Work Text:
Emory
I shifted on my feet, double checking the number on my printed schedule with the number on the locker. The excited voices of Thunder Bay Prep’s student body hollered all around the hall. Spinning to the last number on the dial, the door gave easily and I stepped closer, sticking my head inside. I didn’t have anything to put in the locker yet, but I use the metal walls to block the world.
For just a minute.
My heart was still in my throat. Had been since Martin dropped me off at the curb out front. Everybody stared at the squad car and then at me. As if I needed anything else to separate me from them. Not only am I new and poor, my brother’s a cop and my guardian. And everybody knows. My social life was DEA before I even stepped foot on the premises.
Which was fine. Thunder Bay Prep was my ticket out of here, not up the social ladder. The public school in Cypress I would have gone to had crap extracurriculars, and I had every intention of taking advantage of what was offered, especially if it kept me busy for any length of time.
I rested my head against the cool blue locker, breathing in the smell of disinfectant. They must have just had the school cleaned for the first day. I tried to let that distract me, because I knew that it wasn’t just the judging glances from the other kids that had me wound tight. It was Martin. He wanted something from me.
I said ‘thank you’ for the ride, and told him to have a good day, but there was something else he wanted me to say and I failed. I failed and I knew he wouldn’t let it go. His disappointment with me would simmer in him all day until he got home and then nothing I said would matter.
My throat tightened again. Martin didn’t hated it when I stopped talking after our parents died. I started talking again to make him happy, but nothing I said was right thing either. I still found it difficult most of the time.
The locker door next to me opened and a girl started unloading her designer purse into the space. She was mid-conversation with her friend and I turned into my locker even more in an effort to be invisible. They ignored me anyway. From the sound of the voices, they weren’t freshman like me, though the way some of those kids looked and acted, it was hard to tell.
I peeked, just to get an idea of what I’d be dealing with. It confirmed my suspicions. The girl closest to me had thick, dark waves that reached midback, while the other had hair of spun gold, layered and highlighted. Both were tan – the natural kind, from weeks laying at the beach.
They wore the newest version of the uniform, the pattern on the skirt slightly different from the second-hand one Martin acquired from a recent graduate. It was too large for me and I had to safety-pin it so it wouldn’t fall form my underdeveloped hips. It still fell passed my knees, and the too large shirt hung off my boney shoulders.
Comparatively, their uniforms seemed almost too small. The shirts clung to the swell of their chests, and the skirts were rolled to midthigh, a lot shorter than what I thought was mandatory.
Seniors, if I had to guess.
A third girl approached, and amid hugs and squeals, I gathered it had been a while since they’d seen each other. Questions of vacations and trips followed. The newest girl showed off her diamond bracelet, a gift from ‘daddy,’ but the way she said it left room for interpretation of who exactly ‘daddy’ could be.
My eyes followed the bracelet on her thin wrist, barely processing what they were saying. She asked about their summers and when the two girls paused briefly before erupting into giggles, she stepped closer and asked again more eagerly.
The blonde broke first. “Maisie slept with Michael Crist at the end of summer party last weekend!”
“What?” The newest girl gasped. She has dark hair too, but lighter than the other, and eyes the color of a clear summer sky. They widen with surprise at Maisie.
“Oh, please. Don’t looked so shocked. You haven’t seen them since you’ve been back.”
Her friend didn’t look mad, only disgusted. “Since when to do we sleep with freshman. They’re practically babies.”
“Sophomores now,” Maisie insisted. Then she leaned in closer to her friends. “But trust me, there’s nothing soft about him.”
I frowned as they laughed. Gross. I’m officially uninterested.
“He can’t be more than fourteen,” the third girl continued. She looked half between a grimace and a smile.
“He just turned fifteen, actually.”
“Still. You’re kidding right? You’re panting over a fifteen-year-old boy. Where’s the challenge?”
“One, no one is panting here. Two, wait until you see them. Then you might not be so judgy.”
The bracelet girl shared a look with the blonde, but she only nodded to confirm Maisie’s words.
