Insanity. It was Media Immersion when it hit her. She had to get rid of this baby now! She had to have it gone, to be the only one occupying her body, to be free of the ruin it was going to bring. Seething in her seat, confined to that one spot, she could physically go nowhere. But in her head, she was mentally bounding from one place to another.

People were looking at her funny, and whispering in the halls, too. Manny was avoiding her, taking Toby and Liberty along for the ride. Now all she had left was Jt.

Why were they all looking at her?

It was the locker, the baby, the way Craig looked at her, the way she knew she looked at him, how she had to hide it. It was Sean, it was Ashley, then it was Manny, then the school. Something was going on with her. Something she couldn't control.

Restricted to that seat while the substitute droned on, hearing the snickering behind her back. Someone knew something she didn't. Someone had said something. Why else would Manny be so cold, the school be so strange?

"Hey, slut."

The same boyish voice called to her.

"Hobag, I'm talking. Look at me."

Alex was summoning her, and Emma knew she had something to say, but had no idea she had something to do.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked menacingly.

Emma was taken aback. Her thoughts were pulled to her locker... had it been Alex?

"What are you talking about?"

Feigning stupidity was going to do nothing. She faintly wished for Craig to be there with her, to help her, to be next to her, but it was a fleeting wish.

"I asked if it was a boy --" Alex's face crunched into a snarl, her pointy nose widening, "Or a girl."

"Alex, quiet." Mr. Armstrong scolded from the back of the room.

His order went ignored.

"Hey, do me a favor. If it's a boy, name it after him."

"After who?"

This was the part where she licked her lips, cocking her head to the side in triumph. She sat back and raised her voice for the entire class to hear.

"You know, Jay -- the dad."

Every ear in the room heard her words, and every person attatched to it lettup, silently, in horror, halting. Before it had been a rumor, but now, it was fact. It was fact that Emma was a tramp, and Jay was the abuser.

Craig was sitting in the library for an English Assignment, pushed off in the darkest corner of the carpeted den. He had always liked this spot. It was secluded from prying eyes, such as the nosy librarians, and nobody ever really paid it much attention. That and it was comfortable. Corners were always comfortable.

News of Emma had spread around the school like a disease, all fingers pointing, all people guffawing at their misfotrtunes, their mistakes. Really, people were ruthless. Compassion is one of the key elements that makes up a decent person, and these people were lacking sincerely. Can true compassion even be taught?

All the blame that nobody was putting on him, but should. Emma would be the screeching victim, the one with the most weight on her shoulders. She was approximately one month into her duty, and eight grueling months ahead of her. If he could only help her -- if she would only approach him, give him the slightest look of allowance...

"Craig."

A voice? Who would think to look for him in the library?

"Craig, you'll never believe what just happened."

Spinner. Of course Spinner would know where to find him.

"I was hanging out with Marco, and he was trying to tell me all the gossip or whatever. I wasn't listening until he started talking about Sean."

"What about him?"

Oh, Sean, you dumbass. You did something illegal.

Spinner quickly sat down and leaned forward. "He's been missing for like, a week."

"I just saw him yesterday."

"Really? Are you serious? Because not even his landlord's seen him in a week."

"Well, he came over my house, right before you -- has he called anyone?"

Spinner shrugged. "If he has, you know who it would be. It'd be Emma. He'd call her."

That was what persuaded Craig to talk to Emma. Well, it was part of it. Pick up the pace, pick up the pace.

He was rushing to Emma's, feeling his mouth moisten and hands sweat. He needed to be nerve-free right now. To be better for her, to be more calm. Knocking on her door, he took a step back,e xamining the neighborhood around him. He had been there countless times... the first at that birthday party three years ago... if only he had known what would befall him in the future. It was sunny, late afternoon, warm. An all around nice atmosphere.

The door swung open. Emma was standing there, and he noticed that she had put on a bit of weight. He expected more to come. She was sobbing, something he also expected. He remembered the last time he had tried to comfort her... yeah, maybe he shouldn't try that again.

"Craig, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

He was being so forward, and he knew it.

"I just -- I know we need to talk."

Nodding, she stepped aside and led him upstairs to her old room, offering him a chair near the window. She had eluded him for long enough, and now he could tell she accepted that they needed to be there together, in that room, no one else.

"I heard Sean's gone," he said in a throaty voice.

"Sean's not gone --" She said, tearing up and holding her breath. "He called -- he, he called and he said he was in Montreal and that he'd be back."

"Emma, I'm-I'm really sorry, for everyone knowing... and thinking it was Jay."

He was getting off easy.

"Yeah, well I don't exactly want them to know it's you, either. They'd hate me even more."

