~
"You have to fight through some bad days
to earn the best days of your life"
~
"What is this?" Travis asks, holding up a piece of mystery meat from the cafeteria. It's currently Thursday and I can't wait for this week to be over. I'm just about as done as Travis is with his meat.
"Your guess is as good as the next chico." Sierra said, pushing away the tray from her in disgust.
"Y'all are being dramatic, it's not that bad." Austin says shoveling the slop into his mouth.
"You sound like Joey in that Friends episode when Rachel made that disgusting dessert and they were all suffering through it, but Joey was like, in love with it." Kara points out, making everyone laugh.
I zone out of the conversation, thinking about how tiring this week was. I forgot how much work it was to get up and go to school everyday. Added to that, seeing Bridgett twice a day wasn't making matters any better.
Not only is she flaunting to the entire student body that she's dating the Mason Jones but she won't let up at practice. Constantly going against what I'm saying acting like she is still the cheer captain.
It's so hard to see them together, everywhere around the school, but especially when I'm alone in Government. I let out a sigh. It hasn't even been a week.
"-mma. Earth to Emma!" Jake says, pulling me out of my thoughts by snapping his fingers in front of my face.
I look up and I'm met with his concerning gaze.
Uh oh, here we go.
"Hey what're you thinking about? You okay?" He asks worriedly.
"Jake, I'm fine, relax." I say in a firm voice.
We have a stare down, something we do when we're irritated with each other.
"Hey no twin telepathy conversations over there without us." Dwight calls out to us, getting our attention.
"Jealous much?" Jake says, forcing a smile on his face.
"Can y'all shut up and focus on how bad our food is? What are we gonna eat?" Chase sighs, staring longingly at the food that's piled in the middle of the table.
"Guess we're gonna starve today." I say, eyeing my food sadly.
"Speak for yourself. Chase, take me to Chick-Fil-A after school?" Sierra asks him.
"Are you asking me or telling me?" Chase says, smiling at her.
"Whichever one will get me Chick-Fil-A." She shrugs. Chase shakes his head and gives Sierra a kiss on her forehead.
"Y'all are gross." I say, poking at my meat. Sierra sticks her tongue out at me, making us all laugh.
The bell rings and Austin suddenly jumps out of his seat in a hurry. I raise an eyebrow at his eagerness.
"Where are you going in such a rush? It's literally Biology." I ask him, confused.
"I'm trying to get a seat beside Hailey." He says as he quickly walks away from our table.
"You mean Bailey!" Travis yells after him. Austin just flips him off rushing through the cafeteria doors.
I shake my head at their antics and go to follow Travis, just as Jake taps my shoulder. I turn around to see what he wants, and I'm met with the look.
'We'll talk later.' he mouths.
'Whatever' I mouth back before turning around and leaving to go to Biology.
'~'
"See you later Em." Travis says, following a sulking Austin. If you couldn't tell, Austin didn't get the seat next to Bailey like he wanted.
"Bye!" I call after them, grabbing my stuff and heading towards the office. I'm an office aid for my fifth period class. I love that I've a period to just relax and not take notes, or worry about tests.
"Mr. Sullivan! I'm here! What do you need me to do?"
"Ms. Richardson! I already have a bunch of papers ready for you to photocopy."
Nodding, Mr. Sullivan points me to the stack of papers on top of his desk. As I reach for the stack, I hear a voice.
"You called Sir?"
I almost drop the stack in my hands, but manage to keep my grip.
Why? Why is he here?
I turn around putting on a fake smile. Mason almost immediately makes eye contact with me, giving me a smirk.
"I called Mr. Jones here to give you a hand." Mr. Sullivan tells me.
Are you freaking kidding me?!
"Oh..." I trail off, trying not to let them hear the change in my voice.
"Pleasure to be of help." Mason mocks a bow and Mr. Sullivan pats him on the back with a grin. I roll my eyes at them joking around with each other.
Mason has that effect on all the staff. He basically gets away with everything, his dad being the principal. All the faculty try to get on his good side, obviously, wanting to find favor with their boss.
"Now run along you two." Mr. Sullivan ushers us out and before I could even react Mason and I were alone in the hallway.
I attempt to walk away to the copier room, but of course, with him, it would never be that easy.
"I see you finally decided to come back to school. How was your leisurely vacation Em." He says, putting that smug smirk on his face once again.
"Don't call me that. You lost that right a long time ago." I snap at him.
"Aww you used to love it." His voice turns cold and I take a step back, feeling the tension growing between us.
