of her optimistic mind, Emma believed that Manny would never change from her seventh grade self. That was why she was here. Manny didn't deserve being raped, and neither did Paige.
She found herself staring again, although it was not a conscious effort. Her eyes needed to go somewhere, and he was the only moving thing within eyeshot. He got close enough so that she noticed that his eyes were directed at her, too. She shyly but quickly averted her gaze. After that, she heard a sharp, forced laugh and felt her cheeks flush. Something about him was so undeniably attractive to her. There was something about the way his eyes pierced through her, reading her, making her suddenly doubt every opinion she's ever had. The warm liquid that she had bought merely minutes before was half gone, and the remaining half had been chilled because of the cold December air. She wanted nothing more than to run into a heated building and never leave, but she couldn't leave this figure on the steps alone. The look of utter abandonment in his eyes chilled her more than any wind could. She wondered how powerful he was that he could be the center of all her thoughts after a mere glance.
It seemed like an eternity before he sat down next to her. "I've been thinking for about five minutes what I could say to you that wouldn't be corny, and that's what I came up with," he said clumsily. Emma smiled although the 'pick-up line' (if it could be called that) was weak at best. "When I first saw you, I envied your coffee so much. I've wanted to come ask for a drink since then, but, if I were you, I'd wonder what this freak is doing asking to drink my coffee when he doesn't even know me. I wouldn't let me either."
"You can have some," she said hurriedly. "I'm just not sure you'd want any. It's gotten colder after the past twenty minutes."
"I'll take my chances," he said with an odd sparkle in his eyes. She rolled her eyes dramatically before handing over the lukewarm cup. "Thank you!" he said exasperating after a long drink. She shook her hands when he tried to hand it back. "Thanks," he mumbled. They sat in a strangely genuine and non- stressed silence. The boy leaned back against the step behind him. Emma sat with her arms around her knees, her hands playing with her shoes. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
She turned around. "About what?"
"Why you're here."
"Oh, it's not, I'm not... I'm here for a friend. A friend of mine had some stuff happen to her and they're pressing charges."
"They?" he asked.
"Oh," she said, not realizing she had slipped. "Yea. It happened to this other girl first, and after awhile, she started a stink about it. Then, my friend came out and said the same thing happened to her."
"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry for your friend."
"You know, I don't even feel like I should be here. I've only heard their side of the story. I mean, these girls, although one is my friend, are notorious liars. I don't even know if I can trust them. I want to, but I don't know. I should leave." Emma stayed seated though, perplexed as to where all these words were coming from. She wasn't even aware she was thinking these things.
"For what it's worth, I don't want you to leave. I'm going to have a trial that will decide the fate of my life, and surprisingly, when I'm talking to you, I don't feel like hanging myself."
"Funny, I usually have the opposite effect," Emma joked.
He laughed, but it wasn't forced. It was real. She wasn't quite sure when the last time she had heard a real laugh was. He checked his watch and jumped up. "I have to go run over everything again with my lawyer. You made me forget. Not saying that's a bad thing. But, seriously, she'll come looking for me if I don't go right now. I need to see you again."
Emma took the last line as a shock. Every ounce of morality in her body screamed at her: Chris! This is a boy you just met! Do you remember the internet rapist? Are you a moron? For Christ's sake, he's a felon! She ignored and avoided the thoughts at all cost as she dug through her purse. Her fingers shook as she scribbled her cell phone number on the back of a receipt. "I'm Emma, by the way," she said as her hand slipped into his. Their fingers lingered for a few seconds longer than normal. "I missed your name."
"I'll be calling you soon," he said and took off down the stairs. She figured he must've missed her last statement. She sighed and spun around in the slightly warmer air that was a direct cause of the sun inching its way towards its midday spot. The last thing she wanted to do was sit through a rape trial. She felt her legs carry her towards downtown Toronto, and she easily got swept into the morning crowd.
A little girl lost.
A/N: Please don't kill me just yet. This is an odd idea that came to me after playing dolls with the girl I baby-sit. She was the perfect animal loving girl, Emma, and I was the bad boy turned monster, Dean. I was like... whoa, Degrassi-ness. So this needs to be written so that I can be happy. The only reason I'm posting it is that I want to see how the viewing public will respond.
Chapter 1: Believe in Me
Emma sat solitary on the steps of the courthouse. She was still debating fervently whether or not she should leave. Despite their patched last few months, Emma still owed a great deal to Manny Santos, her best friend. She silently cursed Chris again for having to help his cousin in the studio today of all days. She knew how important it was to him, but damnit, didn't he care about her at all?
