Hey everyone~ this is my first Degrassi fic so do be gentle. I ask only one
thing of my readers and that it that they review. If no one reviews then I
won't bother posting the next chapter. This one just sort of hit me over
the head and I decided that I just needed to get it out of my system so
here it is. Disclaimer: the only thing that belongs to me is the idea and
some original characters that will pop up later if all goes according to
plan. Hope u all enjoy!!
xoxoxoxoxooxoxox
~SJ
Things were not the way that they were supposed to be. He was running from the law, she was worrying about him every night. They were sixteen, things like this weren't supposed to happen to teenagers. Attempted murder charges were things that were heard only on the news and they only happened to people that weren't real, just names and faces with families. Teenagers weren't murderers, they couldn't kill people, they couldn't kill her. Everyone in some way loved her, they all were concerned about her, but not as much as she missed her runaway. He should never have left, they were only going to question him, not arrest him. Still, something had made him run and she needed to know why. She needed to know why he hadn't called her since he'd left.
"Emma, what are you doing up?" Archie asked entering the kitchen. Emma looked up at him and wiped angrily at the tears that were staining her cheeks.
"Nothing," she sniffed. He stopped from his mid-reach into the refrigerator and turned to look at his stepdaughter.
"Oh, Emma." He whispered pulling her into a tight embrace as she cried out her fears and anger and hurt onto his blue T-shirt.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Archie." Emma sobbed as he rubbed her back.
"It wasn't, but there's nothing that you can do, Em. When he comes back, he comes back. Until that happens all you can do is wait." Archie replied as her tears began to slow.
"I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep now. See you in the morning," Emma told him with one last hug.
"Things will get better, Emma. In time, things will get better." He promised her and for a moment Emma believed that maybe they would. It was just a moment though, and moments pass all too quickly.
The motel room could barley be called a room. The walls felt like they were closing in on him and he was hit with the urge to call Emma. He couldn't do that to her though. Calling her would only put her into a compromising situation between him and the law and he wouldn't do that to her, not after everything he'd already put her through. Emma was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She'd saved him from himself and taken him back when she shouldn't have. He had given her nothing but empty promises and she'd never cared. Being with her was the only thing that mattered to him, and now he couldn't go near her or he risked putting her into a bad situation. In his eyes, he'd destroyed her life enough and his absence was a gift. Maybe now she could put her life together and finish high school and get a good job. He was only sorry that he'd never gotten a chance to say one final goodbye.
School had become another living hell. At home she couldn't escape thinking about him and at school she was always hearing about him as she walked down the halls, hearing whispers of her name and his. Sean. The name itself was enough to reduce her to tears and in a school setting it only heightened the emotion. She kept it together as she got to her locker and wished that Manny hadn't gone to America for a vacation and family visit. She needed her best friend because as hard as JT and Toby tried, they just weren't female.
"Hey, Emma. What's going on?" JT asked coming up next to her. Emma glanced over at him, trying to keep the tears in, and JT immediately went into panic mode.
"Do you need some tissues, some water, what can I get you?" He asked quickly.
"Nothing, I just need a second to get it together." Emma replied sniffling into control. She knew that she couldn't do this much longer. Something had to give and she had a feeling that her emotional state was going to be the first to go.
"You okay?" JT asked after a moment and she nodded. So, together they made their way to class. When she entered the class Mrs. Kwan offered a small supportive smile as everyone else whispered some name. Sean. Emma. Ashley. God, why couldn't they just let it be? She slipped into her seat and stared straight ahead as the rest of the students filled in. Emma closed her eyes and prayed that she'd make it through the day.
The nights were the worst, he'd decided. It was during the nights that he'd think back to the situation that had landed him in this rat hole. He honestly didn't know if Ashley was in the hospital because of him or not. He had been smoking behind the shack that she'd been hanging out in. He'd put it out though, he could remember stubbing it out with the toe of his boot. But, maybe he was mistaken, maybe he hadn't put it out and it really was his fault that the shack had caught fire and that Ashley's head and lungs were damaged. Maybe it really was him that the police should arrest.