"That was when you were a halfway decent person Mason." I rebut, glaring viciously at him.
He takes a step closer, causing my heart rate to pick up. Just as I think he's going to do something, he steps past me and begins walking.
"Come on Em, don't want you to lose your little office aid job do we?"
I take deep breath, calming my heart down again before following him to the copy room, even though I wish with everything in me that I didn't have to.
We reach the copier room, and I begin to do my job.
It's quiet.
All Mason does is lean up against the wall, watching me, making me feel uncomfortable.
"You know what confuses me?" He asks me.
I try to ignore him, but he just continues talking.
"Why you seem so upset with me and Bridgett together. You're the one who broke up with me. She's been telling me about the troubles you're giving her at cheer practice."
How dare he even go there.
"For good reason Mason. I don't suppose you'd be too happy if you had walked in on me having sex with someone else. Especially after we had been together for two years."
He pushes off the wall and stalks towards me.
"And I told you...I was drunk." He spits out.
Glaring at him, I don't back down until he's right in front of me.
"With Bridgett Holmes of all people? I didn't think your standards could fall so low."
"Bridgett was willing to actually give me some, unlike you." He spits out.
"She's willing to give it to the entire student body! Despite what you may think Mason, you're not special. I don't care if you get away with everything through your dad."
"Emma-" he starts, but I ignore it, my anger building.
"You know what? Bridgett is probably only with you for that exact reason, your money. It's not like you're worth much more."
"Emma, I'm warning you." He says lowly.
"What Mason? What are you gonna do this time?"
I don't have enough time to react before he slams his hands against the wall, caging me in.
And just like that my anger disappears and is replaced with fear. I completely freeze, feeling my heartbeat speed up and my lungs closing up on me.
Curse my body for betraying me when I need it to be strong.
He leans his head so that his breath is right against my ear.
"Listen very closely Emma, cause I'm only gonna say this once. I can and will make your life a living hell at school if you don't be careful." He enunciates slowly.
His image blurs as tears begin to fill my eyes. Bad memories begin to flood my head as he pulls away, giving me his smug smirk before leaving the room.
"Mind doing my stack for me too?" He asks condescendingly on his way out, his laugh echoing behind him.
I sink to the floor gasping for the air that seems to be escaping my lungs. Reaching for my phone, I text Jake through my tears.
Me: Copy room. Please come.
His read receipts read it almost instantly and I close my eyes and try to picture a happy place.
Breathe Emma. Just breathe.
I'm not sure how many minutes pass, before I hear the door fly open. I look up and see Jake and Travis rushing towards me.
"Hey Emma, it's alright. You're okay." Jake says as Travis is rubbing my back while I hyperventilate.
"You can get through this. We're right here." Travis says softly as he continues to rub my back.
I focus on their words and a few minutes pass before I can catch my breath. I look at Jake with tears in my eyes, and he pulls me in for a hug.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jake asks me calmly.
"M-Mason." Is all I'm able to get out.
Jake's grip tightens slightly around my shoulders.
"What did that tool do to you?" Travis asks, anger seeping through his voice.
"N-nothing. It's o-okay." I force out, not wanting any unnecessary violence to happen again.
Travis locks eyes with Jake and before I know what's happening, Travis is out of the room. I begin to freak out once again.
"W-Where is he going?" I frantically ask Jake.
"Em, take a deep breath. It will all be okay." He says quietly, avoiding my question.
I try to get out of his grip. "No! Where is he going?"
"Emma." He warns, pulling me back slightly.
"Jacob." I counter with a similar tone.
"Don't do it. Please. For me. I can't deal with that again." I plead, knowing that will always work.
"Emma, I can't let him keep doing this to you. He needs to pay. I hate seeing you so hurt."
Before I could reply, we hear a knock on the door. Jake puts an arm in front of me protectively, his body growing tense.
"Emma? Are you alright with those copies?" I hear Mr. Sullivan call from the door. Jake's body relaxes, which in turn causes me to relax.
"I'll be right there Sir!" I call out. I quickly gather the pages while trying to wipe the tears off of my face.
Jake pulls me in for a quick hug, telling me that he loves me before I make my way out.
'~'
I dreaded the thought of having to go to Government because I didn't think I could handle having to see him again. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see Mason's seat empty. Bridgett is still here, but I try not to focus on that. Forcing a smile at my classmates, I sit down and slip out my phone, texting Kara and Sierra.
Me: Hey...have you seen the guys since last period?
Kara: Nope, Austin isn't in here yet. He's always late tho
Sierra: Chase isn't here either...which is weird bc he didn't meet up with me after last class like we usually do
Kara: Y Em?
