Not A Pretty Girl

by alchemy dream

Transferred to an all girl's school for the fall, Emma follows her hushhush pregnancy stuck between peace, J.T., and passion, Jay, with spiritual help from the Tao. What path will she ultimately choose?

9. Traffic

Not A Pretty Girl:Alchemy Dream

Summary: Emma has a much needed heart to heart with her parents who decide that it's time to meet the young man that is responsible for the pregnancy. Snake is less than thrilled about the prospect of sharing a room with the guy, but agrees that it's time to clear the air in the Simpson-Nelson household.

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Spike picked up the bowl from the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen.

"Does anyone else want more popcorn?" Emma sat up and put Jack in her lap, running her hand through the light brown tufts of hair. It was hard to believe that he was already2 and walking. She looked into his light blue eyes and sucked her cheeks in, giving him a raspberry kiss. His high pitched giggles echoed through the house.

"Em, what are you doing to him?" Spike smiled and sashayed around the corner, carrying the filled bowl with caramel popcorn, 3 orange sodas, and a sippy cup full of organic lemonade. Snake followed close behind, carrying the two boxes of pizza.

"Let the Simpson-Nelson household pizza night commence." he said in a characteristically dramatic voice, holding one arm up. Spike smiled and laughed a little. Things had gotten much more bearable, and Emma wasn't quite sure why.

"Which one would you like, Em, supreme or vegetarian?" Snake held the boxes out to her. "I'd go with the supreme. Mmmm. Peppers."

"There's peppers on the vegetarian, too, Snake."

"Oh, oh, but Emma! The supreme has SUPER peppers. They make you do very well on your Law report. How's that going, anyways?"

"Dad, do you think that we can have a school-free Saturday night? I'm bushed from studying." Everyone stopped and looked at each other. Spike noticed it first. Then it hit Snake full on.

"Did you...did you just call me d..?" Emma averted her gaze quickly and replied.

"It slipped. I meant 'Snake'." Snake looked at Spike and grinned. He rambunctiously jumped over the cluttered table onto the couch beside Emma and Jack. Jack squealed with delight. Snake threw his arms around his daughter, and shook her. Emma stifled a laugh.

"What has gotten into you! A week ago, you wouldn't talk to me." Spike took this as her cue.

"Honey, I was thinking about everything, and I think it's about time we both met the guy." Emma almost choked on her slice of supreme pizza.

They want to meet Jay!

A thousand possible disasters played in her head. She looked over to Snake who had reverted back to the quiet fatherly type who didn't want to believe the situation. Obviously, her mom had not informed Snake of her decision, and even more obviously, it irked the hell out of him.

"What do you think, Em?" Emma sat and nervously fiddled with Jack's little feet. Could she really invite Jay over to their house and not expect the worst? What if he cursed in front of her family? What if Snake already knew his rep from working at Degrassi, like most teachers did?

"Honey?" Spike said, her brows furrowing. "You don't have to, if you don't want to. But if he's going to be a part of this, then we need to meet him."

"Yeah, and find out if he's even capable of helping you do this." Snake added, snidely.

"See, mom! That's why I don't want him to come over...because Snake will just grill him all night." Emma spat.

"He won't, honey. Will you Arch?" Spike looked at him, pleading. Snake glanced in him wife's big eyes, and then to the TV. "Arch?"

"No, I won't." he said, like an automaton. He looked over at Emma, who was reclining on the couch away from him. He picked Jack out of her lap and sat him in his. "I'll be a perfect parent, Emma. My word." Emma looked over and gave a weak smile, knowing this would only end in tears.

"So, when should I tell him."

"How about Monday afternoon after school. Is that good for you, Archie?"

"That's fine. Is he vegan?" Snake himself wasn't vegan, but had quickly become accustomed to asking others, what, between Spike, Emma, Lucy and Caitlin.

"No, he's a growing boy." Emma said, smiling. Snake cleared his throat and smiled.

"Monday afternoon then. 6:00."

"Can Jack see Simber?" Spike turned to Jack, who had crawled down from Snake's lap and down to sample the pizza. She panicked and picked him up, pulling the remaining pizza from his grasp.

"Baby, you can't have that!" Emma laughed, and un-muted the Lion King for her baby brother.