Sean closed his eyes and tried to block out all thoughts of Ashley and the fire and tried, instead, to call to mind thoughts of Emma. The first that came to him was of when they'd danced together at her mother's wedding. It was these thoughts that had kept him going, despite the sub- zero temperatures in the hotel room. He was sleeping in his cloths and hadn't eaten in five days. He wasn't sure how long he could live like this, but he felt he couldn't go home. He was trapped.
Seven days after the accident, Ashley still hadn't come to. The doctors had explained that there was too much pressure being put on her brain so that they had endued a comatose state, giving the brain the ability to focus on healing itself. Her lungs would heal with time, they hadn't been burned badly, but they had been overworked. All in all, it had become a waiting game. She was, likely, going to be comatose for a few weeks. This was no consolation to her parents, parents who didn't know who to blame for their little girl's demise. Emma had gone to see her and was shocked at the amount of flowers that adored every table and empty space possible. Ashley really was loved by all, despite her disarming style.
Craig was sitting by her bedside, reading to her, when Emma got to the hospital. She slipped into the room softly, holding a simple bouquet of flowers. She stood there quietly as Craig changed voices from character to character and recognized it as a book she'd seen Ashley read numerous times. She smiled softly at that and wondered it Ashley could hear him. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear Craig stop. She didn't even realize that he was looking at her.
"Emma? Is everything okay?" He asked, standing. Emma shook herself free of all thoughts and brought herself to the here and now.
"Things are okay. I just brought some flowers by for Ashley." She whispered softly. Craig nodded and waited for her to put them somewhere. When she didn't say anything after a few minutes and Craig moved on.
"Have you heard from Sean?" He asked tentatively. Emma's eyes welled with tears and she set about arranging the flowers so that he wouldn't see her cry.
"I haven't heard anything from him yet. I'm sure he'll call when he gets a chance, but he's probably too busy right now," she mumbled. Sobs were building and she knew that in moments she was going to have to leave, her tears were going to overtake her.
"Hey, why don't we go down to the cafeteria for a Coke or something, the nurse is going to be by to run some more tests so we've got some time." Craig suggested taking one of Emma's elbows and guiding her down to the third floor.
"Do you want a sandwich or something?" Craig asked as he grabbed them both a can of Coke. Emma shook her head and took a seat, letting Craig take the one next to her.
"When was the last time that you ate something, Em?" Craig pressed staring at her. Emma didn't dare meet his gaze, knowing he'd pull her apart in seconds. Instead, she opted to study the top of her pop can as she replied, "I had a little bit of cereal this morning. I just wasn't very hungry." He nodded and let that subject drop, he could always come back to it later.
"What are they saying about Ashley? Is she gonna be okay?" Emma asked, looking into his eyes this time. A look of pain crossed Craig's face quickly, but he hid it before Emma could call him on it.
"They don't know just yet. Her brain is under a lot of pressure and the idea of putting her into the coma is that it will give her brain time to heal itself. Her lungs they aren't as worried about. They just need time to heal. The thing with her brain is they aren't sure what kind of affects this will have on her ability to speak, write, walk, and function. Her memory could also be affected." Craig explained and Emma felt her heart break for the couple. Things were going to be tough on them when Ashley woke up.
"I'm sorry, Craig. I wish there was something I could do to fix everything." Emma replied.
"Emma, stop it. Stop acting like this is all your fault. If Sean did it it isn't your fault, and if someone else did it then it still isn't your fault. If you blame yourself Emma you're just going to get in over your head." Craig reasoned and Emma nodded, absorbing what he said. Suddenly she had it. She had her answer to everything and all she needed to do was get things in motion.
"Craig, I have to get going, but give my support to Ash and everyone else. Thanks for the drink. See ya later!" She called over her shoulder hurrying from the cafeteria. Craig, a little dazed from the speed she'd used to leave him, just waved before downing the rest of his drink and returning to his girlfriend.
It was so simple that Emma didn't understand how she hadn't thought of it before. Instead of waiting for Sean to come to her she would go and find him, bring him home, and then everything would be okay. They could deal with the police and their guardians when they were together. Emma sat on her bed with a notebook open before her. She called to mind the last conversation that she'd had with Sean and recalled him saying something about America. She wrote down what little she could remember and from that determined that she was heading to Erie, Pennsylvania. Emma grabbed only a few things and threw them into her backpack, those items including some money for a bus ticket and her passport that she hoped was still useable. It wasn't long before she found herself bundled up against the cold of winter on a bus heading to the United States of America.
