"Will, you seriously need to quit with the energy drinks," Emma urged him as the two of them sat in the library during their free period. She looked over to him, a slight amount of concern coming over her as she opened her Geography text book and he studied over Politics. Emma took a moment to watch him, wondering how his stomach had survived.

"No," Will shook his head, flipping the page and beginning to highlight again. "Energy drinks are good for the brain."

"Not for your bowels," Emma replied; her brow arched as she shook her head at him, unable to believe how many energy drinks he had consumed. She worried for his health more than he did.

"What does it matter?" Will complained all of a sudden, leaning back in his chair and slamming the book shut. That earned him a 'shush' from the librarian. Emma mouthed sorry to her before edging closer to Will.

"It matters because these are your AS levels," Emma informed him. "Anyway, have a break and begin again in a moment."

"Will it do any good?" Will complained to her, his head shaking back and forth.

"It will when I tell you what I found out today," Emma promised him. "Jay has a girlfriend."

"Well that makes me feel worse," Will complained; flapping his hands in the air. "Is she real?"

"I drove past them on my driving lesson. He was holding her hand, so it seems official."

"I'm amazed he's gotten over you so fast."

"There never was anything between me and Jay," Emma reminded him. "Honestly, Will, there was...well...I care for Jay...but to go out with him? It's a completely different story."

"Yeah, I guess. It's like me and Charlotte."

Emma refrained to ask how it was exactly like Will and Charlotte. She chose to keep quiet before flipping a page, her brow arched as she brought up the delicate subject of Simon.

"Simon picked me up this morning. He said he went over to yours and you told him to get out."

"I was stressed," Will explained, "and all he kept going on about was Carli D'Amato. I get fed up of listening about her. She's clearly not interested in him. I don't know why he can't see that."

"She's always had him wrapped around her little finger," Emma shrugged, an air of nonchalance to her tone as she did so. She glanced over to a figure moving towards them, forcing herself to smile as Simon sat down beside her.

"Alright," he grunted out to them.

"Fine," Will said. "Look, about the other night...I didn't mean to snap...it's just that politics is important to me. I know I was a dick."

"You were." Simon agreed.

Emma kicked him under the table, looking at him with a narrowed gaze.

"He's trying to apologise," she snapped. "Just accept it."

"I agreed with him! We're fine anyway."

Simon pulled out a textbook and Emma glanced at it, her brows furrowing. She glanced down at her own textbook and noticed that it was the same as her Geography book.

"Si...I know you're not very clever," Emma began, "but even you have to know that you don't study Geography."

"Oh, I don't. Carli is struggling so I said I would help her."

Emma and Will exchanged brief glances between each other, wondering exactly what was happening. She took a moment to let that information sink in before she smiled in disbelief, shaking her head back and forth.

"So when are you revising for your own exams? You know, the ones in the next week?" Will wondered from Simon.

"I'm not," he said. "There's always resists."

"You're a bloody idiot," Emma scoffed, shaking her head and looking down to her work. "She's treating you like shit. When will you see that?"

"She's struggling-"

"-And I'm not?" Emma hissed. "I don't go around asking for Will to help me, do I?"

"I don't think his bowels could cope with that," Simon said.

"Oh, I've actually managed to be dragged into your domestic? Brilliant," Will complained and continued to do his own work.

"That's not the point," Emma snapped back. "The point is, she is using you. You're just too stupid to see it."

"This could be my chance with her," Simon snarled. "Of course you would try and ruin it."

Emma's cheeks turned red before she grabbed her textbooks and stuffed them into her satchel. Will watched in silence, knowing full well that Simon had been out of order with her. Why could he not just keep his mouth shut? He didn't know.

"Why don't you go and fuck yourself, Simon? Seeing as you'll never be able to fuck her."

Emma's retort rang in his ears as he watched her walk off, his hands balling into fists as he grumbled under his breath. He lifted his gaze when he felt Will watching him, his head shaking back and forth in disapproval.

"Oh, piss off." Simon muttered.

...

"I take it that you don't know," Will whispered when he saw Emma the following day. The two of them were on the way to their final exam. History was being held in the hall along with Politics.

