Hi my little Emison babes! How is everyone doing? Tell me something exciting that you have planned for this year. I'd love to hear more about y'all and get to know each other as we continue this story. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the story so far! This chapter has two parts, and both will be in Alison's POV. Let's get into it shall we?
Chapter Eight: Pieces of Me -Part One
Alison sat in the passenger seat of Bradley's car as they pulled into the school parking lot. The blonde had been relatively quite on the drive back from The Brew. She couldn't get Emily out of her head. I hope she's okay. Her knees and elbows looked really bad. She seemed upset. I should've said more to her. The words just got lost in the back of my throat. I didn't expect to see her until tonight and then that happened. I wonder if she's upset about me leaving her yesterday? Or was she jealous of Bradley this morning? Granted, I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't being a little extra flirty with Bradley in front of her. What's wrong with me? I was trying to make her jealous. I wanted her to see me touch him. It didn't make me feel good though. Seeing that look on her face...I felt guilty. I couldn't even look her in the eyes. Did she know I was faking it? Bradley put his car in park and turned to the blonde. "So, I had a really great time with you," he said charmingly, "Can I take you out tonight?" Alison grabbed her purse from his floorboard, "I have work tonight, sorry." I don't want to see you. I want to see my friend you bulldozed on the sidewalk. "Damn. Well how about I take you to work after school," Bradley suggested, "Then I can pick you up afterwards?" Ugh is he going to latch onto me like a tick? I guess he's not that bad. This is what I wanted after all...right? I guess I need to give it more time. Having him as a boyfriend really will help my social status. Why am I not as excited as I should be? "Sure," she responded with a forced smile, "And what exactly do you have planned?" Bradley smiled cockily, "I've got lots of plans," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Alison playfully smacked his arm, "Those plans better not include us sitting in the back of your crusty old car," she said sassily, "Because if it is, you can lose my number. I'm not that type of girl." Bradley bellowed a laugh in response. His laugh is so...abrasive. Alison's mind thought of Emily's sweet, gentle laugh. I miss her laugh. "I'm just kidding," he responded, "What if we go up to the Rosewood lookout? Hang out on the kissing rock and do some star gazing? I bet Noel can hook me up with some beers. It would totally be romantic." Absolutely not. I'm not going there with him. That's mine and Emily's place. Alison made a look of disgust, "So instead of sitting in your gross car, your next suggestion is sitting on a dusty old rock? Try again. Also, beers? I'm not some frat boy Bradley," she grumbled. Bradley laughed loudly again. Why is he so goddamn loud? "Damn DiLaurentis! You're not going to make this easy for me are you?" Alison raised her eyebrows, "What makes you think I'm an easy girl to get?" Bradley leaned back into his car seat, sighing with frustration, "If I remember correctly, you were the one calling me babe and hanging on my arm when Fields ran into me." Alison's mind flashed back to earlier this morning with their run in with Emily. You ran into her doofus. Ugh. Forget it. Forget her. "Me holding your arm and calling you babe doesn't mean you're going to get lucky Bradley. You're lucky enough you even got one date with me," Alison responded back quickly, "And if you expect another one, you better try harder." Bradley accepted his defeat, "Alright alright. I'm just playing around. I'll think of something romantic for us to do, okay?" He put his arm around the top of the passenger seat, grazing Alison's shoulders. "Aren't all the romantic guys supposed to end dates with a kiss?" He asked in a low, suggestive tone. Bradley closed his eyes and started to lean in towards Alison. Why is this so repulsive? He looks like a frog. Okay just get it over with. You need him to want more. Alison finally shut her eyes and closed the gap between their lips. Before she could pull away, his hand grabbed the back of her head, aggressively pulling her closer. She felt his stubble from his freshly shaven mustache. Ew. Alison felt his tongue trying to enter her mouth. The blonde tried to close her mouth, not allowing him access inside to deepen the kiss. This definitely doesn't feel the way it did with Emily. This feels rough. Everything with her felt soft...her lips...her hair...her skin. Banging on Bradley's car hood startled both Alison and Bradley, breaking up their kiss. Noel Kahn and Ben Coogan were standing in front of the car. "Damn get a room Bradley!" Noel called out while Ben was whistling. Alison gave both boys a death glare and hopped out of the car. The blonde turned to them, "Take a picture, it'll last longer," she snapped rudely. Bradley got out of his car and yelled out to Alison, "So how about that ride after work?" Alison looked back and forced a smile, "Sure!" As she was sauntering away, she heard the two boys laughing and catcalling. Even Bradley was laughing. Why are men so gross?
