AN: I am really, really sorry about how long it has taken for me to update on this story! I have been really busy with finishing up the school year and I'm finally getting some time to write, plus earlier all my files were screwed up because my other computer account was blocked from the internet but anyways I am very, very sorry about how long it had taken me to update the chapters for this story. I promise that chapters will definitely be updated more frequently now that school is out for summer (Thank God!).

Thanks for the reviews everyone and here's the next chapter, hope you like!

Lotsa love, degrassichick

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Chapter 6

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"Em, you look fine, trust me!" Manny said as the two walked around Emma's bedroom, well actually Manny was flopped out on the bed while Emma was pacing so much that she was pretty much walking for the both of them.

"I think it's over the top." Emma said, glancing at her outfit in her full length mirror that stood in a corner of her room.

She was wearing a olive green halter that rose to her belly button along with a denim sandblasted skirt that had a splash of sparkles across it and hung to her mid thigh along with a sheer plum sash that was looped through the belt loops and tied into a knot and hung against her left thigh along with a pair of tan platform thong sandals.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun and she was wearing a pear of hoop earrings.

"It's not, you look fine. And so do I, so can we just go already!" Manny asked, getting up from the bed and walking towards Emma, glancing at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a hot pink beater with a smaller orange one over it along with a white mini skirt with hot pink and neon orange polka dots on it and a pair of hot pink platform thong sandals and her dark hair was straightened and pulled into a ponytail along with a pair of plastic neon orange hoop earrings.

Emma sighed, "Fine…let's go." She said and began to head towards the door of the stairs.

"We're going out the front door?"

Emma nodded, "I have to leave my mom a note, saying I'm out."

"Isn't she going to find it weird that you're out on a school night?" Manny asked curiously.

Emma nodded, "Okay, I guess you're right. Let's just go through the window." Emma said and headed towards the small window of her room; she opened it up and got out, before helping Manny outside along with her and the two began to walk off towards Sean's old apartment where the party was held.

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"It's really loud!" Emma exclaimed as the two walked into the party, bombarded by the loud thump of the stereo and the smoke haze that was wafting around the room.

"Did you expect it to be quiet?" Manny shouted back.

Emma rolled her eyes in return and began to wave her hand around to prevent smoke from getting in her eyes.

"Oh my God, you are such a drama queen!" Manny exclaimed as she watched Emma.

"Well do you see Spinner anywhere?" Emma asked, craning her neck around the room.

Manny shook her head, "But he'll be here. He promised me."

"He also promised he would never break your heart, see how that worked out?" Emma asked, "You guys were broken up from like last April to now!"

"Emma, it's just about trust." Manny said, "I know he loves me, okay?"

"Just like you knew Craig did?" Emma questioned.

"Spinner's not Craig," Manny said calmly, "Spinner's different."

"Damn girl…" a guy said, walking closely by Emma so that he brushed against her, "You look hot." He said before taking a swig out of the bottle of beer in his hand.

Emma shuddered at him and walked off before realizing that she had lost Manny.

x-

"Just great Manny, thanks for telling me where you were going…actually thanks for telling me you were even leaving!" Emma said to herself as she wove through the crowd of people at the party.

So far she had seen absolutely nobody that she recognized at this party…what if she and Manny went to the wrong one?

Alex had said "whatever" when Manny said that they'd see her at Sean's place, maybe Manny heard wrong and this was a different party…either way, Emma was insanely freaked out right now.

She saw many people in their mid twenties dancing together, boys and girls making out in corners and couples grinding on the dance floor. Some were seated on a couch, sniffing Coke and she saw a whole bunch of people in the kitchen drinking beer.

She could smell smoke and she could feel herself beginning to get nauseated.

Where is Manny? She asked herself.

She had walked through the entire house now and still had seen nobody with a familiar face.

Just then, without realizing that she wasn't watching where she was going, she crashed into something.

She glanced up and saw a pair of dark eyes above her.

She backed away only to have arms wrapped around her.

"Um, excuse me…" she said nervously.

"Come with me…" the guy said and roughly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off.

x-

"So, you think we can give it another shot?" Spinner asked Manny with a smile as the couple stood outside of Sean's old house.

Manny looked down at the ground before looking up, "Yeah, I think we can do it." she said.

Spinner grinned and pulled her into a deep kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"How romantic…" a voice drawled from behind them.

Manny broke the kiss and looked behind her only to see Jay Hogart with a smirk planted on his face, "What do you want?"

"Did you come to this party with each other?" Jay asked.

Manny shook her head, "No, I went with Emma…not that it's any of your business."

