"Emerald Summers? Can you please come up?"
Emerald stood up from her seat after a moment's hesitation, trying her best to calm her nerves.
She was nervous.
How the next few seconds played out would be the basis of her high school experience. And even more nerve-wracking, it would be entirely up to the countless eyes staring at her.
Of course, Emerald knew she couldn't be the only one feeling this way. Those in the desks surrounding had to be in the same boat. Such a thought should have been a comfort, so why did the growing knot in her stomach refuse to disappear?
I just have to do it. Showing up is half the battle... right?
Unsure if she just butchered a quote from some old white guy, Emerald took a deep breath and strode to the front of the room. She did not forget to put on what she hoped was an inviting smile, giving the twenty-something students a light wave.
"Hello. My name is Emerald, but you all can call me Em or Emmy. Nice to meet you."
Not wanting to come across as too formal, she didn't bow like cultures outside the US did. She also didn't want to talk on and on. She wanted to come off as friendly, but in a casual sort of way. She certainly didn't want to give off the impression she was trying too hard.
What Emerald was aiming for was a short and sweet first day of school introduction that would get her noticed: make her approachable.
With a nervous tick in her heart, she gave the class a once over. She was wondering how she did, but upon looking, she was very pleased to take note of the several interested gazes of her classmates.
Emerald hid her immediate sigh of relief.
Good, she hadn't botched it.
The teacher thanked her, and she sat down feeling very satisfied with herself.
But as she went to sit down, she caught sight of something.
Her movements were on autopilot as she slid into her desk, staring straight ahead, but her eyes slowly drifted to the left, as she knew they would.
Sitting at the desk next to her was... a peculiarity.
How Emerald hadn't noticed until now, she had no idea, but now that she did, all she could do was stare. Yeah, she did a lot of staring. The person—male specifically—made for quite the strange sight.
If it wasn't too self-praising, Emerald would say she was a very studious person.
It wasn't to the point that she would ask for extra homework, but she would definitely follow the rules and show proper courtesy in the classroom.
It was just common sense after all.
So, when she saw the boy next to her slumped over his desk, cheek pressed against the wood, blond hair sprayed over his eyes... that definitely gave her pause for bewilderment.
He was sleeping on the first day of school, or rather, he was completely passed out.
Either that or he was dead.
The second she had come up with that idea, her heart immediately started beating faster, even if it really shouldn't have. Hadn't she seen news reports about students having heart attacks due to increased levels of stress? Emerald swallowed. He IS breathing right?
She squinted, a trickle of nervousness beginning to prick at her neck, but was moderately relieved to see the boy's body just barely moving up and down. She also relaxed her shoulders.
Then, upon calming down, Emerald grew flustered at how quickly she imagined a worst-case scenario, especially when in all likelihood this person was just sleeping in class because he stayed up late.
But that was when she noticed something else.
What in the...?
Along the boy's cheek were incredibly small, neat letters drawn in sharpie.
It was a sentence.
It instantly struck her as odd that someone could write so many words along the small stretch of skin that was someone's cheek, but she briefly ignored that in favor of reading what was written.
So Emerald read.
And once she finished reading, she read it again.
...And again.
To whom it may concern, this brat will definitely try to skip, so ask for the schedule I put in his backpack and park his ass in a seat.
—Mom
Emerald slowly blinked in disbelief.
Rather than voicing her confusion, which she certainly felt the urge to do, she instead chose to look around, wondering if she was the only one who noticed this abnormality.
This was not the case.
It... somewhat... relieved her to realize several others were also casting furtive glances at the boy's direction, their brows cocked in confusion.
However, these feelings of perplexity were dispelled as the teacher suddenly cleared her throat.
"Alright, next is... Hunnigan? Alex Hunnigan? Can you please come to the front to introduce yourself?"
Silence.
"Mr. Hunnigan?"
Once again, silence.
Emerald had a sneaking suspicion she knew who this 'Alex' was.
Her guess was proved correct not a moment later when the teacher's confused eyes looked up from her papers and narrowed at one student in particular.
Thus, Emerald found herself not the only one staring as the teacher marched right up to Alex, gently nudging his shoulder.
"Alex," the teacher whispered. "Alex, wake up, this is no time for sleeping."
Emerald thought the approach was rather gentle considering he was taking up valuable class time, a fact that the teacher seemed to have realized as well, since after the boy didn't stir at all, the woman engaged more seriously.
"Mr. Hunnigan...!" Her tone rose several octaves, and it finally caused a reaction.
"Wuh, Wait, don't... don't eat me officer..... I didn't... didn't..." His head moved the slightest bit along the desk and his voice slurred out something ridiculous, but he did not wake up.
He did snore, however.
The teacher's eye twitched.
Emerald's stomach clamped, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing. She did allow her lips to curve upward, though.
It was the tiniest bit funny, just a little bit.
However, her classmates didn't show nearly that much restraint as muffled snickers and giggles echoed amongst them.
But, fed up with the spectacle was their teacher, and she showed that by slamming her hands on the boy's desk. "Mr. Hunnigan!"
That did something.
Alex's head shot up like a rocket and he nearly fell out of his seat. But through what looked to be complete chance, the legs of his chair didn't send him sprawling backwards, because he suddenly leaned forwards instead.
