Emma's Story

by Mitchel Grace

  “And that’s you?”

  “I hope so. I’m in this for the long haul.”

  “Me, too. Why hasn’t he said anything about Chip, if he knows?”

  “Because he wanted you to have the choice to come to him or keep it a secret. Your dad doesn’t look at you any differently because of what happened, and he thought you might think he would. He hit Chip, too, by the way.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He was packing up when Mr. Grey went over there. He wanted to kill him, but he knew he couldn’t without getting locked up.”

  “Never call him Mr. Grey again. We’ve known each other since we were children. I think you can just call him Nathan, if you want.”

  “Yeah, but I’m having sex with his daughter now, so I don’t want to give him any more reasons to be mad at me. I’m going to be on my best behavior around him. I’m just practicing saying Mr. Grey now.”

  “Okay, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to hate that. It makes him feel old. I love you, and I’m glad things worked out. I can’t believe you got his approval. I need to talk to my dad. I’ll be back.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “No. I need to do this on my own. Thanks, though.”

  Emma walked a few doors down to her parents’ house. When she went inside, she found her mom and dad on the couch. Evan was out. She figured he was probably with his new girlfriend. It was the perfect situation to talk to them, but for some reason, she hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?” Sam asked.

  She could always tell when her daughter was at odds with something. Emma looked like she was in a panic, too.

  “Nothing. I just need to talk to you guys. I guess Dad’s told you by now about what he found in Jasper’s room,” Emma said.

  “He has. I can’t say I’m pleased. We raised you better than that, but it’s not like we were perfect either,” Sam said.

  “Thank you for that. I forget I’m an adult sometimes. It feels like I’m still such a kid. I wonder if I’ll ever feel completely grown up.”

  “I don’t feel any different than I did when I was your age. Being an adult isn’t about having all the answers. It’s just about being able to make the best decisions for yourself and the people you love. We think you can do that.”

  “Okay, then I need to explain some things. Jasper told me you guys already knew about what happened to me earlier in the semester. I don’t want to talk about that much. The truth is I don’t remember it very well, so there isn’t anything to say. Here’s what I can say. After that, I didn’t feel like I would ever be able to trust another boy again. Through everything, Jasper was there for me, though. I found myself leaning on him more and more. He was everything I needed, and we all know he’s loved me since we were teenagers. I suppose a big part of me has always loved him, too. I let myself trust him because I knew he would never hurt me. We started dating a few days ago. It didn’t feel like something new. It felt like we were picking up where we left off four years ago. Then last night happened. My virginity was stolen from me. I don’t even remember it happening. That’s devastating, and it made me never even want to think about sex again. I know you probably don’t want to hear about this because I’m your child, but I needed to know that intimacy wouldn’t always be terrifying, so I allowed something to happen last night with someone I trusted more than I trust myself. It wasn’t a mistake because it proved I’m going to be okay. I’m not broken in any way, and I’ll still find love. Hopefully, that will be with Jasper, but even if it isn’t, he’s still the best thing for me right now. Sometimes really good people have to remind you that you’re more than what you’ve been through. He did that for me, and now I know. I’m strong, loving, resilient, and I can still make all my dreams come true. That kind of reassurance is priceless. I hope you’ll approve of me dating him, and I’m sorry I didn’t come to you two. I didn’t want anyone to know at first, and I just didn’t know how to tell you guys. I was a little scared of what you would do when you found out.”

  “I’ll admit killing the guy did come to both of our minds. Sam even had a spot picked out to dump the body, but then we realized that this wasn’t about us. It was about you. You handled it the way you wanted, and you did wonderfully. His dreams are ruined, while you’re finding yourself. We definitely approve of anyone who can make you feel sure of yourself. You’ve got our blessing, if you’ll just promise us two things,” Nathan said.

  “Anything, Daddy.”

  “Don’t get pregnant, and don’t get married. If either of those things happen, you might give your mom and dad heart attacks.”

  “No worries there. I never thought you guys would be so understanding in this situation.”

  “Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly innocent with your dad before we got married. I knew he was the man I would end up with, though, so none of that mattered. If you think Jasper’s right for you, then we trust your judgment. Having said that, we’re still your parents. Don’t let your father find any of your clothes in Jasper’s room again. It might just kill him.”

  “Got it. Thanks. I love both of you so much. Is there anything I can do to show you how much I appreciate you being so understanding?”

  “As a matter of fact, there might be. Halloween is in two days, and as you know, we have an all adult’s party every year. Maybe you could get Evan to go on a double date with you and Jasper. I’m sure his girlfriend would . . .” Nathan said before being cut off.

  “Wait a minute. You want me to spend Halloween with my dorky brother?” Emma teased.

  “Well, we did just let you off pretty easy. I mean, ordinarily . . .”

  “Okay, message received. I’ll talk to Jasper and come up with something for us to do that night. You just tell Evan to be ready with his date when we come by.”

  “Thanks.”

  Emma hugged her parents and walked back across the street. When she told Jasper that they would be going on a double date with her brother and his girlfriend for Halloween, he didn’t seem too pleased.