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Standing at the sidewalk, Emma's feet felt like they were on Holy Ground. She stood for a moment taking in the atmosphere, the familiar concrete her feet had tread for four years. She watched as early Degrassi Community School students filed into the glass double doors. Emma felt very out of place, wearing her sexy school uniform and all. She had forgotten how it felt to go to school wearing tank tops, jeans and flip flops. She walked towards the front doors, wandering inside.

The public school smell invaded her nostrils, and she smiled. The beat down lockers, the students she recognized. They shifted their eyes towards her, examining her new threads, and turning back to their conversations.

"Hey, watch where you're going, cause girl." came a familiar voice from behind her. She turned around to confirm who it belonged to. But as she turned, an invasive, but lukewarm hug was thrown upon her.

"Hey, uh, Paige! How are you?" Paige pushed her blonde bob behind her ears. She had really cut her hair off short. She had really lost weight, too. She almost rivaled Emma in skinniness.

Well, not anymore.

Emma instinctually put her hand to her belly, remembering that no one knew (she hoped) that she was pregnant.

"I'm good! You know, hon. Graduating." she said in a singsong lilt. "You look good."

"You too." Emma smiled.

"You know, new year, new look, new Paige."

Oh, how Emma missed Degrassi.

"Well, I've gotta find someone, so I'll see you around, okay?" Emma turned to walk away.

"He's probably in the parking lot, hon." Emma froze.

"Who is?"

Paige just winked and walked away to join Hazel by her office.

Emma swung down the hall, glancing at the clock above the library. 7:00 a.m. She had to be back at Volta Redonda by 7:30. She walked the familiar path through the maze of halls to the back door to the parking lot. As she rounded the corner by the senior staircase, she spotted Toby leaning against the railing, looking for something, or someone. She smiled broadly. Time to surprise him. She walked up behind him and pulled his head back by his hair. When his brown eyes met hers upside down, he jumped back 3 feet.

"Emma!"

"The one and only." She could only be this bold around her old friends. "How are you? I haven't heard from you in a month, since school started." He smiled for a moment, and then suddenly seemed anxious.

"I'm uh, I'm good. But I've got to go." Emma's smile fell, and she grabbed him by the handle on his backpack.

"What's your hurry? We haven't seen each other in a while. Where's J.T.?" Emma looked around.

"Somewhere far far away. And hopefully, he will stay there."

"Tobes what are you..."

J.T. came bounding down the stairs, and stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on Emma. His heart ached on impact. She looked gorgeous, with her hair tied back into a loose bun, her uniform crisp and pretty. For the first time since the night he altered it, he saw the skirt. He couldn't take his eyes off how beautiful her legs looked, lightly tanned and slender under the short wool skirt. And then his heart fell. He remembered. She belonged to Jay.

She was pregnant and she belonged the Jay.

Try to be polite.

"Hello, Emma. How are you." J.T. grabbed Toby and began walking fast down the hall. Emma stood by the railing stunned for a moment, then chasing after them both.

"What is going on here?" She caught up quickly and turned them both to face her. Toby looked at her, knowing he was going to have to be the one to do this.

"Look, Emma. J.T. doesn't want to see your face right now." Emma's mouth opened to speak.

"And neither do I." And with that, Toby and J.T. turned, wounded, out of her sight. She stood, licking her glossy lips, and ran a hand over her stomach.

Could they know?

"I don't have time for this." Emma thought out loud, turning to exit the building.

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She made her way through the cars in the parking lot. Many students sat with their friends, running the battery, to have a before-school smoke and karaoke session. At the far end, she spotted Jay's red Civic, and jogged over. He sat in the driver's seat, with the seat laid back listening to his radio, drinking a Jone's soda. She looked closer at the label, curious.

Crushed Melon. He has good taste.

She pushed a few tendrils behind her ear and knocked on the driver's side window. He looked over, surprised. His blue eyes looked very tired. The dark circles orbited around his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in about a week. He unlocked the passenger side and gave her access to his world.