However, unfortunately for him, that just meant his head slammed against the desk with a resounding impact.
"Ugh..."
Emerald couldn't help but wince, both at the pained groan and at the contact.
The boy's eyes were out of focus, clearly disorientated. He rubbed his face with an arm, looking around. "Where the hell am I...?" He might have even been talking to himself, as he wasn't even looking at anyone in particular.
The teacher crossed her arms, however. "You're in class, Mr. Hunnigan."
"...Class?"
"Yes, at school. Freshman year. Homeroom."
Now properly looking the woman's way, Alex stared at her with a bleary expression, unblinking. He kept it for a few moments longer before his mouth formed an 'o' shape, his brows shooting up—a look of clear understanding.
He gets it now, right?
Emerald really hoped so, but she couldn't be sure what he was thinking with that dumb looking face of his. That wasn't her trying to be rude—not really. It was just because the boy didn't quite look... all there.
But even if it was unclear what he might say or do next, she figured normalcy would surely return.
Again, it was just common sense.
She was wrong.
"No, no. School starts on Monday," Alex pointed out, and Emerald worriedly noticed the teacher clench her fists against the lapel of her outfit.
"...Mr. Hunnigan. It is Monday."
Alex blinked owlishly.
"It is?"
"Yes..." the woman forced out.
There was a silence before Alex spoke again, and Emerald had the distinct feeling that her next few years in this school would be anything but boring, and she didn't quite know how she felt about that.
Alex's response came like a wrecking ball.
"Well then how the hell did I get here?"
The woman looked like she wanted to throw something.
"W-What is wrong with you? How do you not know the answer to that?!"
Their teacher completely lost her cool.
"...Because save for saying that you were drugged, kidnapped, and tossed onto our front steps, I really don't know what else to think Mr. Hunnigan...!"
The woman likely didn't even realize her voice had turned shrill; eyes bloodshot.
But Emerald wasn't focused on that.
She was looking at Alex's expression as he took in such a passionate tirade. But he wasn't even looking at the older woman anymore. Instead, his brow quirked, eyes roaming off to the side.
It seemed like he suddenly had an epiphany.
"That bitch..."
"What?!"
"Ah, no. I wasn't talking to you. Also, could you lower your voice? This headache is killing me..."
"EXCUSE ME?!"
Why was Emerald already tired?
At some point, her eyes drifted off to the ceiling, which she just stared at vacantly.
Again, how was it possible that she was already tired, not even an hour into the first day of school? She didn't know, but she had the feeling that when she got home, her bed would look very inviting.
...
...
...
"Emerald, can you step outside for a moment?"
Emerald looked up from the book she had been reading.
The teacher beckoned her to follow her out into the hallway.
The woman, or rather Miss Charlotte, seemed like a stern woman by nature, and that idea was only enforced by how she had slightly lost her temper earlier.
Although Emerald would be the absolute last person blaming her for doing so.
I would too if I was placed in THAT situation...
Nevertheless, while nervous she might have done something to gain the woman's ire, she still complied and walked to the door, even with the dozens of curious eyes following her every move.
Upon exiting, Miss Charlotte was waiting with her arms crossed right next to a nearby vending machine.
To Emerald's relief, when their gazes met, the woman smiled.
"Sorry to call you out like that Emerald. Let me assure you, you're not in any trouble. I just wanted to ask you for a favor."
Emerald blinked, already feeling lost.
A favor?
And one from her?
Out of all the things she expected to come out of the teacher's mouth, that was the last thing. She emphasized this by pointing at herself dumbly. "M-Me?"
Miss Charlotte nodded.
"I would normally ask an aide to do it, but... they're rather busy with other tasks—it being the first day and all. Of course, you're free to refuse if you want to. But would you be willing to hear me out?"
"Uh, yes, of course." Emerald didn't know how else to reply. Of course, whether she could do it or not depended on what was said. She would have to hear her out first before coming to a decision.
The teacher nodded again; however, her face looked a bit strained.
"Well, it's about Alex..."
Alex—the name floated in the air.
At first, she felt only confusion. Not a single shroud of recognition came with it. But then, just as sudden, she widened her eyes as she remembered. "Y-You mean...?"
The woman offered a wry smile.
"Yes. If it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask you to stick with him during the day and make sure he finds his classes. Again, I normally wouldn't just ask some random student to perform this task... but your instructors from middle school had nothing but good things to say about you, so I thought you'd be plenty capable."
Emerald's pulse abruptly quickened. My teachers? They said that about me?
"Besides..." Miss Charlotte, ignorant of the reaction she caused, continued. "I've heard you've shown interest in being a teacher, yes? Just think of this as a way of putting yourself through some of the things that come with the job... yes... all the things... so many things..."
"M-Miss Charlotte?"
The woman coughed. "Ah, don't mind that, anyway, what would you like to do, Emerald? If not you, I will ask someone else, so don't feel like you're obligated to accept."
Emerald stood there, thinking.
Miss Charlotte was right. She had been interested in becoming a teacher. So, such an opportunity should have been an easy decision for her. But there was a factor in this she still wasn't sure about.
Alex.