  “So how many Greys am I going to have to impress this week to be with you?” he teased.

  “This isn’t about impressing him. My parents just need him out of the house so they can have their annual get-together. Halloween just happens to be my dad’s favorite holiday.”

  “All right, but you owe me. I don’t know about hanging out with a bunch of young kids,” Jasper said and smiled.

  “You know they’re only a year younger than us, right?”

  “Yeah, but we’re in college. I’m way too mature to be hanging out with high school kids,” he joked.

  “Yeah, right. You might be the most immature man I know, Jasper.”

  “You wound me! I had this really romantic night planned out for you on Halloween, but since I’m so immature and we have to hang out with your brother, I guess it’ll just have to wait until next year.”

  “Romantic night, huh? What did you have in mind?”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t be interested in hearing about that.”

  “Stop teasing, and just tell me.”

  “Okay. I was thinking a candle lit dinner with your favorite flowers given to you beforehand, of course. Afterward, I would run us a warm bath with some . . .”

  “Us? So you think that just because I ended up in your bed one time that it’s going to be an all the time thing. I’m not that easy.”

  “No, not in the bed. In the bath. Weren’t you listening?” he teased.

  “Hmm, I don’t know if I like this. You’re beginning to think like every other guy.”

  “Hey, I thought you might be thinking the same thing.”

  “You’re not that charming. A bath doesn’t sound so bad, though. I’ll make a deal with you. Spend Halloween with me and my brother, and we can skip the romantic dinner and go straight to the bed right now.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, you’re a little more charming than I give you credit for. I still don’t know how you made thing
s right with my dad, but I’m so glad you did. I might like you a little bit.”

  “Just a little?” Jasper asked as he moved closer.

  “Maybe it would be better if I showed you exactly how much I like you,” Emma said as she walked into the bedroom.

  Jasper followed close behind. They were in love, her family liked him, and he was going to get to spend almost every moment of his life with the girl he couldn’t get enough of. Right then, it seemed too good to be real, but it was. Jasper had finally found the place where he belonged.

  Chapter 12

  Halloween

  When Halloween rolled around, Emma and Jasper were forced to take her brother out, not that it was such a bad thing. Jasper had been friends with Evan in the past, and he was Emma’s brother, so she didn’t mind spending time with him. They just would have rather been spending time with each other alone instead.

  “Do we really have to do this?” Jasper asked as he walked into Emma’s room.

  “I’m afraid so, but come on. It’s not going to be that bad.”

  “What do you guys even do for Halloween now?”

  “That I don’t know. Dad normally has something planned for us, but we’re both grown up now, so we usually do our own thing separately. I used to go out with friends. I have no idea what he did. I guess we’ll find out. We’re supposed to meet him and his girlfriend at the festival downtown. We would’ve probably ended up there before the night was over anyway.”

  “What kind of festival is this? We’re not going to have to go on a hayride or something like that, are we?”

  “Uh, where did you grow up again? No hayrides will be involved. The festival pretty much consists of live bands, lots of booze, and people who are way too old to be dressing up ignoring that fact.”

  “Wait a minute. I could’ve gotten you to dress up tonight, couldn’t I?”

  “No. Didn’t you hear me? I don’t want to be like the people who still dress up as adults. It’s weird.”

  “Why? I think it might be fun to see what you would come up with. We could go with some type of theme as a couple. I know. We could . . .”

  “And this is the part I hate about couples. I’m not really into wearing matching costumes. I love you, but I think it’s a little creepy when couples do that.”

  “You just take the fun out of everything. I guess it’ll be okay, though. If there’s plenty of booze, I’ll stay entertained,” Jasper joked.

  “This is a city sponsored festival, so we’re going to have to let them stamp our hands to even get on the street. There will be no alcohol for us tonight.”

  “Wow. Please, tell me you have at least one surprise that’s good. I don’t think I can take another let down tonight.”

  “You won’t have to. How does this sound? There’s a party at this girl’s house that Sadie knows. It should run pretty late. When we’re done, how about we head over there?”

  “But you haven’t been to a party since . . .”

  “I know. I didn’t want to go back into that situation ever again, but you’ll be with me. I trust you, and it’s about time I stopped fearing things like that. Bad things can happen anywhere. You can’t live your life scared. Now, are you going to have a good time with me tonight or not?”

  “Of course. We’ll listen to good music at the festival, party for a while, and then I’ll bring you back here where we’ll stay up late and watch scary movies.”

  “You lost me on that last part. You know I don’t do scary.”

  “It’s Halloween, though. What happened to not living in fear?” Jasper teased.

  “Very funny, but we’re not watching scary movies tonight.”

  “So that’s it. You just get to decide everything, huh?”

  “Let me put it this way. If you want to end up in my room tonight, then we won’t be watching any horror movies.”

  “Ouch. It’s a little early for you to be trying to control me in that way. Don’t you think?”

  “Maybe, but you’re kind of forcing my hand here.”