Me: Let's just say there was a problem last period
Sierra: U said what now?
Kara: Problem? Involving who?
Sierra: If it's who I think it is he best be praying to Dios rn.
Me: The point is the guys are missing and he who shall not be named isn't here either.
Kara: That's weird...
Sierra: U don't think they would try anything again do u?
Me: It's the guys...you know what they're capable of.
Kara: Just try to relax, we'll figure it out.
I sit through class, my anxiety consistently on a high as I think about what could be happening right now.
Class seems to drag on for years before the bell finally rings. I check my phone once more for an update, but there's nothing.
Stepping out of the classroom, everything seems fine before I hear voices yelling.
"FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Just then I lock eyes with Kara and Sierra in the hall and we bolt, following the crowd that's beginning to gather outside the courtyard.
There were bodies all over the place, punches were flying left and right. But right in the middle of the chaotic scene was Jake and Mason.
Jake was crouched over Mason, pummeling his face. Mason retaliates by punching his jaw and throwing his body off of him. He quickly stands going in to kick Jake before he's tackled to the ground by Chase.
I don't think I've ever seen Chase look so angry before.
I glance over at Kara and Sierra, both of them just as shocked as I am at the scene.
Sierra reacts first, slowly walking towards the guys.
"Dios mio..." she mutters in Spanish. I look just in time to see Chase get punched and Sierra snaps into action.
Kara misses her arm by a second as Sierra flies into the middle of the brawl. She instantly starts throwing punches as if she was one of the guys. Kara and I manage to squeeze to the front of the crowd, who instead of trying to do something were videoing the entire thing.
"Jacob Grant Richardson!" I practically scream over the noise.
That does nothing as he continues to furiously punch into Mason.
Taking a deep breath, I start to edge myself towards the fight. I ignore Kara's screams for me to stop as I walk towards the middle of the brawl. I flinch at the sounds of knuckles hitting skin and reach towards Jake.
However, I didn't see it.
I didn't see the fist about to hit me only about a breath away. My eyes widen at its close proximity and I brace myself for impact.
But it doesn't connect.
"And just where do you think you're aiming at? Who do you think you're hitting?" Dwight says in an eerily calm voice.
The fight comes to a stand still when the shrill sound of a whistle cuts throughout the courtyard.
"What is going on here!" Coach Benson yells in his coach voice. From the corner of my eye, I see Sierra release the collar of one of the guys and his body drops onto the concrete with a thud.
Looking up I find Dwight's fist still enclosed around the random basketball player's fist. The guy looks scared as he tries to take his hand back but Dwight doesn't let up, even with Coach Benson's appearance.
"Dwight, let go of his fist son." Coach Benson orders Dwight calmly.
Dwight reluctantly releases his grip and stands right in front of me protectively.
"Anyone who isn't a part of this whole fiasco better scram now." Coach barks, and the whole crowd seems to disperse, almost trampling each other in the process.
The Coach eyes Sierra and she raises an eyebrow at him sassily.
"Qué?" She snaps. Coach quickly clears his throat and looks at his team...and what was left of the basketball players.
"Someone explain, now!" Mason gets up off the ground and glares furiously at Jake, getting right up in his face.
"This group of entitled pricks decided to pick a fight. We only reciprocated their kind feelings towards us." Travis quipped, cracking his bloody knuckles.
Another fight looks like it was about to break out, when both sides inch towards each other but Coach blows his whistle again.
"I don't care who did what! Now listen here..." he starts off lowly. "I'm letting you all off with a warning. It's football season and I don't want to have to bench my star players. You. Blondie. Get your little squad and scram." Coach says pointedly at Mason.
"But-" Mason tries to speak but Coach stops him.
"I don't want to hear it." He states.
"My dad will be hearing about this." Mason snidely remarks playing the "my dad's the principal" card again.
"Last I checked son, your dear dad doesn't fund my football team. Now scram!"
Mason glares at him before listening,. He grabs his backpack off the ground and leaves, his posse following behind him.
"This better not happen again. Understood?" Coach says to the boys. "One more time and you'll be benched."
They all nod and Coach walks off, leaving only the group.
"Em-" Jake starts, but I cut him off, completely livid.
"What happened to not doing anything?!" I yell exasperatedly, arms widespread. "I cannot believe you did this again! Especially since you know how I feel about it!"
"Emma I'm not just gonna stand by and watch him do this to you!" Jake says back to me, matching my volume level.