"What?" Emma wondered.

"Well...Simon and Carli...he sort...well he did kiss her last night. He text us all about it."

"Pathetic," Emma shook her head, her eyes glancing to the sky as she stood outside the hall. She could see her father berating Jay and Simon over something. Emma smiled at Jay, glancing over to Simon before her father demanded her attention.

"He's had a week of detention assigned to him," Gilbert said, glaring at the back of Simon's head.

Emma pulled at her satchel, smiling down to the ground as she heard her father.

"Why?"

"For his hair," Gilbert complained. "I really can't handle it."

Gilbert watched as his daughter smirked and looked into his eyes.

"He had his phone in the exam. I took it from him. Your other moronic friend did the same too. Both of them are idiots. You can get better friends."

"I'm aware," Emma said. "Anyway, I'm going to the pub tonight to celebrate the end of exams."

"No drinking," Gilbert warned her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Emma said.

"And good luck. Don't mess it up. It wouldn't reflect well on me."

Emma dropped her bag at the front of the hall with everyone else, carrying her pencil case back to her seat. She passed Will, smiling at him as she went. She sat down and waited for the exam to begin. She wrote as fast as she could, trying to remember everything she had learned in the passing weeks. She continued working, noting that Will had asked to go to the bathroom. She knew he shouldn't have had so many energy drinks. It wasn't very clever of him.

But she didn't know what he was going to do next.

The sound echoed around the hall, snapping her from her booklet as she looked over to Will who was calling for her father. Her eyes widened and she wondered if he could possibly have just shat himself. Surely not. But as he waddled to the toilet, she saw that it was true.

Everyone moaned at the smell, but then laughed after the exam. He would never live it down now. He had to know that.

...

Emma stood at the bar beside Neil as he drained his lager. She stuck to her cola, sipping it through a straw as she looked around the crowded pub.

"So, did it sound like a shit?"

"What?" Emma wondered as Neil asked the question from her.

He looked down at her, shrugging whilst sipping on his lager.

"Well, did it sound like he had shit himself, or did it sound like a fart?"

"I don't really know," Emma said, noting that a figure similar to Will had walked into the pub. "You can go and ask him now, Neil. I am sure he will be happy to retell the tale to you."

"Brilliant," Neil said, moving forwards.

Emma followed as they all taunted Will. She shook her head and bought him a drink, waiting for him to approach the bar.

"Will, you shouldn't have brought the bag of shit with you," Emma warned him, sliding the pint to him.

"Thank you very much." Will said. "Besides, it doesn't make a difference, does it? I can't be mocked anymore, can I?"

"I suppose not," Emma said. "But...I did tell you not to have so many energy drinks."

"Well, now I know," Will said. "I suppose I will be joining Simon for the resits then."

"I see he's gone to find Carli somewhere."

"And Jay has gone outside with Chloe." Will said as Emma looked at the bag which Will was holding as he ordered another pint.

"Give me that," Emma demanded, snatching the bag from him. "I'm binning it, Will."

"As you wish, Miss Gilbert." Will replied and Emma wondered how much he intended to drink that night.

She shook her head, seeing Simon stood with Carli before she left through the back door searching for a bin. She dumped the trousers in there, hearing a sniffing noise as she whirled around to see where it had come from. The sight which greeted her was one of shock. Jay was sat on the wall, tears rolling down his eyes.

"Jay," Emma whispered, snapping him from his daze. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"That's a lie," Emma replied, pulling at her skirt and moving to sit beside him, leaning forwards and looking at him as she clasped her hands together.

"Chloe dumped me," he complained. "She said I was too needy."

Emma found that hard to believe. She shook her head, thinking of what to say. She didn't gain a chance to, for Jay was already speaking again.

"The thing is...she was nice...and pretty...but...I was just flattered she was interested in me, I guess. That was all it was. After...you..."

"Jay," Emma sighed, "You don't truly like me."

"No," Jay challenged her. "That's the thing. I do like you, but you're so hung up over that prick Simon to notice. Everything you do intrigues me, Emma...watching you...and when you eat chips...I just watch, thinking how sexy you look."

