Tree Hill, 2003
Emma was dragged into the mall by Haley and Emma, the girl's cell phone had gone dead and the other two girls kept teasing Emma for being anxious because, according to her, 'Ethan might need her help, or something important might happen' and she wouldn't be communicable. Which only made Haley and Peyton make fun of the girl a little more.
Emma was surprised that Brooke wasn't there, since the mall is the girl's playground. But Lucas Scott had woken up and was already home, Peyton had warned her that Brooke would probably be stuck to him like a stick of gum.
The three girls were walking through the mall while talking when Brooke's voice interrupted them. The three went over to the bench where Brooke was sitting.
"I looked all over for you two. You guys didn't get my message?" Brooke questioned Emma and Peyton.
"No, Brooke. Sorry." Emma pulled her cell phone out of her bag, showing that it was dead. "I forgot to charge it."
"Really? Oh, my phone's been whacked out, all day." Peyton explained, Emma looked at her sister knowing the information for the first time.
"Hey, B. Davis. What happened?" Emma asked, sitting down next to the girl.
Brooke shook her head negatively, with tears in her eyes.
"I said I wasn't gonna do this and I said it wasn't worth it, but it is." Brooke's voice began to break. Emma hugged Brooke, smoothing the girl's hair. "Lucas broke up with me." Brooke said.
"I'm sorry." Peyton said.
"I was looking forward to getting a chance to show him how much he means to me." Brooke explained.
"It's his loss, Brooke." Emma said, using her hand to gently wipe away Brooke's tears.
"He said he just wants to be friends." Brooke continued. "And every idiot knows that, that's just code for go away. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"If Luke said he wants to be friends, I'm sure he means it." Peyton said.
"How do you do that with Lucas?" Brooke asked, looking at Peyton and Haley in front of her and then at Emma.
"Haley." Emma looked in the girl's direction. If anyone could perhaps give Brooke a tip, it would be her now ex-boyfriend's best friend.
Haley looked at Emma, then at Peyton, who seemed to be pleading for help with her eyes, and then at Brooke.
"You just, uh, just sort of do everything that you've been doing, without the sex part." Haley said, and Emma tilted her head sideways, looking at the girl.
"There's a first time for everything, right?" Brooke asked.
Emma hugged her friend tighter, kissing the top of her head.
"Come on, B. Davis." Emma stood up and gave her hand to the girl, who took it. "See you later." Emma said to Haley and Peyton.
"Where are we going?" Brooke asked.
"For your therapy." Emma said and Brooke arched one of her eyebrows. "To spend money on pretty and shiny things." Brooke gave a genuine light smile.
"Thank you, Emm's."
The girls found one of their favorite stores and were looking through the rings, trying them on.
"Emm's, what do I do?" Brooke asked, and Emma wanted to make a joke to distract Brooke.
"Brooke, there's nothing wrong if you want to walk away before trying to be friends. It's not like your feelings are going to change overnight." Brooke nodded and hugged Emma. Brooke nodded and hugged Emma. "Brooke, it's his loss. You're loyal, you're empathetic, you're talented, you're an excellent friend and you're so much more than your looks." Emma held Brooke's face with one hand on each side of the girl's face. "You are beautiful from the inside out, Brooke Penelope Davis."
Brooke smiled at her friend and nodded.
"Aw, how cute you look, Emm's." Emma smiled at her friend and nudged her. "Oh, Emm's, Ethan's making you like melted butter." Brooke nudged the girl.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear." Emma muttered. "Brooke, I'm sorry." Brooke looked at the girl uncomprehendingly. "My cell phone is dead, I didn't think you'd be sad and-" Brooke interrupted the girl.
"Emm's, it's okay. It wasn't your fault, but thank you for sticking by me." Emma nodded.
[....]
Emma was in her bedroom, sitting on the carpet in the middle of the room with a notebook next to her and her guitar on her lap. Emma was writing in her notebook when she noticed a figure sitting next to her. Emma took a deep breath, feeling Ethan's perfume invade her nostrils.
"Hey, Pompoms." Ethan gave the girl a peck on the lips and when he leaned over a little to try to read what was in the notebook, Emma closed it.
"Hey, E." Emma looked at him.
Emma noticed that Ethan had dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were never very bright, but this time they seemed to be a little sadder, Ethan was holding one of Emma's hands and stroking it with his thumb.
"Do you want to vent?" Emma asked.
Ethan laid his head back, Emma put the guitar aside and Ethan quickly laid his head on the girl's lap, still holding Emma's hand, while the girl used her other hand to smooth Ethan's hair.
