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Emma sat on her front steps, legs stretched out in front of her, leaning back on her arms, letting her face point upward to bask in the sunshine of the beautiful day. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing a smile to spread across her face. Today was such a wonderfully warm and sunny day, how could anyone wear a frown?

But Emma's smile was not to last too long, as she dropped her sunglasses slightly from her eyes, peering over their rims to see Manny Santos strutting her way.

"Emma," Manny pouted, reluctantly stepping onto the familiar step and sitting down beside a shocked and speechless Emma.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, finding it hard to even get those five words out of her suddenly dry mouth. "Are you lost?"

"I think your house is like a compass. It's something I tend to gravitate to," Manny tried, offering a faint smile.

Emma frowned. "Find somewhere else to 'gravitate' to. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer."

Emma refused to get to her feet. This was her house and she wouldn't be the one to flee. But Manny stayed right where she was sitting, as the two stared off against each other. Emma realized then that Manny didn't come here out of shame for the awful thing she had done to her friend. So why was she here?

"I know that you've written me off and out of your life," Manny began.

"Do you blame me?"

Manny sighed. "No. But I came here to clear up some things that I probably should have talked to you about months ago. I need you to just put aside your hatred for me, just for a while, so that I can say the things I'm here to say. Then I'll go. Okay?"

Emma didn't like the attitude dripping from Manny's words and suddenly wondered where their friendship had taken that fateful turn from great to hate. But she nodded her head and sat there, hands twisting in her lap, scared of what might come from this person's lips and how it could affect her.

"Do you remember when Sean first went away for basic training?" Manny asked.

Emma gave her a weird look. "What does Sean have to do with this?"

"Before he left things were great with you guys. Then he joined the service and went away. You became miserable, remember?"

"Vaguely."

"You and I kind of drifted away from each other a bit. I started hanging out with Darcy more. But when I saw how upset you were over Sean, I really tried to be a good friend to you."

Emma didn't argue, but she told Manny just what she thought of her words by the raising of her eyebrow.

"Then Jay and I started going out."

"You mean you paid Jay to pretend he liked you to get back at your father?" Emma reminded. "Because that's how I remember it."

"Maybe at first. But one night Jay kissed me. I mean, he actually kissed me. And I just realized that I hadn't felt the way I felt when his lips touched mine, since Craig. It might have started out as a phony relationship, but my feelings for him grew to be pretty real."

Emma shifted. "I don't care. You got what you wanted. Take him, and by all means, be happy. Just leave me alone."

Manny shook her head. "I would if I could. The thing is, you suddenly came around, crying because Sean had dumped you. And just as soon as things were starting for Jay and I, they ended. He was all about comforting you. Don't you see? He used me because you weren't available. When you became single, so did I. Jay dropped me like I hadn't mattered at all. And apparently I didn't. Not to either of you. Because you just threw yourself at him."

"That wasn't how it was and you know it!" Emma exclaimed. "I asked you. Before anything happened. I asked you if it was okay. You said you didn't care about Jay. You told me you thought I was crazy for wanting to date him, but to go ahead. If you cared so much, why didn't you just say something?"

"It wouldn't have changed Jay's interest. He wanted to be with you and he made it very clear from the beginning."

"You want me to say that I'm sorry? Okay. I'm sorry. I never knew that you liked him. But none of this changes the fact that I was dating him, Manny. You knew how I felt about Jay and you just didn't care! You saw what you wanted and you took it, regardless of my feelings! If you came here for sympathy, you're not getting any from me!" Emma spat.

Manny leaned back. She hadn't expected that reaction from Emma. She was usually so timid about her feelings. Manny knew this was going to get a whole lot worse before, if ever, it got better.

"I know that I don't deserve your sympathy, and, believe it or not, I'm not looking for it." Manny stopped speaking and took a deep breath, indicating to Emma that there was more to this tirade. When she continued, her voice was shaky. "I probably never would have told you this, but someone brought it to my attention that you have a right to know."

"Look, whatever Jay told you to tell me, I don't want to hear," Emma assured her.

"It actually wasn't Jay. Well it was, but, to be honest, I didn't listen to him. It was Darcy."

"Darcy?" Emma asked, intrigue hanging in the air. "What does she have to do with this."

Darcy and Emma had sort of been friends last year, but after everything that happened between Manny and Jay, the lines were drawn pretty clearly in the sand; Darcy was choosing to side with Manny. So why would Darcy tell Manny to make peace with Emma?

FLASHBACK

"You lied to me, Manny! I believed that you actually doing all of this for Emma. But that wasn't the case at all! You just wanted Jay for yourself and you didn't care if Emma was hurt in the process. You used me!" Darcy exclaimed, outrage in her voice.

Manny sighed. Since Jay's visit, she had all but decided to let the cards fall where they may; she wasn't coming clean to Emma about anything. But now she not only had Jay to contend with, but Darcy was having some serious misgivings about her own role in all of this. Manny knew that her conscience would make her crack!

"And how is telling Emma all of this going to make her feel any better?" Manny questioned.

Darcy sighed. "Emma still loves Jay and he still loves her! They could work this out and be happy together...the way they were meant to be!"

Manny shook her head. "If I tell Emma, she'll hate me forever. At least now she can think it was some kind of drunken mistake and maybe, one day, she'll forgive me."

Darcy rolled her eyes and groaned. "Are you that deluded? Emma is never going to forgive you. But if you tell her the truth, maybe you can finally forgive yourself and move forward. You need to do the right thing here, Manny, if you remember what that is."

END OF FLASHBACK

"I want you to know that Darcy had very little to do with any of this." Manny swallowed, remembering their earlier conversation, knowing that Darcy herself would approach Emma in the near future. "She thought that by helping me, she was only protecting you."

"I'm not following any of this, Manny. If you have a point, I think you should get to it."

"I wanted Jay to be away from you. It wasn't about hurting you, even though I knew that it would. I just wanted Jay to see that he had other options. I thought that if you two broke up, Jay might look at me for a change. I know now that I was wrong."

Manny looked away as Emma continued to be confused. When her sight focused on Emma again, there were tears present in her eyes. Emma remained solid as a rock. Manny's crocodile tears weren't going to work on her this time. She'd been sucked in by those tears one too many times before.

"I set the whole thing up, Em."

"I...you...you what?" Emma asked, stumbling over her own words.

Manny whispered, "I set it up. I lead you into that room, to see what I wanted you to see."

Emma felt anger boiling her blood, but held it back. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands as she formed them into tiny fists. What she wanted to do with those fists, she'd never say, but Manny would definitely be on the losing end.

"Jay isn't at fault, Em. I am."

Emma shook her head, gritting her teeth as she spoke. "It doesn't change the fact that he did it. He's guilty. You're sick. You two deserve each other."

"You don't understand. Jay wouldn't have come up to that room with me of his own free will."

"So what? So he was drunk? It still doesn't change anything."

"I drugged him!" Manny blurted out.

Emma took a moment to process the words that had poured out of Manny's mouth. When they finally sunk in, Emma opened her two tightened fists, stretching her small hands fully. She looked over at Manny, the girl who had been her best friend since elementary school, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember what she had ever liked about this spiteful girl.

With her right hand spread wide, she lifted it and struck Manny with great force on her cheek. The red print of Emma's hand remained on Manny's face as Emma got up from the step and walked calmly back into her house; a tattoo commemorating the end of what had once been an unbreakable bond.

Take that Manny! I thought Emma needed to have some sort of justice throughout all of this. I also think it's within her character. Let me know if you think it's too over the edge for our sweet, little Emma.

Please R&R!