By accepting, she would have to lead, interact with, and overall be next to the kind of person who mouthed off to the teacher AND called his own mother a bitch.
...There was actually no proof of that latter point, but still, Emerald was sure nothing good would come from associating with a person like that.
But...
Miss Charlotte had come to her first.
On top of that, her previous teachers had left such glowing praises about her. If she refused, wouldn't she be letting them down? In that case, it would be rude to abandon this responsibility.
Emerald let out a small breath, her hesitation slowly fading. She looked at the woman and gave her a nod.
"I'll do it. You won't regret picking me for this, Miss Charlotte."
...
...
...
Emerald sincerely regretted being picked for this.
"A-Alex?"
"..."
"C-Can you hear me?"
"..."
Class had ended, and upon approaching the person she had been tasked with aiding, she had immediately run into issues.
The blond boy had his head down on his desk, but this time, he wasn't sleeping, or at least, he didn't look to be.
No, he was just ignoring her.
"Alex please," Emerald begged. "The teacher asked me to help you."
"Do you have any aspirin?"
Emerald blinked, surprised that she received a response, but immediately furrowed her brow in confusion. "Um, no?"
"Then please, by all means, explain to me how it is you intend to help me. ...Ugh, my head. Crazy bitch, drugging her own son..."
I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.
She felt faint, but quickly recovered.
"W-Well, maybe come lunch time, we can head to the nurse. B-But for now, we really need to make sure you know where your classes are. I mean, wouldn't it be disastrous if you missed the first day? Think of what the teachers would think. A-And the information you would lose out on...!"
Alex finally raised his head to look at her, hazel eyes narrowed.
Her attention immediately went to the lack of ink on his cheek. The teacher had brought it to his attention sometime during the lesson and the boy had quite the pissed off expression when he went to bathroom to wash it off.
Huh, a pissed off expression kind of like the one staring at her right now.
"Oh God, you're one of those, aren't you...?"
"Huh?"
Alex sighed, tilting his head sideways, and his eyes left her, as if bored of the conversation. "Never mind. Alright lady, lead the way. Get this over with..."
Emerald forced a smile.
Lady...?
She was more than happy he assented, but she found herself getting caught up by that. Then she remembered.
Ah, I guess he didn't hear my introduction earlier because he was sleeping. That's okay, I'll just remind him again.
"M-My name is Emerald. I introduced myself earlier."
The boy's expression suddenly turned quite apologetic, making her feel relieved. It seemed Alex wasn't as rude as she first thought.
"Ah my bad, Emmitt."
"It's fi—…... "
She stared at him.
He was smiling.
"...Um, no. It's Emerald. Like," She felt her face grow hot. "...t-the jewel."
"I know, I heard you, Emmitt."
She bit the inside of her cheek. "Emerald."
"That's what I said."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"...What's my name?"
"It's Elizabeth. You just told me."
"Y-You just changed it again!"
Alex looked truly flummoxed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about... Eclaire."
"It's—!" Emerald just barely managed to stop herself at the precipice of screaming. Instead, she took a deep breath. You know what? It's fine. He's obviously doing it on purpose. Don't be goaded Emerald. You already knew he was this type of person. You can do it. Be the better person.
Emerald stared him down.
He was still grinning at her, and he moved his hand to gesture towards the door. "Shall we go, Miss: Like-The-Jewel?"
I knew he wouldn't let that go---I felt narcistic for saying it!
Emerald resisted the urge to growl, her fists clenching at her sides.
If her parents could hear what she was thinking, they would be thoroughly surprised.
But Emerald couldn't find it within her to care.
No one told her being the better person would be so hard.
Biting the back of her teeth, she wordlessly walked into the hall without even waiting for him.
Alex laughed.
...
...
...
Surprisingly, the task wasn't as hard as Emerald had initially thought.
Immediately after Miss Charlotte's class ended, they hurried to Alex's second class. Luckily, he didn't drag his feet, nor did he need her much after she dropped him off. She was thankful for that, because she still had to hurry to her own classes.
"I'll come to your class after each period, so wait for me and don't wander off, okay?" she said, in the back of her mind feeling like she was talking to a child. Emerald thought he might protest in some way, but he surprised her.
"Sure."
With only that, and a brief yawn, he walked off.
I really don't understand him...
Alex's abnormal behavior lingered in the back of her mind, but Emerald nonetheless tried to make good on her initial goal.
In fact, she gave a very successful introduction during second period, and multiple people began including her in their conversations from there on.
She was overjoyed.
Apparently, making friends wasn't as challenging without a classmate causing double, triple, and quadruple takes.
The rest of the classes went by like a breeze, and dare she say, she had fun.
When lunch came around, she was invited to eat with the group of girls she hit it off with. They talked about trivial things, but with passion Emerald had so desperately been longing for.
She was no stranger to having friends, but it was usually always quality over quantity, the few over the many.
That was her experience in both elementary school and middle school.
The difference was glaring.
So many people wanted to chat with her now.
It... was a nice feeling.
"So, what's the deal with that Alex guy? Aren't you showing him around, Em?"
"Huh?"
Three girls bored into her with inquisitive expressions, and she was reminded where she was.
Raucous conversations surrounded her on all sides, as did the several dozen lunch tables filled to the brim.
