"What is he doing here?" Emma demanded, from no one in particular. Then, she spun to glare at Noah. "What in hell is he doing here?"
"Woah Em, no need to be rude -" The boy at the door began.
"Don't call me that. We are not friends." Emma commanded in a low voice.
He smirked. "Could've fooled me."
The boy in the door was Noah's playboy of a best friend, Harry Taylor, the epitome, for the lack of a more accurately descriptive word, a dick.
"Why are you here?" She reiterated, except now her hostility was directed to Harry. Her hands were now folded across her chest, while he was leaning against the doorway, his mouth still turned up in that incorrigible smirk of his.
"Noah finally got himself arrested. I'm his phone call." He bubbled excitedly, a new sight to see; she'd never seen him excited before.
Noah sighed, getting up from his seat. "I didn't get arrested, you moron. I was taken in for questioning."
"Tomato, tomahto, you still set foot in a precinct 'cause you were in trouble." Harry pointed out gleefully. Noah merely rolled his eyes at his response, but Emma and Richard wore matching masks of appalled looks.
"Are you seriously best friends with this guy?" Emma queried.
"Believe it or not, he is actually a good friend."
"Damn straight." Harry reported. Turning to Richard, he asked, "Can he go?"
"Yeah, sure." Richard's voice surprised her; he'd been quiet throughout the whole ordeal. "I just need to say something to him." Addressing Noah, he raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Can I talk to you for a second, outside?"
Noah nodded. "Of course." He threw her a parting nod her way, and exited the room with her dad. Emma, on that note, shouldered her bag and made a beeline for the stairs before Harry could instigate a conversation with her.
If he was upset by her dismissal, it didn't show on his face. "See you at school tomorrow!" He cried out as she left.
For the love of God, I hope not.
*
Finding her best friend Hollie in school the next day was the hardest thing Emma has ever done in her entire life.
Yawning, she made a beeline for her locker, taking her time opening it and taking her stuff out of it.
She slammed her locker shut as soon as she done, and jumped when she saw a grinning redhead standing behind her locker.
"Jeez, Hollie, pinch the smile a little. You look like the Joker." She grumbled, pressing her books to her chest.
"Wow, someone didn't get enough sleep." Hollie teased.
"What sleep?" Emma replied sardonically.
"Jessica Jones?"
"Jessica Jones." She confirmed. "Still didn't get to finish the darn season. There aren't enough hours between twelve and seven o' clock."
"Seven hours isn't enough?" Hollie asked, astonished.
Emma threw her an incredulous look. "I need at least thirteen!" She exclaimed.
Hollie rolled her eyes. "Then why did you even come to school, oh the-greatest-fan-of-Marvel-alive?"
"I wasn't going too! Dad caught me on the laptop." She mumbled angrily.
Hollie laughed. "Well, those dark circles are such kille-"
"Shut up, Holland."
The redhead rolled her eyes, again. "Okay, Ms. Cranky, let's go to homeroom."
Hollie and Emma were best friends since forever. One of the perks of living in a small town in the middle of nowhere; people rarely came or left. They were in the same homeroom, and in most of their classes were the same, except for one or two.
The periods before recess were quite uneventful, despite the fact that they were Chemistry and Physics, classes she shared with Hollie. Hollie was a notorious troublemaker, but Emma supposed that she was quiet today because of her sleep deprived best friend, who was slipping between wake and sleep.
Now that Emma thought of it, the lessons were probably uneventful because Emma was half asleep in all the classes.
*
The cafeteria was buzzing with life, but the line was crowded. Emma thanked her father for being the ever supportive father he was of her fanaticism and leaving her lunch, knowing she would be in a rush while she headed to school. With a yawn, Emma sat down with Hollie in their usual places. She slowly munched on her lunch, picking at the bread crumbs that fell off her sandwich after she was done.
Not soon after they sat down, their other friends, Joey and Sara, joined them. Jo was the quarterback on the school football's team, and Sara was a whimsical bookworm. Somehow, something that never failed to faze Emma, they were one of the strongest couple she had ever met in high school.