AN: Alrighty that was chapter 1!!!! If you want more you gotta review and let me know!!!! Hope you all liked it! Xoxo ~SJ
Things were not the way that they were supposed to be. He was running from the law, she was worrying about him every night. They were sixteen, things like this weren't supposed to happen to teenagers. Attempted murder charges were things that were heard only on the news and they only happened to people that weren't real, just names and faces with families. Teenagers weren't murderers, they couldn't kill people, they couldn't kill her. Everyone in some way loved her, they all were concerned about her, but not as much as she missed her runaway. He should never have left, they were only going to question him, not arrest him. Still, something had made him run and she needed to know why. She needed to know why he hadn't called her since he'd left.
"Emma, what are you doing up?" Archie asked entering the kitchen. Emma looked up at him and wiped angrily at the tears that were staining her cheeks.
"Nothing," she sniffed. He stopped from his mid-reach into the refrigerator and turned to look at his stepdaughter.
"Oh, Emma." He whispered pulling her into a tight embrace as she cried out her fears and anger and hurt onto his blue T-shirt.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Archie." Emma sobbed as he rubbed her back.
"It wasn't, but there's nothing that you can do, Em. When he comes back, he comes back. Until that happens all you can do is wait." Archie replied as her tears began to slow.
"I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep now. See you in the morning," Emma told him with one last hug.
"Things will get better, Emma. In time, things will get better." He promised her and for a moment Emma believed that maybe they would. It was just a moment though, and moments pass all too quickly.
The motel room could barley be called a room. The walls felt like they were closing in on him and he was hit with the urge to call Emma. He couldn't do that to her though. Calling her would only put her into a compromising situation between him and the law and he wouldn't do that to her, not after everything he'd already put her through. Emma was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She'd saved him from himself and taken him back when she shouldn't have. He had given her nothing but empty promises and she'd never cared. Being with her was the only thing that mattered to him, and now he couldn't go near her or he risked putting her into a bad situation. In his eyes, he'd destroyed her life enough and his absence was a gift. Maybe now she could put her life together and finish high school and get a good job. He was only sorry that he'd never gotten a chance to say one final goodbye.
School had become another living hell. At home she couldn't escape thinking about him and at school she was always hearing about him as she walked down the halls, hearing whispers of her name and his. Sean. The name itself was enough to reduce her to tears and in a school setting it only heightened the emotion. She kept it together as she got to her locker and wished that Manny hadn't gone to America for a vacation and family visit. She needed her best friend because as hard as JT and Toby tried, they just weren't female.
"Hey, Emma. What's going on?" JT asked coming up next to her. Emma glanced over at him, trying to keep the tears in, and JT immediately went into panic mode.
"Do you need some tissues, some water, what can I get you?" He asked quickly.
"Nothing, I just need a second to get it together." Emma replied sniffling into control. She knew that she couldn't do this much longer. Something had to give and she had a feeling that her emotional state was going to be the first to go.
"You okay?" JT asked after a moment and she nodded. So, together they made their way to class. When she entered the class Mrs. Kwan offered a small supportive smile as everyone else whispered some name. Sean. Emma. Ashley. God, why couldn't they just let it be? She slipped into her seat and stared straight ahead as the rest of the students filled in. Emma closed her eyes and prayed that she'd make it through the day.
The nights were the worst, he'd decided. It was during the nights that he'd think back to the situation that had landed him in this rat hole. He honestly didn't know if Ashley was in the hospital because of him or not. He had been smoking behind the shack that she'd been hanging out in. He'd put it out though, he could remember stubbing it out with the toe of his boot. But, maybe he was mistaken, maybe he hadn't put it out and it really was his fault that the shack had caught fire and that Ashley's head and lungs were damaged. Maybe it really was him that the police should arrest.
Sean closed his eyes and tried to block out all thoughts of Ashley and the fire and tried, instead, to call to mind thoughts of Emma. The first that came to him was of when they'd danced together at her mother's wedding. It was these thoughts that had kept him going, despite the sub- zero temperatures in the hotel room. He was sleeping in his cloths and hadn't eaten in five days. He wasn't sure how long he could live like this, but he felt he couldn't go home. He was trapped.