  “We don’t have to watch anything scary if you don’t want to, but let’s be honest here. If we watched a scary movie tonight, you would probably end up in my bed just because you were scared.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just that you’re the typical girl,” Jasper teased.

  “All right, wise guy. I’m going to prove something to you tonight. We’re watching the scariest movie you can find, and at the end of it, we’re both going to our own beds and sleeping soundly. I’m not scared of anything.”

  “This I have to see!”

  “You don’t believe me? Wow. It’s nice to know you think I’m such a coward.”

  “I think you’re the bravest person I know when it comes to dangerous things that are actually real, but if we’re talking about something that goes bump in the night, you can be a little cowardly. It’s definitely cute, though.”

  “Whatever. You’re no better. You’ll probably be the one scared. My door will be closed to you tonight, though,” Emma teased.

  Once they got to the festival and found Evan and Candice, the guys reconnected. They found a table near one of the bands and ordered some food. Emma and Candice hung back and talked across the street. Jasper would have preferred to have Emma close, but this was good, too. It gave him a chance to talk to Evan again. It had been a while since they spent any time together.

  “So it looks like you’re getting along with Candice a lot better than you were the last time I saw you. I hear you two are dating,” Jasper said.

  “I could say the same for you and Emma. We should probably talk about that. I don’t want to make anything awkward because we’re friends, but she’s my sister. Most guys haven’t exactly treated her like she deserves. I don’t think she’ll have to worry about that with you, but here’s a friendly warning. Treat her right.”

  “Wow. I’ve never seen this side of you. I’ve got to say the protective brother thing suits you. You don’t have to worry about her. You know I’m one of the good guys. I would never hurt Emma.”

  “Good, then we can skip the rest of my long, boring, and threatening speech.”

  “Do you have to give this speech often?”

  “You have no idea. Emma has dated a lot of guys. Most of them were bigger and older than me, so it was kind of hard to get a bluff in with my talk, but I would like to think it did some good.”

  “Wait a minute. What do you mean by a lot?”

  Jasper didn’t like hearing that at all. He had only dated a few girls because he was always so wrapped up in the idea of reuniting with Emma one day. If she had dated dozens of guys, then what did that say about how she perceived him? He didn’t have much practice with dates, kissing, or for that matter, anything. Was everything he did being compared to some guy who did it better?

  “That really bothers you, doesn’t it?” Evan asked while looking at the pained expression on his face.

  “No. What are you talking about? I was just wondering. Are we talking five or six boyfriends, or did you have to deal with more than that?”

  “Emma was popular in high school. For some reason, her relationships didn’t last very long, though. I would guess a couple dozen . . . maybe more. You don’t need to be concerned, Jasper. She loves you, so it doesn’t matter how many guys there were before you. Then again, you probably shouldn’t be taking advice from me. I’ve never been in a real relationship until now. I have no idea what I’m doing. You know what? Never mind. We shouldn’t be talking about girls right now. It’s been a while since we’ve had time to hang out. What’s been going on with you? Is college everything it’s cracked up to be?”

  They talked as friends for a while, but Jasper kept coming back to what Evan said. If Emma had dated that many guys, then he was definitely a little behind in the experience department. There was something else weird about this, too. Why did Emma’s relationships never last? Was there something he didn’t know?

  W
hile they were talking, the girls were having a conversation of their own. It wasn’t about the guys, though.

  “This place sucks, doesn’t it?” Emma asked while noticing how bored Candice looked.

  “Yeah . . . well, not really. It’s just that I’ve been to this festival almost every year. I could use something different.”

  “I agree. I know Evan did his best, but I wish he would’ve come up with something different to do.”

  “It’s not really his fault. There isn’t much to do around here.”

  “I’ve got an idea. How would you feel about getting out of here and going to a college party?”

  “That sounds amazing. You don’t mind taking us?”

  “No. You guys are only a year younger than us. No one’s going to know the difference. Just act like you belong, and you will. Come on,” Emma said, and they walked over to the guys and told them what the new plan was.

  Jasper and Evan didn’t seem to have any problems with leaving, so they headed over to the party a little early. While Evan and Candice mingled and got drinks, Jasper asked Emma to go upstairs with him.

  “I don’t think you know how these things work, Jasper. You’re supposed to get a few drinks in the girl before you ask her to go upstairs with you,” Emma flirted as they went into a bedroom upstairs.

  “Very funny, but I actually wanted to talk to you about something Evan said. You know what? Never mind. I’m probably being stupid,” he said nervously.

  “I want to hear what you have to say. I’m sure it’s not stupid. Just tell me.”

  “He did the typical brother speech about not hurting his sister. When he got done and realized I wasn’t a threat, he said he had given that speech to dozens of guys. I didn’t date that many girls because I was always so hung up on you. I guess I’m just feeling insecure. If you’ve had dozens of boyfriends, then you’ve probably been on over a hundred dates. I just didn’t realize I was so inexperienced in comparison to you. Wow. I must be coming off very confident right now,” he said sarcastically.