Jay's heart flew to his throat and he couldn't swallow, "Well where is she?"

"Inside, why does it matter?" Manny asked.

"Is she dressed kind of more revealing?"

Manny nodded.

"And you left her in there with a whole bunch of high school and college drop outs that are now alcoholics?"

"Emma's smart." Manny said, "Nothing will happen to her."

Jay rolled his eyes and wove through the swarm of people crowded outside the house before hurrying up the porch steps and heading into the house.

Loud rap music was blasting through the stereo and many people were dancing together or drinking alcohol or making out.

"Jay, there you are." Alex said, walking up to him.

"Yeah…here I am." Jay said.

"Where have you been?"

"Outside…now I have to go find someone."

"If you're looking for Green Peace, which I seriously hope you aren't, she's in some room with some guy." Alex said.

Jay glanced at her obliviously, "What guy?"

Alex shrugged, "How should I know! And besides, why would you care?"

Jay rolled his eyes and walked off, nudging her in the shoulder as he brushed past her.

"What the hell is with him anymore!" she exclaimed to herself before stomping off in the other direction.

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Jay glanced in the few rooms at the house and didn't see anybody that resembled Emma.

Just then he saw a blonde body practically get thrown out of a room, she was wearing an olive green halter and a denim mini skirt.

She stood up but he couldn't see her face since she was turned around.

"Jerk!" she yelled into the room.

He knew by that voice that he had found Emma.
She turned around and saw Jay and shot him a venomous look before walking off, nudging him in the shoulder. Hard.

"What did I ever do to you?" he questioned, following after her.

He saw Emma shaking her head and holding up her hands in a 'I'm not answering that' manner before exiting out of the front door.

Jay followed her, ignoring Alex and Amy who were sending him curious glares to why he would possibly follow around Green Peace with so much concern pasted all over his face.

"Do you even have a car to get back to your house?" Jay asked, following her down the front walk.

Emma turned back around to stare at him, he noticed that she had mascara streaks running down her cheeks and her eyes were glossy and red, her lips looked swollen.

"What happened to you?" Jay asked.

Emma shook her head, "None of your business." She said and stomped off down the sidewalk.

Jay groaned silently and followed behind her before falling into step right beside her, "What happened to you?" he asked again.

"None of your business, what part of that didn't you get?" she asked, obviously annoyed-and depressed.

"Well as I look at you it looks as if you were kissed by a vacuum cleaner." He said, nodding towards her lips that were fuller than usual.

Emma rolled her eyes at him, "It's none of your business what happened to me."

"So something did happen to you…" Jay said, as if he was slowly beginning to peace together the eighth wonder of the world.

Emma gave him a blank look, "Just go away, Jay." She said and stalked off, her platform sandals slapping against the sidewalk with a thud each time they hit the cement.

"I just don't see why you won't tell me." Jay said, still following her.

"Oh my God!" Emma groaned frustratingly, "Do you ever quit Hogart? You are so annoying! I already told you that I'm not telling you what happened, how many damn times do you need to hear that until it finally sinks into your hollow head!"

"Maybe because I'm worried about you…" Jay said.

"Well don't be." Emma said, "I took care of myself back there and I'll take care of myself in the future, okay? You don't need to come to my rescue; I don't even know why you ever would anyway."

"Well if you took care of yourself so well then how come you were crying?" Jay asked.

Emma shrugged, "I was scared, I guess. I mean if you were hauled into a dark room by some drunk in a coat that practically resembled a trench coat, wouldn't you be scared?"

No, Jay said to himself, my dad's an alcoholic. I've gotten hit before, trust me.

Jay shrugged, "I don't know. But what happened in that room?"

Emma groaned, "He tried to get something out of me, he tried to apply force by pinning me to the bed. But I got away and smacked him and left the room, happy now?" Emma asked.

Jay nodded his head slightly, "Yeah, I guess."

Emma sighed, "Thank you." She said out of exhaustion, "I'll see you tomorrow after school for our tutor session, that is, if you're not planning on ditching me again…"

Jay ran a hand through his hair that was down without a hat, which was most definitely a rare occasion for Jay Hogart, "Yeah, uh…sorry about that."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow, Jay."

Jay nodded, "Yeah, later."

She gave him a small smile before walking off down the sidewalk, the fluorescent lights from the street lights hitting her back and shoulders as she walked, brightening them.

Jay began to back off down the street before turning and heading back to Sean's old house in search of a guy wearing something that resembled a trench coat.

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So what'd you think?

R&R!

Lotsa love, degrassichick