Realizing that she had left their question unanswered, Emerald's bottom scooted forward in her seat, long hair nearly falling into the half-eaten bowl of tomato soup in front of her.
To hide the fact that she had completely spaced out, she faked a cough.
"Y-Yeah, um, that's right."
Lizzie, who had asked the question, leaned back, sipping what looked to be some brand of fruity beverage. "Must be a pain, being called on to do something like that. That's because you're some kind of honor student, right?"
Emerald smiled awkwardly. "Something like that..."
She didn't feel the need to mention what her old teachers had said about her. It felt like needless bragging, something that she never liked doing.
Another girl, with blonde—almost platinum—hair, Beth, gazed at her, propping her head up with her elbows. "Hey, he hasn't done anything weird to you, right? I hear he caused a scene during first period."
Labeling it as causing a scene is an understatement, Emerald immediately thought, but that was before her brain latched onto the beginning of what was said. Huh? Anything weird?
Various risqué images flew through her head, but just as quickly they disappeared. Her friends—which still felt really weird to say—were giving intent looks, as if waiting for something. Did they expect her to get embarrassed, blush like some maiden in love?
As if she would do something like that.
Emerald answered the question.
"Weird, yes. Inappropriate, no."
"So he's not secretly a deviant? Laaaaame." Now Alyssa chimed in with an overly dramatic sulk.
Emerald failed to see how that was a bad thing, but giggled, nonetheless.
Conversations like this: talking about boys, saying stupid stuff, gossiping in general—her anxieties surrounding her high school experience were slowly washing away.
The rest of the classes blurred by and not even the scant interactions with Alex put a damper on her ever-growing mood.
Before she knew it, the final bell of the day rang. She left her final class, and not even a second later, her phone buzzed.
It was Alyssa.
Well, not just her.
ALYSSA: Who down to hang out?
Two responses came instantaneously.
BETH: Dis girl~!
LIZZIE: Sounds good, mall?
ALYSSA: Yup! Em?
She had her answer.
EMERALD: Srry, cant, need to pick up younger sister.
Even if it would be fun to hang out with friends, she couldn't forget that Mia would be waiting for her when she was let out.
Huh?
The messages had completely stopped, which was weird since compared to before, they were trading texts back and forth just a few seconds ago. As she was thinking she had made a mistake, her phone chimed.
ALYSSA: YOU HAVE A YOUNGER SISTER?! HOW OLD?! IS SHE CUTE?! GIVE ME PICS!
Emerald stared for a little while, before a smile tugged at her lips.
EMERALD: No way weirdo
She pocketed her phone and approached the students congregating at the main doors. Reaching the push-open doors that made up the school entrance, she put energy into her arms, but stopped just short of opening them.
A thought came to her.
Should I... check on him?
Emerald nearly forgot about a responsibility she had.
For several seconds, she just continued to stand there, mulling it over. But eventually, she shook her head.
No, it should be fine.
Technically, her job ended the moment she showed him to his sixth class. There wasn't really a reason in checking up on him one more time.
Emerald could just do that tomorrow.
Plus, that guy probably went home already... Yes, knowing Alex, he probably sprinted out the door the moment the day ended.
Despite feeling irresponsible at leaving a job half-finished—or maybe nine tenths finished in this case?—Emerald still pushed the door open and walked out, content to just forget about Alex and all his craziness for the remainder of the day.
The wind instantly hit her face and she felt the urge to reach into her bag and grab her scarf. But after being inside a stuffy classroom all day, she found herself content in the breeze hitting her exposed nape and loose hair. The white-dyed strands flew in her face, and she reached out to push them back.
Taking a right immediately, she walked along the building exterior. Most students were heading to the parking lot to get in their cars, but Emerald didn't have one. Rather, she didn't need one. She lived not even five minutes away. However, the direction she was walking in wasn't where her house was.
Emerald picked up the pace.
Even if she's already seven, I still can't help but worry.
It might be a bit strange, but her sister's elementary school stood almost shoulder to shoulder with their high school.
And while the neighborhood was safe enough for children to come and go as they pleased, Emerald still felt a familial duty to look after her younger sibling, which is why she wanted to walk home with her. It was something she had always done, and something she would continue to love doing.
After passing a collection of houses, the elementary school was in sight. Before Emerald knew it, a small smile blossomed on her face.
Now she just had to find Mia, wherever she was.
She was right upon the school's main entrance, and she looked around, trying to find the bouncy brown curls of her younger sister's head.
I told her to wait here so where—...
Emerald stopped.
She found who she was looking for.
But.
"Misterrrrrr! Don't gooooo!"
"Get off."
"Nooo! You're trying to leave all of a sudddeeennn!"
"Yeah, that should have been obvious in my 'walking away'. Now get off my leg."
"No! No! No! Emmy would have helped me!"
A girl with a cute face and brown curly hair had her eyes clenched shut, throwing quite the impressive tantrum right outside the school's main entrance, which was in full view of cars coming and going, parents and children alike.
Consequently, Emerald was forced to take note of the plethora of gazes that were somehow both disapproving and amused as they watched the spectacle.
And that spectacle was her own flesh and blood, Mia Summers, who Emerald could only gawk at as she treated someone's leg as if it were a stuffed teddy bear, absolutely determined not to part with it.
