A Secret to Surrender

Chapter two –

It was cold outside, and Emi wished she had thought to grab something other than her usual outer wear, her thin Invader Zim hoodie. Wrapping herself more tightly in what little protection the hoodie offered from the late December chill, she hesitantly raised her hand to knock on the door. As her fist was about to make contact with the faded green door, it opened. There standing in the doorway was perhaps the second cutest guy in the entire existence of forever, but also the last person Emi had wanted to see, Arik Jarrod.

The jerk didn't even say hello or anything to acknowledge that Emi was there, besides opening the door. He just turned and walked down the hallway into what Emi assumed was the living room of the house. Emi was still so stunned to see him standing there, that she didn't wonder why he was even there.

Shivering rather violently, Emi finally walked into the hallway and shut the door behind her. Then she heard a familiar voice down the hall to her right. "Is that Emi, Arik? I did tell you we would be having a guest for dinner didn't I? Well, we are, and she's here to finish her paper. So, after dinner don't forget to show her to the study, and then don't bother her. I will be helping her when I'm done cleaning up." Arik just grumbled in response.

"The food was delicious, Ms. Bartelson. Really it was."

"Why, thank you Emi. I appreciate your great taste! Arik, please take Emi's dishes and start loading the dishwasher while I speak with her. By the way Emi, please call me Eleanor when we are not at school. Ms. Bartelson makes me sound so old."

"Eleanor if you don't mind me asking. Why does Arik live with you? He doesn't have your last name… "

"Oh that. Yeah, Arik doesn't want most people to know. But, I'm his aunt, his mother's half sister. When she died, his father had run off and no one wanted him to take Arik. I was the only one that didn't have any previous ties to his father, so I'm the one who got him."

Emi didn't know what to think. She'd never thought that way about Arik; he'd always seemed the kind of guy raised with the typical 60's mother and father, with the white picket fence. It did seem to fit though, because Arik had always been the more reserved of his friends. He may have been a total goof, and fairly irritating, but he did seem to have a good sense of when to stop something before it got too totally out of hand.

"I never realized that… "

"It's ok Emi, Most people don't. "

An awkward silence followed, until Eleanor placed her hands flat on the table and stood up. "Perhaps it's time you got to work on what you came here to do, Arik? Please show Emi where the study is. I'll be over in a minute, after I finish the dishes."

"Follow me." Emi stood and followed Arik, barely containing the plethora of questions that had started plaguing her brain. Once she stood in the study did she find her voice and was brave enough to say anything. Even then she only said, "I didn't know."

"Don't you dare say a word to anyone at school, and I defiantly don't need you to feel sorry for me. I'm living just fine with the way things are. I don't need sympathy from you or anyone else. I'm already cooped up here with her."

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