It Started With Hello

Chap. 27

"Mother, I do not want to go," Emma said softly as she sat in the living room, wearing a knee-length dress and heels, with her mother. Her mother smiled over at her as she worked on curling Emma's hair.

"I know it's been a while since I've let you relax and have fun, so I thought setting this up would be fun for you."
Emma forced herself to hold back a sigh as she looked out the window. Once again, life had gone back to normal since her father bailed her out of jail a week ago. He kept true to his word; he didn't say anything to her mother about the whole ordeal, but she did give up her phone permanently in exchange for his silence. She hadn't spoken to Blake.

Apparently, her father had called the school to move her out of all his classes and made sure to pick her up every day from school to ensure she didn't stray. What made her really upset was the fact that she wasn't able to say goodbye to Alex in person.

He was a sweet kid, and she just knew her sudden disappearance would upset him; he was just a little kid.
Her mother was trying to give her more free time and took her out of some of the extracurriculars. It was as if she thought that would somehow make her the way she was before she met Blake.

At the moment, the only things she was in were dance, violin, theater, and working at the animal shelter. For most people, this would still be a lot, but honestly, it was a big weight off her shoulders. Her mother also decided it would be nice for her to hang out with Jason more. Emma didn't know why, but she felt like her father had some part in her mother's sudden change.

"But why Jason?" She didn't want to be around Jason since he'd forced his tongue down her throat. Of course, she couldn't tell her mother that.

"Because he's the perfect guy, Emma. How can you not see how perfect you two would be? Forget about trash and get with a diamond, dear," her mother said while curling Emma's bang. Her statement made Emma's fists tighten in her lap. She didn't like how her mother spoke, as if Blake was trash and Jason was a fucking diamond. Blake and she weren't even dating, literally, they weren't even together. He had never tried anything on her, and yet her mother was acting like he was the worst person ever.

"And you're okay with me just going out with Jason because..." Her voice trailed off as her mother finished her hair, fluffing the curls, looking happy with the finished results. She held Emma's hands, pulling her to stand.

"Because I trust him to look after you." More like she trusted herself to pick out a good guy for her own daughter, Emma thought. Emma raised an eyebrow, giving a fake smile as they both heard a soft knock on the door. Emma's mother smiled.

"That's your Prince Charming." She turned to open the door. Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes.
The door opened to Jason standing there in a perfectly tailored suit, blonde hair styled, not a hair out of place. He looked like the perfect man anyone would want... anyone but her. She preferred leather to diamonds any day. He smiled, perfectly straight teeth shining, as he pulled two bouquets of red roses from behind his back.

"Hello, Ms. Pear. Lovely to meet you again. I brought one for you," he said, handing her one of the bouquets. Her face lit up as she took them. "May I come in?"

Her mother opened the door wider, and he walked inside, closing the door. Her father walked downstairs as Jason handed the other bouquet to her, making sure their hands touched. She whispered a soft "Thanks," pulling her hands away with the bouquet. He gave her a smile as her father reached them.
"Hello, son," her father said, shaking Jason's hand firmly. "Have her home by eleven."

Jason nodded and pulled his hand away, clasping his hands behind his back. "Not to worry, sir, it's a school night. I'll have her home by ten." That made her father smile widely, obviously impressed. This guy was a world-class ass-kisser, and Emma really hated it.

"Doing any late-night street racing, right?" her father said with an eyebrow raised. That sent a chill down her spine. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her hands tightening around the bouquet.

Jason let out a snorty laugh. "Of course not, sir, that would be barbaric." They both shared a laugh as her mother took the bouquet from her hand.

"I'll go put all these beautiful roses into a vase. You kids have fun tonight," she said, sending Emma a smile before walking into the kitchen.
Jason looked down at her, offering a hand. "Ready to go?"

She looked at her father for a moment. "Can you please give me a moment with my father? I'll meet you at the car." His hand dropped to his side, and a frown took its place on his lips. But he quickly recovered, giving her a nod, and walked out the front door to his car.

"Can I have my phone back for just tonight?" she whispered, making sure her mother wouldn't hear.

He glared down at her, shaking his head. "Why? So you can run off with that boy again? It's not happening, Emma."
She looked at him in disbelief that he wouldn't trust her now, when she actually needed him to. She had to at least try to convince him to give her back her phone. She didn't have a good feeling about Jason. "No, Father, bu—" He held up a hand to make her stop talking. "Enough, Emma, you're being childish. Now go." She could hear the frustration in his voice.

She let out a huff before stomping out of the house, slamming the door. Jason was waiting for her, leaning against the car. He ran around the car to open her door. "My lady," he said, sugary sweet. She walked to the car, around him, before sliding inside. He walked back around, getting inside the car and locking it.
She let out a sigh, looking over at him. "Ready for the best night of your life? I bet you're so excited?" he said with a smile before starting the car.

She licked her dry lips, looking out the window. "Yeah, so excited." He didn't seem to get her sarcasm and continued to smile. It was unsettling, but she pushed the feeling aside, already hoping the night would go by faster.