"I think I've lost another mother." Ethan said, and Emma remained silent, waiting for the boy to continue. "Karen can't even look at my dad straight, like he's some sort of a monster." Ethan sighed and closed his eyes.
"Karen is the only mother figure I've ever had, if she doesn't talk to my father anymore, what reason would she have to have me around?" Ethan asked.
"Have you been with her?" Ethan mumbled a 'yes'. "And?"
"She's busy, I can't be any more of a worry or burden to her." Ethan said muttering.
"Ethan, you're not a burden. I'm sure she'd be more relieved if you came by more often." Emma says.
"Yeah, maybe. She told me to come by more often, but she's busy and I feel weird being there when she's mad at my dad." Ethan explained.
"I imagine she really was genuine. Have you talked to your father about it, E.?" Ethan shook his head.
"Try talking to him about it, maybe he can help." Ethan agreed.
Ethan looked at Emma's face and focused on the girl's eyes, which were watching him.
"Thank you." Ethan whispered.
Emma wanted to get up and put on some music, but Ethan wouldn't let her. The two teenagers didn't feel that the silence was awkward or uncomfortable, they felt comfortable in each other's presence in the silence. Ethan took the opportunity to be as close to Emma as possible, always feeling the need to touch her, so he always tried to hold one of her hands and wouldn't let go.
Their silence was interrupted by Peyton yelling for Emma to help her. Ethan and Emma got up and ran towards Peyton's room. The two looked at each other when they saw Luke lying on Peyton's bed feeling sick, wondering if they knew why Luke was in Peyton's room.
Ethan called Karen, handed the phone to Emma and asked her to explain what was going on, while Ethan helped Peyton get Luke into the girl's car so they could take him to the hospital.
Emma and Ethan were outside the room where Luke was with Peyton when Brooke and Karen arrived. Emma and Ethan overheard Luke and Peyton lying about Luke being at River Court, and the two teenagers looked at each other.
"What the hell?" Ethan whispered to Emma. "Why they...." Ethan started to question aloud when Emma widened her eyes and interrupted him.
"Brooke and Lucas broke up." Emma informed and Ethan ended up laughing humorlessly.
"Him and Peyton...." Ethan didn't finish speaking before Emma shook her head.
"She told me there was nothing going on, but... I don't know anymore." Emma crossed her arms and Ethan pulled her into a hug.
"Luke will be fine. And.... hopefully Peyton and Brooke are too." Ethan muttered, knowing the mess the 'little' lie told could cause.
[....]
Emma had just entered Karen's café when she saw Jake with Jenny putting her in a crib. Emma waited for Karen and Jake to finish talking and then nudged the boy's shoulder.
"Have you lost my number, Jagielski?" Emma asked and Jake hugged her.
"Emm's."
Karen watched from the counter as the two teenagers interacted, Ethan wasn't around, since the accident he'd hardly been in the café. Emma was holding Jenny in her lap as she ordered a pie and a coffee. Karen noticed that Jenny was calm on the girl's lap, and smiled as she babbled while looking at Emma.
Emma went to put Jenny back in her crib so she could eat, and as soon as she left Jenny, the little girl started crying. She picked Jenny up again and went to sit down to eat, then Ethan arrived.
Ethan kissed Emma's cheek and laughed at the way the girl planned to eat with a baby on her lap. Ethan set about picking Jenny up and sat down in the chair next to the girl.
"Go eat, Pompons." Ethan smiled at Emma, then looked down at the baby's face on his lap. "May I ask why you're always stealing my girl, Jenny?" Ethan whispered to the little girl in a childish voice, making the baby giggle.
Emma looked at Ethan, and it was a scene that gave her itches and butterflies in her womb. Ethan had no idea how irresistible it was to be babied by a baby on his lap, and the way he played with her. Emma shook her head out of her trance and offered Ethan a piece of pie, which she popped into his mouth.
Jake approached Karen, who was watching the couple.
"They match, don't you think?" Jake asked, Karen smiled and nodded.
"Jenny seemed quite comfortable with Emma before." Karen said, almost asking a question.
Jake explained how he had ended up telling Emma, and that the girl had helped him for a while not only to look after the baby, but also with his schoolwork. Karen looked at the scene in front of her and noticed how happy Ethan seemed to be with the girl by his side.
Emma had picked Jenny up and Ethan went to take a sip of the girl's coffee. As soon as Ethan put the liquid in his mouth, he choked and wanted to spit it out.
"Jesus, woman. That's not coffee with sugar, that's sugar with coffee." Ethan grumbled.
