Chapter 8

-x-

Emma stared at Jay as he walked down the hallway of Degrassi with his arm draped around Alex.

He glanced up at her for a second and gave her a nod of acknowledgment before disappearing down the hallway with Alex.

"Hey Em," Manny said with a smile, coming up to her best friend.

"Hey…" Emma replied.

"So what are you doing after school today? Want to come over?"

You have to tutor Jay.

He can wait until six or so.

Ooh, like him spending nights with you?

Oh, shut up already!

"Um…sure. But only til like six or seven." Emma said quickly.

Manny nodded, "Sure. Meet me at my locker after eighth period." She said with a smile before bounding off down the hallway, no doubt in search of Spinner.

x-

Emma sat in her sixth period study hall with nothing to do, she knew that Jay also had a study hall sixth period, but she wasn't sure where it was.

Library? No, I don't think it's there…maybe the cafeteria? No, doubt it…

It's in the MI room.

How do you know things that I don't if we're the same brain of the same person?

Emma got up from her seat and walked towards her study hall advisor, Ms. Kwan.

"Ms. Kwan?" she asked.

Ms. Kwan glanced up, "Yes, Emma?"

"I was wondering if I could pull Jay out study hall and we could get some more tutoring done…I'm busy today after school."

Ms. Kwan nodded and scribbled a pass for Emma and a pass to get Jay out of study hall.

"Thanks." She said before exiting the classroom and heading towards the MI class.

She glanced through the glass windows of the class and saw Jay sitting at one of the computers, scrolling through the pages on some website, Alex was right next to him. When she glanced a bit lower, she saw that his hand was resting on her thigh.

It practically made her heart stop beating.

Ha-ha Alex, I'm stealing your boyfriend away from you.

What's with this newfound attitude?

Emma walked up to the door and tapped on it lightly.

Mr. Simpson's substitute, Mr. Davis, answered, "Hello Emma." He said with a smile.

"Hi, Mr. Davis…do you mind if I pull Jay out of class? Ms. Kwan needs him."

Mr. Davis shook his head, "Jay?" he called out.

Jay glanced up and saw Emma waiting at the door for him, her books hugged up against her chest.

Alex shot Emma an angry look as Jay exited out of whatever site he was on and then gathered his things and walked over to Mr. Davis, "Yeah?"

"Emma says that Ms. Kwan needs you at the moment, so go ahead." Mr. Davis said.

Jay nodded and exited the classroom.

"Thanks Mr. Davis." Emma said with a smile before walking off right behind Jay.

"So what does Kwan need me for that you would get sent to the MI lab with all of your books?" Jay asked curiously.

Emma shook her head, "We're getting some more tutoring done for you, I just didn't want to say it out loud in front of Alex and everyone."

"Edgy…" Jay said with a laugh.

Emma nodded, "Well what else would you expect from me?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"So where are we going exactly?" Jay asked.

"Well, since you don't want to be seen anywhere in public with me…we could just go to the benches outside…" Emma suggested.

"We're allowed to go out there during study hall?" Jay asked.

Emma shrugged, "I have a pass." She said and trudged off down the hallway towards the front of the school.

x-

"So, what were you looking at on the computer? You looked pretty intrigued…" Emma said.

Jay nodded, "Yeah, I was looking up…believe it or not…history facts…I have an exam seventh period so I want to make sure I can pass him, raise my F to a D at least." Jay said.

Emma grinned at him, "Good for you Jay."

Jay rolled his eyes, "Yea, Alex looked over and thought I was crazy."

Emma's mind flew back to when she had seen his hand on her thigh but she brushed it off, "What'd you say?"

"I told her that I was bored."

"And…?"

Jay glanced down at the picnic table the two were sitting at, "She still thought I was crazy."

Emma giggled, "Well do you need me to help you with anything?"

Jay shook his head, "We'll have time to study and such after school today."

Emma bit her lip, "About that…I'm hanging out with Manny after school, so we won't be able to get any tutoring done until like six or seven…"

Jay nodded, "That'll be okay, I guess. I'll come over to your house at six thirty or so, how does that sound?"

Emma smiled, "Great, I guess. But you won't be leaving until like eleven thirty or midnight…"

Jay shrugged, "So? I'm usually awake til three on school nights anyway."

