A Stupid, Worthless Boy
Chapter 6: So Much for My Happy Ending
Emma took a deep breath and headed into Degrassi. She attempted, and succeeded a bit, to mentally brace herself for whatever her day was sure to bring. 'It's all alright, because I have something they'll never be able to take away. I have love. Real, true, honest fucking love. Even if I didn't want to express it fully. I'm in love. He's in love,' Emma thought to herself as she headed towards her locker.
Manny was standing there waiting for her. Emma could only imagine the barrage of things Manny was sure to say. She mentally prepped with about 15 good excuses and pushed onward to her locker. "God Em, you look like shit," Manny finally said as Emma fiddled with her locker combination.
"Thanks," Emma said sarcastically.
Manny grabbed Emma's face and made her look at herself in the mirror. "Just trying to be a supportive friend here, hon," Manny said.
"Since when do you say 'hon?' Are you now Manny Michalchuk?" Emma retorted, trying not to look at her disheveled appearance. It wasn't her fault that she didn't have time to shower since she didn't get home until 7 AM. Emma heard Manny make an offhanded comment about how Paige at least tries to look decent when she's in public, but Emma ignored it.
"Well, except for today apparently..." Manny trailed off. Emma's head shot out of her locker, and that's when she saw her. Paige Michalchuk. As raggedy and sweatpants-clad as Emma was, Paige just looked broken. Hellish and awful. You aren't allowed to look like that when you're Paige Michalchuk. There's like, a rule about it in the Degrassi handbook or something.
Paige looked lost without Spinner and Hazel by her side. In fact, she was very much alone. And since everyone at Degrassi had experience with watching Paige walk the halls, they all knew she never walked alone. Not if there was any way for her to avoid it.
Emma decided to approach her. At best, she was just a caring classmate who Paige did not recognize as the girl with Dean. At worst, well, at least Emma knew what was coming her way. She quickly fell in stride with Paige, which was easy since Paige seemed to be meandering, and not walking, to class.
Paige looked like she wanted to protest, except she didn't have the energy. "I heard," was all Emma needed to say. "How are you feeling?"
Emma could only imagine the things Paige wanted to say. 'Of course, she's damaged beyond repair. She's been raped and torn, and I love her rapist. He didn't mean to, although those words would mean nothing to Paige. Nothing,' Emma thought.
"I'm fine, Emma," Paige managed. "Can you just do me a favor?"
Emma's heart pounded nervously. "Yes, anything."
"Can you pick someone else to be your project this week? You can't understand the shit I'm dealing with." With this, Emma's pace slowed even slower than Paige's, and Paige walked away.
'She doesn't know!' Emma was jubilant. 'She doesn't know that I was with Dean.'
"You look excessively giddy, Em," Manny said as she took her seat in Bio.
"Big words, Manny," Emma said with a smile.
"'Giddy' is a vocab word. I pulled 'excessively' out of my ass." The two girls giggled.
"Manny, Emma, please," Ms. Hatzilakos chastised.
"Sorry," the girls mumbled in unison. She returned to her lesson plan.
"So, my mom is being really cool and taking me into town Saturday to help me forget that someone raped me and got away with it." Emma rolled her eyes, but Manny didn't notice. "Want to come?"
Emma thought quickly for a suitable excuse. "Sorry, I can't..."
"Why not?" Manny shot back.
"I have, urm, something to do."
Manny's attention was peaked. She quickly glanced around the room. "If you're hanging out with Chris again, you can tell me. This is the stuff you need to tell me."
Emma held her breath. "Okay," she said letting it out. "It's not Chris."
Manny squealed. "Oh my gosh, Em, you have to tell me. Right now!"
"Ladies," Ms. Hatzilakos said sternly. They ignored her.
"I will tell you all about him after school," Emma said, suddenly taking copious notes. What a mistake to tell Manny. What a horrible thought.
"Just tell me his name! Is it Craig? Em, I don't know if I..."
"Manny, calm down," Emma interrupted. "It's not Craig, I can tell you that much."
"Is it Sean again?"
"Never."
"Is it someone with a girlfriend? Is it Spinner?"
Emma was seriously annoyed. "He doesn't go to this school, and he doesn't have a girlfriend, that's all I'm saying."
"Emma and Manny, I'm sorry, but I have to give you ladies detention. Now SHUT UP!" Ms. Hatzilakos said from the front of the room. The two girls did immediately as they were told.
Ms. Suave didn't even attempt to hide her shock. "Paige, are you sure it wasn't someone else? I can't imagine why he would be on school grounds."
"To see me," she said through gritted teeth. "He needs to take revenge."
"Revenge on what? He's the one who hurt you, Paige."
"Well, I took him to court."
"I'm sorry, honey," Ms. Suave said, taking Paige's hand, "but you didn't win. It's not like he was terribly inconvienced. Can you think of any other reason he would be here?"
Paige looked up at her and nodded. "He was with a blonde girl. I don't know for certain who it is, but I'm Paige Michalchuk." Her voice suddenly grew in confidence. "I can find out."
"I'm not sure that's so smart. Not only for you, but I don't doubt that you could find out who it was. And when you do, what are you going to do to her? Maybe she doesn't even know of your past with him."
"She has to know. The whole school knows," Paige said bitingly.
Ms. Suave ignored her tone. "I can't stop you from talking to your peers, and this topic may come up in conversation. All I can do is suggest strongly that you leave this alone for a little while. And if you do find out, Paige, tell me first. Don't even talk to her to ask her about it. Come here first."
"Okay, okay," Paige said grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll come here first. But, what are you going to do to her?"
"We'll figure that out when you find out who this girl is."