Emma stifled a laugh as Jay laughed at himself. She placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening.

"Seriously?" she wondered from him. "You think I'm...you think we..."

"I have for a while. I have since you pulled me in the club. It's not something you forget, Em," Jay warned her. "But I couldn't say anything to you, could I? We all know you want Simon."

"I can't have Simon," Emma said. "He's in love with Carli."

"He's an idiot," Jay said. "If you were my girlfriend I'd never let you go."

Emma forced herself to smile at him, the thought seeming to warm her slightly. Jay shook his head, daring to move closer to her.

"You deserve someone who cares...well...I do care...but..."

"You could come to care," Jay urged her. "Please, don't be miserable because Simon follows his cock. You could give us a go, Emma. We have an entire Summer of nothing. You could try then, couldn't you?"

Emma kept quiet, biting down on her bottom lip as she took a few moments to think about what he was asking from her. She didn't want to hurt Jay. That was not what she wanted to do. But there was a part of her which felt as though she could try. Simon didn't want her. Jay did.

Her thoughts consumed her, leaving her no time to notice how Jay had moved his hand to rest on her cheek, his mouth slowly coming closer to hers. She closed her eyes as he finally kissed her, his actions surprisingly tender as he placed his other hand on her waist. Emma hadn't suspected he could be so soft and gentle.

She slowly moved closer to him, realising that kissing Jay wasn't too bad. It was quite soothing, if she had to be honest. That was until the door opened.

"You moved on fast."

The two of them pulled away and looked at where Simon, Neil and Jay stood. Simon had been the one to speak, his gaze on Emma.

"Chloe dumped him."

"And what about you?" Simon wondered. "I always knew Jay wanted into your pants."

"Ignore him," Will spoke. "He is just gutted because Carli got back with Tom."

Emma arched a brow then, standing up as Jay kept his hand on her back.

"So that kiss meant nothing?" Emma checked with him. "You failed your exams for nothing."

Simon glowered at her as she spoke. He looked to Jay for a moment before shaking his head in annoyance. "Just like that kiss will mean nothing to you in a while."

"Don't get mad just because Carli doesn't want you," Jay warned Simon. "You've known it all along. You've just been too blind to see it."

"Oh, I get it," Simon said. "You waited for me to reject Emma so that you could have her, is that it?"

"I'm not a possession," Emma snapped at Simon. "And I told you all along that Carli didn't want you. You should have known from the start. Besides, what is it to do with you if me and Jay get together?"

"You're both on the rebound. It won't work out."

"You don't know that," Neil said. "I mean...the Queen and her husband are still together."

"What?" Will wondered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Neil said as if it was self-explanatory.

"Whatever," Simon said, pulling car keys from his pocket. "Do you want a ride home? I can't be bothered to argue with you. You'll both end up heartbroken, so don't come crying to me when it ends up broken."

"Oh, I wouldn't come crying to you if you were the last human on earth," Emma assured him, her own tears threatening to spill over. "No. I'm walking home. I want to be by myself."

She moved away from Jay, storming off into the darkness as Simon watched her go, knowing full well that she couldn't go by herself.

"I'm going after her," Jay said.

"No. I am," Simon challenged.

"Neither of you are," Will said. "I'll get her home. Both of you leave her be for some time. She's a woman. They're temperamental and emotional."

Will chased after Emma, calling her name as she slowed down and turned around to look at him, rubbing her eyes as he offered her his arm. She smiled at him and took hold of it, leaning against him and dropping her head to his shoulder.

"Simon was unfair," Will said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Emma complained. "Jay is on the rebound."

"He never liked Chloe, not as much as he likes you."

"That's not the point," Emma complained. "I mean, Jay is lovely...rude, a compulsive lair and annoying...but he under that...he's sweet...Will...but...I don't want to hurt him...I don't want to hurt him like Simon's hurt me."

"You have summer to think about it," Will told her, resting his cheek on top of her head as they walked silently, both of them thinking of what had just happened.

...

A/N: Two updates in two days. It is a novelty. Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed and have stuck with this! I hope you're enjoying so far.