Emma & Jax

Emma

Emma couldn't help but think about how different Jax's story was from hers. And how much more....upsetting it was.

She blinked rapidly. "J-Jax...I'm so sorry."

Jax waved his hand and made a slight pouty face. "It's alright now."

She reached over and rubbed at his hand, which was resting on the table.

He offered a smile. "Enough about me. What's your life story?"

Emma began.

• • •

Eleven year old Emma stood at the doorway of her parents' bedroom and listened. Her parents have been arguing for the past hour and she couldn't stand pretending that they weren't anymore. At times like this, Emma wished that she had a sibling to talk to.

"I can't believe you'd be so selfish, Maria!" She heard her dad yell at the top of his lungs.

Emma jumped. She never ever heard her dad yell that loud before.

"Francisco-" her mother tried to say.

Her dad paced the floor. "We have a daughter, for crying out loud. I can't believe you'd do this to me! To her! Don't we mean anything to you?"

"Of course you do...I just-"

"Just what? What, Maria?" He began to calm down. "How can you do this?"

Emma's eyes widened a bit. Did her mother cheat on her father?

Deciding that she didn't want to hear anymore, Emma stood up from her leaning position and walked back down the hall and into her bedroom.

•

"Emma? Em? Wake up, sweetheart," she heard her dad whisper to her quietly.

She peeked her eyes open. "Huh? Dad?"

"Emma, we have to leave now," he said.

"Where are we going?" She asked, scratching at her eyes. "What time is it?"

"We're staying with Grandma for a little bit, okay?"

Emma nodded. "Where's mom?"

Francisco froze. "Mom's not coming with us."

"Why not?" She asked. Well, of course she already knew the answer to that, but he didn't know.

"Emma, some people say things they don't mean all the time. And sometimes, promises are made to be broken," he said, a little bit of tears moving down his cheeks.

Emma sat up from her bed and scooted over to where her dad was leaning on the floor. She pulled her arms around him.

"It's okay daddy."

•

Two years later, Emma's father re married a woman named Ursula Van Pelt. She wasn't too thrilled, but Emma knew Ursula made her dad very happy.

"Emma, this is your step sister, Maddie."

Meeting an entire new future gave Emma doubts about a lot of things. She couldn't help but wonder if she was somehow betraying her mother.

But her mother betrayed her daughter and husband.

Promises were made to be broken.