Alison sat in the back of the classroom during first period. She was tapping her pencil on the desk, lost in thought about her kiss with Bradley. Why was I thinking about her while kissing him? I can't keep thinking about her every time I'm with him. That was the whole point of going out with Bradley: to forget what happened with her. I should have never kissed her. I probably ruined our friendship and now it's already ruining my relationship with Bradley. I really did screw up. My head feels all jumbled...like my brain is eggs and someone just scrambled them up. I can't focus on school. I can't focus while kissing a boy. I can't even focus on my friends. What has she done to me? What have I done to me? Her thoughts were sidetracked when Mr. Fitz brought up a familiar book for their next reading assignment. "I mentioned last week that the next book on our reading list is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens." Alison's ears perked up at the mention of the book. Mr. Fitz continued, "I want you all to read the first two chapters this week, and we will discuss next Monday. Start thinking about themes while you begin reading. I will be asking everyone in depth questions in our discussion. So this should go without saying, searching a summary of the book online will not be helpful for you." The bell rang signaling the end of first period, "Read the hard copy people!" Mr. Fitz said while everyone was rushing to leave the classroom. Alison got up from the desk and began scooping up her books into her arms. Hanna turned to her best friend, "Ugh! Why does Mr. Fitz have to pick books from the 1500's? Like common, it's the 21st century! Why can't we read some Hunger Games or something?" Alison looked at her friend, smirking, "Hanna it was wrote in the 1800's not the 1500's," she replied while the two began walking out to the hallway. "Since when did you become a literary expert?" Hanna asked, linking her arm with Alison. "Since my grade dropped from a B to a C, that's when," Alison answered sassily. The pair were walking to their lockers when Noel and Ben started whistling at Alison from across the hall. "Are you two that obsessed? Maybe try finding yourselves your own girlfriends instead of gawking at Bradley's," Alison yelled across the hallway. "Why are all the boys here so immature?" Alison asked Hanna after directing her attention away from the boys. "Omg! Did you just say girlfriend!?" Hanna asked excitedly ignoring Alison's question, "Are you and Bradley official?!" Alison started applying her lipgloss, "Technically no. We went on a coffee date this morning. I just said that to hurt their egos a little bit," Alison replied nonchalantly, "Bradley and I were kissing in his car in the parking lot and his little gremlins saw." Hanna squealed, "Shut up! I can't believe you didn't tell me this before first period! You better give me the details," she inquired, "Is he a good kisser?" Not as good as Emily. Not by a long shot. Alison shrugged her shoulders in response. She was examining her hair through the small mirror hung up in her locker. "That's all you're going to give me? A shrug? Ali I tell you everything about Caleb. You gotta give me some juicy details!" Hanna asked, annoyed with her friend's lack of interest in the conversation. Alison looked over to Hanna, "There aren't any juicy details, Han. It was just a kiss. We were interrupted by Thing 1 and Thing 2 before anything got too heated." Hanna sighed dramatically, "Okay well can you at least tell me if he's a good kisser? I've always wanted to know," she asked impatiently. Alison raised her eyebrows at her, "Always wanted to know?" Hanna giggled, "You know what I mean! Don't you ever think about who's a good kisser and who's a bad one? I imagine a graph in my head ranking all of the boys at school from 1 to 5." Alison laughed at Hanna's comment, "Speaking of graphs, I need to start walking to my Algebra class. I'll talk to you later? K?" Alison replied and started walking away. Hanna called out to her, "Don't think I'm letting this go! I'm going to get those details from you one way or another!" Alison flipped her head back, smiling at her friend's curiosity, "Good luck!" Hanna laughed, happy for her best friend. However, Hanna didn't see the smile that was gracing Alison's face disappear once her she turned away.