"Twins..." Kara says slowly, trying to get us to stop. However, we don't listen.
"Jacob, it hasn't even been a week yet! What did I say to you on the very first day? Look. Look at all of you!" I gesture towards their roughed up clothes and the blood. I could see the beginnings of a black eye on Jake's face and multiple bruises on the rest of them.
"Emma we love you. You know that. Don't make us feel like protecting you is hurting you!" Austin tells me.
"Don't you dare make me feel guilty Austin Miller." I tell him, and he looks down at the ground.
"We're just trying to look out for you Em." Travis states putting a hand on Austin's shoulder.
"Then find another way that doesn't include violence." I practically spit out.
It's quiet and tense for a moment before Sierra decides to speak up.
"Well I for one think all of you are in the wrong." She calls out, waving a finger at all the guys.
"Don't even start with me Sierra. Can you tell me why I saw you beating the ever living out of some random dude?" Chase says snarkily to Sierra.
"Guys..." Kara starts wearily.
"Chase Miller you can't say nada, I saw you body slam Mason dearest to the ground. Travis we ain't even gonna start with the state of your knuckles. Austin you can shut up with the whole 'protection' crap. Dwight...thanks for saving our Em. Jake you need to dial it down a couple thousand notches." Sierra huffs out in one breath.
"Speaking of that, Emma Richardson, what in the world were you thinking stepping into a fight like that!" Dwight says, pointing at me again.
"That my friends were acting like immature children." I state, staring him right in the eyes.
"Guys! Enough!" Kara yells, causing us all to stare at her. "What happened here today was so uncalled for, from all of you! Enough with the freaking fighting already!"
"When y'all decide to not break anymore faces you know where to find us. Come on Kara." I say, and she nods, following me to the locker room for cheer practice.
As we walk away, I hear the guys calling out my name trying to get me to stop. In the midst of it all, I hear Sierra's voice.
"Look what you did estúpidos!"
"Sierra, shut up!" I hear Chase say.
"Boy, I know you did not just-" Kara and I leave their bickering behind as their voices fade away.
'~'
"Remember ladies, tomorrow is our first football game. Practice these cheers and get them down!" I say at the end of cheer practice. Somehow I managed to pull myself together and push my anger at the guys away so I could be the best at cheer practice.
Kara comes up to me after cheer practice, giving me a concerned look. I'm getting so tired of those looks.
"How're you holding up? You seemed okay during practice." She asks me as we gather our things and head towards the locker room.
"I'm really pissed off at them." I start. "They all know how I felt the last time, but they still did it anyway." Kara gives me a weak grin but that's it.
I know that she probably doesn't agree with the way I handled things. She's always been on the guys side, especially when it comes to Mason. I just wish for once they would take into account the feelings I have towards their actions and respect me enough to listen to what I'm asking of them.
We gather our stuff and head out to our cars. I check my phone to see a bunch of messages from the guys, all of which I ignore.
"What's momma Richardson making for dinner tonight?" Kara asks me.
"I think she told me lasagna this morning." I tell her, looking around in my bag for my keys.
"Awesome. Can I come?" Kara asks me.
Kara's parents are always either working late or on business trips, so she's always over at our house for dinner, so she isn't lonely. She has an older brother, but he moved out a long time ago and barely keeps in contact with them.
"Of course. You know you're always welcome." I tell her, giving her a smile.
"Okay, meet you there?" She asks and I nod, bidding my goodbye as I pass her car and head to mine.
The way our parking lot is set up, Kara parks towards the front of the parking lot and I park near the back, so she always ends up leaving before me.
I go to open my door but a manicured hand slams it shut. I feel my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. I do not need this right now.
"What do you think you're doing?" I ask, turning around to face Bridgett.
"I just want to know why your pack of dogs mauled my boyfriend's face?!" She tells me and it takes almost everything in me not to laugh.
"Mason had it coming for him." I state matter-of-factly. With that, I go to open my door again but she presses it shut again. She's treading on very thin ice right now.
"Touch my car one more time Bridgett and you won't have a hand." I say sharply, finally on edge.
She steps back a little and flicks her hair, glaring daggers at me.
"I'm warning yo-" She starts, but I cut her off tired of the crap.
"Bridgett, you and Mason are getting on my last nerves with all your warnings. Please do me and everyone a favor and get a life."
With that I swing my car door open and hop in, trying to leave as quickly as possible.
'~'
I pull into my driveway, seeing the cars of the group and sigh heavily. Why can't I catch a break today?
Realizing that I won't be able to avoid them, I grab my stuff and head to the front door.
