Bury a Friend | Hemlock Grove |

Chapter 7 | Pretty Head |

And that's how it starts.

Emma's failing biology now, she's sure of that. She swears she's trying but maybe she just wasn't as smart as she thought she was. That has to be it. Sometimes you can feel really confident about something and then you realize you had no reason to at all. It's why she stopped playing the piano and gave up soccer. Her other classes aren't great, but they're not as bad. French was extremely hard to sit through. It felt like it dragged on and it bored her. Most days just felt long until she got home.

It had been a week since she returned to school. Emma had spent that first weekend around the house. She cleaned behind the fridge and under the oven. Kay was ecstatic to see the house the next morning. Monday comes, Tuesday comes, so on and so on, it's all the same. The same goddamn routine in motion. The same three dreams repeating. The same fluorescent light flicking above her during third period.

Emma doesn't know what she expected to happen. Part of her anticipated returning to school and acting like it never happened. Roman hasn't even tried to contact her. He doesn't look at her and if he does it's with disgust. It's almost like he's mad at her. The audacity.

She wants to throw away everything related to Roman in her room. She can't. The first box she pulls out has a picture of her, Roman, and Roman's dad in it. They're sitting at his desk at the tower. She barely remembers his dad, but she knew she loved him. Emma never loved her own dad.

She could never understand why his dad killed himself. He loved his son, loved his daughter, it broke Emma's heart even now. The picture behind it is just of her and Olivia at an early Godfrey Gala. They're wearing almost matching red dresses, Olivia only wore white now. Behind that photo was one of her and Roman at the awkward age of 13 or so at the pool.

She couldn't look further.

Her phone vibrates from the side table. It keeps going and going, and finally, she answers the unknown number. "Hello?"

"Emily Parker," she recognizes the voice. "Party at my place, you in?"

"Of course. See you there, Scotty."

"See ya."

It's almost midnight when she finishes making the long walk over, and it is a long walk. She's never made it before, always pulling up in the Jag. Emma enters the party and it's absurdly crowded and hot. She can feel a light gleam of sweat appearing on her body.

She looks around the living room until she sees Ally waving her over. Emma pushes her way through the crowd until she makes it to her friends. "Didn't think I'd see you here!" Ally yells over the music. "Didn't think you were paying attention at lunch today!"

"Scotty actually called me and asked me to come!"

"Scotty?" Ally questions and Emma nods. "That's cute! I like him! He's cool."

"He's nice," Emma agrees.

"Look, I left your tequila at my place, but you can have some of mine tonight."

"Thanks!" She takes the bottle from Ally's outreached hand and takes three giant swigs.

"Drink up!" Ally giggles and takes another drink when she gets the bottle back.

"Hey, Al.." Ally looks to her. "Do you uh- do you know-"

"Roman's coming. He might be here already, but I haven't seen him."

"Cool, cool, thanks."

"I'll keep an eye out, be a watchdog," Ally says, but looks like there's more to say.

"What?"

"I was just wondering... Y'know, what's going on?"

"What's going on?"