"Sup, Em, you look totally worn out. If I didn't know that your sex life was non-existent, I'm pretty sure I would've believed you were up all night getting some." Joey drawled as he took in her appearance.
Emma wasn't taking anyone shit. She flicked some bread crumbs that hit him square in the face, and then flipped him off, her lips pursed the entire time.
Sara wiped the bread crumbs off her boyfriends face in her characteristically rough manner; she simply pressed her hand all over her face while he squeezed his eyes shut. "Lemme guess," she said, "Jessica Jones?"
"Jessica Jones." Emma confirmed, while Joey swatted Sara's groping hand away from his face. "Sheesh, thanks love."
Sara gave him a sickly sweet smile; she hated it when Jo called her 'love'. "Don't mention it."
"I'm surprised your dad didn't let you stay home like last time, when Daredevil came out." Sara mused, addressing the gloomy blonde.
"The only reason he let me stay was because he was hooked on it as well; he skipped work that day too. He wasn't letting me stay this time, and Jessica Jones isn't exactly a show you can watch with your dad, with the whole David Tenant playing a creepy mind controller who wants Jessica to be his sex thing and jump as high as she can." The three of them gave her dumbfounded looks, to which Emma just rolled her eyes.
The four of them continued their bickering, which included Joey's daily rant of how his only friends were the three most annoying girls in school, until it was time to head to class. Emma has Art now, a class none of her other friends took.
She bid goodbye to her group and made her way to the Art Studio on the other side of the building. On her way there, she was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder.
Just like that, she was on high alert. She spun around, her eyes alert and glaring at the owner of the hand. When she realized who's it was, she promptly softened her gaze and heaved a sigh.
"Oh it's just you. Hey Noah." Emma greeted pleasantly, trying her best to not fall asleep smack in the middle of the hallway. But at the same time she was reminded about the weird cover up remark she had made when she was in interrogation with him, about his neck, and was helpless to stop the blush that crept up her neck.
"Hey Emma," he replied with a smile, blissfully unaware of the cause of her blush. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Well you are right now, aren't you?" She returned cheekily. Do not yawn, do NOT yawn.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess. Okay, its about your Physics project -"
"My Physics project?" Emma echoed, bewildered.
He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, your dad told me you need help when he pulled me out of interrogation yesterday."
She groaned internally. Really, Dad. "No no, everything is fine, my dad's probably worried 'cause I had a couple of breakdowns. Don't worry, you don't need to help me."
Noah shook his head. "I don't mind. Just give me a convenient time and your address and I'll be there."
Emma stared at him for a few seconds. His anxiety was so apparent. "My dad threatened you, didn't he?"
Noah looked like a dear caught in the headlights. "Let's not call it threatening. Let's call it convincing."
Emma giggled. "I'll talk to my dad, you don't have to come, don't worry." Emma consoled the brunette.
"I seriously don't mind Emma. And it seriously looks like you could use my help."
He wasn't going to let go of this anytime soon. Sh sighed. "I'll tell you by the end of the school day."
Noah nodded, and in silence, the pair made their way to the Art Studio. At first Emma was confused as to why Noah was following her, only to remember that Noah was in her Art class. As they walked, Emma thought about her newly-reminded dilemma; her Physics project.
The project required her to make one model showing multiple energy changes one object undergoes. Her idea was to create a domino-effect-inspired model, simultaneously presently the energy changes occurring as the object moves in the circuit. She had failed to perfect it, and had thrown a few fits in frustration, unfortunately mostly in the presence of her father.
Now that she thought of it, she really needed the help.
So when they reached the door to the Art Studio, Emma stopped Noah, ripping a strip of paper out of her notebook and scribbled her address on it. "Be there at four o'clock. Starting tomorrow."
*
So sorry for the long wait, I've been a bit busy. I promise to update more quickly! Feel free to vote and comment! Xx