It was the most backwards application of 'stranger danger' she had ever seen.
But that wasn't all.
Not even close.
What stumped Emerald even more, was that the person she was with wasn't a stranger at all—at least, not to Emerald.
She immediately recognized him.
It was rather hard not to, as the characteristic blond hair, hazel eyes, and scowling expression made it quite easy.
Yes.
Especially the scowling expression.
What is he doing here?
For what reason was her amazing, super cute, impressionable little sister with her borderline sociopathic classmate?
Emerald's first thoughts jumped to kidnapping, which she would have happily complimented by calling the police, if it wasn't for the fact that this scene painted quite the clear picture of the opposite.
If anything, it was Mia kidnapping Alex.
Okay, that was a rather weird thought. It was more like the young girl didn't seem to be letting him leave.
But why?
Emerald didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"Hey, little girl, where's your owner? Go bother them."
"...B-But, my knee—"
Knee?
Emerald was quick to find what she was talking about. J
ust barely exposed by the leg of Mia's yellow shorts, was the skin of her kneecap. It looked slightly enflamed. It wasn't bleeding, but it certainly was a scrape.
Mia continued. "—You told me you'd help..."
"No, I told you to ask someone who cares."
"A-And I asked you..." Mia's eyes quivered.
Alex smiled down at her gently. "And I don't care~."
The little girl looked like a balloon had popped in her face.
That was Emerald's cue to step in.
She might have been able to restrain her temper when she was the one under his snarky behavior, but her sister was a different story.
To subject her to Alex's questionable charm any further would be tantamount to damning someone to the farthest reaches of hell. And it was sad that she wasn't exaggerating. She really felt that not even her worst enemy should have to deal with Alex, much less a seven-year-old girl.
"What do you think you're doing to my sister...?!" Emerald called out, her voice coming out louder than expected.
They both looked over at the same time.
"Emmy!" Mia's eyes narrowed in recognition and joy.
Alex's showed confusion—at first.
That soon shifted to relief as a happy smile appeared on his face. No, not a smile. He accentuated this by raising his hand, repeatedly jabbing a finger at Mia still clutched to his leg.
His message could not be clearer.
Hey Big sis, take care of this problem for me, will you?
She ground her teeth.
Is he serious?
Emerald had helped him find his classes, and even been worried that she should have done more, but upon the meeting again, rather than greet her or show ANY kind of familiarity that indicated the time of day she had given him, the first thing he did was assume she would bail him out of a troublesome situation?
Now, Emerald would be the first to admit she was a bit of a pushover when it came to other people. She embodied the path of least resistance.
Thus, she typically wasn't the type of person to complain even when given unfair jobs.
Reflecting a bit, that was probably why her teachers liked her so much.
Therefore, it would be completely natural for her to do all three of the following: pry Mia from Alex's leg, apologize for the trouble she caused him, and go home, like the good people-pleasing girl that she often was.
"..."
But for some reason, and it may have to do with a certain irritating blond, Emerald was feeling a bit spiteful today.
She spoke.
"Mia, did this rude guy bully you? You can tell me if he did." She looked at Mia as she asked, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the sudden furrowing of Alex's brow. He might have wanted to say something, but the second he opened his mouth—
"Yes! Yes, he did! I tripped right in front of him and scraped my knee a-a-a-and he just walked right past me!"
"...Did he really?"
It really wasn't a question.
That sounded exactly like something he would do.
Emerald glared at him, but he instantly avoided her eyes.
It wasn't from nervousness.
Far from it.
His face looked completely unconcerned. She would even say he looked rather apathetic about the whole ordeal.
She broke her stare by unshouldering her bag, reaching into the confines for a Band-Aid she knew she had for express purposes like this.
She approached Mia and softly rubbed her head. "Mia, I've got a band-Aid for you."
The girl's eyes quivered. "O-Okay."
With a few more consoling words and reassurances, Emerald was able to convince Mia to let go of Alex, much to the boy's relief.
In fact, he expressed this by immediately turning on his heel and walking away.
However, she had no intention of letting that happen.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He stopped, looking at her over his shoulder. "I'm going home, why?" Eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, did you want to come with? Oh, I'm flattered Emily, but I barely know you."
Emerald bit back the urge to scream that her name wasn't Emily, and that she wouldn't be caught dead following him back to ANY kind of enclosed space, ever, but she fought past it.
"What I meant is," she stressed, "don't you have something you should be saying right now?" She looked at him imploringly, waiting.
His expression, however, was unchanging, looking from her to Mia, switching several times. Finally though, his eyes widened as his gaze settled on Mia.
Thank you! If he had taken any longer, she would have been convinced he was well and truly stupid.
Emerald's expectations were absolutely betrayed.
Alex wagged a finger at Mia.
"Listen here little girl. You shouldn't go around touching random men. You don't know where they've bee—"
Emerald nearly cracked down on her teeth she bit them so hard. "You were supposed to apologize for ignoring her when she fell, you ass...!" She was practically seething, breathing in deep breaths that could be seen as ragged pants. "Why are you trying this hard to be so unlikeable...?!" she all but growled out.
Her anger extended that far.
It was as if Alex saw this as a contest, as if he was actively trying to find the most proficient ways to piss someone off.