“Worth enough to commit a crime over?”
“Who’s going to tell? Him? Please.”
“Nothing stays a secret in Thunder Bay. You know that. It’ll all come out eventually.”
I heard Maisie close her locker. “Besides, I heard from Rebecca that she had a bit of fun with Damon Torrance…and then Will Grayson.” She laughed like it’s a big scandal. “Clearly, they’re not holding out for anyone. Those boys are ready to play.”
The girl shook her head in disbelief, then paused, seeming interested. “Wait. Like, at the same time, or…”
That was when I decided I needed to get out of there.
I tried to discreetly shut my locker and move in the opposite direction, giving one last look over my shoulder. I just…wanted to see them. To see these girls who cared about nothing but having a good time, as disturbing as their conversation was.
My movement caught the attention of Bracelet Girl and we made eye contact. She arched a brow, blue eyes hardening as I tried to duck away.
“What are you looking at?”
My throat pinched again, closing around my breath. My large glasses slipped down my nose and I freed one hand from it’s death grip on the strap across my chest to push them back up. “Nothing,” I finally push out in one breath. I waited, immobilized under their glares.
The blonde squinted her eyes at me. “Wait, I know who this is. Her brother’s that cop that shut down our parties all summer.”
Their eyes scanned me from head to toe and back up, taking in what I already knew they’d see. Sloppy uniform, scuffed shoes, stick-thin body. New and Poor and Snitch. I breathed in sharply. Please, don’t let that be what I’m known for.
Maisie stepped closer, crowding me against the lockers.
“I – “ I broke off. I, what? I’m not going to tell. Because that wouldn’t have been suspicious as hell.
“Here’s a tip if you want to stick around: look down,” Maisie advised. “Don’t make eye contact with those who are superior to you.”
That close up, I didn’t need my glasses to see the details of her face. I could see her hostility just fine over the thick, black rims. She waited for me to give in. I did, almost immediately, with Martin’s last warning look flashing in my head.
I flinched and dropped my gaze to the floor, like the coward I am.
Laughter broke out among them. I glared at my feet, already anticipating what the next year would bring with her as my neighbor. Like with Martin, I’d have to start timing my day so that we never crossed paths if I could help it.
“Maisie,” the blonde said, new excitement ringing in her voice. “Look.”
I felt the shift in the atmosphere. Maybe it was the way Maisie seemed to stand it bit taller, her chest jutting out just a bit more, or the way the hall seemed to hush. Something changed. The air became charged. Beyond my control, I lifted my head to look for the source and my attention was hooked by them.
A group of boys dominated the hall, heading in our direction. They were various ages, some taller than others, but four stood out the most, as if they had a gravitational pull that affected all of us. It was weird to see, because it was clear that they weren’t the oldest or the biggest. They still had round faces compared to the older, bigger boys – men, really, for all intents and purposes. Hierarchy should dictate they were at the bottom, yet somehow everything moved around them.
“Hi, Michael,” Maisie called as the lot passed by.
One boy glanced and barely gave her a nod, a single tilt of his head downward. Hardly an acknowledgment if I’d ever seen one. It looked like he could have been agreeing to whatever his friend was saying, except the friend also spared her a flick of his dark eyes before turning back to Michael.
Ouch. I almost felt bad for her. If I hadn’t also found it slightly funny.
Another with darker hair and eyes of black made a show of skimming her form. His fingers came to his lips, playing with the full bottom one as he smirked at her desperation. Maisie gave him a coy smile and his tongue ran the edge of his teeth. He reminded me of a shark.
Ugh. I was disgusted by both of them.
Then all I saw was green. Lush, rich, green.
So green, like the leaves of an oak tree in the middle of summer, when you sit under its shade and drown in the color.
Attached to the green eyes that pinned me was a roundish tan face, and chocolate brown hair, purposefully gelled to look messy in that style I hated. He rotated fully as he passed, walking backward to keeping me in his sight. His eyes never deviated from mine. I know that because I couldn’t tear myself away either.
