AN: Thank you again to everyone for following, favouring, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Don't forget to Review. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.
Public School
Today was my first day at my new school. I was so happy to be back in public school, I didn't have to wear a weird uniform or have any snobby kids being jerks. Of course we still have bullies and troublemakers, but it's still my natural habitat. I was wearing a long sleeved dark blue shirt, black jeans, and my black Vans.
I was bouncing up and down with anticipation in the passenger seat, I just couldn't control myself.
"Emily, calm down," my aunt said as she drove us to the front of the school.
"I can't, I'm so excited," I said.
"You really like public school?"
"Yeah, it's way cooler than private school. Not that private school doesn't have its perks too, I just feel more at ease here."
"I guess I understand. Just don't get into any trouble."
"I won't I promise Aunt Kate. My fighting days are over."
She smiled and said, "Well I'm glad to hear that."
"Do you think I'll make any friends?"
"I know you will, you're a sweet kid and very outgoing. You'll make tons of friends."
"Thanks Aunt Kate."
"No problem."
We pulled up to the front of the school and it looked old, rundown, and kids were running around like wild children.
"Cool," I said.
"Em, be careful, be good, and don't give into peer pressure," my aunt Kate said, looking worriedly at the shenanigans going on out front.
"I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Okay, have a good day Em."
"Okay, you too Aunt Kate."
I grabbed my back pack and got out of the car. I walked past some skater boys and they were doing sweet tricks. Then I walked past some girls making an awesome drawing out of chalk. I think I was going to like it here.
Since I was already assigned my class when we signed up last week, I went straight there. I got to room 118 and my teacher, Mr. Linden, greeted me at the door and he seemed like a nice guy. He was probably in his early thirties, and he had a nice checkered shirt with jeans on.
"Hi, you must be Emily. It's nice to meet you," he said with a friendly smile.
I returned the smile and said, "Hi, nice to meet you Mr. Linden."
"Go ahead and put your back pack in the cubby and take out a notebook. Then have a seat, I assigned you desk number 12."
"Okay thank you."
I went over to the green cubbies and the cubby numbers matched our desk number. I stuck my backpack in number 12 and took out my purple note book with a pencil. I sat at my desk and waited for class to start. A boy sat next to me and said, "Long time no see, Emmy."
"Mike!? I'm so happy to see you. What are you doing here?" I asked with excitement.
He giggled and said, "Me too. I got transferred after we moved. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, cool. I got expelled after a fight at my private school."
"No way, bet you kicked their butt."
"Yeah, I did. I sent her to the hospital."
"Whoa, I always knew you were tough, but wow. Remind me to never get on your bad side."
"Don't worry Mike, no matter how much you drive me crazy, I'll never hurt you."
"Nice to know."
"How's Leon and Stitch?"
"Leon's good, he got held back, and has to do seventh grade over again. Stitch got sent to live with his father in Colorado."
"Aww, poor Stitch. Leon got held back?"
"I know, but Stitch's mom got put in the slammer again. Leon's grades sucked, so he had to stay back. Mom and Dad were so angry with him, they're making him take tutoring sessions after school."
"Oh wow, seems like I missed one hectic year."
"Yeah, you missed a lot since you went to that other school. You never came around to the skate park anymore."
"I know, I'm sorry. My life was just going in a different direction, but I'm back and never leaving again."
"I hope so, I need my partner in crime."
"Well, I might not be able to help too much. My aunt's been on me, and after the stunt I just pulled at my private school, I'm on thin ice. I have to watch what I do."
"I understand, our parents have been strict on us too. They're threatening to send Leon to military school. I don't know what's been bugging them, but they're getting tough."
"Yeah, I understand."
The bell rung and Mike and I stopped talking, so we didn't get into trouble. Mr. Linden started talking about a reading assignment and thankfully at my school we already did this. It was easy for me to jump right in, they didn't even do half of the stuff we did at my old school. It felt good that I was ahead of the curriculum.
Eventually it was lunch time and this time I didn't have a bully knocking me over or skipping in line. I bought the school lunch which was chicken tenders, corn, mashed potatoes, and I got a carton of chocolate milk. Mike walked me to our table and I sat between him and another boy who was in our class.
"Emmy, this is Shawn. Shawn this is my old friend Emmy," Mike said.
"Nice to meet you," I said.
"You too," Shawn said with a smile.
"She rides too. Maybe we could all hang out at the skate park together," Mike said.
"That would be awesome," I said.
"Yeah, I'm down for that," Shawn said.
"So Emmy, how's living with a detective?" Mike asked.
"It's cool, I've seen some crazy things, done crazy things, and been through crazy things. It's been a wild ride," Is aid.
"You live with a detective?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Wait? Are you the one who got kidnapped and your aunts the one who got shot?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah, that's me," I said.
"Cool," he said.
"Yeah, Emmy here has been through so much. She's is so cool," Mike said.
"Thanks Mike," I said.
"No problem," he smiled.
We ate together and talked about skateboarding, school, and video games. I was having a blast with my friend and new friend. I didn't think I'd run into anybody here or make a friend, but now I have two people that I can hang out with. We went back to class after lunch and Mr. Linden actually turned our math studies into a fun game.
