MPHFPC HIGH SCHOOL AU

8

I was in total shock. I just stood still for a few moments as she wept into my neck, before hugging her back. A minute passed. And another one. And another one. And then she finally let go, wiping her tears.

"Thanks," she said.

"Sure, anytime," I replied, a bit unsure, not really knowing what she's thanking me for.

She smiled and looked at me with her big eyes that looked so sad that I couldn't look at them for longer than a couple moments. "Emma," I started. "What's going on?"

Sniff sniff "Its a secret," she whispered.

"You know you can trust me, right?"

"We'll you've never told me any of your secrets either!" she said, putting her defensive mode on.

"Well then let's make a deal," I suggested. "I'll tell you my secret and you'll tell me yours."

She smiled. "Alright. Go ahead."

"Uhm, okay... Aha, I got it! So you know how my father forbid me, from talking to you?" She nodded and looked at her shoes. She seemed generally embarrassed of it. "Well now, whenever I'm with you, he thinks I'm examining slugs!"

"Slugs?" She started laughing. "Where do you even find slugs in Florida?"

I shrugged. "I didn't think he would buy it either, to be honest, but he did! Your turn," I said elbowing her slightly.

"Pff are you kidding me? This secret is barely worth my birth place! You gotta give me some juice to know what happened!"

"What? Not fair! I don't know any other secrets," I said.

"Nah-ah Jakey. Tell me what's going on in your love life," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. My expression must've confirmed something's up because she clapped excitedly. "So who's the lucky girl?" she asked and snuggled closer to me.

I looked at my shoes, murmuring Melina's name.

"Who???"

"Melhinha..."

"WHO????"

"MELINA!" I almost shouted at her. And her expression changed from excited to... sad? Perhaps she wasn't pleased with my choice, but I could say the same for her. I mean, really? Enoch?

"Melina? Melina Rodrick?" she looked genuinely hurt, out of some possibly stupid reason.

"Yup," I nodded. "But my friend Ricky totally stole her from me," I explained.

Her face lightened up. "Good. She's weird and ugly," she said, with her popular bitchy tone.

"Shut up," I retorted, a bit mad at her. "Besides whats up with you and Enoch?" The way I spoke his name made it clear that I don't like him (if it wasn't clear before).

Emma shot me an angry look. "We broke up," she said.

"Oh," was all I said. I didn't feel sorry for her, though. Enoch was a pain in the ass.

"Yeah. It was because of you," she explained, even though I didn't ask for the cause or even showed interest. I was very confused.

"Enoch was jealous of me?" I asked taking in all the information.

"No, you idiot, why would he be? There's nothing going on here," she said monotone. "Olive kinda mentioned you were here one day and he went crazy. He hasn't been talking with me ever since. But he told him."

"Him?" I repeated trying to act very oblivious.

"You're a bad liar, Jacob," Emma said, chuckling slightly. "Besides Olive told me she told you so there's no need to pretend. Anyway. He is my father. And here comes the big secret that you've been waiting for."

"Im-"

Then it hit me. Everything Olive said the first day we met, everything I knew about Emma and him. I suddenly knew what she was about to say.

"You're going home, right?"