Chapter 12: The Magazine

A/N: I know I'm late with the update again, I don't have any excuses other than that I suck, sorry if the chapter it weird in the beginning I got the idea from a Swedish sit com.

Paige's Pov-

Emily had almost been glued to my side ever since she followed me home from school. I had no idea why she kept being nice to me after I've done everything to keep her away from me, not that I minded the company.

Emily really did brighten up my day but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was now completely alone, my parents were hardly ever around, my grandparents lived in California so I couldn't just walk down the street and meet them.

I missed my brother, we may have fought a lot but we still cared for each other.

I sat down on my bed and placed my head between my hands.

It was so quiet when he wasn't around, it's so strange that silence sometimes can be more disturbing than loud noises.

I knew it was a school day but I didn't feel like going today, or go there at all for that matter, all I got was sympathy that just reminded me that Stefan wasn't here anymore, and there were a few others that thought to tell me to move on it would help me to actually 'move on'. I really didn't felt like hearing either.

Emily was different, she was listening to me and not telling me what I should do. She was unlike everyone who I had heard from since Stefan died.

I got up and I felt something under my foot, I looked down and saw that it was a magazine of some sort. I could tell for sure what it was since my room was too dark.

I picked up the magazine but it was still too dark to make out anything so I went to my desk and turned on my table lamp and that when I gasped, I was holding an erotic magazine.

I instantly dropped it because I was sure it was Stefan's, but why was it under my bed?

Once I took a moment to brave myself took I a second look at it and I could tell it was in mint condition, that's a relief since I knew for sure it was safe to touch it.

My brother had started to subscribe about six months ago since he was sure he wasn't going to get caught but I had once had the misfortune of finding one of his more 'used' magazines when I was in his room looking for a cell phone charger I knew he had stolen from me.

I looked at the top of the front page and saw that I was the subscriber. Stefan subscribed with my name in case our parents would find them so he'd get away with it.

"PAIGE!" I heard a shocked voice gasp.

I looked up and saw Emily looking at me like she had caught me naked.

"I'm sorry I just didn't expect to see you read… that." She said and nodded to the magazine. I wasn't sure on how I could explain this to her and it didn't really help that the cover was of two women fingering each other.

Without thinking I threw the magazine in a drawer and slammed it shut.

When I saw Emily's further reacting I wondered why the hell I did that.

"Paige… I… erm" Emily tried to phrase a sentence but right now she was probably feeling more embarrassed than I did.

"Em, look. That magazine wasn't mine, it was Stefan's." I said trying to make the current situation less humiliating for the both of us.

"I think I'll… just wait downstairs." Emily said and awkwardly backed out of the room.

As I heard her walking down the stairs I swore at my brother, to think he still causes problems for me even when he isn't here… and then I got reminded once again, he isn't here.

Emily's Pov-

I felt that I was still blushing with embarrassment, I wasn't expecting Paige to read a magazine like that, maybe she was trying to find out what she was into.

I had no idea what her motives were to read a porn magazine was but I don't think I should judge Paige since after I thought she had a thing for girls I might have sent her a few unintentional signals.

I just sat down to gather my thoughts. After a few minutes I decided to get back upstairs to check on Paige, I had come over to see if she needed a ride to school and if I waited too long I knew we'd both be late.

When I got to Paige's room I knocked on the door, something I wish I had done right away. "Come in." Paige said after she had cleared her voice.

When I saw I could tell that she had cried and now she was trying to hide it.

"So, awkward moment before?" I said in a desperate attempt to break the silence.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see you this early." Paige said as she rubbed her eyes.

"I got up earlier than usual so I decided to check up on you." I said, feeling myself starting to blush.

"I wondered if you needed a ride to school, my car is parked in your driveway." I continued.

"You don't have to, I'm not going." Paige said.

"Paige, you can't keep ditching school." I explained in a calming voice.

"Why not? I'm not in the mood so I'm not going." Paige said.

"They will have you repeat the year if you keep ditching school." I said.

"Like I care." Paige said and turned her back to me.

"Paige, please don't do this to yourself." I begged, I could tell that Paige was determent in what she said but I could tell that she was just trying to ignore how she felt.

Paige looked back at me and a tear rolled slowly down her cheek.

"I just don't think I can…" Paige started.

"I know, just please try and if it's too much just give me a call and I'll drive you home myself." I said, since she and I didn't have any classes together I knew I couldn't be with her her but I wanted Paige to know that she could trust me.

She walked up to me and said "Now I'm not sure if I should call you 'Emmy' or 'Mommy'." She said.