They took long, depthful breaths, steadying themselves. He wanted to make her stop, to just have her and for them to be happy together.

"Today, I was in gym class. I was playing basketball. And this one girl took the ball and -- and she " Emma was tearing up again. "She threw it at my head -- and after in the locker room, her friend spit on me, she spit in my hair, Craig, I hate this. I hate this so much. And my mom is going to hate me, they won't support us, and Joey -- maybe Joey will be nice."

Craig tried picturing Joey "nice" after he had impregnated a second girl... and it wasn't going to happen.

"Well, I'll get a job. I was thinking the dot and the book store, I could do the two... and your mom and dad, they're not going to kick you out or something..."

His voice stopped.

"What about Ashley?"

...Breath. Meaningless breath that sustained no thoughts, only kept the two of them lasting, alive and conscience.

"I mean, I'm with Sean, so I don't want you to break up with her. Since you love her and all..."

Criag sat back, sighing. "If I loved Ashley, none of this would have happened."

The plans were laid out. Mr. Simpson would be coming home in two weeks, and the two of them would sit everyone down, and alert them of the current events. Tranquility was what they were aiming for. The party Ashley was setting up would be taking place the day after, and Craig couldn't have been dreading it more. While the intentions were good, the aftermath was not going to be.

"I'm going to decorate the house," she said. "And I'll set up these nice candles on the table, the ones I wanted to use that our wedding."

His musical side was taking a definite rise, while his academic one was not. How did people expect him to work at times like these? Spinner understood. Being the awesome friend he was, he had taken every step he could to make sure that Craig had things as much under control as possible. In times of misery, it was just great to have someone like Spinner around.

"I'll be your humble man servant, 24/7 -- just not on Fridays. Or Satudays. Or anytime from midnight to eleven."

So the time passed. Craig had stopped in at the Dot and gotten a job, with a gracious recommendation from Spinner, which involved a jolly wave and mischievious grin.

Emma was stocking up on healthy foods for the baby, practicing Yoga, doing everything to keep the baby as top-notch as possible. Mr. Simpson had come home, conscience and safe, and Spike was finally resting. Aside from the occasional -- alright, common -- act of harm from their peers, everything was going alright. That is, until the night of the party.

Everything was ready. It was late evening, and Ashley was dressed, welcoming guests, giving out beverages. She peered out of the curtains. So far, Spinner, Paige and Marco had arrived, and only Craig and Emma were left. The two of them were missing, together.

Craig was hopping around in his room, buttoning his shirt, setting himself up to go to his party, to play the perfect boyfriend. It occured to him that the breakup with Ashley was sure to be gruesome, so he had postponed it once more, feeling like the biggest coward in all history. Well, a tie between coward and gentlemen... then he remembered the very predicament he was in, and the whole gentlemen thing went out the window.

Emma had said she had received no word from Sean in a whole week, and Craig was convinced that he was gone forever. A thought that partly upset him, but mostly just excited him. It opened more doors, it helped it. Then again, he didn't want to be second choice.

But he was so giddy! Tonight, he was going to see Emma! And he was going to have a good time. He had decided. He had chosen to finally unite with Emma. For the two of them to be brought together, and to stay that way in their playful darkness, their silly intertwinements. Or at least that's what he had wanted. Joey came bursting in the door, his bald head red, lips pursed together. Craig stumbled backward in fright and confusion.

"Angie's been talking to me, Craig!" he boomed, stepping even closer.

Craig flinched, instinctively defending himself with his hands.

"Oh, is that what you think? You think I'm going to hit you?"

His short stature, shrieking voice. Craig was downright scared. To think that somewhere out there, Emma was in a peaceful enviorment, while he was here, in his mess of a room.

"Let me tell you something -- Just because your daddy hit you as a kid doesn't mean anyone else thinks you're worth hitting."

That was a low blow. It was a blow to his esteem... He wasn't worth it. He wasn't deserving. He was hopeless, and useless. And what a blistering freak he probably looked like, his face heated, hair frizzing.

"What--What did Angie tell you?"

"Oh, like you don't already know! Emma! Emma and you, sleeping together in the same bed."

"I-I have a party to go to!"

He knew that excuse wasn't going to fly, and that it would probably only infuriate Joey even more.

"You're goin NOWHERE! And how dare you think otherwise! I'm going downstairs to call my mom -- you're not living with me. You are not staying here. Maybe she'll take you."

There was utter disgust in every syllable he spat out, plain vigor in his expression. He had said things he hadn't meant, surely. He had been harsher than he normally would have been, but as Craig crumbled to the floor, losing all his needed strength, he knew one thing. Joey never changed his mind, and he would be packing to go to his grandmother's any moment.