"Ethan, I don't drink black coffee without sugar, I'm not a psychopath. And life is bitter enough." Emma said, sipping the rest of her coffee.
[....]
As soon as it was dark, Peyton had gone out and when she came back, she went into her sister's room.
"Thank you." Peyton said, sitting down next to her sister on the bed. Emma arched an eyebrow, not knowing what her sister was thanking her for. "For not telling you that Luke was here at home." Peyton continued.
"Peyton, I don't know why Luke was here, let alone why you lied." Emma said, Peyton remained silent. "When you're ready to tell me the truth, I'll be here, sis."
Emma patted her sister's shoulder, and Peyton wondered: "Would Emma really still be there when she found out about Peyton's actions of staying with a boy she was dating, and not just any boy, but her best friend's boyfriend. Would she be able to handle seeing Emma's disappointed face?"
Peyton figured she didn't have to deal with any of this, whatever was going on with Luke was over. Peyton was in her own room drawing when Brooke entered the girl's room.
"Lucky thing you finding Lucas like that. If you hadn't come along, who knows what might've happened." Brooke said to Peyton.
"Everything turned out okay." Peyton said.
"Not really. I don't know what hurts worse, you and Lucas sneaking around behind my back or you lying about it to my face." Brooke said to Peyton, trying not to slap the girl.
Peyton tried to say something, but Brooke wouldn't allow it.
"The next time you want to steal my boyfriend you might want to turn that thing off." Brooke said and pointed at Peyton's webcam.
Brooke explained to Peyton exactly what she had seen on the webcam, and then said she didn't want to see her anymore. Brooke didn't leave the Sawyer sisters' house, as soon as she left Peyton's room she went into Emma's room.
"Hey Br-" Brooke interrupted the girl.
"Did you know?" Brooke asked.
"If I knew what, Brooke?" Emma was confused.
"That your sister is a two-faced bitch who was with my boyfriend." Brooke almost shouted.
"What?" Emma stood up and walked over to Brooke. "Brooke, I don't know why Lucas was in Peyton's room when he got sick, but, they're friends, I figured he was talking about your break-up himself and-" Brooke listened and interrupted Emma again.
"Oh, so she didn't tell you." Brooke gave a humorless laugh and Peyton appeared in the doorway.
"Tell me what?" Emma asked, still not understanding. "Brooke!"
"Emma, Lucas was here because they were sneaking around before the accident. Lucas broke up with me to be with Peyton." Brooke said and then looked at Peyton.
"Brooke, that's not true. Peyton wouldn't do that." Emma denied it and then looked at her sister, who had her head down.
"Oh, she wouldn't? Tell her, Peyton." Brooke challenged Peyton and left.
Brooke really needed to know if she had been betrayed by her two friends, with one staying with her boyfriend and the other covering up. But she could see that Emma didn't know about Peyton's actions, Brooke didn't know if she would still have Emma's friendship. However, she hoped that after dropping the bombshell in Emma's lap, the sisters' relationship would suffer. Brooke wanted Peyton to suffer just as she was suffering.
"Emm's." Peyton lifted her tear-streaked face.
"Is that true?" Emma asked and Peyton nodded.
Emma sat down on the bed and motioned for her sister to sit down.
"Why?!"
Peyton tried to explain, saying that he had regretted it from the start and wanted to be with him, but that he had put his feelings aside because Brooke was with him. But that when they had taken that little trip, the two of them had kissed and noticed that he wanted to be together. Peyton explained that they were going to tell Brooke, but that Lucas had had the accident. Peyton also told her sister that she no longer had anything to do with Lucas.
Emma was quiet, she had rubbed her face and taken a deep breath.
"Are you mad at me?" Peyton asked quietly.
"No, Peyton. Disappointed." Emma said. "I understand that you two were into each other, but I can't understand why you didn't wait for him to break up with Brooke before you went around kissing him." Emma grumbled.
"I know!" Peyton said.
"No, Peyton. You don't know. In fact, tell me. Why did you think it would be a good idea to date a guy who was cheating on his girlfriend, who, by the way, was your best friend, with you? What's stopping him from doing the same with you?" Emma asked.
Peyton stopped to think for a moment, she wanted to say that Lucas wouldn't do that. But how could she say that?
Peyton felt her sister's arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Sorry." Emma mumbled. "For being judgmental, I just... I didn't imagine this would happen. But I'm here, Peyton. I don't agree with what you did, but I'm not going to abandon you."
Peyton sighed, thinking that she could have lost not only Brooke, but Emma as well.
"Thank you, Emm's."
"No problem, sis. I'm always here for you."