I Go To School. . .With The Vanoss Crew

Part Three

Evan
I watch as Emma looks at me, then shrugs and walks away. I wave my friends over, and motion for us to follow Emma. They nod, and we follow stealthily behind her. Soon, Emma begins to sing a rap song by T.I. "And oh, I've been traveling on this road to long. Just trying to find my way back home, but the old me's dead and gone. Dead and gone." She blows through the rap part and I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed. Soon she gets to the end, and I can't help it, I join in. "I turn my head to the east, I don't see nobody by my side. I turn my the west, still nobody beside. So I turn my head to the north, swallow that pill that they call pride. The old me's dead and gone, but the new me will be aight." At the third repeat my other friends join in, startling Emma and causing her to turn around.
"You guys really have to stop doing that," she says. I smile at her.
"Sorry, I just don't trust you walking home on your own." Emma rolls her eyes.
"Are you serious? Is this really happening?"
"Sorry Em," Brock says. He reaches for her, but she takes a large step back. Brock looks hurt. "Emma please just hear us out-"
"Here you out?!," she yells. "I barely know you people!" With that, she takes off out of the woods and races down the street.
"Emma!," I call out, racing after her. "Emma wait!"
"No!," I hear her call back. Suddenly, I hear her scream. Dropping my backpack, I race towards the noise.
"Emma!," I call. "Emma!" I slide underneath a park bench, then leap over a fallen land line. I follow Emma's screams, but then they all of a sudden disappear. I stop, panting, listening for Emma. The town, however, is silent. I hear heavy footsteps and panting behind me. I turn to find Brock racing after me, my backpack in his hand. Johnathan and the others are behind him.
"Hey guys!," says a familiar voice. I turn to find a guy walking towards us. He's wearing glasses and has short brown hair, and has on a white t-shirt and blue skinny jeans with holes in the knees.
"Tyler!," I exclaim.
"The one and only," Tyler says. "Are you guys looking for the blond girl?" I nod my head quickly. Tyler motions to the cornfield behind him. "Some guys nabbed her and dragged her in there." I shudder. The sun is setting, and Emma's lost in that cornfield. I move toward the field and push back the cornstalks.
"Come on," I say. "We're going to find Emma."
"Ugh," Johnathan says. "Cornfields. You know what that means? Scarecrows. I hate scarecrows!"
"Would you rather stay out here and wait for us then?," Brock asks him. Johnathan pushes Brock out of the way.
"On second thought I can take them on," Johnathan says, entering the cornfield. Brock rolls his eyes before following. I chuckle, then enter behind them.

"So Tyler," Johnathan asks. "How are you and Scotty liking the high school drop out life?" Tyler smiles.
"Loving it," he says. "I've got a new girlfriend. Her name's Kellie." The other guys congratulate him, while I concentrate on listening for Emma. Tyler blabs some random crap about Scotty working drive-thru at McDonald's and how he's always got "interesting stories" about work. Here's an interesting story of a McDonald's employee. 'So today, while I was working, I secretly took a fry from one of the customers orders.' Like let's be real.
Suddenly, I hear voices ahead of me. I turn to the others and signal for them to be quiet.
"Let me go," I hear Emma say. "Please just let me go."
"I'm afraid that won't be happening," someone says. "Drey's got orders." Drey! I should've known he would try something!
Pushing the cornstalks back, I rush out and body slam someone to the ground. I look down at the face of a boy with multiple face piercings and ruffled brown hair. Johnathan let's out a battle cry before racing out and knocking down the other boy, one with a piercing free face a wavy black hair. I look up to find Emma looking down at us. Suddenly, she grabs mine and Johnathan's arms and races out of the field, pushing past the others in her desperate flee for safety.
When we finally exit the field, Emma turns to us, panting. "What. . .were you. . .thinking?," she gasps. Brock grips her shoulder as she falls to her knees, fighting for breath.
"Hey are you okay?," Tyler asks. Emma nods, her rib cage shaking with every breath she takes.
"Yeah," she says, "yeah I'm fine." Brock pulls her to her feet, letting her lean on his shoulder. "Seriously though," Emma says, "why did you do that?"
"You're our friend," Craig says. "We're not just going to walk away when you're in trouble like that."
"We care about you Emma," Johnathan says, "No matter what you think, we're always going to be here for you." Emma nods, then walks over to me. I gasp in shock as she wraps her arms around me in a hug.
"Thank you," she whispers. After a few moments, I hug her back.
"No problem," I say. I rest my cheek on the top of her head. The others silently gather around, embracing Emma and I as the orange and purple streaks of twilight illuminate us.