MERCY STREET

"Have a good day honey." A mother told her son, getting in to her car and watching him walk into Degrassi.

Emma slowly came walking down and noticed Paige's group of friends watching the son and stood next to them.

"I can't believe this." She heard Paige say.

"Makes me sick." Alex added. Alex? Since when did she hang around these people?

Emma snickered and then asked, "Who is it?" she looked back at the boy who nodded in greetment at them.

They all glared. The boys, Jimmy&Craig sent death glares, clenching their fists. The guy nervously walked off.

"Rick Murray." Hazel answered and explained, "He's the one who Terri in a coma."

Emma shook her head, confused. "And he's allowed back in here? This can't happen."

"We got it nature freak, go worry about the dolphins." Alex taunted with her own smirk and popped the gum in her mouth.

"Actually Alex, I'm school president, or did you forget losing?" Emma shot back, "I'd make more difference then you ever could."

There was some oh's! And 'Damn!'s, and some laughs. Craig smiled to his old friend, good one!

"Go Emma!" Paige cheered lightly with her own laugh.

Alex rolled her eyes.

"I've got an idea." Emma then replied and smiled at them.

"Ribbons?" Paige asked, playing with the orange ribbon Emma had made with some students in the council, there was boxes of them.

"There's protestors, you take one, means your also against Rick leaving." Emma informed.

Paige smiled to Hazel and they both put one on.

The girls left to go hand out the ribbons and the boys grabbed the boxes.

Meanwhile, Jay stood at his locker. He shouldn't of come today, he should of slept! He's been up all night... guess you could think of why.

Jay sighed and closed his locker.

Jay felt a presence behind him then heard the voice, "Can we talk?"

"Alex, you talk enough." He confirms, knowing her voice too well, "You're like the ear in my bug."

"What's with you? You're so different. You don't laugh, you don't joke around... your turning into Sean Cameron, a sad excuse of a bad boy." She taunted and he rolled his eyes, turning around to her.

"Get lost." He glared.

Alex scoffed and exclaimed, "What the hell is bothering you!"

Jay clenched his jaw and looked away from her. That's when he spotted her, Emma. She was handing things out to people in the middle of the hall. Protesting as usual. Jay smirked.

Alex looked to what he seemed to be STARING AT, and her mouth fell in shock.

"Oh." She said out loud and he looked back, "Oh...GAWD. Your joking!" he liked Emma! That was it.

JESUS.

Jay hissed, "Shut up." Shit, he was caught!

"What? She doesn't like you back? CLEARLY, she's BETTER than you." Alex said with a laugh and then went serious, "No wait, your better than her. You know the real world Jay." She stepped closer, shaking her head at him.

Didn't he see he needed someone not like little ol greenpeace? She was too nieve. Too 'sweet'.

Jay went to open his mouth and then noticed Rick Murray walk by them and blinked a bit in shock.

"Why's he back?" he said out loud.

Alex use to bitch about him, they both hated guys who beat girls, and Alex's step dad use to do it to her, and Jay's Dad did it to his mom.

Jay's eyes squinted watching Rick go pass Emma, but not walking past, he actually stopped and turned to her.

Jay's heart pounded faster.

Alex snickered, "Raditch let him back... seems he's a little too close to Goody two shoes... gonna do something about it?"

Jay clenched his fists.

Over by Emma, Rick had actually had the guts to walk in front of their protest, in front of them.

"Paige, please." Rick begged the other blonde.

The blonde froze up being near him again and swallowed, "Get away from me."

"Just stop this campaign." He asked desperately, looking around at everyone wearing orange ribbons.

Paige yelled at him with tears forming, "You took my best friend from me!"

Rick sighed knowing Paige would probably never forgive him so looked at the other blonde who watched the scene at the corner of her eye.

"Emma... please, I remember you your smart, kind... don't do this." He begged her.

How did he know her name?

Or what she was even about?

She shot back, "Rick I've never met you."

Paige got back in and warned him, "So stop preying on other girls. You already ruined a life. Why didn't you just go to another school? WHY did you have to come here?"