School went by way too fast for Alison. Every hour, every minute, and every second that passed by led her closer to work. Which led her closer to Emily. Alison sat on her porch, nervously bouncing her legs. The blonde was waiting for Bradley to pick her up and take her to work. Alison wasn't expecting him for another 10 minutes. In truth, she wanted some time to sit in her thoughts alone in the sun. I hope she isn't angry with me. I wouldn't blame her if she was though. I left her all alone in her bedroom yesterday, and I practically ignored her when she ran into Bradley and I this morning. She did text me back early this morning though. There's hope. Alison reached into her purse looking for her phone to check the time. Instead, her fingers found the binding of a book: Emily's book. Alison kept her precious borrowed item in her purse at all times. She didn't trust her brother Jason. Alison knew that he had gone through her room more than once while she was gone, and she wasn't going to leave it to chance. In all honesty, that wasn't the only reason she carried the poetry book around. The blonde felt like she had a piece of Emily with her. Alison felt like she was collecting more and more pieces of Emily. Not just physical things, like her poetry book, but pieces of her soul. Every little smile, giggle, and blush Emily gave her, Alison treasured and locked away into her heart. Technically, there were other physical things Alison labeled as 'Emily's and Mine' in her head: locations. As silly as it was, certain locations became a sacred spot in Alison's heart. Places like their work place. She reminisced the first time she saw her sweet Emily on her first day of work. Dairy Queen: Emily's and Mine. Places like the Rosewood lookout. The Kissing Rock: Emily's and Mine. Places like the Fields' home: The bathroom: Emily's and Mine. Despite the circumstances of the past 24 hours between the two of them, Alison still felt the brunette with her. It was if she was carrying around Emily in her heart, just as she was carrying around her book. The blonde wasn't collecting the pieces through greed or envy, but through joy and gratefulness. Alison felt the most extreme gratitude that Emily was in her life. She wanted more pieces, and she wanted to give Emily more of her pieces. I hope she knows how special she is to me. And like the idiot that I am, I may have lost her forever. I want her in my life. I need her in my life. Ever since I met her, I feel like I have something to look forward too. I'm terrified to face her, but I'm still excited to see her. Have I gone batshit crazy? I'm excited to see someone who is probably infuriated with me. That's how much I lo- that's how much I like her. That's how important she is. I have to fix this with her. I have to make this right. Tonight. Bradley's car pulling into her driveway snapped her back into reality. Here we go.
Bradley parked his car into an empty spot in front of Dairy Queen. He put his arm around Alison like he did earlier that morning. "So, does the chauffeur get a kiss?" He asked excitedly. Alison raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Depends on if your bros are going to show up," Alison joked, but also serious. "Nope. There's nobody but here but us," he replied in a low, sensual tone. Alison smirked, "Well then, yes. The chauffeur will get a kiss," she coed while leaning in to press her lips onto his. This time, Alison pulled away after a few short seconds. Bradley pouted his lips in disappointment. "That's all I get?" He asked sadly. Alison scoffed, "Be thankful you got anything after that stunt your friends pulled this morning," she said, changing her tone back to sass. "Hey! That was not my fault! But for the record I told them to fuck off," he exclaimed, trying to redeem himself. "Oh yeah? Sureeeeee. I heard you laughing with them," Alison replied, "Anyways, I need to go. It's almost six." Bradley made another pouty CD face at the blonde, "Alright if you must. What time should I pick you up?" Alison was already halfway out of the car before replying back, "Come around 10:30. Thanks for the ride," she said before shutting the car door. Alison strolled into her workplace slowly, making sure Bradley could see her ass. She turned back before opening the door, and sure enough he was checking her out. Men: predictable. She smiled to herself while walking into the store. As the blonde rounded the corner through the 'Employees