"Emmitt I'm hurt."
He looked at her with sadness, and she didn't believe it for a moment due to how his mouth was twitching. "Surely you're not saying being myself isn't good enough?"
"That is NOT my name! And yes! That's exactly what I'm saying!"
If someone told Emerald that she would get into heated spats with a boy her own age on the first day of school, she would have given that person a funny look and walked off.
But now...
Now she couldn't imagine dealing with Alex in any other way.
He was just that much of an asshole.
And that insult wasn't even a curse word to her anymore. He WAS one: just like how water was wet, just like how dogs barked, and just like how if people were told not to think about something, they would.
The point was, it was now a fact of the world to her. Alex was undeniably, unequivocally, incorrigibly, an asshole.
"Emmy, are you guys dating?"
"What?!"
—Which is why that question caught her completely flat footed.
The question was so sudden that Emerald might have gotten whiplash from how fast her head snapped in Mia's direction, as if slapped.
There was her sister, staring at her with an innocuous expression.
Thoughts that she had misheard the question dashed from her mind. But even then, she was still flabbergasted. Her mouth opened and closed, but not a single thing came out. Speaking was way too complex if she couldn't even get her thoughts in order.
Who was dating? Me? And with who?
When dealing with grief, denial was the first stage, thus, Emerald vehemently denied it for all she was worth. There was no embarrassment to be had. Why would there be? Did someone get embarrassed when they were in an absurd situation?
No, they simply processed it at their own pace until they understood.
But Emerald had forgotten one very cruel fact.
"Dating? Me, and your sister?"
Alex gave Mia the briefest of glances, but then he turned towards her.
Emerald reflexively stiffened up.
She didn't know why, but there was something about the boy's gaze that made her uncomfortable. After all, he was quite obviously looking her up and down, and it made her skin crawl.
But abruptly, Alex shook his head.
"Yeah, no. I could do way better."
Huh?
Reality suddenly shifted in on itself.
Or at least, that's what it seemed like.
What actually happened was that Emerald lost perception of everything happening around her. The indistinct conversations of people passing by became muted. The slight breeze no longer felt biting against her skin. The colors meshed into an unsightly monochrome of unrecognizable blurs.
Then.
"Ha...ha..." Her shoulders shook.
Right. Of course.
A white-hot feeling emanated from the core of her stomach, threatening to spill over, rising to the surface with desperate urgency. She felt the slightest urge to stamp it out and let it pass.
In fact, that's what she would have done.
"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Alex's infuriatingly dumb expression met her eyes.
She pushed the white-hot feeling over the edge.
...
...
...
"Emmy, is everything okay...?"
Emerald turned her head.
As they walked hand in hand, Mia was looking at her with trembling eyes. The sight caused her distress, so she was quick to reassure her. "Yes, Mia." She smiled and squeezed the girl's hand a little tighter. "There's nothing to worry about."
"...Promise?"
"Yeah." With her other hand, she ruffled the girl's hair. "Promise."
"Then why is Alex still laughing?"
Right...
That was a very good question.
Emerald let out a long sufferable sigh as she snuck a look over her shoulder.
Trailing a few steps behind them was Alex, desperately trying to hold in his snickers. She guessed she should be thankful he calmed down at all, because before, he was laughing so hard he looked like he was about to pass out.
And wouldn't that be a damn shame...
Anyway, it pissed her off, but not nearly as pissed as she was with herself.
Heat creeped around her neck and similarly, she felt her face flush.
Just thinking of what happened not even a couple minutes ago made her mortified beyond belief, so much so that she wanted to crawl into a corner and die. Or she had, rather. Now she was just at the level of wanting to stab herself repeatedly with a sewing needle.
"Pffftt! Snrk! Hahahahaha..."
...Or she would stab Alex if he didn't stop laughing.
But once again, the only person she had to blame was herself.
To make a long story extremely short—they had to be escorted out of Mia's school.
Actually, she should start again.
Emerald was the only person who was escorted out, forcibly she might add.
Alex was treated as a victim, and Mia, a bystander.
Now, those terms weren't exactly wrong considering what had transpired.
She might have lost her temper and freaked out. She might have done things that could be construed as public assault in the middle of an institution for children. And a police officer might have been in the area, and he might have seen her do those things.
Basically, she had been nearly arrested.
And for some reason, Alex had found it the funniest thing in the world.
"T-That was amazing—haha! I had you all wrong Emmitt. You didn't even hesitate! See, why can't you let that side of you out more often? Ow, that still stings..." The boy winced as he gingerly touched his bright red cheek.
Yes.
That had been entirely her doing.
But any satisfaction she would have felt were washed away by two things: one, that again, she had been almost arrested and tried for assault—she wasn't even eighteen yet! If her parents ever found out she would be grounded in multiple life sentences!
And two, the prick she slapped was strangely happy about the whole thing.
Then again, it had already been confirmed Alex was a sociopath. Of course, that made her a sociopath by association since she had tried to attack such a person in front of an elementary school...
Emerald looked up at the sky.
Where had it all gone wrong again?
"I-It's okay Emmy. We're going to get ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better!"
