Emma was stunned. Jay wanted to stay at her place?
"Hello?" Jay croaked.
"Oh…um… why my place? Why not Alex's? Or yours, for that matter?" She responded.
"Yes or no?"
"Fine. Come by around 10. My parents will be sleeping by then."
She hung up the phone.
Emma's POV
Jay is coming over. This is weird. Really weird.
She was nervous, but excited. She put on a light blue tank top, matching sweatpants, and curled the ends of her hair.
"Em, why is my curling iron on?" Spike asked.
Emma made up an excuse, "Just experimenting with some new hairstyles."
Spike speculated, "Well, unplug it when you're done. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up all night watching TV."
Emma flipped thru the channels, "Nothing on. Just crap." She finally decided on Halloween H2O. It's something to watch.
Her eyes closed for a split second, until she heard a knock at the door. She jumped up, and walked to the door.
"Hey," she motioned for Jay to come in, "This is it."
Jay stepped in and looked around the room, "Not bad."
She rolled her eyes, "Okay. You can sleep on my bed downstairs; I'll sleep on the couch."
He nodded. She led him downstairs, and flipped on the light switch, "Here ya go."
x
5:32 AM
Jay's POV
I cannot believe I'm at Emma's house. In her bed. These sheets even smell like her. She probably thinks she's a good influence on me. Probably thinks she can "change" me. That's not gonna happen.
Jay tossed and turned. Emma's bed was comfortable, but he had a lot on his mind.
He got up, and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. The TV was practically blaring. Jay sat down next to the sleeping Emma as he guzzled down the water. She looked so peaceful as she slept. He grabbed the remote to turn down the volume, but accidentally hit the volume + button, causing her to flinch and sit up.
x
Emma rubbed her eyes and stared at the hazy persona in front of her. It was Jay.
"What are doing up so early?" she inquired.
Jay threw Emma a pillow, "Can't sleep," he turned the sound down.
Emma positioned the pillow under her head, "Ick. 5:38? You seem like the person who'd sleep in."
"Usually, but not today."
"Figures… I need coffee."
Jay was amused, "Since when does 'Little Miss Save the World' drink coffee?"
"Coffee helps the environment, don't you know?" She replied. "Want some?"
"Nah, I'm not a big drinker. My body is a temple."
Emma couldn't help but laugh. No doubt, Jay was a big drinker when it came to the alcoholic beverages.
"Oh, could I get a hearing on that?" He said, holding a hand up to his ear, "Nelson actually finds something I said funny?"
She elbowed him mischievously.
Jay smirked. Emma could be cool. All she needed was to loosen up a bit.
x
"You owe me a ride," Emma told Jay, as she seized her backpack.
Jay yawned, "Before 10?"
"I give you a place to stay; you give me a ride…"
"Let's skip."
"Yeah. That's gonna happen. Wouldn't Alex just be thrilled?"
"It's not like we're doing anything. Besides, she doesn't need to know."
Emma threw a sweater on, "Fine. Gimme a sec."
She went upstairs and quickly put on a denim mini-skirt and brushed her teeth.
Jay put his on his hat and of course, his beloved sunglasses.
"Why do you always wear those hats? You have good hair," Emma asked.
Jay's eyes widened, "I have good hair?"
"Don't let it go to your head," she rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, the stairs creaked. "Emma…" It was Spike.
Emma snatched Jay and pulled him downstairs, "Stay here," she said.
He grinned. That irresistible smile. He thought this whole scenario was entertaining.
She hurriedly headed back upstairs, "Hey mom."
Spike was puzzled, "Who were you talking too, Em?"
"The TV, this show is totally stupid."
"You're up pretty early. Need a ride to school?"
"Uh… no. I'm going to Manny's in a few minutes so we can get a head start on walking."
"Okay then, sweetie. Snake and I are taking Jack to his little friend's house this afternoon. We'll be home around 5. There are leftovers in the fridge."
Emma sighed, "Okay, mom," she led Jay to the door, and the two snuck out.
x
"Where to, Sweetie?" Jay popped some gum in his mouth. He smirked at the obviously annoyed look on her face.
Emma looked at Jay, "Wherever."
"We need to stop at my place."
x
Emma had been waiting outside 20 minutes. She was beginning to worry.
She got out of the orange civic and closed the door. She knocked on the door of the Hogart residence. No one answered. She knocked again. No reaction. At last, she got up the nerve to turn the door knob and walk inside.
Emma looked around, "Jay?" It was quiet as a tomb.
A few beer bottles were scattered across the living room floor, the paint on the walls were chipped, the kitchen sink leaked. Emma's place was a palace compared to this.
Suddenly, Jay came running downstairs, "Emma, what are you doing in here!"
A voice called from behind him, "Jason! Come back here now!"
Jay gently, but swiftly, got himself and Emma out the door and into the car.
x
Emma studied Jay, "What happened to your lip?" she questioned, noticing the large cut.
He didn't answer her, "So, what are we going to do for the next 15 minutes? Nothing's open yet."
"We could--,"
He interrupted her, "My dad's an alcoholic."
"Oh," she looked at Jay, "Was that him? Is that why your lip's all swollen?"
"You sure do ask a lot of questions."
"I feel that I'm entitled to it," she said, not taking her eyes off him.
x
The Dot…
"Your turn," Jay said. He took a sip of his coke.
Emma looked at him suspiciously, "My turn for what?"
"I tell you something about myself, you tell me something about you."
She crossed her arms, "Hmmm… I was once held at gunpoint…"
"I'm talking about something not everyone knows."
"Well, I don't want to give you license to mock me for the rest of my life."
Jay popped a fry into his mouth, "What is said here, stays here. Besides, I don't exactly want the whole school to know about my dad."
Emma hesitated, "Well… my dad is crazy."
"Like crazy as in… Rick crazy?"
"No, I mean literally. When my mom was pregnant with me, his parents wouldn't let him be part of my life… so he jumped off a bridge."
"Are you sure he wasn't crazy before he jumped?"
She laughed, "Yeah. But we don't really know if he jumped or fell. After that, he suffered severe brain damage."
"Is it possible that you inherited that brain damage?" He smirked.
Emma threw a fry at him, "You're making fun of me!"
Jay held his hands up in surrender, laughing, "I'd be much too scared to tease a crazy person."
She giggled.
"So who else knows about this?" He asked.
"The Jeremiah's… my mom's high school friends… Craig."
"Manning? Go figure."
Emma looked at him in surprise, "What problem do you have with Craig?"
"Not much. He's just everywhere. All the time."
She rolled her eyes and threw another fry at him. This time, he caught it in his mouth.
She clapped her hands, "Impressive."
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Next Chapter: Tragedy Strikes