Only' door, still smiling, she was caught. "Who is the hottie who just dropped you off and has you smiling like the Cheshire Cat?" Robin asked while grinning at Alison. Despite Robin speaking to her first, Alison instantly saw Emily. The brunette was standing up against the fridge. Alison locked eyes with her. Hey. The blonde looked back to her manager, flipping her hair. "Wouldn't you like to know Rob," Alison replied and winked at Robin. I want to see how Emily reacts. I want to see if she was just upset from falling this morning or if she really was jealous. Alison smiled over to Emily. The brunette gave her a tight-lipped smile in return, before looking down to the ground. Numero Uno: get her to talk to me so we can get over this awkwardness. "Hey Em," Alison greeted sweetly and walked over beside her to lean against the same fridge. "Hey Alison," Emily said shortly. Alison? You always call me Ali. "Okay you can't ignore me. Who is the blonde cutie giving you rides around town, miss?" Robin implored. Alison stood close enough to Emily for their arms to touch, but she felt the brunette inch away just as their biceps brushed against one another's. Robin cleared her throat, hinting that she was waiting on a response. Alison giggled, a little too much, "His name is Bradley, for your information." I need to see if she's jealous or just mad. "Okayyyyyyy so tell me about him! This thirty year old needs to hear some dirty deets that aren't coming from my Fifty Shades of Grey book," Robin mused from her stance in front of the two girls. Alison laughed in response from her manager's admission. Common Em. Laugh with me. I miss your laugh. "There's no dirty deets to give Rob, sorry," Alison teased while shrugging her shoulders, "We only had our first date this morning." Alison pulled a hair tie off of her wrist and effortless threw her hair into a ponytail. Robin lifted her eyebrows in suspicion, "Mhmmmmm, bullshit. Then explain that hickey on your neck," Robin inquired while glancing down at the blonde. Oh shit. I forgot to cover that up. I had my hair down all day. I completely forgot. Before the startled blonde could respond, a familiar voice entered the conversation. "Yeah Ali. Who gave you that hickey?" Emily asked. Alison's blue eyes met Emily's gaze. Emily raised her eyebrow, smirking, and waiting for Alison to respond. The blonde was speechless. She is way more confident than I assumed. She keeps surprising me. If Alison was flustered, it only lasted for a millisecond. She recovered her moment of shock by responding confidently back to the brunette. "Someone very special," she replied in a soft, knowing tone. Alison kept her eyes locked onto Emily's when she spoke. Emily's lips started to lift into a smile, and her cheeks began forming a blush. There you are. There's my Em. "Someone special?! Girl you are not telling me all of the details about him, are you? Is it because I'm your manager?" Robin asked comically, "Now tell me. How exactly did you receive that hickey? Mr. Bradley must know what he's doing because that is the most glorious hickey I've ever seen!" Alison cracked up into a full blown belly laugh, knowing who truly gave her that hickey. As Alison was laughing, she turned to Emily who was laughing too. Alison's laugh morphed into a big smile from hearing that sound. Emily noticed the blonde's look, and her face turned into a crimson red. You're back. Their short lived gaze was broken up by Alison. The blonde turned back to Robin and replied, "Do you seriously not know how people get hickeys, Rob?" Alison asked jokingly. Robin gave the blonde a look of 'Are you serious?' and rebutted, "I'm thirty years old, not senile Alison, but thanks for asking. I'm gathering you're not going to share though huh?" Robin interrogated. Alison felt Emily's eyes on her when she responded, "Nope. Sorry Rob. That's only for me and them to know." Alison turned her eyes to Emily beside her. The brunette was looking down, and her previous smile was completely gone. Where did you go? What are you thinking? "So, Emilyyyyy, since Alison won't share, anything going on in your love life?" Robin asked. Alison trained her eyes on the brunette, curious as to what her friend was going to say. Alison watched as Emily looked up from the ground. The blonde was waiting on her to brush off the question, but instead, to her surprise, Emily answered, "Actually, a girl from my swim team asked me out on a date." What?! Tell me