Luckily, she was saved from her depressing thoughts by Mia, boundless excitement aplenty. And it must have been infectious, because she found herself smiling right back, giggling.
"Can't argue with that logic, now can I?"
"Ice cream, right? I'll pay," came the voice behind her.
Emerald came to a full stop, looking at Alex with what she hoped was reproach.
"You? Paying?"
He faked a step back. "Such faith lady... It's an apology for nearly getting you arrested. Ah, and a thank you as well." He grinned. "The look on your face when they pulled out the handcuffs?! Haha!"
Emerald sighed.
She really couldn't understand him.
Just like she couldn't understand the reason why he lied when the officer asked what had led to their public disturbance.
Telling an officer of the law he had called her a bitch, with a completely straight face, yeah, that was the last thing she expected. She was stunned, but not nearly as stunned as the officer was. But after that, the man just told them to leave the premises.
Most likely, if Alex hadn't done that, she would have been 'brought in'—as the officer put it.
Emerald shivered, thankful that she had avoided a mark on her record, but not nearly so thankful that she would give Alex her heartfelt appreciation.
Anyway, she had proposed ice cream before they went home, and Mia was all for it.
Speaking of her sister... she had let go of her hand at some point.
"Alex, give me a piggyback ride!"
"How 'bout no? Giving me incentive to drop you on the concrete probably isn't the best idea."
Mia giggled.
And that was another thing.
Despite Alex's all-around rude behavior, which would and SHOULD cause any member of the opposite sex to stay far FAR away from him, it somehow didn't deter Mia in the slightest.
Granted, she was only seven, but still.
The girl skirted around the boy with a pep in her step, eyes displaying excitement never shown to those her own age. Just by looking, anyone might think that Mia was infatuated with Alex, but Emerald didn't think that was it.
"Alex! Alex! Your hair is so messy! You need to fix it!"
"Shows what you know you little brat. Bedhead's back in style."
Alex just said whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to. He didn't care about people's opinions. In fact, Emerald thought it would be accurate to say he received satisfaction from being seen in a bad light.
That would certainly add up.
But for Mia, she didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing to him because Alex was already always saying all types of wrong things.
His blunt and mean-spirited nature held childishness obviously, but probably just enough maturity to appeal to someone younger. Mia could be whoever she wanted because she could afford to. She didn't feel pressured not to. Yes, looking at her now, there was no hesitance at all.
Mia was obviously having fun.
If their parents saw this scene, they would be pleasantly surprised... and a little bit at a loss.
After all, the person getting Mia to open up was an older boy, and not a particularly likable one at that.
Mom would probably love him because she likes his type of humor. Dad...
Emerald cringed.
Their dad would kill him.
He was the protective sort.
It probably wasn't a good idea for those two to meet, ever.
She could easily imagine what would happen. Alex would definitely rile him up, and he would do it on purpose too.
'So sir, were you aware that your daughter is a colossal bitch?'
'E-Excuse me?!'
She shook her head.
Yeah, not happening... wait.
Emerald nearly stopped walking.
Why am I already thinking of introducing him like I've known him forever?!
Her face burned.
She was not the type to talk to boys so flippantly.
In fact, if she was given the option of having a male partner for an assignment or working by herself, she would choose the latter every time. It's not like she was afraid of them, they just gave her a... primordial nervousness that she couldn't force down.
That was normal, right?
Feeling a slight amount of aversion to the opposite sex was present in everyone, no matter old they were.
Alex was different, however.
Ugh...
She almost threw up in her mouth because of how lovey-dovey that sounded.
Not pleasantly different, no, not even close.
Atrociously different.
His patented doucebag-ery seemed to give rise to an anger within Emerald that she didn't even know she possessed, and it somehow suppressed the copious nervousness she felt towards males. But since trading nervousness for fury wasn't necessarily a good thing, she wasn't sure how she felt about that...
Oh god, please don't tell me this is my type.
Thoughts of the sewing needle were coming back.
"Ice cream~! Ice cream~! We all scream for ice cream~!"
According to Mia, the ice cream store was within sight, and the girl was doing a rather poor job at containing her excitement.
They needed to pass a relatively quiet intersection first however, so Emerald veered away to activate the signal for the crosswalk, smiling all the while. "Yes, yes Mia, I see it, but you have to be patie—M-Mia...!"
Without warning, Mia dashed into the road.
Emerald completely froze up, and a silent foreboding crept down her spine.
Then her stomach dropped as a sound of tires accompanied the dull thrum of an engine, and before she even realized what she was doing, instead of jumping after Mia, her body betrayed her as she looked towards the source of the sound.
A sharp feeling stabbed into her heart as dark SUV sped by, straight towards the one person in the middle of the street.
Terror.
Emerald's entire body was washed away in a soul crippling terror as she whipped her head back to Mia, to scream, to move, to do anything at all to prevent the very worst from happening. Her mouth opened, her useless legs trudged forward and—
A single despairing thought crippled her.
I'm too la—
At that moment.
Mia's arm was grabbed and yanked backwards. The automobile blurred past, vanishing down the street as if it hadn't even existed in the first place.
"…"
Emerald forgot how to breathe.
Just the simple act of blinking would have left her missing it, but she hadn't. She had watched, with stupefied shock, as someone pulled her sister away at the very brink of getting hit. It wasn't her—that much was obvious given the distance between them.
