Chapter 4
2 years later… (E; 11-years old. A; 18-years old. MM; 39-years old.)
Emma's in the 5th grade and has become a fast best friend of Tyler Miller- adopted child of Sierra and Henry Miller.
August is 18, but decided not to move his things out quite yet. He's going to enroll at Bowdoin College after he gets his license. He was accepted, he just needs to enroll.
He left about an hour and a half ago to take his practical drivers test. He walked inside with a proud smile on his face. "Guess who has a license!"
"You did it?" Mary Margaret asked. He nodded. "I'm so proud of you!" His mother hugged him.
Emma and Tyler came downstairs. "What's everybody yelling for?" Emma asked. August held up a drivers license. "You got your license!" She turned to her best friend. "He got his license! He can drive us places now!"
August- who was unaware of why Emma had been so excited about him getting his license, until now- stopped her. "Woah, woah. I never agreed to that. Plus, I'm going to be at school most of the time Em."
"What? You're leaving? I thought your college that you got into was far away?"
He sighed. "It is Emma, but you're still gonna see me."
Apparently Emma was left out of the loop when it came to the college subject. "You're still gonna sleep here, right? How far away is it."
"Em like you said- it's far away. It's… four hours away."
Emma looked heartbroken. "Why didn't anyone tell me that? I wouldn't have helped you study if I knew that." She admitted, then turned to Tyler. "Let's go back upstairs." They were gone before August had a chance to say anything else.
"Maybe I should stick around a while. Enrolling can wait a while." He told his mother.
She shook her head. "No way August." She told him firmly. "She's upset, but she'll be okay. We'll both definitely miss you. You can't put your life on hold for us."
"Mom. She looked so heartbroken."
Meanwhile upstairs, Emma was on the verge of tears. "It's gonna be okay Emma. You'll still see him sometimes." She was doing her absolute best not to cry, but it was getting really hard.
Tyler sat next to her on her bed. "I have a big brother." He confided. "He's older, like August is. I don't get to see him as much anymore. It sucks, but I'm okay."
"Why don't you get to see him anymore?" She asked, it was the first thing she's said since they came upstairs. "If you ask Aunt Sierra and Uncle Henry, I'm sure they'll let you see him."
He smiled. "Mom and Dad let me see him anytime that he's in town. He just doesn't visit anymore. I guess it's because he was really close to by birth parents, I just remind him of them. I think it also upsets him that I don't remember them. They dies when I was four. Trevor kept me until I was six, he told me it was too hard and that I'd find a new home." He said, straying off topic a bit. "The point is, I don't see my brother often, but I have my parents and that helps a lot."
He hugged her and that's when she started to cry. "But I don't want to not see Auggie all the time." A few minutes later there was a knock at her door and she quickly wiped her tears away. "Come in."
"Ty, your mom's here."
He turned to Emma. "I'll be right back." He left the room, leaving Emma and August alone. "Ems." He sighed. "Come on Em, look at me." She reluctantly looked up at him and it literally broke his heart, she'd been crying… because of him. "Oh Emma." He pulled her into a hug and she buried her face in his shirt.
Tyler ran down the stairs quickly and the first thing he did was hug his mother. "Hey Ty. Ready to go?"
He shook his head. "No. Emma's upset. Can we just stay a little while longer? Please, please?" He begged.
She sighed. "30 minutes."
He smiled brightly. "Thanks mom!" He hugged her again, then bolted up the stairs, he got in Emma's room just as August was leaving. "I can stay for 30 more minutes." He said with a proud smile.
"Isn't Aunt Sierra here?" He nodded. "How'd you get her to let you stay for another 30 minutes?"
He smirked. "You know how your mom lets you get away with stuff when you smile at her in a certain way?" She nodded. "According to dad, mom has a really hard time saying no to my eyes." He said, earning a wide smile from Emma.
"You know what that means?"
Tyler shook his head. "We can both do things to get us in trouble and actually only get in trouble like half the time." She said with a proud smile on her face, tears long forgotten.
XXX
3 years later… (E; 14-years old. A; 21-years old. MM; 42-years old.)
August drove to Brunswick, Maine on August 18th, 9 months after getting his drivers license. He enrolled in their creative writing program. He- of course- came home on holidays and breaks and he never missed one of Emma's birthdays.
She made it very clear everytime he was home that she didn't see him enough. But- boy- was she glad that he wasn't home when she had her first boyfriend.
She began dating a boy- Jackson- her freshman year in high school.
"He's gonna find out Emma." Her mother insisted after she refused to tell August about seeing Jackson.
Emma rolled her eyes. "That day isn't going to be this week. He'll only be here for a few days mom. It won't be lying if we don't tell him."
"Lying by omission is the same as lying Emma."
She groaned. "Mom." She whined. "I will tell him. Just not this weekend. I don't need him threatening Jackson on my birthday."
"Fine." Her mother relented. "But you're gonna have to tell him sooner or later. Henry too, I don't know how you got Sierra to keep your secret too."
XXX
Emma didn't want a big party for her birthday, she settled for a big dinner instead. Dinner for… 7? "Why are there 7 settings? There's only 6 of us."
"There's uh… someone I want you guys to meet. She'll be over for dinner."