you're lying Emily. Also, she just admitted to Robin thats she's gay. I thought that was something we were keeping between us? "Omg go girl! I didn't know you had your sights set on the ladies," Robin replied kindly. It was their manager's way of letting Emily know that she wasn't judgmental or homophobic. "So are you going to accept? Do you like her?" Alison had her eyes completely glued on her friend, still floored from Emily's profession. Emily giggled at Robin. Stop. Stop giggling Emily. For the love of god please don't say her name. Don't say Paige. Please don't say you are going on a date with her. "I don't know yet to be honest," Emily replied, "I literally just came out to my parents today," Emily admitted while turning to look Alison in the eyes. Oh my god. Alison's pervious jealousy morphed into sincerity. Alison beat Robin to the punch and responded back to Emily, "You did?" She asked with genuine curiosity. Emily nodded to her friend, "Yeah. I did," she breathed out. Robin couldn't see, but Alison saw Emily's brown eyes filling with tears. Alison instinctively pulled Emily into a hug. The blonde spoke quietly into her ear, "You did it. Emily, I'm so proud of you," she said with kindness and admiration pouring out of her soul. "I'm proud of you too kid," Robin joined in their hug, wrapping Emily into her arms as well, "I know it couldn't have been an easy thing for you to do." Emily released from the hug, looking back and forth from Robin to Alison, "Thanks guys. I appreciate it," the brunette said shyly. "Alright, as much as I love our little girlfriend chats, we all need to get shit done," Robin directed, "I'm going to go get some inventory done in the back. You two hold down the fort, okay?" Both girls nodded while their manager left them alone. An all too familiar silence settled over Alison and Emily. Like deja vu, both girls spoke at the same time: "Em-" "Ali-" The two both cracked smiles, blushing equally as much as the other, remembering the same twin- like moment from yesterday. God I've missed you. "I really am proud of you, Em," Alison spoke softly, "What made you decide to tell them?" Emily took in a noticeable breath. The brunette grabbed her arms, and walked a few feet away from Alison. She stood in the place Robin once did moments ago. Emily made eye contact with the blue ones who were studying her. Emily's eyes held a seriousness in them. "A lot of things. I think everything was just becoming too heavy for me," Emily admitted, "I guess I felt like I needed to take control of at least one thing in my life." Alison nodded at her friend. What does she mean by that? Is she hinting at what's going on with us? Alison stood in silence for a few seconds, studying the brunette. "So, are you going to go on that date with Paige?" Alison inquired while uncontrollably making a face of disgust. "I don't know. I can't really think about dating someone right now. I'm still processing after coming out," Emily answered, ignoring the face Alison made while mentioning Paige. "Do you like her?" Alison pried, repeating the same question she once asked the brunette days ago. "I don't know. I only really have one perspective of her, I-" Alison interrupted, "Which is a bitch." Emily smiled, "Yeah I guess so. Who knows, maybe there's another side to her I haven't seen." Alison raised her eyebrows, "I doubt that," she said sarcastically, "Well are you attracted to her?" Alison kept prying her friend. "I'd rather get to know someone first rather than basing everything off of looks," Emily countered the blonde's third degree. Emily ran her hand through her hair that was pulled up into a bun. Alison noticed the scabs and bruises on the tanned elbows. Emily noticed her friend looking at her arms. "I haven't had time yet to ask- to ask about how you're holding up after falling," Alison said shyly, "Are you okay?" Emily furrowed her eyebrows. The two held each others' gaze, staring intensely at each other for a few moments. Emily turned away from Alison, looking out into the store. Please talk to me. With her back turned to the blonde, "I'm fine," she responded quietly, yet firmly. "Emily-" Alison went to respond before a customer walking in the store interrupted her. That customer started a rush that lasted hours. Alison tried to make small talk and jokes through the evening with Emily, but the brunette gave her nothing. Alison eventually got the hint and let Emily be for the rest their work shift.