Then, his eyes dipped slowly. They danced with light and humor as his gaze wandered down.
And for a moment, my chest hurt. I knew what he saw.
New and poor and weak.
And standing next to Maisie and her friends, I was aware of what my fourteen-year-old body must look like. His roving gaze lingered somewhere below my eyes before coming back up. He bit his lip, the tip of which curved upwards in beginnings of a broad smile. He looked like he smiled easily.
Still, despite myself, my heart thumped. Was it embarrassment? Shame? I’d felt those before, but this didn’t match. It wasn’t familiar.
His dark-haired friend threw an arm around his neck, dragging him along to keep up with the group as it turned the corner at the end of the hall. Life followed them, and when they were all gone, the hall felt dead, like a light had gone out and none of us were breathing.
The hall started moving again, life returning. Maisie’s head snapped back around and she zeroed in on me. Martin had already taught me what came after that. Instead of sticking around for it, I attempted an escape.
I didn’t get far. Maisie grabbed the collar of my navy blazer, yanking me so hard my back hit the locker and I bit down on the cry that came up. It shouldn’t have hurt that much. Once the pain reached it’s peak and started to come down, I opened one eye and then the other.
Maisie didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. The look she gave me said it all.
Message received.
Not that she had anything to worry about.
She left first, the blonde followed, but the girl with the bracelet stayed. I watched her warily, waiting for her attack. She held her large black binder to her chest, and unlike her friends with their designer purses, she made the sensible choice of a Jansport.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” she started softly but firm, “but boys like that will never be serious with a girl like you, and you’ll only end up worse for it. Do you understand?”
It’s not what I expected to hear and I think my surprise showed. My mouth dropped open, but I didn’t answer. Wasn’t it obvious?
“I’m not trying to be mean. It’s only the truth.”
“Don’t worry,” I manage to say, squeezing the strap of my bag. “I’m not here to steal anyone’s future sugar daddy.”
“That’s not what –“ She broke off, eyes hard again. Dipping her head, she sighed. “Never mind. Figure it out yourself. Hope it hurts.“
***
By the end of the second week, I’d figured out my schedule so that I was gone before Martin could give me a ride and I barely saw Maisie and her friends. My favorite times of the day were before school and after school, when the building was mostly empty and I didn’t feel eyes following me. Judging me.
I stopped at my locker to get the books I needed for the weekend. My plan was going well enough. Band would take up Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Fridays would be game days as soon as the season started. I planned on trying out for the swim team, and that would take up Mondays and Wednesdays. I’d figure out something for the weekends. With any luck, I’d rarely be home except when I absolutely needed to be. For Grand-mere. I already missed her company.
The air in the empty hall shifted in a way that had become all too familiar. The skin on the back of my neck prickled with heat and I flipped around, fusing my back to the wall of lockers now behind me.
“Hi,” William Grayson smiled. Full lips framing perfect, straight white teeth.
Up close, it was more than obvious he was rich. He had wealth written all over his features. One day, he’d grow from boyishly cute to big and handsome. With broad shoulders already, he was getting there. Still, there was a touch of softness to his face that kept him from being ‘hot’ just yet.
It wasn’t hard to learn his name. Everyone in town knew the name Grayson, and it seemed to be on the lips of nearly everyone at school. Youngest son of one of the richest families in the country, no wonder Maisie and her friends felt territorial. I agreed – I shouldn’t even be allowed to walk the same halls as their kind. And even though they were only sophomores, his group of friends stood out, small as the student body was. They just…vibrated on a different plane than everyone else.
And again, I got caught in his eyes. Twin pools that drew me in with how they dance with life. A life of pleasure and freedom, without pain. That’s him. I kinda hated him for it.
I was half-convinced I was going crazy.
“There’s a party out at the warehouse tonight. A sort of welcome back bash thing.”
I’d heard about it, but not directly. News of the cop’s sister traveled fast. On top of that, freshmen usually didn’t get invited to those types of parties. Too risky for teens who just want to drink and a good time.
