Emma's Story

by Mitchel Grace

  “Slightly taller than me with a medium build and dark brown eyes. The guy has to be smart, and it’s a given that he has to have a great sense of humor.”

  “So that’s all, huh? I don’t know where you’ll ever find a guy like that.”

  “Maybe right here,” Emma said and kissed him.

  She didn’t want to admit it because it was going to hurt if she did, but Emma liked this boy in a way that she hadn’t experienced before. It hurt when she found out that Mike was cheating on her, but she didn’t love him. What she had with Jasper probably wasn’t love either, but it was something deep. No matter what she told herself, Emma was going to miss him when they left. All of her parents’ friends had moved to Hawaii. If only Jason and Chloe would have moved, too. Things could be so much different.

  Suddenly, it occurred to her. That was it. Couldn’t Jason and Chloe still move? Wouldn’t that solve their problem? Sure, she hadn’t felt romantic about Jasper for long, but it wasn’t like she was just meeting him. They had known each other since they were kids. This was worth pursuing, wasn’t it? Emma had made up her mind. The next day, she was going to talk to Chloe about this.

  They stayed out and talked for a few more minutes, but then they went back to their rooms. Emma went straight to bed because she was looking forward to waking up and talking to Chloe about the possibility of them coming to Hawaii one day. She would always remember that night as the start of something special, though.

  * * * * *

  The following morning, everyone went downstairs to get breakfast, and then they headed out to a shopping mall downtown. It was something to kill time until a concert by some aging musicians that her dad loved started. As usual, Sam wasn’t very big on shopping, so she and Nathan went their own way. Jason stayed with the boys, and Emma took that opportunity to ask Chloe if she wanted to do a little shopping together. It was the perfect chance to talk to her about moving to Hawaii.

  “So I’m just curious. Why haven’t you guys ever moved to Hawaii? We always have such good vacations, and everyone is there,” Emma said.

  “I used to want to move, but New Jersey has become home. I never thought I would say that, but Jason’s family became mine. We’ve lost a lot of family members over the last couple of years, and if we were ever going to leave, now would probably be the time, but I don’t think I could. It’s where we belong.”

  “Oh, I understand. I would just love for everyone to be closer.”

  “You like him, don’t you?” Chloe asked.

  “Who?”

  “Jasper. He likes you a lot. I didn’t think I was ever going to get him to shut up about you after he got home last night. I think he’s always liked you.”

  “I do care about him, but if we’re always going to be apart, I don’t know what that means.”

  “Can I give you a little advice?”

  “Sure. I would welcome it at this point. I feel so confused.”

  “Don’t fall in love with anyone right now. Jasper would probably hate me for saying that, but he holds you up on a pedestal. I’ve noticed that since you were kids. He thinks that all of this between you two can mean something now, but we know it can’t. You should enjoy our time together and be good to my son, but you need to be realistic, too. The only things you two need to be concentrated on at this point in your lives is having fun and planning for the future. You’re at the age where it’s good to be selfish and think about who you want to be. Make this trip as good as you can with him, but at the end of it, make it clear that what you two have can’t be romantic, at least at this point in your lives.”

  “Why would I do that? Wouldn’t that be closing the door on things being serious?”

  “No, it wouldn’t. If you told Jasper that you loved him and wanted to try to make a long distance thing work, he would really wait on you. You guys would see each other once a year, and he would wait every year for that time. It wouldn’t be fair to either of you. Maybe you could wait, too, but that would be dumb. You’ve got to live your lives. I guess what I’m saying is enjoy each other while you can, but don’t put his dating life on hold when you leave here. As for the distant future, I think things will work out as they should in the end.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I went through a lot in my life to get to where I’m at. I don’t know if it was all part of some plan or if it was just luck, but things normally find a way to work out when you really want them to. See how much you like each other for the next four days, and after that, let it go for a while. If it’s something you both want, then you’ll come back to each other again and again. Trust me.”