She looked hopelessly at the only other figure out in the cold, Canadian morning. He was only a handful of yards away, but she could make out barely more than his outline in the dense fog. She knew she shouldn't have gotten here so early with only coffee to accompany her. He was pacing and her subtle glances showed that he was decked out in a brand new suit. He was either a very young lawyer, or he was facing a judge. She knew that it was most likely the latter since his appearance was uncanny to Spinner only a few months earlier after he was arrested for a DUI. She hadn't actually gone to the court proceedings, but after he was cleared because of an error in the breathalyzer, Paige had happily shown everyone pictures of her and Spinner in the courtroom. Leave it to Paige to take pictures at someone's DUI trial.
Her thoughts began roaming after she opened the "Paige" can of worms. After everything she's done, it was Emma's first reaction to be glad Paige got raped. She got what was coming to her. Then, Emma cringed for thinking it. Of course no one deserves to be raped. It's a horrible thought, but as much as Emma tried to push it away, it lingered in the back of her head. Then, Manny came out with the news that Dean raped her, also. Looking back on it, Emma wondered why she hadn't had the same thought about Manny that she had about Paige. Manny was less conservative than Paige in her dress, and Manny could whip out insults like the best of them. Maybe somewhere in the back of her optimistic mind, Emma believed that Manny would never change from her seventh grade self. That was why she was here. Manny didn't deserve being raped, and neither did Paige.
She found herself staring again, although it was not a conscious effort. Her eyes needed to go somewhere, and he was the only moving thing within eyeshot. He got close enough so that she noticed that his eyes were directed at her, too. She shyly but quickly averted her gaze. After that, she heard a sharp, forced laugh and felt her cheeks flush. Something about him was so undeniably attractive to her. There was something about the way his eyes pierced through her, reading her, making her suddenly doubt every opinion she's ever had. The warm liquid that she had bought merely minutes before was half gone, and the remaining half had been chilled because of the cold December air. She wanted nothing more than to run into a heated building and never leave, but she couldn't leave this figure on the steps alone. The look of utter abandonment in his eyes chilled her more than any wind could. She wondered how powerful he was that he could be the center of all her thoughts after a mere glance.
It seemed like an eternity before he sat down next to her. "I've been thinking for about five minutes what I could say to you that wouldn't be corny, and that's what I came up with," he said clumsily. Emma smiled although the 'pick-up line' (if it could be called that) was weak at best. "When I first saw you, I envied your coffee so much. I've wanted to come ask for a drink since then, but, if I were you, I'd wonder what this freak is doing asking to drink my coffee when he doesn't even know me. I wouldn't let me either."
"You can have some," she said hurriedly. "I'm just not sure you'd want any. It's gotten colder after the past twenty minutes."
"I'll take my chances," he said with an odd sparkle in his eyes. She rolled her eyes dramatically before handing over the lukewarm cup. "Thank you!" he said exasperating after a long drink. She shook her hands when he tried to hand it back. "Thanks," he mumbled. They sat in a strangely genuine and non- stressed silence. The boy leaned back against the step behind him. Emma sat with her arms around her knees, her hands playing with her shoes. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
She turned around. "About what?"
"Why you're here."
"Oh, it's not, I'm not... I'm here for a friend. A friend of mine had some stuff happen to her and they're pressing charges."
"They?" he asked.
"Oh," she said, not realizing she had slipped. "Yea. It happened to this other girl first, and after awhile, she started a stink about it. Then, my friend came out and said the same thing happened to her."
"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry for your friend."
"You know, I don't even feel like I should be here. I've only heard their side of the story. I mean, these girls, although one is my friend, are notorious liars. I don't even know if I can trust them. I want to, but I don't know. I should leave." Emma stayed seated though, perplexed as to where all these words were coming from. She wasn't even aware she was thinking these things.
"For what it's worth, I don't want you to leave. I'm going to have a trial that will decide the fate of my life, and surprisingly, when I'm talking to you, I don't feel like hanging myself."
"Funny, I usually have the opposite effect," Emma joked.
He laughed, but it wasn't forced. It was real. She wasn't quite sure when the last time she had heard a real laugh was. He checked his watch and jumped up. "I have to go run over everything again with my lawyer. You made me forget. Not saying that's a bad thing. But, seriously, she'll come looking for me if I don't go right now. I need to see you again."
Emma took the last line as a shock. Every ounce of morality in her body screamed at her: Chris! This is a boy you just met! Do you remember the internet rapist? Are you a moron? For Christ's sake, he's a felon! She ignored and avoided the thoughts at all cost as she dug through her purse. Her fingers shook as she scribbled her cell phone number on the back of a receipt. "I'm Emma, by the way," she said as her hand slipped into his. Their fingers lingered for a few seconds longer than normal. "I missed your name."
"I'll be calling you soon," he said and took off down the stairs. She figured he must've missed her last statement. She sighed and spun around in the slightly warmer air that was a direct cause of the sun inching its way towards its midday spot. The last thing she wanted to do was sit through a rape trial. She felt her legs carry her towards downtown Toronto, and she easily got swept into the morning crowd.
A little girl lost.