I answered. "I prefer 'Emily' or 'Em'." I wasn't sure if Paige was sarcastic or if she made a joke.

"We'll see how the car ride goes." Paige said and we went to my car.

The car drive was very quiet and when I had parked my car Paige just walked out and left, I'm not sure if she doesn't want anyone to see me with her or if she is annoyed with having me around.

Very confused over Paige's sudden change of behavior I got out of my car and hurried to my first class.

Later that day:

It was the final class and I still hadn't heard anything from Paige. I must have spent more time checking my phone than paying attention to any of my classes.

I was about to text her when I saw her standing by her locker but when she saw me she suddenly ran.

"Paige?" I asked her as I tried to follow but the head start she had over me was too much and I had no chance trying to catch up to her.

I had no idea what that was about, I did the only think I could figure out to do. I left Paige a voicemail where I asked her to call me.

After I got home from school I grabbed my diary once I opened it I saw to my terror that a page was torn out from it and what worried me the most was that it was the page I wrote the day after Spencer was turned into a vampire.

I ran downstairs right away to check on my mom, I knew if she had found out about that secret she'd panic.

I found my mom in the kitchen chopping some carrots.

"Hi mom." I said and acted nonchalant to avoid any suspicion.

"Hi Emmy." She answered sounding the same way as she always does.

"Did something new happen at work?" I asked.

"You know, paper reports and filing some documents." She answered still sounding about as calm as always.

I couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary in her voice so I was sure she hadn't read the page.

"Ok, need any help preparing dinner?" I asked.

"There is no need, I can handle it." My mom answered.

"Good because I just remembered I got some homework I need to take care off so I better get upstairs." I said as I was about to leave the kitchen.

"Emily is something wrong?" My mom suddenly asked.

"Why do you think that?" I asked, I was worried because if she suspected that I was hiding things from her she'd eventually find it out herself.

"You're acting strange like there is something you want to tell me." My mom said and I panicked as I tried to make up an excuse.

"You can tell me anything." She said and before I had any time to think I just blurted out "It's about a girl."

"Oh, is she a girl friend or a girlfriend?" My mom asked, taking an unnecessary long pause between the words 'girl' and 'friend'.

"I really don't know, I mean I'm not even sure she is into me and we have been spending time together but… I don't know now she's acting strange around me." I said as my mind drifted to Paige.

My mom took a few minutes to choose her words since neither one of us thought we'd have a conversation like this, not even after I came out.

"Maybe she just needs to figure out how she feels. It did take you a while to come to turns with who you really were and then it took more time to dare come out to your father and me." My mom said.

"That felt like the longest conversation we've ever had." I said.

"I will admit it took a while for me and your dad to come to turns with who you were, we thought we had done something wrong for you to turn out like that, but now we know that you were brave enough to be yourself and your father and I couldn't love you more for it." My mom said and hugged me.

"Thanks mom." I said.

"And if this girl is confused over how she feels you really can't force her to decide but you could visit her and give her a nudge in the right direction." My mom said and gave me a little wink.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Trust me sometimes a person could use a nudge to know what they want. Your father was hopeless in taking hints when we started to go out." My mom said.

"Really?" I asked, very surprised to get this new information about dad.

"Yes, I had to go to a lot of horror movies with him for him to realize that I liked him." She explained.

"I thought you hated those films." I said.

"I did, still do. But your father liked them and after we had seen 'Friday the 13th' I had enough and just kissed him right when Kevin Bacon got that arrow through his neck. After that he wanted to take me to a real date." My mom explained.

"How did that go?" I asked.

"Really bad, he rented 'House of Fright.' Because he thought I liked horror movies at that point." She said.

"And that was the last time we ever saw a horror movie together." She continued.

I laughed as I heard that, I never knew that my dad had a side like that to him. Growing up under his roof I had always gotten the image that he always was in control and to hear that he had an embarrassing side to him was hilarious.

"He had his bad habits, but he conquered almost all of them before you were born." My mom said.

As I laughed my mom walked up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to tell you, something your father should have been told a long time ago. Go tell the girl how you feel." She said.

"You're right. I'll go talk to her right away." I said and I got my shoes before I opened the door.

I wasn't sure how Paige would react but she might feel something for girls, she did read a lesbian porn magazine when I saw her this morning.

Paige's Pov-

I was resting on the couch in my living room, I hated this every time I convinced myself that I only liked Emily as a friend she did something incredible and then I got these feelings for her. I have no idea why I feel this way around her and I don't know why I should.