Mary Margaret's eyes widened. "She!? As in… Auggie. Do you have a girlfriend?" She questioned.
Emma smirked. "She? Huh."
August rolled his eyes. "Yes mom. I have a girlfriend. Remember, this is Emma's birthday, we're not going to play 20 questions tonight. Right?"
Emma barked out a laugh. "Good luck with that one Auggie." Emma- kind of, not really- joked.
XXX
They met Janie at dinner. Everything was going great… until Mary Margaret started asking very… personal questions… about Janie's previous sex life.
When they heard the doorbell ring, August was quick to volunteer to answer the door, inviting Janie to come with. He opened the door and saw a boy- about Emma's age- in a letterman jacket. "Who are you?" August asked.
"Jackson." The boy answered, like it was obvious. August raised an eyebrow. "Emma's boyfriend." He clarified.
August's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "Emma's what?!" He shrieked. "Emma's 14. She doesn't have a boyfriend!"
Janie placed a hand on his arm. "Calm down Aug." He turned to look at her, and that's when Jackson stepped inside. "Don't harm him." She warned. "I'll be right back." She went into the dining room. "Uh… Emma, there's someone here to see you." She said and Emma was confused. "A boy… Jackson."
Her eyes widened. "Oh no." She jumped up and went into the living room.
Henry turned to Mary Margaret. "Jackson Laine? The football player? Why would he be here?" he asked her.
Emma walked into the living room and saw August glaring at Jackson. "Hey Jackson. What are you doing here?" Emma asked casually. "I told you I had a family thing today."
He shrugged. "I forgot. Sorry babe."
He started walking over to kiss her, when August grabbed his upper arm. "Don't push it kid."
"Who is this guy?" Jackson asked annoyed, shrugging August's arm off of him.
August's glare intensified. Emma sighed. "Jackson, meet August… my brother." She said.
"Oh… hey dude."
Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll page you later Jacks. You should probably go." She turned to August. "Let him go. Please Auggie." He reluctantly let go and then Jackson left. "Let's go finish dinner."
They were all sitting down eating dinner. "Emma. Are you and that Laine kid friends?" Henry asked her.
She shrugged. "Yeah… I mean… he's… yeah." She stammered. "Where's mom?"
"She's in the bathroom peaches." Sierra told her.
Everyone was staring at her expectantly, she sighed. "He's my… boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Henry questioned. "Don't you think that you're a little… young for a boyfriend. How long have you been seeing him?"
She groaned. "Uncle Henry. I'm 14, I'm a big girl. And I've been seeing him for 2 months." She snapped. "Not that it's any of your business." She mumbled quietly, but apparently not quiet enough.
"Emma Ruth." Sierra scolded. "Watch the attitude."
She sighed. Sierra never calls her by her actual name- let alone using her middle name- unless she's in trouble. "Sorry." She mumbled. "Can we just eat and drop it?"
XXX
Emma walked up to Mary Margaret. "Mom, I'm going on a walk." Her mother raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean… mom can I go on a walk?"
Mary Margaret smiled. "Yes you can. And don't think Sierra didn't tell be about your attitude at dinner young lady. We'll talk about that tomorrow. Happy birthday Em."
Emma smiled. "I love you mom." She started walking towards the door.
"Mind if I join?" August asked.
Emma shrugged. "Sure." He held his arm out and she took it gladly they took a walk around the pard, her head resting on his shoulder the entire time. "I miss you." She whispered as they were walking along the trail in the park.
"I've missed you too kid."
He pulled her into a hug and that's when she saw it. Her boyfriend was sitting on the park bench with a sophomore at her school. She broke the hug, then slowly began to walk closer, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him kiss her. "Let's go home."
"Hold on." He said and walked towards Jackson.
Emma groaned. "August." She ran up to him. "Leave it alone Auggie."
He ignored her. "Hey!" He yelled to the two teenagers.
"August!" Emma yelled.
Jackson shot up. "Emma! What are you doing here? This isn't what it looks like."
August scoffed. "Yeah right." He turned to Emma- who was obviously hurt, but trying to hide it. "You okay?"
Emma gave him a fake smile. "I'm fine Aug. Let's just go home. Please?"
"Emma, wait!" Jackson called as they were walking away. "Babe, come on."
She sighed. "No. Just… I have to go." She linked her arm with her brother's and they started walking home. "Happy birthday to me." She muttered.
August placed a kiss to her temple. "I can go back there and kick his ass, if you want." She shook her head. "Okay." He sighed. "Don't tell mom I said that. I may be 21, but I don't want to face her wrath if she ever hears me curse again." That got her to giggle. "There she is." He whispered.
"August?" She said. "Do you ever think about trying to find everyone early?" She questioned. "Our families. The curse." She said.
He sighed. "You know I do Ems, but the prophecy-"
"-I know. I can't change it." She finished. "I love that I have you and mom and Uncle Hen and Aunt Si, but is it wrong to want more?" She asked. "To want a dad?"
He smiled. "Of course not. I miss my papa everyday. I want to be with him more than just about anything."
"Just about?"
He nodded. "I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the life we have now. For you and mom. For Uncle Hen and Aunt Si. Not a thing kid."
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