Emma: Seventh Grade

Chapter 36: Road Trip

As soon as Emma was released from the hospital, she was overwhelmed with completing make-up assignments, taking missed exams, and studying for upcoming finals. Luckily, Kendra and her buddies didn't bother her too much in school, but they left mean, vulgar messages and comments on her social media posts. Emma did her best to ignore them, but the comments still stung like pouring salt in an open wound. The Ativan she was prescribed was a lifesaver during this time; she was taking it on a daily basis and always carried a few tablets with her, just in case of an emergency.

After nearly two weeks of getting hardly any sleep during the night due to homework and studying, Emma was physically and mentally exhausted. However, there was no rest in sight for her, since her mom was planning a road trip to Emma's Aunt Macie and Uncle Jack's house in Missouri for Christmas. Emma hated going there; her cousins, Catie who was fifteen years old, and Ramsey who was thirteen, were spoiled rotten. They always teased Emma and played nasty tricks on her, and their parents would let them get away with it every time. It was an absolutely torturous time for her, and the only rest she would be getting was during the thirteen-hour-long car ride there.

"Mom! Can I please stay home??" Emma begged as she pulled her packed suitcase behind her in one hand and hugged a pillow and blanket in the other arm while clutching a green Camelbak filled to the top with water in her hand. She was wearing a purple Victoria's Secret pullover sweatshirt with nothing but a pale pink cami underneath. Knowing she would sleep during the entire drive, she was going commando in a pair of thin, black leggings which definitively outlined her thin, bony legs and prominent thigh gap. Her blonde hair was pulled into a braid that swung over her left shoulder, serving as a cute addition to her casual outfit.

"Emma! For the last time! No!"  Emma's mom shouted, frantically running around the kitchen finishing up some last minute tasks. "You've been whining about this all morning and I'm sick of it! So stop asking! You're coming whether you want to or not!"

Sighing, Emma trudged over to the couch and slumped down into it, after throwing her things on the floor. Picking up the remote, she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. She was absolutely dreading this trip; even just thinking about spending time with her evil cousins gave her knots in her stomach.

"Emma!" her mom yelled from the kitchen. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!" Emma shouted over the noise of the TV. She continued to flip through channels, trying to find something she liked.

"Did you go potty? I don't want you wetting your pants in my car!"

"Yes," Emma replied, rolling her eyes. She hated the fact that her mom still treated her like a little kid. She was already deathly ashamed of having bed-wetting issues when she was younger, but her mom always made it worse. The only time Emma ever wet herself now was if she held her urine in too long, but even that happened only once in a blue moon.

"Get in the car then, if you're all ready to go!" Emma's mom commanded. "I'll be out in a minute!"

Emma willfully ignored her mom, pretending not to hear her. Keeping Up with the Kardashians was on and Emma wanted to watch that instead of sit in the car and wait for her mom.

Several minutes passed by, and Emma's mom appeared in the living room. "Emma Rae!" she yelled at the top of her voice. "Get in the damn car!! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Emma jumped, startled by her mom's loud voice. "Okay!" she whined, turning off the TV and sliding off the couch. Picking up her suitcase, water bottle, pillow, and blanket, Emma walked over to the front door, slipped on her tan Ugg boots, and let herself outside. The air was bitter cold and it immediately chilled Emma to the bone. Opening the back door of her mom's car, which was already running, she threw her suitcase in the backseat and then climbed into the front seat, slamming the door behind her.