I try to push her away but it gets harder for each time because I get the feeling deep inside me that says I want her close. The only solution I could figure out was to avoid her altogether.

"Paige?"

Oh great, now I can hear her voice echo in my head.

"Paige are you home?"

Wait that wasn't an echo Emily was really here.

I could hear her walking through the door and she sounded like she was about to keep going until she finds me.

I got off the couch I was on and tried to find a way to sneak out through a window.

I started to pry the closest window open, it was a small jump down but I knew I could do it. The window was hard to open, it must have been a very long time since anyone had opened it.

I pushed with all my strength but I could barely budge it.

"Paige?" I heard Emily's voice, this time it was close… too close.

"What are you doing?" she asked and I looked over my shoulder just to see her looking at me.

"I just tried to get some air." I lied.

"Well, it helps if you actually could open that window." She said and when I took a closer look I saw that this window wasn't supposed to open.

"What brings you here?" I asked. Great now I can't even get mad at her anymore.

"I wanted to talk to you." She said.

"I can't right now, I'm… busy." I said and went through a door opening in an attempt to avoid Emily.

"Don't you think you can spare a few seconds?" Emily asked as she followed me and all I could figure out to do was to keep walking and not let Emily catch up with me.

"No, I'm very busy… I got this thing that can't wait." I lied as I kept trying to lose Emily but since I was indoors all I really could hope for was that she'd just give up and go home.

"Paige are you running from me?" I heard Emily ask.

"No, I just got too much to do so I don't even have time to…" I said as I bumped into Emily who now was standing right in front of me.

"Paige, you are trying to avoid me." She said.

"Ok fine!" I spat. "I try to keep away from you." I continued.

"Why?" Emily asked.

"Because this is wrong. I'm Paige McCullers, I swim on the Rosewood high team, not your team." I said.

"Is that the problem?" Emily shouted.

"No, I try to be normal but whenever you're around I feel for you and… and it's wrong." I continued as I desperately tried to avoid looking at Emily.

"You're just scared I was too." She said.

"No, you don't know. You don't know anything." I shouted.

"Then tell me." Emily said.

"Never!" I yelled and then I felt her grip my arm and she spun me around.

"Look at me Paige." She said as she held both my wrists, but I still did everything I could to avoid making eye contact.

"Look at me!" Emily said this time very detriment.

"I can't." Was the only answer I could get out of my mouth.

"What's really bothering you?" Emily asked, now she was talking in her calm and caring voice, she was still holding my wrists but now she had eased her grip.

"I used to be Paige McCullers the captain of the swim team and now I don't know who I am anymore. All I can think about is you and how I want to spend every moment with you and that's not the person I used to be." I said.

"Paige, you can still be captain of the swim team and you can still be who you are." Emily said.

"I don't think I can anymore, I feel like I've lost what pushed me." I answered.

"No you haven't you're just lost and you're still trying to find your way." Emily said.

"I don't know…" I said.

"Paige, what do you want, what is your hearts biggest desire?" Emily asked me.

"I… I…" I said.

"It's ok, you can say it." Emily said and I finally looked into her eyes to see her greatest strength, her compassion for others.

"I want to be with you…" Was all I could say. "I want to be with you."

Emily smiled at me and I smiled back. "Then let's do this right from now on." Emily said and I couldn't do anything else than agree with her. I nodded and then I ended up staring at Emily's lips, I had lost all control over myself as I started to drift closer to her and before I could control myself my lips were pressed against hers.

The kiss was soft and short since we both broke apart after just a second.

I just stood there silent and waited for Emily to respond, she smiles and that relaxed me.

She placed her arms on my shoulders and just as we were about to share a second kiss, her phone started to ring.

"That's my mom, I have to go home for dinner." Emily said. "Wanna come along?" she asked.

"I don't think you're supposed to meet your girlfriend's parents before the first date." I joked.

"Sounds like we should have a first date then." Emily said.

"I'd like that." I answered and then we said our goodbyes.

When I went to bed I decided to put my brother's magazine in his room. Just as I picked it up a torn page fell out from it, but this wasn't part of the magazine, this was handwritten.

On the back it was written with something that looked like a big red marker.

Ever wondered what Emily is hiding? –A

I turned the page and I could see Emily's handwriting. As I scrolled through it I felt a shiver lead up my spine, Spencer was a vampire and she had killed my brother.

A/N2:Incase anyone is wondering "House of Fright" is the original Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hide movie (as far as I know) it was also released under the titles "Jekyll's Inferno." and "The two faces of Dr. Jekyll"