It Started With Hello

Chap. 48

"Your bracelet looks lovely, dear," Ms. Black told Emma with a slight smile on her lips. Emma simply smiled, looking down at her beaded bracelet, decorated with different beads – some pink and glittery, others purple and heart-shaped.
Kandy nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Ms. Black."

Ms. Black smiled, shaking her head slightly. "Please feel free to call me Nicole, dear. I think it's appropriate for how close you are with the family now." Emma loved Blake's parents; they were so down-to-earth, and with them, it always felt homey. She couldn't help but think that Blake's parents purposefully separated them today to talk, and needless to say, she was more than a little nervous.

"Thank you, Nicole, but I have to admit, it's odd calling you by your first name. It will definitely take some getting used to. For now, I think I'll just keep calling you Ms. Black."

Nicole laughed, nodding her head as if to say, fair enough. Emma always found it weird when grownups asked to be called by their first names; it just felt like something you're not supposed to do.
Emma looked to the side, watching as Chris walked over towards them while Alex picked up his Switch from a chair, flopping back onto it.

"How's your head, bae?" Kandy asked with a smirk on her lips as Chris reached them. He sat beside her, rubbing the top of his head.

"Hope I don't have brain damage."
Kandy laughed, running her fingers through his red hair. Alex looked over at him, pouting. "I said I was sorry!" thinking he genuinely hurt Chris.
Kandy made a statement about Chris being dramatic and to not worry about him one bit. Chris and Kandy then bickered back and forth for a few minutes, making Emma laugh, finding their back-and-forth funny.

"So, do you have any plans once our trip's over?" Ms. Black asked while Kandy held up her yellow beaded bracelet, showing it to Chris.
Sadly, Emma wasn't looking forward to going back. She would have to deal with her parents' rules and Jason's crazy personality. And worst of all, she couldn't be around Blake like she wanted.

It was all pretty stressful to think about. But she didn't want to bring that all up right now. "Umm, I'll probably look for a job." She wanted her own money to buy her friends Christmas presents. She knew her parents would be opposed to the idea, but getting a job would be great for her. She just had to figure out a way around her mother and father.

She thought while sliding her bracelet on, looking out over the water at the boat Blake and Mr. Black were on.
"That's great! It's always good to start saving for college early. Blake has told his father and me he wasn't interested in going to college, and we're not planning on forcing him because he's working at the car repair shop."

Emma couldn't help but be shocked that he didn't want to go to college. Going to college was not a requirement in life, but her parents literally always had her believe it was. They wanted her to go to Princeton or Harvard in law or a doctor's field. She couldn't be bothered, though; history was more her thing than law or healthcare. She looked down, playing with the bracelet between her fingers.

"I noticed you and Blake have gotten pretty close. He never brought any girls around his father and me before. I would say... you're pretty special," she said with a soft smile before standing up, walking over to the edge of the lake.

Emma looked over at her curiously before her eyes noticed Blake and his dad slowly making their way back. Chris and Kandy continued their conversation beside her, but she paid them no mind. Her and Blake's eyes met from afar, Nicole's words replaying in her head, making her blush.

He sent her a dazzling smile, making her heart skip a beat. Now that she had gotten used to him being around, it was going to be hard to go back home and pretend that they weren't close, like he wasn't special to her.