Ten o'clock rolled around, and the three workers were closing up for the night. Robin said her goodbyes to the teenagers before drifting off to her car. Emily was walking off to her car, but Alison wouldn't let her get away. "Emily wait," she said as she caught up with the brunette. Emily turned around slowly, looking at Alison with a stone cold expression. She really is mad at me. Emily pursed her lips, saying nothing while she waited for the blonde to speak. Alison realized that Emily wasn't going to roll over easily. "Are you okay?...your knees and your elbows?" Alison questioned cautiously, trying to gauge where Emily's thoughts were. Emily bit her lip, sporting a look of frustration, "You don't need to do this," she said airily while looking out into the parking lot. Alison shook her head slightly in confusion, "Do what?" Emily met the blue eyes that were inspecting her, "Pretend that you care," she spat. Roles reserved, Alison flinched at the tone of her friend's voice. "I do care Emily," Alison replied with resolve, "What makes you think that I don't care?" Emily scoffed, crossing her arms over her body. Emily's eyes flashed to Alison with anger, "Are you really asking me why I would think that Alison?" The blonde raised her eyebrows in surprise, shocked that Emily was acting this way. "Don't play with me anymore," Emily muttered. Alison's eyes were filling with anger now. "Play with you? Emily I wouldn't-" the brunette cut her off, "You already have. You acted like I was practically a stranger this morning." Alison stayed silent, suspecting Emily had more to say...suspecting that this morning wasn't the real reason the brunette was mad. Sure enough, the brunette suggested otherwise: "You left me Alison. You left me feeling guilty...ashamed. I thought you would never speak to me again," Emily spoke with aggression. A tone Alison had never heard her sweet friend use before. I've done this. I've pushed her to this. "I was scared and confused and you just left," Emily said with her voice cracking and tears filling her eyes. "Emily," Alison's voiced faded off. What do I say? How do I say this? The brunette pushed her tongue into the back of her teeth, fighting off tears while trying to maintain her anger. Alison watched the brunette roll her eyes in response to the silence. Emily made a turn toward her car, but Alison found a voice. "Emily I didn't want to leave, okay? I- I wanted to stay. I just couldn't," Alison spoke finally with sadness. "Why? Why couldn't you stay?" Emily asked with slight irritation. Alison looked into the once sweet eyes she has known, but they held a distant look to them...a look of distrust...confusion...wariness. I hate the way she's looking at me. "You scare me," Alison murmured, looking down at the ground. "I scare you? Alison I'm the least intimidating person I know. What did you think I was going to do? Hit you or something?" Emily asked, her voice laced with bitterness. "It's not like that Emily," Alison responded quietly, shyly. "Well tell me what's it's like because you're leaving me completely in the dark," Emily replied, getting more annoyed by the minute. I thought I was going to control this conversation. I'm losing control. I can't tell her the truth. I still don't even know what the truth really is. The only thing I do know is that I care about her and I can't lose her from my life. Not like this. Emily had her arms still crossed, waiting impatiently. "I want to move past this, but we need to talk about it Alison. I need to talk about it. I can't just pretend like it didn't happen," Emily said to her friend. This time her voice held a sadness and exasperation. "I can't forget about it Emily," Alison replied softly, barely audible. "Well you're acting like it's already forgotten," Emily spat with hostility returning to her voice. "It hasn't," Alison responded quickly. "Then why can't we talk about it? Alison you were the one who kissed me," Emily argued, "You're so confusing. You kissed me, said you weren't gay, and then ran away like I had the plague." Alison's heart beat sped up from Emily saying it out loud. They both avoided saying the word 'kiss' so far in their conversation. This is spiraling out of control. I'm going to have to hurt her again. I know it. That's the only way to get out of this. "I meant what I said Emily. I'm not gay," Alison replied with a sharper tone. "Yeah I got that. I'm not asking you about your sexuality Alison. I'm asking you why," Emily snapped back. Bradley didn't fix this. Time to do another thing I'm good at: lying. "It was practice Emily. Practice for the real thing," Alison said snidely. The blonde watched hurt cover her friend's face. The brunette wore the same expression as she did after their conversation in her