  “Thanks. I won’t put his life on hold. Just so you know, I think Jasper is really great. He’s a friend first, but it’s not hard to see him in another light. There are just so few decent guys out there. I’m going to miss him when this is over.”

  “Well, you’re welcome at our house anytime, and I mean that. If you ever want to visit for a summer, we would love to have you. I’m pretty sure Nathan’s head would explode if you stayed with a boy you liked for the summer, but that’s half the fun for me,” Chloe joked.

  “Yeah, I’m just surprised his head is still attached now. He doesn’t normally react well to me dating.”

  “You haven’t looked behind the scenes. He’s trying to play it cool, but he hates the thought of you dating anybody, even if he does trust Jasper.”

  “I don’t know why Dad is like that.”

  “It’s a good thing. He wants to protect you from everything bad in this world. I didn’t have a dad like that. I wish I had. It would have saved me a lot of trouble. When I first met Nathan, I thought he was too soft, but he proved later on that there was another side of him. He’s a good man, and the soft side that I viewed as a weakness is exactly what makes him such a good dad to you. It’s hard for parents to let go. Have patience with him. He’s definitely trying hard. Speaking of that, he’s having a conversation with Jasper right now,” Chloe said and pointed out Nathan and Jasper across the store.

  “Great. I need to go rescue him before my dad completely scares him away.”

  “I’m sure it’s a friendly conversation. Besides, I think that Nathan talking to Jasper will probably be a good thing. Any doubts your dad has will be laid to rest if he can talk to him. Jasper’s a good boy. I wish some of that would rub off on his brother. Paul could use some of his restraint.”

  Emma kept an eye on Nathan and Jasper. Their conversation looked friendly enough, but she was still worried. When their talk was finished, Emma walked over to Nathan and asked him what they were discussing.

  “I was just getting to know him more. I already know Jasper, but I’ve never taken the time to really talk to him in a personal way,” Nathan said.

  “Well, do you approve?”

  “Yeah. In spite of all the handholding and kissing I saw from the balcony last night, I approve. My eyes kind of bled, and I had this horrible pain in my stomach all night, but I’m glad you have someone you like who seems to be a good person. I know I freak out a little about you dating sometimes, but I ultimately want you to be happy. You’re a young woman now, and I know that someone who makes you feel good about who you are is a good thing. I can live with the kisses, but anything further than that, and someone’s getting homeschooled and pretty much grounded for life,” he teased.

  “You know better than that, Dad.”

  “Yeah, I do. I love you, and I trust you. You should go spend some time with your brother and friends. I’ve got to find your mom again. I’ve got a surprise for her.”

  “Care to give me a hint on what it is?”

  “It’s something I talked with you about getting her last year.”

  “I think I’ve got a good idea of what it is . . .”

  The two talked for a moment longer, and then Emma walked away to find her brother and friends. The next few minutes would be very interesting. Emma was about to find out something that she never expected and be faced with a chall
enge that might just determine how fun this trip was going to be for her brother.

  Chapter 4

  Use Somebody

  When Emma approached the others, she found that Evan and Paul were making very bad attempts at talking to the girls in the mall. To say that they weren’t having any luck would be an understatement, but that wasn’t the weird thing about this situation. Evan had never shown much interest in girls. She knew that he liked them, but he wasn’t at the age where dating or even thinking about it was a priority. At least she didn’t think he was.

  “What are you guys doing?” Emma asked as they walked over to her.

  “Trying to talk to some girls. There’s not much else to do in here. Evan keeps scaring them off, though,” Paul said.

  “I do not!” Evan said.

  “Don’t blame him. It’s probably all of your so-called charm, Paul. You have a girlfriend at home, you know. I don’t know why you guys are even doing this,” Jasper said.

  “That’s strange. I don’t see this girlfriend you speak of anywhere. This is a vacation. We should all be having a little fun. If I can just get Evan here to come out of his shell a little, we’ll be able to,” Paul teased.