Seven days after the accident, Ashley still hadn't come to. The doctors had explained that there was too much pressure being put on her brain so that they had endued a comatose state, giving the brain the ability to focus on healing itself. Her lungs would heal with time, they hadn't been burned badly, but they had been overworked. All in all, it had become a waiting game. She was, likely, going to be comatose for a few weeks. This was no consolation to her parents, parents who didn't know who to blame for their little girl's demise. Emma had gone to see her and was shocked at the amount of flowers that adored every table and empty space possible. Ashley really was loved by all, despite her disarming style.
Craig was sitting by her bedside, reading to her, when Emma got to the hospital. She slipped into the room softly, holding a simple bouquet of flowers. She stood there quietly as Craig changed voices from character to character and recognized it as a book she'd seen Ashley read numerous times. She smiled softly at that and wondered it Ashley could hear him. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't hear Craig stop. She didn't even realize that he was looking at her.
"Emma? Is everything okay?" He asked, standing. Emma shook herself free of all thoughts and brought herself to the here and now.
"Things are okay. I just brought some flowers by for Ashley." She whispered softly. Craig nodded and waited for her to put them somewhere. When she didn't say anything after a few minutes and Craig moved on.
"Have you heard from Sean?" He asked tentatively. Emma's eyes welled with tears and she set about arranging the flowers so that he wouldn't see her cry.
"I haven't heard anything from him yet. I'm sure he'll call when he gets a chance, but he's probably too busy right now," she mumbled. Sobs were building and she knew that in moments she was going to have to leave, her tears were going to overtake her.
"Hey, why don't we go down to the cafeteria for a Coke or something, the nurse is going to be by to run some more tests so we've got some time." Craig suggested taking one of Emma's elbows and guiding her down to the third floor.
"Do you want a sandwich or something?" Craig asked as he grabbed them both a can of Coke. Emma shook her head and took a seat, letting Craig take the one next to her.
"When was the last time that you ate something, Em?" Craig pressed staring at her. Emma didn't dare meet his gaze, knowing he'd pull her apart in seconds. Instead, she opted to study the top of her pop can as she replied, "I had a little bit of cereal this morning. I just wasn't very hungry." He nodded and let that subject drop, he could always come back to it later.
"What are they saying about Ashley? Is she gonna be okay?" Emma asked, looking into his eyes this time. A look of pain crossed Craig's face quickly, but he hid it before Emma could call him on it.
"They don't know just yet. Her brain is under a lot of pressure and the idea of putting her into the coma is that it will give her brain time to heal itself. Her lungs they aren't as worried about. They just need time to heal. The thing with her brain is they aren't sure what kind of affects this will have on her ability to speak, write, walk, and function. Her memory could also be affected." Craig explained and Emma felt her heart break for the couple. Things were going to be tough on them when Ashley woke up.
"I'm sorry, Craig. I wish there was something I could do to fix everything." Emma replied.
"Emma, stop it. Stop acting like this is all your fault. If Sean did it it isn't your fault, and if someone else did it then it still isn't your fault. If you blame yourself Emma you're just going to get in over your head." Craig reasoned and Emma nodded, absorbing what he said. Suddenly she had it. She had her answer to everything and all she needed to do was get things in motion.
"Craig, I have to get going, but give my support to Ash and everyone else. Thanks for the drink. See ya later!" She called over her shoulder hurrying from the cafeteria. Craig, a little dazed from the speed she'd used to leave him, just waved before downing the rest of his drink and returning to his girlfriend.
It was so simple that Emma didn't understand how she hadn't thought of it before. Instead of waiting for Sean to come to her she would go and find him, bring him home, and then everything would be okay. They could deal with the police and their guardians when they were together. Emma sat on her bed with a notebook open before her. She called to mind the last conversation that she'd had with Sean and recalled him saying something about America. She wrote down what little she could remember and from that determined that she was heading to Erie, Pennsylvania. Emma grabbed only a few things and threw them into her backpack, those items including some money for a bus ticket and her passport that she hoped was still useable. It wasn't long before she found herself bundled up against the cold of winter on a bus heading to the United States of America.
AN: Alrighty that was chapter 1!!!! If you want more you gotta review and let me know!!!! Hope you all liked it! Xoxo ~SJ