At that moment, I was more concerned with why he was standing so close and stepping even closer.
“Are you going?”
“No.” I answer firmly, swiftly.
I didn’t expect that to be the end of it. He didn’t seem to be the type to give up, so to send an even clearer message, I slammed my locker closed and attempted to move around him.
He moved with me.
“I can pick up you. That’s no problem.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Aren’t you only fifteen?”
His devilish smile widened and I cursed myself for being so obvious. “Don’t worry about it. You in?”
“My answer is still no.”
“It’d be dope if you came.”
Seriously? Dope? Kill me. “Let’s see,” I tapped my finger to my chin, “going to an abandoned warehouse with a stranger and his buddies? Sounds like a invitation that only stupid girls would fall for.” I looked him dead straight in his laughing green eyes. “Go find someone else to live out your horror movie fantasies.”
He stuck out his hand. The tips of his fingers brush the front of my shirt because he was standing so close. “William Aaron Paine Grayson III.”
I froze, completely dumbfounded by his response.
I wasn’t kidding earlier. Literally everyone knew his name.
He leaned in as if to whisper a secret. “If you shake my hand and then say your name, we won’t be strangers anymore. We’ll be friends.”
I took a deep breath to bolster myself against the onslaught of his scent. “You know who my brother is?”
“All I’m hearing is that you have access to handcuffs.” His eyes shined. “Wow, this is quick, but I’m down. Didn’t know you’d be so kinky. Guess I should’ve. It’s always the quiet ones.”
I involuntary rolled my eyes and bite my inner lip out of frustration. His gazes dips like that first time and then it darkens, narrowing. His throat works with a swallow. My whole body buzzed in response. What was that about?
Shaking out of my thoughts, I tried a second time to get around him. He blocked me once again.
I dart to the left, and he’s right in front of me, pushing me back.
“I’m on the basketball team. I can do this all afternoon.”
I ground my teeth and glared. “I know this is new for you, but leave. Me. Alone.”
“Come on,” he laughed lowly, stepping even closer and crowding me. “Just tell me your name.”
“I don’t need to.” I half-shouted in the empty hall. My eyes darted around him, looking for an exit.
“Emory.”
I stood, shocked and frozen in place. Even breathing was a struggle while blood rushed through my ears. But it wasn’t the same panic I felt when I heard Martin pull up. This was different. He said my name so softly, it was almost a pleasant whisper.
A caress.
He said it again, his voice deeper than before. “Emory Sophia Scott.”
People often got my name wrong, replacing the ‘O’ with an ‘E.’ It’s a small difference, but wrong nonetheless. However, my name rolled off of Will’s tongue as if he’d been practicing it.
“Would that have been so hard to say? It’s a beautiful name.” His hand came up and brushed the jacket of my oversized uniform, finding one of the loose buttons to play with. “Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
Beautiful name for a –
I scoffed.
No.
Hell no. I can’t believe him.
He somehow found the space to step even closer - seriously, how the hell was there any space left. Any closer and we'd be standing on each other. I back up as much as I could, causing the dial of my locker jutted into the exact center of a bruise and I gasped. But I couldn’t tell if it was from the pain this time.
“I’d really like to take you to that party tonight.” His tone had shifted, and though he was still smiling, I got the feeling he wasn’t playing anymore. He was serious for some reason.
But I’ve seen Carrie. That’s not happening here.
When I didn’t say anything, he slid his hand under the strap of my bag and lifted it over my head, taking it with him when he stepped away. Another step back, and then another. Before long, he was down the hall, walking away from me while keeping me locked in his sight.
With my bag.
I launched away from the lockers. “Give it back!”
“You want it?” He held it out of my reach with his superior height. “Come to the party. You’ll get it afterwards.”
“I can’t go.” I made a dive for it as he swings it around to his other hand. My fingers swept the fabric but clenched around air.
He spun out of the way, turning around me so that for a moment he was at my back. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.” I growled when I saw that he’d opened it and was pulling out my class binder. “Stop going through my stuff.”