Everyone who guessed correctly got some kind of mini candy. I really liked this class and even if I could, I don't think I'd ever want to go back to private school. After our math studies, he took us out for recess. The playground and courtyard weren't as nice as the one at my private school, but it was a playground and it was fun.
Shawn, Mike, and I played hide and seek and it was easy to guess their hiding spots. They never found me during the two rounds I was hiding, I was made for this game. Eventually recess ended and we headed back to class. For the last ten minutes, we watched a short little video cartoon about science.
We left class once the dismissal bell rang and Mr. Linden gave each and every one of us a high five as we left the room. This dude was really interactive and entertaining, I think he's one of the best teachers I've had. I walked to the front where I stood on the stoop with Mike.
"Is someone picking you up?" Mike asked.
"No I'm walking," I said.
"Oh, cool. Me too, guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Mike walked off and I went the other way, heading to my aunt's house. As I was walking a car pulled up alongside me and the window rolled down.
"Need a ride, mini Beckett?" Castle asked.
"I'm not allowed to get in a random car with a strange man," I smirked.
"Ha-ha, come on Emily. You know me," Castle said.
"That's my point."
"You definitely are turning into your aunt."
I gigged and said, "Yeah."
"Come on, I'll take you home."
I opened the door and got inside the car. I put on my seat belt and Castle rolled the window back up.
"So Castle, what are you doing here?" I asked.
"I was heading home and your aunt asked if I could pick you up," he said with a shrug.
"Cool, thanks Castle."
"No problem mini Beckett."
He started driving and it was silent for a little while. Castle spoke up and said, "So, how was your first day at your new school? Didn't get into any fights, did you?"
"No, I didn't get into any fights. School was great though and my teacher was so nice and awesome. I also ran into an old friend and he introduced me to another kid," I said with joy.
"Wow, sounds good. I'm glad you like it there."
"Yeah me too."
We arrived at my aunt's apartment and Castle walked me to the door.
"Thanks for the ride Castle, I appreciate it," I said.
"No problem, Emily. I'd do it any time. I'd love to stick around here, but I have to finish a few chapters of my next book," he said.
"Okay, I don't mind. I'll see you around, Castle."
"I'll see you around Emily. Stay out of trouble," he said with a slight smile.
"I'll try."
He gave me a quick hug and went on his way. I went inside and got started on my math and English homework. It was pretty simple since I already did most of these problems and questions at my old school. I was finished in no time and I decided to break out my electric guitar that I received on my birthday.
I was getting lessons for a little while from someone my aunt hired, but they moved away after they got married to their boyfriend of eight years. I plugged my guitar into the amp and tried a few chords. It sounded like a cat trying to claw out of a heavy metal container. I admit I still need a lot of practice, but I was going to figure it out sooner or later.
I messed around with it, trying to tune it and trying to hit the right chords, but it was no use. Every time I worked with it, I seemed to make things worse. The door opened to the apartment, but I didn't even notice it. I strummed the guitar once more to see if got things right, but it sounded like a screeching bird on a hot summer day.
My aunt was holding her ears and said, "Geez, Em. Are you trying to make us deaf?"
"Sorry," I said with a small pout.
"It's okay. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually. Maybe we can start looking for a new guitar teacher."
"That would be great. I really want to master it."
"I know, I'm sure you'll get there. Even if you don't master it, you'll still be able to play a little something."
"Yeah," I said while putting the guitar down.
"How was school?" she asked.
"It was great! My teacher's the best, I ran into my old friend Mike, and met his friend Shawn. I even knew most of the curriculum already. I'm so happy here Aunt Kate."
"I'm happy you like it there, Em. I hope this school will be better for you."
"Yeah, I think it will."
"Me too. Did you finish your homework?"
"Yeah I did, it was easy."
"Good job, Em."
"Thanks. Castle picked me up after school."
"I'm glad he did. I was hoping he would when I told him. You really like Castle don't you?"
"Of course he's awesome. Do you like him?"
"Well yeah, he's like my partner. He's been tagging along for four years now. He may get on my nerves a lot, but he's really nice to hang out with sometimes."
"How comes you're pushing him away?"
"What?"
"You're pushing him away. He's been around for four years and ever since the incident, you seem to be pulling away."
"Em, I'm not pulling away. I'm not going to discuss this with you either. This is grown up stuff."
"Seems childish to me," I mumbled.
"Emily, drop it. I wanted to get through the day without an incident. I don't want to extend your grounding."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I know you like Castle a lot, but this is our business."
"I know, but can I ask just one question?"
"Okay."
"Do you like him or maybe even love him?"
"He's just a coworker and a friend. Let's eat some dinner."
My aunt turned and walked away towards the kitchen. I couldn't help, but notice a slight glimmer behind her hazel eyes. I wondered if she was hiding her true feelings, and not just from all of us, but from herself too. She'll come to terms with it sooner or later, but hopefully it's before Castle decides he can't wait anymore.
I turned off my thoughts about my aunt's dwindling romance with Castle, and followed her into the kitchen, deciding to stick with the topic of the first day at my new school.