bedroom. I can't lose her. "I wanted to show you what a good kiss is, that's all. You deserved to know what that feels like. I was trying to be a good friend," Alison continued, trying to fix the mess she was making. To her dismay, Emily didn't let it go. "What's the difference between what we did and the real thing?" Emily asked sarcastically, not letting Alison get away with her excuse. "The real thing is with a boy, okay Emily? At least it is for me, and the real thing for you is with another girl who is gay," Alison explained. "Then why couldn't you have told me this after it happened? Why did you say you didn't understand your feelings? Why did you say you were freaking out?" Emily questioned. God she makes everything so difficult. Why can't she just let this go? "I was freaking out about your mom almost catching us," Alison told a partial lie, "I was just scared." Emily held her ground, "What about you not understanding your feelings? What did you mean by that? Feelings about what? The kiss? Me? Why are you scared of me Alison?" The brunette's voice started pleading with her friend, needing some sort of understanding. WHY can't she just drop it? "Because I was scared you were going to get some crush on me or something," Alison said rudely. The air between them intensified. "Can we just drop it Emily?" Emily was squinting her eyes at the blonde, shocked and angry and hurt. "Consider it forgotten," the brunette said harshly. "Emily-" "No. No it's fine. I need to go okay, I've had a long day," Emily said hastily. Alison saw the brown eyes filling with tears when she turned away from her. She can't leave like this. I can't leave it like this. Alison grabbed the back of the brunette's arm, trying to stop her, "Emily-" the blonde was cut off, but from someone else. The two girls were so deep in their heavy conversation, they didn't see Bradley pull up beside them. "Hey babe! Fields? Alison didn't mention you two worked together! How are your elbows and knees?" He asked, hanging out of his driver's side window. Bradley was oblivious to Emily wiping her tears away, but Alison saw. I've hurt her again. I told myself I wouldn't hurt her again. I wanted to fix it and now I've made this even more messy than it was before. "They're fine. Coach benched me for the next few days," Emily answered him. "Damn I'm sorry. Will you be able to swim at Saturday's meet?" Alison saw Emily biting her lip, trying desperately not to cry. "Yeah I should," she answered shortly. "Well I don't know if Alison told you, but there's a big party Friday night. Wanna join us?" Bradley asked. Alison kept her eyes on Emily. "No, thanks though. That's not really my scene. Plus I need a good nights rest before the meet," Emily responded. She's so sweet. I know she's hurting and she's still being kind. "Gotcha. Well if you change your mind let us know. Good to see you again Fields!" Us? Does he really already assume there's an us? Emily nodded and went to open her car door. "Emily-" Alison went to say something to her...anything. "Have a good night Alison," Emily blurted before closing her door. Damnit. "You ready babe?" Bradley asked still unaware of the intensity floating in the air. No. I'm not ready. "Babe?" He asked again. "Can you have a little patience? Jesus! Just give me a minute!" Alison yelled at him. Emily was sitting in her car, waiting for Alison to move out of the way so she could drive. She gently tapped on the window, getting the brunette to roll it down. Alison bent down to be eye level with her friend. "Emily I didn't mean to hurt you. Are we okay? Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" Alison asked. Emily met Alison's eyes, "Maybe. I have a lot catching up to do with swim so I can be ready for the meet," Emily said somewhat dismissively. Please don't shut me out. "Okay, can I call you then?" Please forgive me. "Yeah, sure," Emily mumbled. "Babe common let's go! I got a date planned!" Bradley called out from his car. "Give me a goddamn minute Bradley!" Alison snapped back. Alison leaned back down to the window, "Promise me you're okay?" Alison asked again. Emily broke their eye contact and looked forward, "I'm fine Alison. You better get going. You don't want to make him wait," Emily said in response. "Emily he can wait. Are you sure everything is okay between us?" Alison pleaded. Please tell me it's okay. "Enjoy your date," Emily answered and rolled up her window, making the choice to end their conversation. Alison stepped back from the brunette's car and watched Emily drive away. I'm sorry.
Whew that got a little messy! New flings, jealousy, and some hurtful words. I'm already working on part two, so it shouldn't be too long until it's uploaded. Much love and see you on the flip side. ~3mison
