Chapter 12: I'll Whip Ya' Head, Boy

Emma slammed her locker shut, her mind on her talk with Aaron this morning. A warm feeling bubbled up inside her. 'Somebody…a guy…actually wants to be with me!' she thought in amazement. She tried to remember feeling like this before, but quickly shook her head to clear images of the way her heart melted when Sean gave her his famous dimpled smile.

Still…she couldn't help remembering all the jealous looks and whispers. Emma hadn't been the only girl to want him to like her. She was just the only one that had been able to tear down the wall he'd built up around himself.

"Well, looky what we have here!"

Emma rolled her eyes at the sound of Peter's voice. She pulled her books tighter to herself and pushed past him.

"Hey, Chris!" Peter called out. Emma frowned, wondering when Chris had become Peter's friend. "Check it out! It's Emma Nelson…Ravine Whore turned Druggy Whore!"

Chris snickered and grabbed her. "Hiya' D.W.!"

Emma gasped in shock as he pushed her back to Peter. Peter laughed and caught her by the waist, pressing his lower body against her. He pulled two red bracelets from his pocket. "Hey, Ravine Girl. I don't have any dope, but I got you some pretty bracelets. So…how's about it?"

Fury bubbled inside of Emma as she heard the snickers and catcalls of the other students lingering in the halls. Shame swept through her, but she angrily tamped it down.

"Excuse me? You're calling me a whore? Who's the bastard who thought it would be funny to use me to get back at another girl who realizes what a piece of shit you are?" She frowned. "Oh…and just so you know…it's a little late for the red ones. I know you have a little trouble remembering…'little' being the operative word," she murmured as her eyes dropped to his jeans. She smirked. "But even back then you weren't the first, so…"

Peter shoved her back angrily. "You're trash. You know that, right?"

Emma nodded and walked away. "Yeah…and you're a lousy lay." She shrugged. "Get over it. I did."

Sean sat on the hard plastic chair in the small booth, listening to Tracker talk. "That's messed up, Man! She actually tried to off herself just because you caught her?"

Sean nodded, but then remembered he was on the phone. "Yeah. Well…Batey said it's common for her to do it every few months. So…maybe I was just her excuse."

Tracker sighed. "Sean, I think it's time we talked about getting you out of there. Dad's locked up for a while. You could go home and finish school."

Sean sighed. "I don't…I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Yeah? Well, what the hell would make you ready? Can you tell me that?"

"Why are you bitching at me?"

Tracker moaned in frustration. "Because Sean! You're just hiding out in there! The doctor and I think that if you'd just talk about that day-"

"You talked to my doctor behind my back? How shitty is that?"

"Lower your voice, Little Man," Tracker growled warningly.

Sean sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Fine. Whatever. If you think I'm ready, give the doc a call and get me out of here. Whatever."

"Good. Now that it's settled…"

Sean rolled his eyes, chewing absently at his nails, as he listened to Tracker talk.

Emma sat alone at lunch. She picked at her sandwich and frowned. The lunch lady screwed up her order, and Emma hadn't noticed until she took a bite of the pungent tuna sandwich. She spit it back into her tray, not bothering with discreetness, and stood up, tossing the sandwich in the nearest trashcan. She grabbed her bag and started to walk out when an odd feeling swept through her. She looked up to see who was staring. A smile spread across her face as she saw Aaron leaning against a random car watching her.

Emma gave him a small wave and he smirked and nodded. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before hurrying across the street and leaping into his arms.

"You know…people are gonna' start to talk," he murmured with a chuckle as he turned, setting her on the hood of the car and kissing her.

Emma laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Fuck em'"

Aaron laughed and began kissing Emma's neck. "No, you won't. This time, you're all mine."

Emma pulled back and looked him in the eye seriously. "Really? You…you promise?"

Aaron nodded and hugged her. "Mmmmhmmm."

"Good cause…I…Aaron, I didn't like doing that stuff."

Aaron nodded. "I sorta' got that. Besides…you're clean, right?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah."

He began kissing her neck again and Emma giggled, wrapping her legs around him. He moaned. "Better stop that or you aint' gonna' make it back to class," he murmured as his teeth nipped at her ear.

"Emma Christine Nelson! You know you're not supposed to leave school property during lunch."

Aaron kissed her again as Emma pulled back, glaring at Snake. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going." She hopped off the car and kissed him again. "Bye," she murmured before crossing the street, Snake following closely behind.

"So, what? You move out of my house to…are you living with him, Emma? He's a thug!"

Emma rolled her eyes and kept walking. "You're not my dad, Arch. And I'm not living with him."

"So what are you-"

"Hoping to get laid…that's what I am," she said with a smirk and hurried off.

Sean sighed and hung up the phone. He left the booth just in time to see Charlie pacing around in a square nervously. Sean frowned, the illusion of Charlie blown all to hell. He was just faking. Just like Shanna. Just like Sean. He frowned and walked back to his room only to have Charlie follow behind.

"Hey, Sean."

He sighed again. "Hey, Charlie."

"Got something for you."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

Charlie held out a tightly folded piece of paper. Sean just sat there and frowned at the other boy's hand.

"It isn't going to bite."

"What is it?" Sean asked.

Charlie just shrugged and tossed the paper on the bed and walked out of the room. Sean stared at the paper with a frown on his face. Finally, he sighed and picked it up, unfolding it carefully. He smiled at the girlish handwriting.

"Hey, Punk!

Just wanted to say that I'm still kickin' and you've only got two more days to enjoy a roommate free room before I come kick your sorry ass all over the place!

Your Roomy

PS Oh, yeah. Thanks for you know. Saving me and all."

