Through the Gate

Chapter 7 - The Approaching Storm

Emma Fitzgerald sat in the back of the classroom. History class with Mr Gordon was more gossip-hour than learning experience and that was not something that she particularly enjoyed. Emma supposed that she could sit at the front of the room away from the insipid idiots, but that would open up the possibility of dear, sweet Mr Gordon sneaking peeks down her blouse. He was a disgusting old man, but he only ever bothered girls in the front row. Of course, that's where Princess Goody-Goody sat, along with her newest fawning sheeple, Mary-something-or-other.

She glanced sideways to see the ever-so-gorgeous and mysterious Walker growing more and more irritated at the twit of a redhead sitting in front of them. She and another Barbie-doll were chattering to each other like it was an episode of reality TV.

"Look at this Gwennie! He even gave me this ring, isn't it adorbs? Our first date was just amazing."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so jealous. I wish the guy I liked would do that. "

Walker leaned forward in his seat, "He was most likely nice to you so he could get up your skirt. Then, after he's gotten what he wants, he'll leave you for another cheerleader. Probably the girl sitting right next to you since neither of you realize that you're being played by the same guy."

The girls froze and Gweneth slowly turned around. An instant later, the sound of her hand meeting his cheek filled the room. Gweneth glared at him and he smirked back at her. "That's all right pumpkin-head, I like it rough."

He nipped at the air, shocking the girl and Emma chuckled to herself. He was magnificent. Mr Gordon droned on and on about the economic impact of war on indigenous populations and Emma willed herself to think about something else, like what she would cook for dinner. Emma had already read through the assigned history book and knew enough about the subject to pass just about any test without worrying. Not that she would ace it. No, she had calculated that she needed a B average to get into university without any hassles and that's what she aimed for.

School finally ended and Emma was the first out of the doors. She made a beeline to her beat up old Honda and unlocked it. Her big brother, and best friend, David, had bought and fixed it up for her for her sixteenth birthday. Two years later, it was still running smoothly. Every time she sat on the zebra seat covers and smelled the "cherry" cardboard car fragrance she thought of him; his big, stupid grin his goofy jokes. She even missed his annoying eternal optimism.

She took a deep breath and ran her hands over the steering wheel then started the car. Emma drove responsibly through the city streets and watched as the manicured lawns slowly transformed into business district and then again into suburbs and finally the hood. She drove the familiar streets and finally pulled up to her old stomping grounds, New Hope Junior High.

New Hope, what a joke... She huffed as she looked around for her little brother and sister. Eva came running up almost immediately, but Danny was nowhere to be seen. Emma popped the trunk for her little sister to put her backpack into and watched as she got into the back seat. A woman in a white dress, looking very out of place for this neighborhood, watched her sister from across the street and Emma shuddered involuntarily.

"Heya Emmy."

"Hey kiddo, where's Danny?"

"Dunno." She shrugged back.

"Typical," Emma rolled her eyes. Then she saw him, leaning against one of those half-height retaining walls and he was smoking. "Oh hell to the no! Eva stay there."

Emma got out of the car, locking Eva inside so that creepy chick didn't get any ideas about messing with her little sister and rolled her shoulders. She stomped over making herself look as big as possible. She was taller than most of the little twerps and they knew that the Fitzgerald matriarch was like an approaching storm.

"Baby brother!" She shouted across the yard. "Is that for me?"

"Ugh-"

"Don't "ugh" at me, you're smart enough to use words instead of grunts." As she got closer she smelled the weed. "Are you serious right now?"

"Em, don't be like that. It's just a little-"

"Just a little smoke-able stick of stupid that causes as much lung damage as five cigarettes, makes you depressed and anxious and it even affects your sperm." The boys with Danny reeled at the word and she continued on. "That's right guys, it turns your little swimmers into deformed little monstrosities which means you start shooting blanks." She paused in her tirade, "Of course that means it'll be harder for you to knock up some poor ghetto girl looking to replace her own deadbeat daddy."

"Oh my god Emma! Shut up!" Danny yelled.

"Don't tell me to shut up, you little ingrate, get in the damn car." She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away from his perch.

"You are such a-"

"Go on, finish that sentence." Emma snarled.

He didn't and got in the car without any further drama. She drove to the nearby elementary school to pick up Dominic and Derek, her youngest brothers, ages six and nine respectively. They were waiting with the vice principal on the curb. With her commute to St George, she was always one of the last to arrive. She waved at the balding man as he ushered the boys forward and at last, they could go home.

Emma unlocked the front door and just about tripped over her father. He'd been drinking again, nothing new about that. She and Danny dragged him into his room wordlessly. She went into the kitchen and checked the bag of rice that she kept her savings in. Sure enough, most of it was missing. She opened the fridge to see a box of beer, half-empty, and a mostly-eaten club sandwich from Subway. She climbed on the counter and opened the top cupboard. It was full of brand new bottles of liquor, mostly rum and scotch. She hopped off and looked in the pantry. There were three boxes of mac and cheese, the half empty bag of rice and two cans of tuna. She opened the freezer, peas and a box of spinach.

Great, this won't last the week. She cussed under her breath. For some reason, Emma had actually thought he wouldn't find it in the rice. He never cooked so why would he look there? It was reckless of her and now her siblings would pay for her stupidity. Maybe she would just bite the bullet and start carrying her money around with her. She'd rather get mugged by a stranger than her own father.

"Who wants mac and cheese for dinner," She called out in the most fake "happy voice" that she could muster.

-

Author's Note – Amandla Stenberg as Emma Fitzgerald.

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