Page 29 of Fixing Emilee

Before I can put my phone in my pocket, it rings again. Vanessa’s name flashing across the screen pisses me off. I know she won’t stop until I answer it, and that pisses me off more. I hit the green button bringing the phone to my ear. I instantly sense something is wrong with her.

“Baby,” she slurs. I roll my eyes at her use of that fucking nickname. I don’t understand why she won’t give up and leave me alone. I can’t believe I’m still dealing with her shit.

“What the fuck do you want, Vanessa? I’m busy,” I say, stepping outside and closing the front door behind me.

“Come to the school and meet up with me.” A laugh slips from my lips as I walk to mom’s car because my bike is once again not running.

“Fuck that, Vanessa. Stop calling me,” I say, annoyed. I was supposed to block her number a while ago, but everything has been so quiet that I honestly forgot all about her.

I guess my response is not what she wants because she starts to yell and scream at me, talking so fast that I can’t make out what she is saying. Pulling my phone from my ear, it hits me that I can end this call and instantly block her once and for all. Right before I hit the red button to end my suffering, I hear her scream, “That bitch will pay, and you will see exactly who she is.” I don’t respond to her. Instead, I cut the call, go to her name and press the block button before I call up my girl to make sure she’s okay.

When my conversation with Emilee is cut short, I panic, racing to the school. I’m not worried about Vanessa’s threat of “You will see exactly who she is” because I know precisely who Emilee is. She’s the girl that has my heart in her hands. She’s perfect, and nothing Vanessa has to tell me will change my mind. I panic because Vanessa is coming unhinged, and I need to make sure that nothing is aimed at my girl. My heart rate never slows, I can’t get a good deep breath in, and my hands don’t stop shaking until I see my girl. Standing in front of me, she is all smiles and doesn’t look like she has a care in the world.

All I want from tonight is for us to have the time of our lives. Emilee has been looking forward to spending the night as a typical teenager. No worries about the future or our past. Which is what we do. Em is so relaxed and enjoying herself. While the girls are gone during halftime, my picture of how the night is supposed to be is broken. I’m looking at the doors to the gym, waiting for the girls to come back in. “Dude, are you okay? You seem to be on edge right now?” Levi asks me.

Pulling my eyes from the doorway that the girls will come through, I answer him honestly. “Yeah, sorry, I’m just worried that Vanessa isn’t done with Emilee. I want to make sure she doesn’t try anything else.” My attention is drawn back to the open door when Christian rushes through it with the principal and coach behind him. Like Vanessa, I have gotten used to ignoring him, but something feels off. The principal and coach head to a door to the left of the door leading to the cafeteria. Christian is frantic, looking around for someone. I bump Levi’s leg pointing him out.

All the hairs on my arm and the back of my neck stand up as I hear him scream my name heading toward us. I stand up, trying to find my girl. Something is wrong, but I don’t see her. My stomach starts to cramp, my heart starts to race, and my palms are wet. “Where is she?” He asks, breathless when he reaches us.

“Where is who, dick douche?” Levi asks because I can’t get any words out of my mouth.

“We have to find her. Vanessa has something planned for her. Where is your sister?” he shouts, getting in Levi’s face. I grab Levi before he throws a punch because the music has clicked off, and Christian and Vanessa’s voices are filling the gym. Christian falls to the floor holding his head in his hands. “I’m too late,” he sounds defeated. “I tried to call her, but it went to voicemail.”

I tune him out because out of the corner of my eyes, I see my girl standing still, her eyes not focusing on anything around her. Soon my view is cut off when people surround her. The last thing I see is Vanessa standing in front of her. Christian’s voice coming from the speakers stops all thoughts running through my mind and makes me miss a step, falling into the handrail hard. All the blood drains from my body, my hands grip the rail so hard that my knuckles are white, and my legs feel like rubber.

Emilee told me that her mom’s boyfriend would regularly say stuff about her becoming a woman and try to touch her. According to her, it all came to a boiling point one night when her mom walked in on him, trying to molest her.

