“Yeah.” Emmy nods up at him, so satisfied from what they did. Brian goes to the door and holds it open slightly, looking down the short hall way and into the suite to see if his daughter is back. Emmy looks into the mirror and fixes herself up.
“Shit.” Brian says to himself as his daughter and the boys enter his field of view as he was just about to leave. His heart pounds. Emmy looks on curiously, also worried about getting caught. Brian waits patiently for the right opportunity. He sees his daughter looking around the suite, probably looking for him. As soon as she turns her back, he leaves down the hall. He enters the main lounge area, as calm and collected as he can be.
“I didn’t see you.” Kelly says as she notices her dad standing there.
“Yeah, I uhh, I went to go see someone down at the lower seats.” He responds casually. The two continue talking. Hidden behind Brian was Danny, who saw him come out of the short hall that leads to the private restroom.
Shortly after, Emmy appears from the short hall. She walks past Danny, not noticing him. “Hey.” He says, startling her a bit.
“Oh, hey.” She says casually, smiling down at him. “You scared me.” Danny looks up at her, being a bit confused by seeing his big sister come out of the same hall as Mr. Howard. “So, whatcha get?” Emmy inquires, her nerves a bit rattled, hoping no one suspects anything, especially her brother.
“Umm… A hat, a puck, and I got you this.” He holds up a stuffed miniature version of the team’s mascot.
“Aw, thanks.” Emmy smiles as she holds the stuffed animal. “Did you say thank you to Mr. Howard?” Danny shakes his head. “Come on.” Emmy leads him to the man who just dropped a load down her throat. She looks down at her brother as Brian notices their presence.
“Thanks for buying me this stuff and for inviting us.” Danny smiles up at him graciously.
“Oh, uh, you’re welcome, bud.” Brian smiles back down. Danny joins Kelly and her brother at the seats. Emmy walks past Brian, both of them smirking at each other. They all sit back down as the second period is moments away from starting.
“Hey, uh… Hey, Emmy.” Jason meekly enters Emmy’s periphery as she stands in front of her locker, chatting with her best friend Kelly. Last period has just ended.
“Hey… Jason.” Emmy replies uncomfortably, her body language giving off a dismissive vibe. She barely notices him at first, turning to face him as Kelly gives off the same dismissive vibe. They’re not used to lesser guys talking to them.
Jason awkwardly stares for a brief moment. “Oh, um… Yeah, I was just wondering when you want to get started on that presentation for global history class.” He utters in a rushed fashion, his stomach rumbling with nervousness. Emmy is his object of intense infatuation, and being paired with her for the project by their teacher is both a blessing and a curse. He gets to spend time with her but he also has to endure the nerve wracking experience of talking to her.
“Um…” Emmy’s mind races with something to say to him, fully aware he’s infatuated with her. Kelly looks down, trying not to laugh. “Well, I don’t know…” Emmy’s eyes shift to the side uncomfortably. She was hoping Jason would just do all the work, because after all he’s been doing a lot of her work throughout the year thus far.
“I was just thinking that since, y-you know, it’s due tomorrow that we could get together and, uh… And finish it.” Jason continues nervously, not able to look her in the face, giving off obviously awkward body language as he fidgets.
“I, uh, I thought you had it.” Emmy forces a smile up to him. Kelly continues to watch the awkward scene from beside her friend, subtly giggling.
“I do, I did… I, uh, well, there’s part of the project that requires us both to work on it.” Jason says in slight trepidation. He’s not good socially, especially with girls he likes. He’s a nerd and she’s a hot popular girl, and he’s well aware of this. “So, if you’re free, I was wondering if we could go to my house.” He concentrates on sounding confident, although it’s mostly a futile effort.
“Um…” Emmy thinks of an excuse or diversion. She turns to Kelly, hoping for her to bail her out.
“I have my dad’s car today, so I can drive you home.” Jason utters as he notices Emmy stammer.
“Yeah, you should go, Emmy.” Kelly speaks up, looking at her uncomfortable friend. “I can’t have you over anyways, my parents are having their anniversary tonight.” She begins to walk away, leaving Emmy behind. “Have fun.” Kelly smiles over her shoulder back at Emmy.
Emmy stares back at her in disbelief, perturbed that she blatantly lied and left her hanging with him. She sighs and decides to just give in. “Sure.”
Jason smiles, but is conscious enough not to smile too much. “Awesome.” He says as he turns. “So, shall we?” He motions with his arm down the long hall way. Emmy awkwardly smiles up at him through the corner of her eye as she begins walking ahead. She stares down at her phone as they walk together. He tries to talk to her about some new movie and she just nods along, not really listening. She keeps a decent distance, subtly looking around for people noticing them together.
“Bitch.” Emmy texts Kelly, who replies in kind with a sarcastic smiley face.
“My car is just across the street.” Jason says as they exit through the main entrance, his nerves having calmed somewhat. Emmy follows him with her arms crossed. They walk past a group of Emmy’s friends, spearheaded by a playfully snickering Kelly. Emmy feels embarrassed. The group observes the two entering the car, one of the guys making a faux cat call sound loudly enough for Emmy to hear as she enters. The group laughs and Emmy gives them a very brief middle finger before slamming the door shut. Jason hears it as well. He may be socially aloof but he knows when he’s being mocked. He stares ahead as he puts the keys into the ignition.
Emmy looks over at him, noticing his dejected expression. “They’re just assholes.” She says in a sympathetic tone, hoping to quell what he must be feeling.
“All right, let’s go.” He shakes it off and begins to drive. He’s used to being mocked. Of course it’s strange that she would ever be with him. But out of survival he’s become accustomed to letting things roll off his back, or at least trying to. Emmy continues to look over at him, feeling sorry. She pities him. It’s not that she doesn’t like him, just that he’s not her type at all and due to typical teenage immaturity and peer pressure, she cannot associate with him. They sit there in silence for a moment. “Hey, uh, were you in a car at this stop light about a week and a half ago?” Jason asks timidly as he drives, remembering the scene he witnessed.
“Hmm?” Emmy fails to hear the question.
“A-at this stop light almost two weeks ago, after school when I walked with you down the hall. I thought I saw you in a car when I was crossing the street.” He focuses on making sure she hears him.
“Oh, uh…” Emmy remembers the event, being jerked down to Mr. Butler’s lap as he panicked upon seeing Jason. “Nope. Must have been someone else.” She lies casually.