As I open it, the smell of my mom's famous lasagna fills my nose and I smile a little. At least something good is coming out of today.
I walk down the main hall that leads towards the living room and kitchen, yelling out a 'hello'.
"Hello dear." My mom says as I round the corner. "How was your day?"
"It's been an extremely long day." I tell her, taking a seat on one of the stools at the island.
"Does this have something to do with why half of the football team is upstairs looking like they were run over by a bus?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"No...Maybe? It's complicated."
"Just remember that they're practically your brothers, one of them actually is. It doesn't matter how angry you are, you still love them all."
I nod, looking down at my hands. I hate when my mom is right.
"Well, dinner is practically done so you better go get them." She tells me.
I sigh, running my hand through my hair, but get up, heading up to my room. Luckily they aren't in my room, so I take the time to change into some comfier clothes before going through the balcony to Jake's room.
Jake's room is connected to mine by a balcony that overlooks the pool. We each have our own entrance to it, french doors in my room and sliding doors in his. We also have our own chairs on our separate sides and a big outdoor couch in the middle.
I open the sliding door to his room and I'm met with all of the stares from the gang.
"Dinner is ready." I say, curtly.
"Emma, why haven't you answered our texts?!" Dwight asks me, and I try to ignore them.
"Look, dinner is done and I'm starving. We'll talk later." I say before turning around and going back to my room.
I hear faint chatter but block it out, going downstairs to help my mom set the table.
They trail in after a while, sitting down, but I don't make eye contact, focusing on the steam rising from the lasagna. My anger leaves me for a moment as a stare at the food. I was hungrier than I thought.
"Dig in." Mom gives us the go ahead and we dive in.
We eat practically in silence and I know I'm not the only one that can feel the tension in the room.
"Are y'all gonna talk or just stare awkwardly at each other for the rest of dinner?" Caleb questions from his seat beside Sierra.
"Listen, pequeño amigo stuff hit the fan at school. We're trying to say sorry to your sister, but she's not letting us." Sierra states.
I scoff loudly and put down my fork. "I'm just tired of hearing sorry for something that y'all keep doing."
"Okay Emma, I'm sorry that you have to be a spoiled brat when we're just trying to protect you." Jake tells me, and my anger hits.
"So now I'm a spoiled brat?" I ask angrily.
"You're acting like a child!" He tells me, his tone matching mine.
"Here we go..." My dad says, sinking lower into his seat.
"Remember that y'all love each other." My mom tells us, taking a bite of her lasagna.
"And here's where I take my leave." Caleb says, reaching for his plate to exit the table, but Sierra pulls the back of his shirt and drags him back down into his seat.
"If I gotta stay, you do too." I hear her whisper violently.
"I'm sorry you think I'm acting like a child, but remember that you chose to resort to violence. Of all things, you chose your fists." I say, and the room grows silent. Guilt floods Jake's face and I start to feel bad.
"Boys, you got something to say?" Dad chimes after about a minute of silence.
"Emma, we never meant to make you feel that way. We just want to protect you." Austin says, softly.
"And I thank you for that, but you gotta reign it in a little." I say finally cracking a smile.
"A little? Did you see Luke Wright's face?" Kara says sighing.
"I'm sorry who?" Travis asks. I've a knowing grin on my face as I see Jake frown slightly at Kara mentioning another guy.
"Doesn't matter, is everyone finally good now?" Chase asks sounding done with the entire situation.
"Nah, I still didn't get that Chick-Fil-A, but if you're talking about all the stuff with Emma, yeah sure." Sierra quips, taking another bite of her lasagna, giving Chase a small smirk. He just winks at her and just like that the atmosphere lightens.
"I seriously don't want to grow up, you guys have way too much drama for my liking." Caleb says rolling his eyes and pushing back his chair to stand up. "Hey mom, what's for dessert?"
"I think we still have a half a tub of rocky road in the freezer." She answers.
My eyes dart to Austin when the words rocky and road left my mom's lips. Oh no.
Austin somehow manages to teleport to the kitchen, racing my brother to the freezer. Caleb does not take a liking to this and a tug-of-war ensues in the middle of the kitchen.
"Would now be a good time to tell them that there's another tub in the garage freezer?" My mom asks, causing us to laugh.
As much as my friends drive me completely insane, I wouldn't trade them for anything. My mom was right, they're my family no matter what they do.
"Quit pulling my hair! That's cheating!" Austin yelps.
Yep, no matter what.
'~'
Hey guys!
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~Marie Black