Sean could suddenly practically hear his heartbeat pound out of his chest at the sweet sound of Emma Nelson's voice. Oh, how he missed her.

"Emma?"

The smile on his face could practically be heard as he called out her name in response. Jay smirked and raised a brow, causing Sean to clear his throat and go back to playing it cool. As he approached the blonde, Alice suddenly appeared at Jay's side. She was prepared to follow her brother, when Jay's grasp on her wrist held her back.

"What do you think you're doing, Lil Cam?" Jay whispered at the girl as she returned to his side.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows at his aggressive tone, "who's that?"

She searched his eyes, clueless. Jay said nothing, only looking at her as if he wanted to shake her and say 'really?'. He gave her a moment to put the pieces together. She glanced over at the girl her brother was now talking to, squinting her eyes. She gasped suddenly as the pieces fell into place, whipping her head back in Jay's direction.

The girl looked different than she did when they dropped Sean off in Wasaga two years ago. She was just as beautiful as Alice remembered her, only more mature now. She had also grown her bangs out and styled her hair in a side part.

"That's…" Her voice trailed off, "…she's…"

"Beautiful," Jay agreed, finding the right word and finishing her thought, "I know."

Alice looked up at the boy, who looked at Emma, dumbfounded and lost in her beauty. She couldn't help but feel a pang of anger form in her stomach, causing her to slither her wrist from his grasp in retaliation. She swallowed hard and turned her attention back to her brother, who stood across from Emma and another blonde who had wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. Against Jay's advice, Alice joined the three of them.

"Cam!" He called, to no avail. She hadn't even bothered to look back in his direction.

"So, you're the Sean." The blonde boy said between gritted teeth. Alice smirked at the clear jealousy in his words as she approached them.

Sean didn't waiver in his response, holding a hand out for the boy to shake, "how's it going, man?"

Alice knew her brother, and could tell that he was basking in the intimidation the other boy was clearly feeling. Following their handshake, Sean turned his attention to his sister.

"Oh," he looked over his shoulder, then back at the two blondes, "this is my sister, Alice. Alice, this is Emma and Peter."

"It's so nice to meet you," Emma said genuinely, "Sean's talked so much about you."

Alice wasn't convinced, but she smiled warmly in response. Peter smiled slightly and nodded in her direction. She didn't care too much.

"Uh, yeah," Sean cleared his throat, trying to break the brief awkward silence that had suddenly fell, "we're, uh, staying with Jay."

He turned and held a hand out in his direction, forcing a small wave from the boy who remained a distance away. Strange, Alice thought.

"I guess we'll be seeing them in class tomorrow, too, huh?" Alice directed her question at her brother, causing Emma's face to light up.

"You're back at Degrassi?" She shrieked, a little more excited than expected.

"Yeah," he shrugged modestly, "just back to get my diploma."

"That's…" Emma's voice trailed; trying to find the right words to say, "…great, Sean."

The two shared a look, causing Emma to blush and look down at the ground. Alice could feel the tension between the two, and it became clear that Peter could, too.

"We should probably get going," he said, noticeably tightening his grip on the girl's shoulders, "it was nice meeting you two."

Sean nodded once, the corner of his mouth forming a smirk. Emma turned around to face them once more as Peter dragged her off, flashing Sean a smile, "see you at school tomorrow!"

The siblings watched as the couple got into his baby blue convertible.

"Must be nice to have a Daddy with money." Sean scoffed under his breath as they drove off. Even Alice was surprised he would say such a thing.

"Damn, Sean," she started, taken aback at his reaction. Before she could say another word, he turned back and headed in Jay's direction. She followed her brother and continued, "I didn't think she still had such a hold on you."

"She doesn't," he replied confidently, walking past Jay and ducking into the passenger seat, and continued as everyone else joined him inside the vehicle, "I told you, I'm just here for my diploma and the opportunity to open Cameron's Custom Cars. It's just nice to see her again, that's all."

"Whatever you say." Alice teased.

As they pulled out of their parking spot, the ice cream stand grabbed her attention. They had been so distracted; Alice didn't even get her fudge sundae.

"So much for ice cream, huh?" She chuckled.

The car remained silent for most of the drive, until Sean spoke once more out of the blue, "I'm happy for her, you know?"

"That's great, man," Jay nodded sincerely, "I know it can be hard to get over someone you really cared about. I still miss Alex sometimes."