"I uh, I can't stay, but I wanted to give you this. I would have called you, but I don't have your number. I uh, never did." She handed him a slip of paper, folded over a few times. He sat a minute and thought, reaching into his glove compartment for a pen. He pulled out a blue marker and brought her palm over to him. The sensation of him writing in her hand tickled. He was gentle with her hand, cupping it warmly. He released it and Emma looked at the number he wrote. She smiled at him, and he stuck his hand out to her, handing her the marker.

"It's on the paper." She said, gathering her bag off the floorboard and gripping the handle to get out of the car. He thought for a split second, and pulled her back into the seat.

"Well, I had a crappy night. Write something that will make me smile." Jay said matter-of-factly. She looked at him, and popped the cap off the marker. She brought his warm palm close to her body, wishing communication between them was easier. Jay watched intently at the beautiful girl in his passenger seat scribbling on his palm. She finished, and put the cap back on, stuffing the paper into his palm on top with the marker.

"Don't be late." She smiled and got out of the car, jogging in her shiny loafers under the sunshine back to private-school-land. Jay unfolded the little note that said "Jay" on it, in pink pen.

Jay,

My parents want to meet you for dinner today. It's at my house, of course, at 6. Dress kinda nice, and don't piss anyone off.

-Emma

He panicked. Dinner at Emma's house? Oh, God. Then, he looked at his palm. Emma had drawn a cute little herbivorous dinosaur eating some really big grass or something. He smiled in spite of himself, and then laughed.

What a fucking dork.

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Spike stood at the sink, shucking some extra corn to steam.

"Emma, did you get the table set?" Emma paced nervously in front of the window, pulling the curtains around to get a better view of who was parked in front of the street.

"Mom, do I look okay?" She wore a knee-length denim skirt with 2 layered tanks, orange and blue respectively. On top of that, she wore a white knit shrug. She had left her long ash blonde hair down, and walked around barefoot, as she usually did.

"Honey, you look fine. The table?" Spike took some broccoli out of the steamer and put it in a large coral coloured bowl.

"Yeah, mom. It's all set."

Snake was in his room changing from work (hiding) and Jack was sitting in front of the babysitter (TV). Spike dropped the napkins and sighed.

"I wish the men of this household would make themselves useful!" she said loudly, straightening her long denim trousers. Jack, responding to his mom's voice, trudged into the kitchen, where Emma and Spike were rushing about like bees. He stood at the table and looked over it as well as he could, seeing only the edge of a salad bowl heaping with tomatoes and croutons. He took the plastic shovel he had been teething on and jammed it down into the bowl best he could, and satisfied with his contribution, went back to watching Blues Clues.

Just then, Emma spotted as she passed the window for the billionth time the red civic parallel parking in front of her house. Her heart began pounding. They were going to meet Jay. Jay Hogart. She listened as he killed the loud rock music and emerged, removing his hat and throwing it into the driver's seat. He walked up to the door with a hand behind his back and rang the doorbell of the Simpson-Nelson residence. He looked as nervous as she felt.
Emma swung the door open, and smiled, trying not to look anxious. "Hey."

"Hey." he replied, and pulled his arm from behind his back with a small bouquet of white flowers. Emma felt happy, but looked at him questioningly.

"I just didn't want them to think I was a complete dickhead." Emma opened her eyes wide, and he put his hand over his mouth. "Sorry. I'm working on it. I only said like, four expletives all day, I swear." Emma smiled and welcomed him into the cool bright house. She noticed he had taken heed to her note, dressing in some decent cargo khakis and a dark brown long-sleeved Quicksilver t-shirt. He looked around the house, at the pictures of Emma as a child, the vases and magazines (he laughed when he saw the GreenPeace newsletter), the child.

"Who's that?" Jay asked.

"My little brother, Jack."

"Is he of the Simpson or Nelson variety?" Jay said.

"He's of the Simpson variety." Jack got up from the couch and looked up at him, a friendly expression on his young face.

"Wanna watch blue?" Jay looked at Emma.

"Dinner won't be done for a few more minutes." Jay looked down at Jack who had his hand outstretched. Emma disappeared to the bathroom.