Rick looked down and then huffed, leaving. Emma and the group watched him leave, but out of all of them didn't feel alittle bit bad like Emma did.

Near the end of the day Emma with a few others were cleaning the protest boards up.

"Is there one more left?" a student asked, Emma was looking down at the ribbons not knowing if it was a good idea or not.

She sighed though and just gave him one. As he was leaving, Jay arrived.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked her.

"Protesting." Emma said, yet sounded like she didn't want to be. Maybe it was a bad idea, maybe a fight or something would occur, that's not what she wanted.

"hmph, ofcourse." Jay teased, helping her through out the rest of her ribbons, "I mean near Rick Murray."

Emma gave him a wierd look, did he think she was Rick's friend or something?

"Do you know his little story?" Emma asked Jay and he nodded.

"Yeah, I do. And I don't want you near him." Jay honestly said.

Emma raised an eyebrow at him, "Woah, boss... I'm running this protest to KICK him out." She explained and he raised an eyebrow back at her.

"You are?" he asked.

She answered, "Yes. What'd you think I was doing?"

Jay just grinned and shook his head, Emma had tried to hide her smile... was he, jealous?

The next day Emma was meeting Manny for lunch at the Dot. As she entered she spotted Jay with his little crew and tried to hide her smile.

She headed for Manny as Jay spotted her and sat up a bit more, ignoring whatever his loser friends were saying.

That's when Rick stepped infront of her.

"Emma." He greeted and asked, "Could we speak?"

Jay was already up and coming over, Emma couldn't even open her mouth to speak-

"Beat it." Jay snapped, eyes full of fire. Slowly Jay's friends stood up from their spot, ready to fight if Jay wanted them.

Emma looked at Jay and then to Rick who looked like a scared little kitten.

Rick then looked to Emma, "Em?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Emma jumped when Jay suddenly grabbed Rick right against the wall, hard.

Everyone looked over and Spinner was working at the counter but didn't stop it.

Jay couldn't control his anger. His protective side.

Jay growled at Rick madly, "YOU don't get to call her that. You are not her friend, you are nobody's friend!"

"Jay!" Emma finally stepped between but he kept hold of Rick's sweater.

Everyone started getting up, some wore yelling for Jay to hit him. Emma was trying to hold his chest back.

Jay threatened Rick one more time, "You lay one more finger on her and I'll-"

"Here, I'll do it for you." Alex confirmed, coming around and throwing her fist at Rick.

Rick shut his eyes tight.

"STOP!" Emma had actually grabbed Alex's wrist and Alex couldn't do any more, "It's over. OVER!" Emma called over her shoulder to the 'audience.' This was wrong, there trying to get a bully out and thinking bullying him will do the trick?

Everyone muttered things but did start making there way out.

Alex finally got her wrist free and glared at Emma harshly before charging out the door.

"Let's go man." One of Jay's friends said, hitting the back of Jay's arm but Jay was too busy infront of Emma, staring at her in shock.

Jay gave Emma an insane look. What was she thinking? But Emma gave him back her stern look, with fire in her eyes which meant she wasn't stepping aside.

If anyone would understand it'd be Jay. Emma wasn't the type to stand back. Emma wasn't the type who liked violence.

Jay bit the end of his tounge and started leaving. He gave one more glance back at her until he left.

"This isn't what we wanted, Emma." Paige bittered at her, shaking her head frantically as she stepped over with Hazel and Jimmy.

"I never wanted violence again." Emma barked back.

Paige snickered and crossed her arms saying, "So not cool."

"Didn't think you'd want it either." Emma shot right back and Paige shut her mouth and looked down.

Paige looked upset, and on cue, she left.

"Thankyou." Came Rick's voice.

Emma closed her eyes and scoffed before turning back around to Rick.

"Whatever..." she breathed.

Rick shrugged slowly and told her, "I'll proof to them I'm different... one day." He insists.

Emma snickered bitterly yet sympathaticly, "No one's going to care." She informed.

"I'll make them." He promised.

Emma just blinked but nodded, she wasn't sure what that meant but she just gave a small smile.