He looks up gleefully. “You’re in band? That’s so cute. I can already see you in that little hat. It’ll go great with your glasses.”
So now he was openly making fun of me. Thanks for making it so clear.
“It’s great too, because you’ll be there to play the fight song for all of my games.”
“I’ll never play for you.” I jabbed and darted for the binder, but he effortlessly dodged my every attempt. Not only did he have height on me, but natural athleticism. Basically everything I lacked in spades.
“How many AP classes are you taking? Don’t you want to have a life,” he asked, going through my schedule.
If only he knew.
“Swim team, huh?” He stopped and eyed me up and down again, as if seeing me for the first time. Maybe picturing in a swim suit, even if the school’s team uniform was modest. “Maybe I should come to some of your meets. Would you like that?”
“Don’t bother.”
He shrugged dismissively. “I’ll already be there. Kai’s thinking of joining the swim team in the off season. Although, I have to admit I’m a lot more excited to see you than him.”
“Wrong choice. He’s prettier.” And he was. Kai Mori was something else.
Will smirks and nods. “Oh, he’s hot, for sure. But we’ll have to disagree on that.” There was an undercurrent to his words; something left unspoken that I couldn’t figure out.
I stared, breathing heavily from the exertion. He hadn’t broken a sweat.
“Fine,” Will said. “You can’t come to the party. Maybe another time. I’m still holding this until Monday unless you find me sooner and make me give it back.”
He just doesn’t get it. I rushed up to him, getting in his face, bag forgotten. He didn’t back up on my approach. In fact, he leaned in, his facing lighting up I grew near. It filled me with venom.
“Correction: I don’t want to go to the party. I’ll never want to go anywhere with you. I don’t want you talking to me or coming to my swim meets or looking for me in the stands during games. I don’t want to know you, and I don’t want to be friends. That will never happen. So go find some other girl to play with.”
I glared in spite and anger. He returned it when a stare of wonderment, like I’m somebody new. Like I’ve transformed in front of him. But I’m still just me. Suddenly, I became aware of how loud I had been. I shouted in his face. The first time in a long time I raised my voice.
For a second, I feared his reaction.
He leaned down. “I’m not trying to be your friend,” he whispered against my lips. “That’s just the first step.”
The first step to what?
“Mr. Grayson? Miss Scott?”
We both turned at the sound of his name. My math teacher, Mr. Sorrel, stood at the end of the hall, his eyes darting between us. Will still had my bag over his shoulder, holding my binder in his hands. This doesn’t look good.
Will stepped back. “I was just helping Emmy with a class.”
“You? Helping her?” I heard the doubt dripping from each word and, irrationally, my irritation flared up.
Wait. Emmy? I glared at Will. Who gave him the right?
Mr. Sorrel didn’t buy it for a second, but he sighed anyway, giving Will a regretful, tired look. “Give Miss Scott back her things and be on your way, Mr. Grayson.”
I blinked. Be on your way? That’s it?
Staring at Mr. Sorrel, Will took his time putting the binder back in my bag and closing it. Then, he held my bag out to me, dangling from one finger. I gripped it with both hands, hugging it too my chest as if it would protect me from his inspection.
He lingered longer than necessary, causing the teacher to prompt him again, that time with more force. Will rolled his eyes. Stuffing his hands in his slacks, he stepped up to me and then around.
As he went, he leaned down so that his lips brushed my ears. “See you around,” he said, his voice warm and delighted, “Emmy.”
I hugged my bag even tighter. Unable to stop myself, an exhilarating feeling surged through me. He wants to see me again. Maybe I misjudged him. It couldn’t happen because Martin would have my head, but it was a nice thought.
My heart and stomach plummet at the thought of Martin, and all good feelings disappeared into the void too. There’s no way a boy like Will Grayson would want anything to do with me. Not when Martin is around to ruin the fun. It had to be a trick after all; a plan he and his friends came up with.
Will’s words echoed in my mind as I walked out of the school alone. The kindness I thought I heard morphed into something else. Something dark and threatening.
See you around.
Emmy.