Emily woke up at seven Monday morning and was thankful to find her father asleep. She cleaned up and got ready as quietly as she could, and managed to make it out the door without waking him up. She was going to be early, but if she managed to escape her father she didn’t care.
Emily got dressed in gray baggy sweatpants and a navy blue t-shirt that was several sizes too large and put her hair up in a messy ponytail before heading out. She arrived at school nearly an hour early and decided to sit outside at one of the several picnic tables set up outside. She pulled out some homework and was just getting started when she sensed someone behind her. She turned and saw a boy with short, auburn hair, pale green eyes, and the barest sprinkling of freckles along the cheekbones smiling at her. “Hi, I’m James,” he said, holding his hand out to her.
She knew who he was, the school player. Whatever he was doing here, it wasn’t with good intentions. Still, she took his hand. “Emily.”
He swung around and sat opposite her. “What are you doing all alone over here?”
“Working on an essay for Jones.” Mr. Jones was the English teacher.
“Before school?” He said it as if it was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. Given his reputation, it probably was.
She looked at him. “What else is there to do?”
He flashed her a charming smile. “I can think of a few things.”
“I’m sure you can,” she said, showing that she wasn't interested in the things he was undoubtedly thinking. She gathered her things and stood up. “It was nice to meet you James, but I have to go meet with someone.” She turned and walked into the building, not seeing the look of complete shock on James’ face as she did.
* * *
Emily headed straight home after school and cleaned up the house before her dad got home. She had just started making dinner when he walked through the door. "What are you making?" He grunted as he entered the kitchen.
"Spaghetti and meatballs," she answered as she checked the pot of not yet boiling water.
Don just grunted again as he tossed his keys on the table. "Jackson told me you have a date this weekend..."
Okay, this is weird, she could help but think. Weird because he actually didn't sound mad, he almost sounded like a parent. "Um..." She didn't know what to say; Don had made it clear that she wasn't allowed to see anyone as long as she lived under his roof.
"The correct answer is 'yes dad, I am.'" Emily still didn't say anything, not sure if this was some kind of trap. "Jackson said that James asked you out this weekend, and I know you weren't rude enough to turn him down."
"No Sir, I..."
"Good, because I would be very disappointed to learn that my daughter was so conceited that she felt the need to turn down a perfectly good date. You keep going on like that you'll be living here forever, and I'm pretty sure you don't want that; God knows I don't want that."
I'm going to go out with him," Emily told him. She held back her remarks about his hypocrisy, knowing that if she mentioned the fact that he was going against everything he said before that it would not end well for herself.
"Good, I expect you to be polite; you should be happy that you asked you at all. I don't know what he sees in you, but you can't expect boys to just come knocking, you have to take whatever you can get."