That meant it could have only been one person.
"A-Alex, that hurts..."
Mia shifted in discomfort as Alex held her upper arm, and as if only now realizing this, he suddenly released her as if struck, taking a few steps back. Emerald only understood why when she saw the part of Mia's arm Alex had gripped.
A light bruise covered the girl's flesh.
Her eyes trailed back to Alex reflexively and their gazes met. When he saw her face, he frowned. She wondered what kind of expression she was wearing to cause a reaction like that, but he brought her back to reality by jerking his head noncommittally.
Emerald almost needed to be told what that meant.
Almost.
"E-Emmy?"
As soon as she heard that trembling voice, her legs were already moving towards the source.
Mia's shoulders were hunched close together, and her quivering eyes were filled with uncertainty.
It was unclear just how much the girl understood what had almost happened to her, but that didn't matter. Emerald embraced the girl, squeezing her tightly. "It's okay," she soothed. "Everything is okay. You're safe. I got you."
Mia sobbed, her body now wracked with tremors, and Emerald continued to comfort her as best she could. She patted her hair down in slow rhythmic motions. "Please," she whispered—no—begged. "Please don't ever do something like that again."
She felt the young girl shiver in her grip.
"Emmy, I'm sorry...! Please don't hate me..."
"That's not possible." Emerald hugged her tighter. "I'm just glad you're safe."
Yes, more than anything, she was glad, so glad that she too was crying now. She felt the hot bitter tears run down her cheeks, but they were also sweet. Her relief that her sister was safe far outweighed any kind of discontent regarding what had almost happened.
"It's okay. It's okay." She continued to offer such reassurances as Mia's face buried deeper into her nape.
Emerald didn't delude herself into thinking they were just for Mia.
It was herself that needed convincing.
If only for a moment, she needed to assure herself definitively that her sister was actually alive, that she hadn't been killed, that what she was hugging right now wasn't a bloody lifeless body killed instantly by 5,000 pounds of steel.
But no, Mia was breathing into her neck, she was shivering in her arms, and her warmth was being transmitted to like a beacon in a foggy storm.
The nightmare she had concluded as reality hadn't happened.
Mia was still here.
That was when a low mutter caught her ears.
"Girls look cute when they cry...? Yeah, my Dad was obviously high..."
Emerald blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked towards the source. Alex was standing there, alternating between them with a doubtful look. She hadn't even properly heard him, but she was fairly certain she was insulted.
But for the first time, she wasn't bothered by that. In fact, she was surprised by the relief that came with it, along with... another feeling.
"..."
Emerald grinned, and when Alex saw it, he raised an eyebrow.
Still maintaining eye contact, she whispered something in Mia's ear. Her eyes lit up, head nodding up and down with visible excitement, and she immediately left her embrace, rounding on one person.
Through some kind of awareness, Alex had the sense to step back.
That did not save him.
"Thank you, Alexxxx!"
"What the—?! No, no, no, not this shit again!"
Saying her told line, Mia glomped him, wrapping her small arms around his waist, much to his chagrin, as was noted by how he immediately started struggling.
Emerald watched with a smile, before she remembered herself. "Alex, I'd like to say something too."
His protest was swift.
"Lady, literally no conversation has ever gone well after saying that."
Emerald ignored him.
He was complaining, yes, but he hadn't pushed Mia away and walked off. It meant that he was listening, and that pleased her more than she thought. She could tell him what she needed to say.
Mere words wouldn't be enough, but she had to hope he could feel the weight of her sincerity.
The way her heart dropped when Mia ran into the street, and then when it had nearly shattered into a billion pieces when she noticed the car, a fear like no other engraved itself into her.
And it was so very close to becoming reality too.
Her sister would have been killed, and then, even more nauseating, she would have had to go home alone, meeting the confused looks of their parents asking where their youngest was. She would have had to tell them what happened.
No, Emerald would have had to personally break her family.
Just the thought caused a violent tremor throughout her body, and she nearly broke down crying again. In order to mask it, she squeezed her clothing just above her chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I-I..." Her voice cracked, and she met his annoyed gaze. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved her."
"I can tell you what you can do right now—you can claw the stray munchkin off me. And hell, if you're really thankful, you can stop looking at me like I just solved world hunger. Sound good Lady? I say we go for it. How 'bout on three?"
"Shut—" Emerald giggled before she could stop herself. "S-Shut up."
"...I was searching for a 'Yes, Alex', not whatever hamster you just impersonated."
She laughed even harder this time and didn't feel the urge to suppress it.
Warmth blossomed within the depths of her chest.
The laughter, tickling her stomach with tenderness she had almost forgotten, vanished all the bittersweet melancholy that had formed with each consecutive struggle.
Tears formed at the corners of her vision, but this time she relished them, just as much as she relished the new incessant quaking of her wildly thumping heart.
"Jerk..." Emerald smiled, no, the tension she felt in her cheekbones, she was already smiling.
Her first impression of Alex hadn't changed, and yet, that didn't mean there wasn't room for anything more.
A feeling that was hard to place welled up inside her and even though it caused her heart to ache, it wasn't an unpleasant one.
Not at all.