A Safe Space

Chapter Three: Blue Sapphire Necklace

Jonah and I walked into Cloud Nine. Mom ran up to me. "Emma!" she embraced me in a hug. "What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry I got into a fight."

"What were you fighting about?" mom asked.

"Nothing. It was stupid. I promise it'll never happen again."

"Emma, you can tell me. I need to know what was so bad that you hit another girl," mom pleaded.

I couldn't tell mom the truth. It would absolutely break her if she knew that I was getting bullied because we were poor. "She kept calling me mean names and she pushed me against the locker. I hit her to get her off me."

"So it was self defense? That's it?" mom asked.

"Yeah. That's it."

"Okay. Then hang out around the store until my shift ends. Then I'll take you home," mom told me. I nodded and decided to go see Cheyenne at the jewelry counter. Maybe I can find a necklace there. It won't even compare to the blue sapphire necklace. It'll be really cheap, and made out of plastic, but at least it'll look pretty.

Amy turned to Jonah. "Did Emma tell you anything about the fight?" she asked him.

"Uh, nope. No, she did not. Didn't tell me. We just rode it the car in silence. Complete silence," he went on.

"You're rambling. I know you're hiding something. What did Emma tell you?" she demanded.

"I don't think I should say. Emma doesn't want you to know."

"She is my daughter. I have every right to know. If somebody is hurting my daughter, I need to know," Amy demanded.

Jonah sighed. Amy was right. He knew he was going to regret this. But he had to tell Amy. "Some girl made fun of Emma because she was poor. She knew Emma's shoes were a cheap knock-off brand, and she knows you bought her clothes from Cloud 9 using your employee discount. This has been happening for such a long time. Emma just finally snapped."

Amy took a deep breath. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Her eyes welled with tears. "This is my fault. I took too many vacation days. I should be working double shifts. I should be making more money for my daughter. Emma doesn't deserve this. She deserves a better mother." The room was spinning.

"Hey, don't say that!" Jonah grabbed Amy by the shoulders. "You are an amazing mother! You are trying your best! Emma knows how hard you work for her! Emma appreciates what you do for her! She looks up to you. You're her hero."

Amy buried her face into Jonah's chest. He was so caring. "Thank you, Jonah. I appreciate it." Amy wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and resumed with her work. She went up to Glenn to offer to start working on weekends. She was determined to get her daughter a good pair of sneakers.

I walked up to Cheyenne at the jewelry counter. "Hey, Cheyenne!"

"Hey, Emma. What's up?"

"Do you have any necklaces? Ones that are cheap but still really pretty?" I asked.

"Of course." Cheyenne pointed a necklace in the display case. "This blue sapphire necklace with a silver pendent only costs $32."

Wait. That necklace. It's exactly the same as Sapphire's! She told me it was expensive! She said it was a real jewel! "That jewel is fake?" I asked Cheyenne.

"Yep, the sapphire is just a fake gemstone. That's why it's so cheap," Cheyenne informed me.

I couldn't believe it. Sapphire's necklace wasn't even real. She lied. This is gonna be so good! I have to tell Jonah! He's gonna love this!