Sean grinned and closed the letter. He guessed that Shanna's little passing 'thank you' was the last he'd hear about that night. Unlike Emma, Shanna summed it up in a few brief words and would be finished with it. He sighed happily and lay back on the bed. Yeah…maybe this thing with Shanna would work out after all.

And now that his dad was gone…and Track was pushing him so hard to get out of here…maybe he could convince Shanna to let it all go and come with him.

Emma yawned lazily and kicked her feet up on the desk in front of her. Ms. Kwan frowned. "Miss Nelson? Your feet belong on the floor."

Emma shrugged, tipping her chair back on two legs in an obvious show of rebellion. She was aching for a cigarette! She smirked to herself as the image of her lighting up right here in front of Kwan floated to her mind.

Ms. Kwan sighed. "Emma…I'm not going to warn you again!"

Emma smiled wider and nodded. "Good."

There was an audible shocked murmur rippling through the tiny room. Ms. Kwan gave everyone a warning glare, effectively bringing them to silence. "OK, Miss Nelson," she muttered, slapping Emma's feet from the desk, which forced her chair back to all four legs. "You can join me in detention after school today."

"No thanks. I've got plans."

"Yes…and they now include two days of detention," Ms. Kwan challenged. "Now…wanna' make it three?"

Emma shrugged. "You can make it fifty…and I still won't be here."

"Well then…I guess you'd better go explain your reasoning to Ms. Hatzi-"

"Don't you mean Ms. Simpson? You can't expect me to believe you didn't know they were fucking like rabbits in the janitors' closet," she said with a vicious eye wiggle.

"Emma Nelson! When you are in my-"

Emma shrugged, standing up and grabbing her belongings. "How about I say it from the hallway?" she asked as she walked to the door. "Actually, I'll do you one better. How about I don't waste your time…and you can stop wasting mine?"

"So…good news?" Charlie asked quietly from the doorway.

Sean took off his headphones and lifted his head. He smirked, waving Charlie into the room and sat up. "Hey, Whoopy, Man! Come on in!"

Charlie smirked and rolled his eyes, but entered the room. "What's up?"

Sean shrugged. "Just chillin'…thinkin'…about shit. You?"

Charlie smirked. "Whoopin' it up…makin' a royal ass of myself," he said with a chuckle.

Sean studied the other boy, handing him his CD player. "So…you're sane. What the hell do you want to be hangin' out in this hell hole for?"

Charlie shrugged. "Three hots and a cot…without a criminal record."

Sean frowned. "You're homeless?"

Charlie rolled his eyes as if he thought Sean should get it. "No…I'm kickin' it here."

"Why? I mean…what was so bad at home?"

"What home? I'm a foster freak. Got accused of raping some girl in my old home." He shrugged. "I didn't. It was that perv we lived with. Him and his two real sons. But I was lucky enough to find her and try to help her."

"No shit?"

Charlie shook his head. "No shit. I was trying to wrap her in a blanket when she came to and freaked. The neighbor was just coming home from work and heard her screaming. She called the cops and they found me trying to quiet her down."

"Didn't you tell them?"

"You think they're gonna' believe a kid covered in a chick's blood when she's screaming like a fuckin' banshee?" He shook his head.

"Yeah, but she had to know…"

He shook his head again. "The room was painted black. The windows were black. One of them had snuck in while she was sleeping and busted the light bulb. She couldn't see a fucking thing." He cleared his throat and bit his bottom lip to stop the trembling. "That was…it was the most fucked up thing I'd ever seen."

"So, you played crazy?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not at first…at first I was a mess. But…after a while, they were going to send me to jail, and I didn't do anything but help her! I…I liked her, you know. She was pretty…and smart…and…and…and now she thinks I hurt her just because I told her she looked pretty one day!"

Emma strode down the hall past Mr. Armstrong's class. Peter happened to see her and asked to be excused. He snuck up behind her. "Hey. D.W.!"

Emma rolled her eyes and spun on him. "Hey, Tiny. What's up? Any reason you're bugging me?"

Peter shrugged. "Just wondered…" he murmured, getting that look on his face that Emma had once found charming…the casual smile. "I know I was being a jerk earlier-"

Emma shook her head. "Jerk? Try more like Grade A Prick Fuck."

Peter blanched. "OK. I deserved that. I just," he sighed and touched her arm lightly. "I wanna' give us another try,"

Emma smiled at him and looked happily into his eyes. "You mean it?"

He smiled and nodded. Emma leaned forward and whispered in his ear. Peter beamed. "Ten minutes? I can handle that!"

Emma smiled and nodded. "Good. Now…let me go freshen up."

Twenty minutes later, Emma emerged from the janitors' closet cackling with laughter as she looked at the picture she'd snapped on her camera phone. Peter trailed angrily after her.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked, zipping his pants. A moment later, Chris emerged.

"Emma…what are you gonna'-"

Emma laughed. "Don't worry, boys. Just a little insurance. You'll never crack on me or Alex anymore…right?"

The bell rang and Peter advanced on her just as the hall began filling with people. "Give me that, you little-"

Emma didn't give it a second thought. She grabbed his lower region and squeezed down hard making him yelp. "Gee…small as ever, huh, Little Man?"

Peter flushed angrily, but stayed silent until she let go and walked away, waving the phone above her head. "Thanks for the candid shot there, Boys," she called out.

"Emma Nelson! My office…now!"

Emma stopped with a frown. She turned angrily and came eye to eye with Hatzilakos. She glared at her for a moment before a smile spread across her face. "Oh, my pleasure," she muttered, following the woman.