Again, Once More
SPOILER ALERT!
I will warn you all, right now, I don't live in Canada. I'm stuck in the US, with The-N; my guess on the actual happenings of these two episodes (Our Lips Are Sealed 1&2) are as good as any other non-Canadian.
I apologize in advance if my writing isn't accurate. I've read spoilers and episode summaries. I'm writing this to get the episodes out of my head (knowing The-N, I won't see them until summer... ).
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or CTV. I'm just a poor fan(atic).
Chapter 3) An Innocent Notebook
"Emma!" An urgent yell sounded in the small basement room.
"Emma!" Manny shouted once more in a seemingly futile attempt to wake the sleeping blonde. After she didn't answer for he third time, Manny pulled the blankets back in a frenzy. What if Emma had fainted again, or worse? Even as angry as she was with Emma, Manny knew she would be absolutely devastated if something had happened.
A scream caught in Manny's throat. Emma hadn't passed out; she wasn't even there! Okay. Calm down. Manny told herself. She's fine. I'm sure she's just up early. Even as she reasoned with herself, Manny felt a cold dread sweep over her. Up until recently Emma had always woken up before she did. It was known that Emma was a morning person. Until a month or so ago… When her alarm rang, Emma had taken to slowly dragging herself out of bed.
That thought alone, worried Manny. The only other time Emma had been so tired was when she wasn't eating. Could anorexia come back? She thought Emma was better; she had beaten this.
Manny failed, however, to remember that only a few months had passed since the anorexia scare. It was barely a week into September. With that final lingering thought, Manny bolted away from her friend's bed. September, senior year, homework! Manny hadn't finished a few random math problems in her Algebra book! Yikes! She had but a half hour to complete her homework and be ready to leave. And so Manny made a hasty start, in high hopes to be done with the said tasks…
Exhaustion crept upon Emma early into second period. She was taking an advanced math course. Much to her dismay, math was not so easy for her this year. It wasn't more than a week or two into the new school year, but Emma felt like the days were dragging on into eons. Her early morning runs seemed to be taking detrimental turn on her heath. Emma knew she was losing too much sleep. Her grades already showed this. I know I'm going to have a "B" on my report card…
She felt overwhelmed. Like at the intervention Manny and Peter had set up last year. Her breath hitched, she gasped quietly. She needed a release.
In a split second, Emma had reached into her bag and pulled out a normal looking notebook. Flipping to the back, she turned to notebook upside down to read the hurriedly scribbled words. It was a trick she had learned on her own. Nobody ever looked at the last pages first.
August 17, 2006
Breakfast
½ serving Rice Chex ® cereal – 60cals. 0fat
½ serving milk on cereal – 45cals. 0fat
Total- 105cals. 0fat
Exercise – 2 mile run – burned 220cals.
Lunch
Celery – 0cals. 0fat
Few bites of a carrot – 0cals. 0fat
Exercise – Gym class, lifted weights 30 mins. burned 200cals.
Emma smiled as she read the note on the very top (bottom?) of the page.
Negative calorie foods – treat as "0" cals. And "0" fat as they take more calories to burn than the amount of calories in the actual food.
She had been so trusting of the "Pro-Ana" sites even a month ago. She had learned that there aren't any actual "negative calorie foods". Unless, you eat, like, cardboard… Her knowledge of cardboard's reaction to the human digestive system was the only thing that kept her from attempting to eat it…
"Miss Nelson! Are you listening?" Emma stared blankly at the face of her math teacher. Degrassi had hired a new teacher for the math department. The school's average in mathematics had decreased, thus resulting in a new teacher. Mrs. Schimcht was actually a good teacher; Emma just couldn't keep her mind from wandering.
"Um, yes…" Mrs. Schmicht narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It appeared Emma's "studious" reputation preceded her. Emma was well mannered and polite, not something seen often in today's teenagers1. Unfortunately, her schoolwork seemed lacking and her assignments were turned in with obviously incorrect answers. Like, Emma didn't even try.
"Alright class, please turn to page 42 and do the first ten problems."
"Hey! Emma!" Emma groaned inwardly. Mr. Simpson, also known as Archie. She sighed quietly; Mr. Simpson (as she referred to him during school) usually let Emma be. He didn't want to intrude on her social life. Typical father. That's why Emma knew this conversation wouldn't go well.
"I know you would prefer to have this conversation later…"
But? Emma prodded mentally.
"Manny told me that she couldn't find you this morning." Emma's heart instantly jumped to her throat. Ah, this situation wasn't good. She could feel her breath quicken. What to say? Sorry, Archie, I almost collapsed on the side of the road? She thought not.
Emma grasped the first idea that her mind came up with and decided to go for it.
"Breakfast? Remember Mr. Simpson, the most important meal of the day?" Sometimes Emma amazed even herself at her new-found ability in using "little white lies". She sounded exactly like herself in grade 9, during her science fair presentation.
"Of course." Emma noticed Mr. Simpson's grin did not seem to reach his eyes. Or any other parts of his face…
"Mr. Simpson, you know me…" Emma tried lamely. Please, please, please don't take that the wrong way. Emma begged to Mr. Simpson inwardly.
"Alright, Emma." Said he than sending his step daughter on her way. Could this mean something? Please, no. He had been just devastated when Emma had been hospitalized for Anorexia. He laid the majority of the blame upon himself. He was an adult; Emma was still a kid. He shouldn't have left Emma to play the parent. And only because he had the decision to make-out with the principal. What on Earth had he been thinking?
The past was just that, right now, Archie needed to focus on the present. He had a grade 7 MI class to teach.
1 Sorry about the "teenager's today" crack. I was merely looking through the teacher's eyes.
Done! I was really rushing this! I have to leave, like, now and I'm not ready! I felt bad for not updating sooner. Sorries, I had to baby sit. No time to type, not with a 6 month old.