  Evan didn’t look amused. The truth was that he didn’t know how to talk to girls, and when he tried, he just shut down. It was like he couldn’t get any words out. Then there was the way Paul approached things. It felt weird to make it so obvious that you were hitting on someone.

  “Like I told you before, Jasper, I hate guy talk,” Emma said.

  “Sorry. How about we go our own way then?” Jasper asked.

  “Later. I’ve got to talk to my brother right now,” Emma said and pulled Evan aside.

  “What’s going on?” Evan asked.

  “I didn’t even know you liked girls. Since when did this start?”

  “I don’t know. I guess right now. It wasn’t that the thought of having a girlfriend didn’t appeal before. It was just that I have no idea how to talk to girls.”

  “You’re talking to me right now.”

  “That’s different. You’re my sister, and it’s not like I could never talk to girls. It’s just that the rules have changed since I was twelve. We all talk to each other differently, and I guess I’m just having a problem getting with the program.”

  “Tell me about it! Sometimes I think none of it’s worth the trouble. Let me help you out. The hardest part about these kinds of things is getting started.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you want to talk to someone, the worst part is figuring out a good icebreaker to use. After you get that out of the way, you can just be yourself and let things take you wherever they go.”

  “Why are you helping me? In the past, all you’ve done is tease me about this kind of stuff.”

  “Because there are a lot of bad guys out there, and Paul’s only fourteen, but he already strikes me as one in the making. I don’t want you to learn from a guy like that. It’s better if you learn from someone who knows exactly what girls want. We don’t want to be hit on or harassed. Things should feel spontaneous. Do you know what I mean?”

  “Kind of, but how do I make it seem that way?”

  Emma looked around the store and spied a girl in the electronics who looked like she might be close to Evan’s age. She was picking up a computer.

  “Are you still a whiz when it comes to computers?” Emma asked.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “We’ve got our opening then. Walk with me.”

  “Hey, I love your dress. Where did you get it?” Emma asked the girl.

  The two exchanged pleasantries for a minute, and then Emma gave Evan a chance to make his move.

  “Well, this is my friend, Evan, and he has some strong opinions about the computer you’re holding. He’s pretty clever. You might want to hear what he has to say before you buy it,” Emma said and walked away.

  In that moment, Evan felt panicked. Why had she just left him? What was he supposed to do? The girl in front of him was holding an Xmark 1 computer, and he knew a lot about it, but that wasn’t what he was concentrated on. She was absolutely beautiful. Her long dark hair and brown eyes were completely captivating to him. Suddenly, he realized that he wasn’t saying anything. He was just staring like an idiot.

  “I’m . . . I’m Evan. I’m really sorry about this. Full disclosure . . . that was my sister. She thinks I need to talk to the opposite sex more.”

  “Do you really know anything about computers?”

  “Yeah, that’s an Xmark 1 you’re holding. The processor is crap. You should get this one. It’s fifty dollars cheaper, and it’s better. Name brands don’t always mean much.”

  “Thanks. I’m Anna. It’s nice to meet you, Evan. Why does your sister think you need to talk to girls more?”

  “I just have trouble. I can never think of an ice breaker.”

  “You’re doing all right now. It’s actually my birthday, and my mom is too busy at work to be here with me. She pretty much just threw her credit card at me and told me to go get a gift. She’s going to flip when she sees how expensive this thing is, but it’s totally worth it. Want to walk with me? Maybe we can get some programs for it and make her even more angry,” she joked.

  Emma was watching from afar, and she was quite pleased with herself. She had helped her brother get over his fear and maybe even saved him from learning how to talk to women from a guy like Paul. Not that there was anything wrong with Paul, but she just thought it would be better if her brother turned into the type of man who didn’t treat picking up a girl like some kind of hunt.

  “That’s a good thing you did there,” Jasper said as he walked up.