I release my death grip on the rail, grabbing Levi by his shirt. I hear him whisper, “What the fuck? She never said anything,” under his breath, but the words refuse to make sense to me. My heart is rapidly beating so loud, it’s the only sound I can hear. I know I should keep moving toward my girl, but I can’t move my legs. Someone put their hands on what’s mine. Doesn’t matter that I didn’t know her back then. Rage flows through me, and when I find him, he’s going to fucking die.

Focusing on Levi, I get a good look at him, and he has a green hue and looks like he’s about to throw up. “Did you know?” I yell at him, pulling him, getting in his face.

“No. Hell no. Do you think he would be alive if I fucking did?” Levi yells back.

How could they not have known? I don’t believe him, and I’m about to tell him that when I hear my name being yelled. Tiffani is trying to get to us, but she’s being blocked by people. I notice Emilee is gone. Where the fuck did she go? I start pushing people out of my way to find my girl. Her whole world has to be crumbling again, and I’m too busy freaking out to be there for her. Levi and, shockingly, Christian follow me as we push our way to Tiffani.

“Where is she?” I have to yell over all the talking going on around me.

“What kind of a person tries to seduce her mom’s boyfriend, then lies about it?” A guy standing next to Levi asks his friend. Before anyone can react, Levi turns, throwing a mean right hook right into the guy’s nose.

“She didn’t, you asshole,” he screams at the guy laying on the ground with blood pouring out of his nose. Grabbing him, I pull him into the hallway, where it’s quieter.

Tiffani pulls him to her side, saying, “I don’t know when she left. It looked like Vanessa was about to hit her, then some guy stepped in between them, and when I turned around, she was gone.” She’s crying and talking fast, but I understand every word she says. When she notices Christian, she loses her shit. “Why the fuck would you say that about her, you asshole? Why would you record it? Haven’t you done enough?” She slaps him across his face.

He’s lucky that it’s her doing it, not me. “I didn’t know Vanessa recorded that conversation. I shouldn’t have told her that, but I was drunk and hurt. I tried to warn Lee when V told me what she was planning,” he’s screaming at us as tears fall down his face. “I tried to stop her. I swear I did.”

I’ve had enough of this shit. We’re not doing any good just standing here. Heading toward the door, everyone follows me. My phone starts to ring, but when I see it's Mom, I ignore it because I have to figure out where Em went. She calls back instantly, so I answer it. I don’t even have to say anything, and neither does she. The sound of my girl breaking down comes through the speaker, loud and clear.

I throw my hands up, waving everyone toward where I parked, and we take off running. “Mom, make sure she doesn’t leave. I’m on my way. I will explain everything, please,” I say fast.

“She wants Levi.”

Fuck if that doesn’t hurt, but I will always give Emilee what she wants. “He’s with me. We’re headed that way,” is all I say as I unlock the doors. As I get in and shut the door, I notice that Christian has gotten in behind Levi. “Get the fuck out.”

“No, I’m not. You can punch me and break my nose again. I don’t care. I’m sorry about all the shit I pulled, but I need to do this for Emilee. Please, Parker.”

“Fuck it. I don’t have time to fucking murder you right now.” I start the car slamming it into drive. I’ll deal with him later. No one says anything as we race across town toward my house. I need to get to my girl to help her through this shitty situation. Pulling up into the driveway, I throw the car into park, not even bothering to turn it off. I’m out the door and jumping the three steps to the front door. I hear her crying in my room, so that’s where I head. Turning into my room, I see my mom sitting on my bed with Em’s head on her lap.

Behind me, I sense the rest of the group standing there, but I don’t pay them any attention. All I see is my girl. Walking toward the bed, Emilee pulls her head up, staring right at me. Tears are falling fast down her face, and it breaks my heart to see her so upset. “Parker,” she whispers and starts to get off my bed, but I stop her. Pulling her into my arms, I hold her close to me. I kneel beside the bed, so Emilee’s top half is pulled into my chest, but her bottom half is still on my bed.

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