"Mama always says hold hands." Jay laughed a little and took Jack's tiny hand, letting him lead the way to the plush couch. He sat down next to Jack, who then hopped into his lap, bouncing up and down as some inane song played. Jay watched the big blue muppet dancing with the salt shaker and the crazy dude and suddenly wondered if this was a good idea. Then he remembered this is what being a father would be like. He leaned back, and put a hesitant arm around Jack, pulling him close to his chest, and closed his eyes, imagining what it's be like. If Jack was his. He expected to somehow, miraculously feel at ease, but all he felt was nervous. Terrified. Angry. He looked down at the little boy wearing the sailboat tshirt and little jeans with the tiny sneakers. Jack squealed when Blue jumped up and down and started doing flips.

"Come on, Blue!" Jack shouted at Jay. Since he didn't know his name, he's just call him Blue. Toddler mentality. Just then, Spike walked in and turned off the TV, gathering a whiny Jack into her arms.

"Jay can't, Jack. He has to come eat with Em and Daddy and me!" She put Jack in his high chair, where he immediately began fiddling with his little plastic utensils. Spike walked back to the living room and gave Jay the once over.

Not too tall, nice strong jaw line, nice thick hair...

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Nelson. You can call me Mrs. Nelson or Spike." She smiled at him and shook his hand.

"Um, it's nice to meet you. Jay Hogart." He took her hand and shook it firmly.

"Go ahead and find yourself a seat, I've got to drag my husband out of our room. I'll be back in a minute." She disappeared around the corner, and he looked around the table at what was for dinner. He felt very uncomfortable. Spike seemed nice enough, but he knew who her husband was. The same man that caught him without a hall pass every week, that knew he gave Emma gonorrhea, that tried to fail him out of MI when he found out. He had dreaded this all day. What good could possibly come out of this? And now that they knew he was the father, he was worried that he wouldn't make it out alive. Emma emerged and disrupted his thoughts, placing a vase with the white lilies in the center of the dinner table. She took the pitcher of tea out and poured him a glass. Jay felt useless. He wasn't used to people fussing over him like this. Alex's parents had rarely known he was there, and if they did, they usually let them fend for themselves. Jack threw his plastic spoon across the table to get Emma's attention.

"M, do you love me?" Emma got up, exasperated, to get the spoon.

"Yes M loves you, Jacky."

"M, do you love Blue?" Emma placed the spoon back on the little table, and looked at him confused.

"Who's Blue, Jacky?" Jack clapped excitedly, that he had a secret. Jay smiled a little.

Just then, Snake walked in, wearing a black button down shirt and some black pants. He caught sight of Jay, and stopped in his tracks. Emma had never told them the father was Jay! Jay Hogart, in his home. Jay sucked his breath in and spoke.

"Evening, Mr. Simpson." Snake nodded at him.

"Mr. Hogart." They sat at the table, opposite, and glared at each other. Spike came in and sat down between Snake and Jay. She noticed the tension.

"You two know each other?" She began serving the potato salad.

"Yes, ma'am." Jay said, looking down, wanting to run the hell out of there.

"So, Emma, could you pass me some salad?" he said. She passed him the large clear bowl. Jay looked at it funny for a second, and giving up, used the plastic shovel to serve himself some salad. Emma noticed it, and laughed.

"I'm sorry, haha. Let me get you some tongs or something."

"No, this is fine. The shovel works great." He smiled at the whole ridiculous situation, and passed it to Mr. Simpson.

They all passed food around until everyone ate. Everyone ate until they were full. Snake leaned back in his chair and patted his thin stomach. "Magnifique, mi bella." He kissed Spike on the cheek.

"Archie, speak Italian or French, not both." She got up and playfully hit him with a spoon on the head and began cleaning up. Snake looked at Emma. "Emma, could you get Jack cleaned up a little? He's got a little something..." he motioned at the expansive puddle of green peas all over his shirt. "Jay, could we go uh, take a look at your car?" Spike turned to look at Snake angrily. Snake just smiled. "Whaddya say?" Jay looked worried, and with Emma nowhere in sight to hide with, stood to escort Mr. Simpson outside to his ride. He had a feeling cars weren't going to be the subject of discussion.

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The crickets chirped outside as the two men strode to the Civic. Jay broke the silence.

"I'm planning on getting a new exhaust system, something a little sleeker..."

