All This Time (Lie To Me)

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"Emily!" A familiar voice called to her as she put a book into her bag. When she closed her locker up, she saw Sam walking towards her. It was way past the end of school, so most everyone had cleared the halls already.

"Sam, hi. I didn't know you were still here." Emily mentioned, stuffing a textbook into her backpack and closing her locker.

"I promised to be Mr. Jackson's tutor on Wednesdays."

"Mr. Jackson? As in the math teacher?"

Sam nodded as they walked down the hall. "He teaches Calculus."

"I've heard of him."

"He's nice and all, but I'm not sure tutoring is really my thing." He looked around the hall. "Thankfully he didn't hear me just say that. How's your dad doing?"

"He's still recovering at home, but doing better.

"That's good at least." He walked a little bit slower as they walked outside. "I don't tell many people this, but my sister Kennedy was really sick a couple of years ago."

"What happened?"

"The doctors discovered that she had an arrhythmia-her heart was beating too quickly. They tried everything they could. She kept getting sicker and sicker, despite trying to treat her with medication."

"And now she's okay?" They sat down on the steps that led up to the school.

"She has a pacemaker that helps stabilize the rhythm of her heart. So for the time being, she's fine. Kennedy is twelve now." Sam glanced down at his watch. "And I have about ten minutes to kill before I need to pick her up from school. What about you? Any siblings that I need to know about?"

"I'm actually an only child."

"Oh, right." His expression grew sad and curious. "I used to wonder what it would be like to be an only child-especially when my sister annoyed me or went into my room. Then after she got sick, I didn't wonder that so much any more."

"It's funny how things change." She trailed off hesitantly. "Before my parents divorced, I wondered what it would be like to have a sibling."

"It's official. We're on total opposite parts of the spectrum." His expression was serious, but soon the corner of his lips turned up into a smile.

Emily smiled back as she grabbed her bag. "That's my ride."

"Your mom, I presume?" Zoe waved to both of them and went digging through her bag that was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Yep."

"It's just that I figured you would spend more time with your dad. At least that's the way it works at my house. Except, I spend most of the time at my mom's house." Cramming his hands into his pockets, Emily slowly walked down the stairs. "Kind of sucks, doesn't it? Feeling like you're being shared all the time."

All she could do was nod. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be there. Be prepared though-I think Mr. Warner is on a warpath to bore our minds."

"He always does." With a friendly wave, she walked the rest of the way to the car and got in.

"Who was that?" Zoe inquired as Emily buckled up.

"He's a friend, who I sometimes get partnered up with in class."

"A friend that you clearly like-"

"His name is Sam." She took some chapstick out of her bag and put it on. "Can we not play twenty questions?"

"I am not playing twenty questions." Zoe offered, keeping her eyes on the road. "I have a right to know who my daughter is hanging out with." Emily sat back down in her seat. "At least tell me what you want for your birthday."

"I would like to drive, but since the crash-"

"He won't let you." Zoe sighed, letting her shoulders fall slightly at her ex's antics. "I'll talk to him about it, but you know your father. He could say no, at least a dozen times before he says yes." After that the rest of the drive was ridden in silence.

"I'll let Dad know that you want to talk to him."

"Not so fast." Emily's hand lingered over the handle of the door release. "You don't want anything else for your birthday?"

"Maybe some clothes and a few books?"

"Which books?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have quite a few that I still want to read over the summer."

"Okay." Zoe held her hands up in surrender. "Go, before your father wonders where you are." Opening the door, Emily stepped out onto the front lawn of her father's house. As she put the key into the lock, Zoe drove away.

"Dad? She set her bag in the living room. "I'm home."

It took a few minutes, but Cal strolled out from the kitchen, a little slower than usual. "There you are, Love. Did your mother bring you?"

"She picked me up after school. Gillian at work?"

"She went home to grab some more things for her and Sophie." Emily strolled past him and grabbed an apple from the bowl sitting on the counter. "You going to tell me how school went, or am I going to have to guess?" She washed the apple in the sink, then took a bite.

"With a month left in school, the teachers are packing on the work. I did turn in a report today and should be graded for it on Monday. I'm also a little more than halfway finished with the book I'm reading. And I should probably get working on my homework, so I don't have to work on it all weekend." She made her way upstairs.

"One more thing. Foster is taking me to talk with the insurance company, so you're on your own for dinner."

"I'll heat up some leftovers." Walking back down to the kitchen, she grabbed her bag. "Oh, mom wants you to call her."

"Are you scaring your mother again with your teenage antics?"

"I don't know anyone that talks like that." She teased. "He stole her apple, took a bite and handed it back to her. "She asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I told her that I wanted to learn how to drive."

"Honest question." Cal inquired. "Do you want to drive because your friends are driving, or because it's fun?"

"Driving isn't exactly fun, Dad. But I don't want to be chauffeured by you or mom for the rest of my life."

"I will talk to your mother about it. In the meantime, be thinking about what you want to have for your birthday dinner."

"I was thinking that we invite Gillian and Sophie."

"Didn't we invite her last year?" Cal teased.

"Yes, but last year Sophie wasn't here." Emily reminded him. "You know Gillian would probably slap you if she heard you said that."