If Not For Her

Chapter 34. Surprise!

Emmalyn turned around and walked the other way, she had to somehow distance herself from Annabeth, unless she wanted to get hurt again. Annabeth didn't like her like that all she saw her as was a friend and that would all she would see her as. She liked Annabeth too much to not have her in her life. Emmalyn would rather have her as a friend than not have her at all. Besides her mother would never accept the fact that she liked girls, and it could cause damage to her reputation she spent years building. No, she was not going to lose it because of someone else but what if she wanted to? Was Annabeth worth the risk? The answer came easy and not the one she wanted. Annabeth was worth everything.

She decided she would tell Grace that she didn't like her how Grace wanted her to, Grace would be hurt but she would be more hurt if Emmalyn stayed with her despite both her heart and mind continously screaming no. It would be unfair. Unfair to both of them. She had her life ahead and couldn't taint her reputation, she had been humiliated enough by Dexter.

She sat with her friends at the round cafeteria table at lunch once again, for the first time since the incident. Nothing seemed to change, they all sat at the same places they used to sit, but Emmalyn felt a sudden distance between them, the distance maybe she created, but they didn't feel like how she wanted them to. The bell rang throughout the day as the classes started and ended in a continuous. Annabeth didn't talk to her in art she just smiled. It was more of a polite gesture, Annabeth  didn't even tell her the stupid jokes she read in order to make Emmalyn smile and although she wanted to, Emmalyn did not talk either. Did Annabeth know it was her that took her to her room? And was her distance because of that? Emmalyn couldn't focus.

Her phone buzzed with a text. "Are you free today?" Sofia asked as she was pulling her phone out. The sun was scorching above them. "I am not, I have a date actually," she said. "With whom?" Sofia asked curious, "remember Grace,?" Emmalyn asked. "Yes," she said, eyebrows raised. "Her," Emmalyn said waiting for a sign of disapproval from her instead all she got was a shrug. "That's cool so you are into girls?" Sofia asked, taking a bite of her chocolate bar. "Think so," Emmalyn said eating her cupcake. "What about the boys? You still like them right?" She looked at Emmalyn. She squinted in the sun as the jocks ran past them "absolutely" Emmalyn said with a small smile.

Sofia hugged her sideways, Emmalyn felt better telling someone. She felt lighter. "I will love you, no matter who you love, but that means wait!" Sofia stopped her by her arm. "Who was the girl you were crushing on?" She asked. "What girl?" Emmalyn  asked.  "The mystery boy was a girl wasn't it?" Sofia exclaimed.  "Grace? no it could not have been her, who is it?" She asked. Annabeth flashed in Emmalyn's mind, "no one, particular" she said as she pulled out her phone and looked at her text. It was from Evelyn. Emmalyn furrowed her eyebrows. Strange. Evelynnearly never texts not her out if everyone. Evelyn prefered calls unlike Emmalyn who would rather text. "Can we talk?" it said.

Emmalyn watched the time, she was going to be late for ballet,

I have ballet. Night?

Ok

She pushed her phone down. "I have ballet," Emmalyn said standing in front  of her car. "Who was it?" Sifia asked, still stuck on the mystery  person. Emmalyn thought of telling Sofia, but went against it. "Don't think too much about it, I will tell you soon," Emmalyn said. "Sure," Sofia said taking Emmalyn's cupcake. "See you tomorrow," she walked towards her car. Emmalyn shook her head as she drove off to the Academy, she was one of the last ones to arrive, some days her ballet timing was extremely close to her school time. She quivkly changed out of her uniform and put on her extras shoes. She walked out and continued the routine, and at the end, she had to face, Grace. She took a deep breath as she walked towards her, "Hey," she said, hearing her voice Grace's lips immediately curled up.

"Hi," she said. Emmalyn looked at the people looking at them. That was what she would have to face if everyone knew about her.She wasn't sure she was ready yet. She was more scared than she thought, it could change her whole life and it definitely would. Grace seemed to catch it up as she slowly took her hand in hers. Her hands felt cold against Emmalyn's hands. "Don't think about them," Emmalyn turned back to look into her black eyes. She nodded, she couldn't hurt Grace. Emmalyn looked at her, her floral dress flowed in the winds along with her long dark curls.

"Do you want to go to the new café?" Emmalyn asked. "Coffee date, how original Emma" she laughed, her voice was always soft. "Well, let's go with the cliches, we all ran out of ideas for a good date," Emmalyn said. "Of course, you need to try their cupcakes," Grace said as Emmalyn drove them to the café on the quieter side of the town. The brown café was pretty like in the movies. The tiny doorbell rang as they walked in, and the smell of freshly baked goods and coffee flowed in the air. Emmalyn smiled at the smell.

They sat opposite each other in the wooden chairs, everything around them was wood, except the blackboard with the menu written on it. Emmalyn looked at Grace, there was no doubt Grace was beautiful and she was kind too. Emmalyn was confused about what to do next. "What will you have?" Grace asked breaking her chain of thoughts. "Umm, a cappuccino and a dark chocolate cupcake please," she said to the waiter near their table. "I would like to have a strawberry cupcake with vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles,..." her eyes traced over the menu in her hand "and a latte please" she handed the menu to the waiter.

"Nice isn't it?" Grace asked. Emmalyn looked around "yes," the awkward  silence stretched on, none knowing what to say. They sat like that until their food came. This couldn't have gotten any worse, Emmalyn thought little did she know, how wrong she was, with a ring of a bell on the door Annabeth and Nicolas walked in, hand in hand. She choked on her coffee, as she met her eyes across the room.