Disclaimer: I have no rights to Degrassi or any of its characters. Do I really have to put this on every page?
As Emma walked down the hall, Ms. Sauve's question kept replaying in her mind, over and over. "How does that make you feel?"
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to conjure up the face of her ex-boyfriend, in the hopes she could answer that question for herself. As expected, Sean's face quickly flashed into place – it never did take long. Her body's reaction was immediate. She felt the flush creep into her cheeks and felt the soft fluttering of butterflies deep in her stomach as an imperceptible smile crept onto her face. She sighed as her eyes remained closed; I guess that answers that question. Now what the hell am I going to do about it?
Emma didn't have time to think about the issue any further, as her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she slammed into Peter. Her eyes flew open and she gasped.
Peter placed his hands gently on her upper arms to steady her and said "hey hot stuff, no need to daydream about me; I'm right here!"
Emma gave a nervous laugh "Just who I was looking for!" and planted a quick kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.
Peter threw a casual arm around Emma's shoulder as they continued down the hall "So – my Mom is going away this weekend. I was thinking you could come over Friday night. We could order some pizza or something. Ham & Pineapple of course – your favorite!" he beamed proudly at her.
Double cheese Emma thought; My favorite has always been double cheese. It just never seemed right to share that with anybody but Sean.
Out loud, she admonished him "Peter! Do you know how much fat there is in a single slice of pizza! A quarter of a slice even? No way!"
Peter sighed outwardly. "But Em. You've been doing so well.. I thought maybe you were ready.."
Temper flared in Emma's eyes "Well I'm not. God! When is everyone going to stop telling me what I should be ready for? I'll tell you what, when I'm ready to fill my body with crap and turn into a gigantic hippopotamus, I'll let you know!" She turned abruptly on her heel and stalked off. She'd barely made it three steps when she again slammed into someone else from behind. This only angered Emma further Great! This day just keeps getting better! "HELLO? Excuse me, can you please get out of my way? Or are you the Great Wall of China or something?"
As the "Great Wall" turned around, realization dawned on Emma and her whole world came to a screeching halt. She found herself staring straight into the eyes of the one and only Sean Cameron.
Sean had turned angrily, ready to give this chick a piece of his mind. His furrowed brow immediately smoothed as he saw who the "rude girl"; as he'd so aptly thought of her just moments ago; really was.
His eyes lit almost immediately, and a huge grin split his face "Emma!" To Emma's complete shock and delight, he picked her up off the ground and enveloped her in a huge bear hug. She giggled, for what felt like the first time in years, and returned the hug with enthusiasm. Sean set her down and pushed her away gently, as if to get a better look at her. "Wow. You look so different! Too skinny, if I do say so myself, but otherwise fantastic!" Emma felt immediate shame at his interpretation and stuttered "I – I… I've been getting a lot of exercise, and not a lot of sleep. Summertime fun, you know.." she gave a week laugh.
Sean's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he gave a half smile that told Emma he didn't quite believe her, but she plowed on before he could say anything; "And look at you! You don't look so bad yourself Cameron!"
He nodded briefly "Thanks. I thought the 'Slim Shady' look was getting a bit old." They shared a smile. "Anyway" Sean continued, "I'm just on my way to meet the new principal and get my schedule figured out, but it was great to see you Emma. I'm really looking forward to us being friends again." He touched her shoulder briefly and headed off down the hall as Emma called out a soft "You too Sean".
At the far end of the hall, Peter watched unnoticed, a gnawing jealousy poking at him. So that's the famous Sean Cameron huh? Knowing he owed Sean for saving Emma's life didn't make him any less eager to punch him in the face when he saw Sean's hands on Emma. Seething, he walked away before Emma could see him.
Sean rounded the corner and stopped to lean against the wall, trying to get his bearings after the encounter he'd just had. He took a deep breath. Knowing he'd see Emma again, hoping he'd see her, and then it actually happening were completely different things. He wasn't prepared for it to happen so early in the day. Moreover, he was completely unprepared for the rush of feelings the meeting had invoked. He shook it off and continued down the hall. The furrow in his brow and his frown returned as he remembered Emma's gaunt appearance. He'd felt her protruding ribs through her thin shirt and knew something was wrong. Well, his first mission at Degrassi would just have to be to ensure that everything was right in the world of one Emma Nelson. After all, they were friends, right? And that was all.