"What could you possibly do that actually would keep you up until three in the morning?"

Jay shrugged, "Nothing really…I'd usually be at a party or with Alex or working on cars in our garage."

"Your mom let you work on cars all night?" Emma asked.

Jay nodded, "And on the weekends over the summer I work at my uncles auto shop, that's how I got the money to get my Civics…one, the black one, I actually fixed up for my uncle and then he said I could keep it, and the other one I bought and split the pay with my parents and my uncle."

"That's cool, so that's what you're doing over this summer too right?"

Jay nodded, "Yeah, and you're moving…right?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah, to Montreal."

"Do your parents know?"

Emma shrugged, "I think they heard me when I told them but I don't think they were actually listening, there is so much going on in my life right now, it's crazy, they'll be happy to have me out of their hair."

"Real nice of you caring like that, leaving your parents, good daughter."

Emma rolled her eyes and was about to say something else when she heard the bell ring.

"We better leave." Jay said and shot up from the bench, "Come in a little bit after me, so they don't suspect anything…" Jay said.

"Nothing's going on anyway though." Emma said.

Jay shrugged, "All it takes is one person to see us come in together, suspect something and then tell Alex, and I'm screwed." Jay said before hurrying into the school.

You aren't even in love with her, so why should it matter to you anyway?

x-

"Okay, what's with you? We've been here at my house for an hour and you've spent like 55 minutes just staring at the clock with that look in your eyes." Manny said worriedly as she applied some cherry lip gloss to her lips and then turned to her best friend.

Emma turned her head to stare at Manny, "What?"

Manny rolled her eyes, "You're looking at the clock like you can't wait to leave. Is there something you're keeping from me? You know I hate secrets kept between you and me."

Emma shrugged, "Not true Manny, and no, there are no secrets…why?"

"What's his name?" Manny asked.

"What?"

"The guy you're apparently crushing on! It's so obvious, what's his name?" Manny asked with a grin.

"No guy." Emma said quickly.

Cough, Jay, cough.

Put a sock in it!

"Sure…" Manny said, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"I'm serious Manny, no guy."

Manny smirked, "Hey, I believe you."

"Sure you do…"

"Well I remember Jordan from seventh grade and every time you thought about him you got that dumb starry gaze in your eyes and you would just zone out for like hours at a time."

Emma glanced down at the ground, for the past five years she had forgotten about Jordan, then she had to go and bring him up.

"Sorry." Manny said, catching the hurt look in her eyes, "Sean's a better example, you did the same with him. So I know you like a guy."

Emma shook her head, "You thought wrong Manny. I've just got a lot on my mind with Snake in the hospital and all."

Manny nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I guess. But that still doesn't cover why you would have that starry like gaze in your eyes…"

"Manny!" Emma exclaimed.

"Okay, sorry…I'll shut up." Manny said quickly and changed the subject.

Emma sighed and glanced around Manny's room, forcing herself to believe that her feelings for Jay were absolutely unacceptable, and that whatever went on between them was strictly business.

x-

"Oh my God, I am the biggest dork…" Emma said, looking at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a pale blue tee shirt with a white skirt with a belt that was shaped like a bunch of pale blue hearts. Yes, she was dressing herself up for Jay.

You know you like him, why don't you just tell him?

Cuz I don't like him.

So what are you all dressed up for then? Does math turn you on or something?

I don't like him…

Okay…

Emma groaned, dressing up was a dumb idea.

She tugged her skirt down and yanked off her shirt before stalking off towards her dresser drawers and pulling out a white wife beater and a pair of silky pajama pants that were sky blue with white clouds all over them, she took her chest bone length blonde hair and pulled it up into a ponytail before folding up her starting outfit and putting it back in her drawers and then grabbing her books and running upstairs.

x-

She heard the doorbell about ten minutes later.

She leapt up from the couch and made her way to the front door, opening it "casually".

"Hey Jay…" she said with a smile as she opened up the door, but her smile faded and her eyes widened as she saw who was standing on her porch.

And it wasn't Jay.

It was Alex…and she looked very pissed.

-x-

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Lotsa love, degrassichick