Trigger Warning!
Emma's POV
After Trace's ultimatum, Izzy watches him carefully as her eyes stay lifeless and her scowl rigid. Several long breaths later, she crosses her arms.
"I have nowhere else to go, Trace."
"That's not true and you know it. You have four other houses, you just don't want to go to theirs."
She watches him another minute before she nods. "I'll take my smoking outside."
"And leave Emma alone," he says in a calm, yet serious voice.
"Fine."
"And put on some damn clothes, now!"
She rolls her eyes as she walks away, and Trace keeps his eyes to the ground as she does. When we hear the door click shut, he looks at me and pulls me against him.
"You ok?"
Although there's so many things I can say about all of this, I say the simplest.
"Yes"
~*~
After a long week of walking on eggshells with Izzy and preparing Jake's party, I'm completely and utterly exhausted. Add in the fact that Trace and my most intimate moments have been a few kisses here and there, I'm feeling like my life is starting to spiral.
"When do you want me to pick up the cake?" Trace asks as he walks around the kitchen in only sweats, eating Beef Jerky.
"4. Can you pick up the sub sandwiches right after that? Our moms are bringing the sides, but I was supposed to get the food at 4:30 and I forgot about the balloons I ordered...And I still need to decorate."
Trace finishes the jerky as he silently gets out his phone.
"Hey Luke. Can you run to Party City and pick up Emma's ballon order?....Thanks man."
"Balloons are taken care of. The food and the cake will be too. Now you have all day to decorate while he's at the gym."
That simple gesture just took ten pounds off of me and I blow out a breath.
"Thank you"
He smiles as he kisses my forehead, and we both turn when we hear a disgusted sound.
"So you can be naked, but I can't?"
Trace looks at his sister and gives her an exasperated look.
"Do I look naked to you?"
"Where's your shirt?"
"Isabelle, this is my house and if I don't want to wear a shirt, then I won't."
"Cool. Good to know that you're just a typical white male who thinks he's superior to everyone else. Better watch out Trace, your entitlement is showing....."
Trace blows out a breath as he runs his fingers through his shaggy hair.
"Izzy, I'm trying to be understanding, and I hope that one day you will tell me about all of the hell you've been through. I pray for you every single night, and I have from the second you left. But for the love of my sanity, shut the hell up."
She nods as she brushes black hair out of her face.
"Go ahead and save your prayers, brother. God doesn't care about me. If He cared......"
She immediately stops and bites her lip.
"If He cared what?" Trace asks as he walks over to her carefully, desperate to know even a nugget of information.
She straightens her back and clears her throat.
"You know it's funny.....Everyone probably thinks I'm a whore, huh?"
"Nobody thinks that," he says firmly as he shakes his head.
"I wasn't... I was a virgin...Then I ran out of gas and my phone got shut off, and I couldn't get any money out of the ATM.....So I asked a group of men that were standing outside of a bar if I could use one of their phones—I was going to call dad to come get me....."
Trace takes her hand in his and tears fill her eyes.
She shakes her head and the tears refuse to fall.
She chuckles darkly and sniffs. "Instead of letting me borrow their phones, they decided to take turns with me....And well, after that I figured what's the point? If I'm gonna have to do it anyways, I might as well get something out of it. You can tell dad that the next time you see him if you want to. So he knows exactly why I will hate him until his dying breath, and then I'll spit on his damn grave."
Trace goes to hug her, and she pulls away.
"Don't ever touch me again. You and your entitlement can keep the hell away from me."
As she goes upstairs and slams the door, Trace grabs his stomach and leans against the wall.
"Shit," he gets out as he rests his forehead on the drywall.
When he looks at me, his face is as white as Izzy's pale skin.
"This will kill dad. I'm not even kidding, Emma. This will be what gives him a heart attack or an aneurysm or something."
"Then don't tell him," I say as I take his hand and kiss his opened palm.
He wipes a tear that falls and his hand starts to shake. When he gets on his phone, I feel sick. Surely he isn't telling his dad this over the phone.
"Hey, I just really need my best friend right now. Any chance you and I can go together to get the balloons and food? Thanks man...I'll pick you up in ten."
When he kisses my cheek and I watch him leave, my heart breaks for the guy who has always fixed my problems. He's always been able to help me with whatever it is I'm going through, and right now there isn't anything I can do for him.