Chapter 6: So Much for My Happy Ending
Emma took a deep breath and headed into Degrassi. She attempted, and succeeded a bit, to mentally brace herself for whatever her day was sure to bring. 'It's all alright, because I have something they'll never be able to take away. I have love. Real, true, honest fucking love. Even if I didn't want to express it fully. I'm in love. He's in love,' Emma thought to herself as she headed towards her locker.
Manny was standing there waiting for her. Emma could only imagine the barrage of things Manny was sure to say. She mentally prepped with about 15 good excuses and pushed onward to her locker. "God Em, you look like shit," Manny finally said as Emma fiddled with her locker combination.
"Thanks," Emma said sarcastically.
Manny grabbed Emma's face and made her look at herself in the mirror. "Just trying to be a supportive friend here, hon," Manny said.
"Since when do you say 'hon?' Are you now Manny Michalchuk?" Emma retorted, trying not to look at her disheveled appearance. It wasn't her fault that she didn't have time to shower since she didn't get home until 7 AM. Emma heard Manny make an offhanded comment about how Paige at least tries to look decent when she's in public, but Emma ignored it.
"Well, except for today apparently..." Manny trailed off. Emma's head shot out of her locker, and that's when she saw her. Paige Michalchuk. As raggedy and sweatpants-clad as Emma was, Paige just looked broken. Hellish and awful. You aren't allowed to look like that when you're Paige Michalchuk. There's like, a rule about it in the Degrassi handbook or something.
Paige looked lost without Spinner and Hazel by her side. In fact, she was very much alone. And since everyone at Degrassi had experience with watching Paige walk the halls, they all knew she never walked alone. Not if there was any way for her to avoid it.
Emma decided to approach her. At best, she was just a caring classmate who Paige did not recognize as the girl with Dean. At worst, well, at least Emma knew what was coming her way. She quickly fell in stride with Paige, which was easy since Paige seemed to be meandering, and not walking, to class.
Paige looked like she wanted to protest, except she didn't have the energy. "I heard," was all Emma needed to say. "How are you feeling?"
Emma could only imagine the things Paige wanted to say. 'Of course, she's damaged beyond repair. She's been raped and torn, and I love her rapist. He didn't mean to, although those words would mean nothing to Paige. Nothing,' Emma thought.
"I'm fine, Emma," Paige managed. "Can you just do me a favor?"
Emma's heart pounded nervously. "Yes, anything."
"Can you pick someone else to be your project this week? You can't understand the shit I'm dealing with." With this, Emma's pace slowed even slower than Paige's, and Paige walked away.
'She doesn't know!' Emma was jubilant. 'She doesn't know that I was with Dean.'
"You look excessively giddy, Em," Manny said as she took her seat in Bio.
"Big words, Manny," Emma said with a smile.
"'Giddy' is a vocab word. I pulled 'excessively' out of my ass." The two girls giggled.
"Manny, Emma, please," Ms. Hatzilakos chastised.
"Sorry," the girls mumbled in unison. She returned to her lesson plan.
"So, my mom is being really cool and taking me into town Saturday to help me forget that someone raped me and got away with it." Emma rolled her eyes, but Manny didn't notice. "Want to come?"
Emma thought quickly for a suitable excuse. "Sorry, I can't..."
"Why not?" Manny shot back.
"I have, urm, something to do."
Manny's attention was peaked. She quickly glanced around the room. "If you're hanging out with Chris again, you can tell me. This is the stuff you need to tell me."
Emma held her breath. "Okay," she said letting it out. "It's not Chris."
Manny squealed. "Oh my gosh, Em, you have to tell me. Right now!"
"Ladies," Ms. Hatzilakos said sternly. They ignored her.
"I will tell you all about him after school," Emma said, suddenly taking copious notes. What a mistake to tell Manny. What a horrible thought.
"Just tell me his name! Is it Craig? Em, I don't know if I..."
"Manny, calm down," Emma interrupted. "It's not Craig, I can tell you that much."
"Is it Sean again?"
"Never."
"Is it someone with a girlfriend? Is it Spinner?"
Emma was seriously annoyed. "He doesn't go to this school, and he doesn't have a girlfriend, that's all I'm saying."
"Emma and Manny, I'm sorry, but I have to give you ladies detention. Now SHUT UP!" Ms. Hatzilakos said from the front of the room. The two girls did immediately as they were told.
Ms. Suave didn't even attempt to hide her shock. "Paige, are you sure it wasn't someone else? I can't imagine why he would be on school grounds."
"To see me," she said through gritted teeth. "He needs to take revenge."
"Revenge on what? He's the one who hurt you, Paige."
"Well, I took him to court."
"I'm sorry, honey," Ms. Suave said, taking Paige's hand, "but you didn't win. It's not like he was terribly inconvienced. Can you think of any other reason he would be here?"
Paige looked up at her and nodded. "He was with a blonde girl. I don't know for certain who it is, but I'm Paige Michalchuk." Her voice suddenly grew in confidence. "I can find out."
"I'm not sure that's so smart. Not only for you, but I don't doubt that you could find out who it was. And when you do, what are you going to do to her? Maybe she doesn't even know of your past with him."
"She has to know. The whole school knows," Paige said bitingly.
Ms. Suave ignored her tone. "I can't stop you from talking to your peers, and this topic may come up in conversation. All I can do is suggest strongly that you leave this alone for a little while. And if you do find out, Paige, tell me first. Don't even talk to her to ask her about it. Come here first."
"Okay, okay," Paige said grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll come here first. But, what are you going to do to her?"
"We'll figure that out when you find out who this girl is."