  “He’s doing all the work. I just set him up.”

  “That was genius. I never thought of using another girl as an opening. You would make the perfect wingman. Care to help me out, too?” Paul asked.

  “I think you can handle it on your own, but . . .” Emma managed to say before she noticed something terrible.

  As Evan was reaching down to get Anna’s new computer, she reached into his back pocket and grabbed his wallet. Emma couldn’t believe her eyes. How had this happened?

  “Oh, my God. Did you two see that?” Emma asked.

  “Yeah. On second thought, I don’t need a wingman,” Paul joked.

  “We’ve got to tell him, don’t we?” Jasper asked.

  “No. How can we? That’s the first girl he’s ever had the courage to talk to. How is he going to feel if I tell him that she’s only talking to him so she can rob him? I can’t believe I screwed up this badly.”

  “How is this your fault?”

  “I introduced him to a pickpocket. I got him into this mess, and I’ve got to be the one to fix it without hurting his feelings. Any ideas?”

  “I can get the wallet back after they go their separate ways. Just keep him distracted for a while,” Jasper said.

  “No, I’ll do it. You guys keep him from trying to buy anything while I’m gone,” Emma said.

  After a couple of minutes, Evan and Anna went their separate ways, and Emma followed her at a safe distance. She watched as Anna laid the laptop down on a random isle and walked toward the door. Just as she left the mall, Emma caught up with her and stepped in front of her.

  “You again? What do you want?” Anna asked.

  “My brother’s wallet.”

  “Good luck taking it from me.”

  “I will, if I have to.”

  “Excuse me if I don’t think you can stop me.”

  “Do you really want to find out?”

  “You would fight me over twenty-three dollars? You guys must be really hard up for money.”

  “No, I would take that wallet back so my brother never knows what you did. You’re the first girl he’s talked to, and he doesn’t need to know you robbed him. I’m going to slip it back into his pocket and let him think that everything went perfectly.”

  “Fine. It wasn’t much of a score anyway,” she
said and tossed the wallet to Emma before she started to walk away.

  “Wait a minute. I just have to know. Why did you do that to him?” Emma asked.

  “It wasn’t personal. Sometimes I do the confused girl act. I walk to the electronics department and wait on some guy who thinks he can help a dumb girl. Then I get some cash out of it. It’s as simple as that.”

  “You’re the worst kind of person.”

  “Oh, really? Are you any better? Haven’t you ever gone out with a guy just because you were hungry or accepted his affection because you liked the attention? Face it. People are all the same. We use each other for what we can get. The only difference with me is I take what I want instead of tricking them into giving it to me. For what it’s worth, he seemed nice. There are going to be a lot more girls who take something from him, though, and most of them are going to want a lot more than a wallet,” Anna said and walked away.

  Emma really thought about what she said. Obviously, Anna was twisted, but not all of what she said was false. At so many times, she had thought of boys in terms of what they had to offer her, but never had she thought about what she had to offer them. Was she just as bad as a common thief? She didn’t think so, but the difference between them wasn’t as big as she would have liked.

  Emma walked back into the mall and found the guys again. She had no experience with being a pickpocket, so she had no idea how she was going to get the wallet back into his pocket. She had an idea that might just work, though. She waited a few minutes after rejoining them and then tried it.

  “Hey, missing this?” Emma asked and held up his wallet.

  “How did you get that?”

  “Oh, I have many talents. Remember how Mom is always telling you to be aware of your surroundings? Yeah, I decided to see how aware you really are.”

  “Normally, I might be a little ticked off about that one, but after what you did for me back there with Anna, I’ll let it slide. Thank you, Emma. I couldn’t have done that without you.”

  “Yes, you could have. Just try to find a girl you have something in common with or who needs help. Then you’ll always have something to say. Now, I’ve had enough of helping you guys talk to girls, and I think I want to borrow Jasper for a while.”