~*~
As I'm about to leave to go to Jake's, Izzy comes down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" She asks as she gets a water out of the fridge.
"I've gotta go to Jake's to set up for his party. Are you coming tonight?"
She laughs as she wipes some water droplets off her mouth and shakes her head.
"I can barely stand to see my brother and you, no offense....I'm sure as hell not going to a family party and pretend like I care about any of them."
I nod as I pick up the box of decorations and give her a smile.
"Well if you change your mind, come over. Everyone is anxious to see you. If not, we will bring you home some cake and food. Have a good night."
I walk out of the house quickly and take in a deep breath. I'm free from her for a little bit....Why am I being like this? She's been through so much......
Mom and Megan meet me, and with Sarah's help we get the house decorated quickly. Raya comes down the stairs and takes it all in, grinning at me.
"I'm saying this in the nicest possible way...You know he's gonna hate this, right?"
"Raya Jade!" Sarah scolds as she crosses her arms.
"I don't mean anything bad about it, the place looks amazing...I,—sorry....Anything I can do to help?"
"You can go pick up your room, young lady," Sarah says as she glares at Raya.
"Yes ma'am," she sighs as she walks back upstairs.
"This child hasn't been the same since your brother left, Ellie. Jake is trying his best to understand. She's not even being bad...She's just, like, depressed or something."
Mom nods as she hangs the last streamer. "Any chance Justin can come back for another visit?"
Sarah shrugs. "We haven't asked. I don't want him around my daughter."
"I get that," she nods as she steps down from the ladder and looks around. When she looks at me, she gives me a smile that instantly calms my anxiety.
"This is going to mean a lot to him, Emma Kate."
"I hope this doesn't make him mad...." I mutter, suddenly regretting everything.
"To have someone love him as much as you do? Never."
~*~
When everyone gets here, Wes just kisses my head as a greeting and goes into a corner of the living room, sitting on a couch and drinking a soda.
He looks worse than when she left
When we see Jake's car pull into the driveway, we all hide, which is comical because there's no way all of us can actually hide.
When Jake walks in, he jumps a foot in the air when we all scream "SURPRISE!!" He drops his gym bag, and stares at all of us in shock for a second.
"What the hell?!?!" He finally asks.
"YOU'RE OLD AS SHIT, JAKE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YA SENIOR CITIZEN!!!!" Liam screams
Jake smacks his lips together and looks around.
"Eleanor Jane Freeman Preston!" He scolds as he puts his hands on his hips and glares at mom.
"Don't blame me! I tried talkin' your niece outta it," she says as she puts her hands up in defense.
Jake scans the room until he sees me, and keeps his face pissed.
"You're responsible for this, Emma Katherine?" He asks as he walks slowly over to me.
Oops
"Um...well....."
He gets to me and without saying a word, pulls me into him and hugs me tight.
"I love you Emmy, thank you," he whispers as he kisses my head. When I look up at him, I can't tell if the twinkle in his eyes are tears, or just the way the sun is reflecting against them.
"Love you too," I say as I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek.
"Ya'll wanna party with a fossil?" He asks, and the family cheers.
Jake goes over to Liam and puts him in a headlock. "Take it back, nephew!"
"Take back that you're old? I ain't got a time machine," he squeals as he does some footwork Jake taught him and gets out of the headlock.
"Oooooh, and who taught you that move, huh?" Jake asks as he grins.
"An OOOOOLD MAAAAAN!!!" Liam taunts as he jumps over a chair and hides behind mom.
"Mommy, ya punched him once for being nasty to me, go ahead and show me how much you love me again!"
He uses mom as a shield and mom rolls her eyes.
"Sorry, I'm retired from punching people."
Dad snorts on the Pepsi he was drinking and coughs. "Thank goodness!"
Liam slumps his shoulders and closes his eyes. "My own mother won't protect me....."
Mom kisses his cheek, making him open his eyes and grin at her.
"Jake, we're starving. Would you hurry up and get your plate?" Mom finally says to her brother, and he grins at her. "Thanks Ellie. Thanks everyone....This is....I haven't had a party since I was a kid, and it's pretty cool."
He looks at me and comes back over, giving me another kiss. "You're sure something special, Emmy."