The mention of another girl's name formed a knot in Alice's stomach. She figured a guy like Jay probably had girls all over him, and even though they hardly knew one another, the thought of another girl being with him made her wince.

"It's hard," Sean agreed, "but I'm just here for school. Girls are the last thing on my mind right now."

"Famous last words, Cameron." Jay chuckled as he pulled up out front of his place.

"I don't care what either of you have to say," Sean rolled his eyes, "I'm happy for her and I'm just looking forward to graduating."

Sean exited the car, leaving the other two behind in the car. Jay looked back at Alice, and the two shared a look, surprised at the reaction they had just received. He had disappeared in the house now. Jay must have given him a key already.

"And what about you, Lil Cam?" Jay raised a brow as they headed towards the complex together, "what are you up to this fine evening?"

"I might just call Rachel," she paused, "my best friend."

"Well, I figured she wasn't your boyfriend." Jay laughed at the fact that Alice felt the need to clarify.

The two shared an awkward laugh as they reached the door. They were welcomed in by Sean seated at the couch, watching some mind numbing show on TV. His eyes never even left the screen as they entered the apartment. The two looked at one another, sensing Sean's unwillingness to talk to either of them.

"I, uh, guess I'll go hang out in my bedroom." She told Jay, saying it loud enough for her brother to hear, too.

"Yeah, I'll be in my room, too." Jay nodded, following the girl down the hallway. They parted ways as Jay reached the first door on the right. Alice entered the room next to his.

She fell onto the bed and sighed. It was only her first day in Toronto, and she hadn't even been to Degrassi yet, and she could already tell they were in for a bumpy ride. Just as she started to relax, she felt her phone vibrate from her back pocket. She flipped it open, only to see Rachel's name and photo on the screen. She accepted the call happily.

"Hey," she cried, "how did you know I wanted to chat?"

Rachel laughed at her greeting, "I take it you made it to Toronto safely?"

"Yep, and you won't believe-"

Rachel spoke suddenly, cutting her off, "and how's Sean doing?"

Alice held back a laugh. For as long as she could remember, her best friend had the biggest unrequited crush on her older brother. Although she denied it every time, it was obvious.

"I was just going to tell you," she started, returning to the sentence she was in the midst of saying, "he's totally still in love with that blonde girl, Emma, that I told you about that was with him when he returned home years ago. We ran into her while we were getting ice cream earlier, and there was totally something there."

The line went quiet for a moment; Alice could tell her friend hated the idea of Sean being interested in anyone but her.

"I mean, I can't blame Emma," she giggled, "look at him. His arms, the hair… he's so yummy."

Alice faked a dry heave, "yuck. He's still my brother."

"Right," she giggled, "sorry."

"What about that friend you're staying with?" She paused, trying to think of his name, "Jay! What's he like?"

Whispering into the receiver, Alice sighed contently, "talk about yummy!"

Suddenly, Sean appeared from the darkness of the hallway. Alice's heart raced both from surprise at her brother's sudden presence, and the possibility that he may have heard her talking about his best friend.

"Can we talk?" He entered the room, shutting the door behind him. Before even receiving a response, he was seated at the edge of her bed.

"Uh, yeah, sure," she chuckled, ending the phone call with Rachel abruptly, "what's going on?"

"All that stuff I said about Emma…" his voice trailed off as his body hunched over, afraid to say more.

Alice moved from her spot at the head of the bed, next to her distraught brother. She rested her head gently on his shoulder and they sat in silence for a couple of moments.

Alice was the first to speak, "she's beautiful, isn't she?"

Sean nodded, his head now resting against hers.

"I love her, Al," he sighed, his voice desperate, "it's always been her. We're— I'm here for her."

"I meant to tell you sooner, it's just… I figured she'd have a boyfriend, and I didn't wanna get my hopes up."

"Give her time to get to know you again, Sean," she suggested optimistically, causing Sean to raise his head, "you've come so far, grown so much. If she liked you then, she'll love the man you are now."

Sean smiled weakly and turned his head to look his sister in the eye, "I'm glad I have you here with me this time."

"I'm glad to be here, too."

"Well," Sean placed his hands on his lap, "7:00 comes early. Are you looking forward to your first day at Degrassi?"

Alice nodded once, "can't wait."