"I don't like a man that treats his car better than his girl." Snake said, tapping his fingers roughly on the hood. "Look, it wasn't my idea to invite you here, and my wife insists that we become buddies. I can't even begin to tell you how unfathomably angry I am that you did this to my daughter, but we have to get over that. I just want to say, that she is young, Jay. She is very young. But she is strong, and she is smart. Don't hurt her." With that, he placed a rough pat, more like a hit, on Jay's shoulder. Jay sighed and walked with Mr. Simpson back inside.

God, this sucks.

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Inside, Emma, Spike and Jack were singing along to some top 40 song on the radio. Spike ran over when the door opened to Jay and took him by the hand.

"Come on, honey, join us in the 1st annual Simpson-Nelson-Hogart karaoke session! It's your turn."

"Ah, I think I'll pass, Mrs. Nelson. It's getting kind of late." Jay wanted out, and he wanted out fast. He picked up his keys from the coffee table and began to walk out. Emma followed behind him, and nudged him in the side hard. "Oh, and thanks for the meal. It was great. Better than anything my brother could make."

"Bye, Blue!" Jack said, throwing a block at him. Jay resisted the urge to throw it back.

He's a child, man.

Jay felt like this house was a hazard. In the last hour, he had been hit, roughly nudged, and struck by a flying plastic projectile. He waved, surprised that Mr. Simpson waved back, and he and Emma made their way out to his car.

"You can breathe, now." Emma laughed.

"Yeah. Thank God. Fuck that, next time I'll play sick."

"My mom liked you."

"Yeah, well, your dad wants to castrate me."

"He's just...overprotective. But...it is..you did get me pregnant. So I guess he has the right." Jay slid in the seat and turned on the ignition.

"It's cold out here, Emma, you'd better get in, walking around without shoes and all. Retard." He said, relieved the night was over.

"I'm just..." Emma sucked in her breath. She had been planning it all night. "Look, Jay, where do we stand?" He looked at her urging her to go on. After she didn't speak, he unlocked the passenger door and let her slide in.

"Are we, you know, together, or what? I mean, I know you're supporting me, but I need to know if you're doing it here on the field with me or on the sidelines." Jay looked at her and turned his radio up.

This night will never end.

"I don't know, Emma. I really don't." Emma slumped in her seat. A song came on the radio Emma recognized.

Am I more than you bargained for yet
I've been dying to tell you anything you want to hear
Cause that's just who I am this week
Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum
I'm just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song

Emma's eyes lit up, and she began drumming on the dash singing along. Jay switched the station.

"That's a pussy song." He looked right in her eyes cruelly.

Emma had had enough. She got right in his face and spit on him.

"Yeah, well, you're a pussy." She got out of the car and slammed the door, making the dash rattle. Jay watched in shock as she ran back to her door. He stared until it hit him.

She spit on him!

He smiled a broad smile. Not even Alex had ever had the guts to do that. The car roared to life as he sped down the street. He cranked up the radio, listening closely to the lyrics of the song, and playing it so loud that the bass rocked the block. He had never felt so alive.

Drop a heart, break a name
We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team

As he quickly shifted from 2nd to 3rd to 4th gear, Jay sped recklessly down the highway back to his house. His heart raced, and his head was clouded and messed up. Emma was the craziest girl he'd ever met. She made him so crazy. So fucking insane! He suddenly had an idea. He pulled over to the median and pulled out his cell phone and the slip of paper. He opened it and struggled to see the number she had scribbled on the bottom. He dialed Emma up on his cell.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello?" he breathed quickly and turned the volume up on the radio and sang with it.

"We're going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, we're going down swinging
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it!"

He could almost swear he could hear her smiling. She sighed and spoke.

"Jay, you're such a dork."

"You drew a dinosaur on my hand. You're calling me a dork?"

"I am."

"About your request." There was a silent pause.

"...yeah?" Emma said.

"Together. Whatever. Night." he said the three words quickly and hung up. He looked at the highway, the cars passing by at high speed, all the colours.

We're going down, down in an earlier round
And Sugar, we're going down swinging
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it.

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That was way too damn long. I'm sorry. Couldn't stop. But yay! Does this mean that Em and Jay are a couple now! What about poor J.T.? By the way, check out my new EmJay oneshot "Lit" if you haven't already! I think it's pretty okay. Hope you do too! Thanks for all the reviews! And of course, as always, let me know what you think! XOXO