Chapter 3

"Jeffery! Jeffery kneel!" Jessica demanded as Jeffery bent his knees slowly before looking up at his owner.

"What did I tell you, Jeffery? Never run into someone's house without permission."

Jeffery hung his head in shame, knowing he had done something wrong. Jessica gently patted her dog's head.

"I'm so sorry about my dog, he is just so aggressive. It's just so difficult to tame him-."

Jessica's words were cut short when she saw Emma covered in dirt. Emma looked up at Jessica with a frosty expression. Jessica could see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. She coughed before speaking.

"Oh! Emma? You're still here?" Jessica's voice was soft yet firm. "I thought you and your family moved early but I guess you have some time left." Jessica paused, waiting for Emma's response.

Emma didn't say anything and just looked away. Jessica could feel the tension in the air, so she took a step closer and reached out her hand to comfort her.

But Emma shook her head and stood up on her two feet without saying a word.

"Are you OK, Emma? Did the dog hurt you?" Levi asked gently.

"I'm fine, Levi," Emma replied, removing dirt from her clothes.

Levi sighed with relief and looked at Emma and then at Jessica. He knew things would not turn out well, including the mother who stood beside the three teens. Emma and Jessica locked eyes, both the mother and Levi could sense the tension. The young male stepped back, not wanting to get involved.

Just then, Iris walked out of the main door, her backpack hanging from her shoulder. She scrolled Emma's luggage and held a pet carrier cage where their pet "sushi" was kept safe.

Iris didn't take another step once she saw her older sister and her next-door neighbor. She knew Emma had hated Jessica for a long time and she knew Jessica stole her man. Iris froze in place, not sure what to do. She could feel the tension between the girls and knew a confrontation was coming. She held her breath and waited.

"Uh, hey, Jess, why are you staying at home? Do you know the school is holding a meeting?" Levi asked, breaking the silence.

Jessica glared at Emma before turning to face Levi. "Yes, I know, but my grandma is coming today and my parents are off working overnight, so they asked me to look after grandma."

She said calmly, patting her dog. "But grandma is scared of dogs, so I have to put Jeffery in the shed."

Iris saw her sister's fists clench and her jaw tighten, and she knew the situation was about to get ugly.

"Well, that was quite shocking. It was a pleasure talking to you, Jessica, but it's time for my family to move out." Mother said with a fake smile, clearly trying to defuse the situation.

She grabbed the car keys out of her purse and ushered the family into their car. Surprisingly, Emma obeyed her mother's advice and walked towards the car along with Iris, slowly walking and staring.

"I hope you have a pleasant day, Jessica. And you too, Levi. Goodbye." Miss Bright waves at the young teens before entering her car.

"Bye Levi, Take care~" Iris waves at Levi, blowing him a kiss before opening the trunk and putting her luggage into it.

"Bye Iris, it was a pleasure chatting with you," Levi yelled as he saw Iris entering the car door.

When Emma was about to reach the car handle, Levi called her. "And Emma, I just wanted to say: I'm gonna miss you. You are an amazing friend and I'm just lucky to meet you."

Levi then stitched his head while blushing. "And, uh, don't forget to call me when you get home-I mean, your NEW home! That's what I meant." Levi laughed nervously.

His cheeks were flushed as he quickly looked away. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Take care, okay?".

In a low voice, she said, "Yeah, you too."

Emma opened the car door and put her leg inside, but suddenly stopped when she heard Jessica's words.

"Goodbye, Emma and...I'm sorry."

At that moment, Emma's mind snapped. All the anger filling inside her exploded in a second. She felt her heart racing and her face getting hot. Emma knew she had to leave or else she would say something she would regret.

However, her anger inside was so strong she couldn't hold it longer. She could help but feel mad at her for what she did. Benjamin can dump her and be with another girl. But why her? Why Jessica? She hates her.

Though it's still unclear if Jessica manipulated Benjamin to dump her, all she wants is answers now.

Taking a deep breath, Emma stepped back and walked towards Jessica with a poker face.

"Why did you cheat on my man?" Emma asked without showing any emotion in her face. Jessica was taken aback by Emma's sudden question and her cold attitude. She stammered, trying to find the right words to say.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" she finally said, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't make me repeat myself, you heard what I said," Emma replied coldly, crossing her arms and waiting.

She swallowed hard, unable to speak. Emma's piercing gaze indicated she expected a response.

The silence was overwhelming as Emma continued to stare. She had made her point and was not going to back down. Her patience was wearing thin and her frustration was growing with each passing second.

All three of them stare at the two girls for a moment, thinking a fight is coming to an anticipated.

Out of everyone's surprise, Jessica burst out laughing. "Emma, giggles dumpy, look so dump right now! Acting all badass and shit!"

Emma still remains quite emotionless. Emma slowly raises her eyebrows and glares at Jessica. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

"You think this is funny?" she says in a low voice.

Jessica's face fell. She shook her head. "No, I didn't mean to... I was just..." she trailed off, unable to find the right words.

"You were just what, Jessica?" Emma prompted.

Jessica sighed. Almost whispering, she said, "Ben dumps you because you're a bad girlfriend.".

"And what is that excuse for? You can't just steal other people's boyfriends like that!" Emma said almost angrily. "How long have you two been together?"

"It's none of your business," Jessica replied in an icy tone.

Emma stared at her, incredulous. "It's absolutely my business," she said firmly.

Jessica stepped back. "We've been together for two months."

"Two months?" she asked, clenching her fists.

Ben has been cheating on her with Jessica for months? How could Emma not see that? Emma felt her stomach sink. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. She had trusted Ben and never thought he would do something like that.

"OK, I see; you knew I was dating Benjamin and you saw how Ben felt the need to get away from me because I was a clinging bitch." Emma said, walking around Jessica.

She continued. "So you thought to yourself, "Ben should be with someone else: Someone smart, funny, caring, and bring more LOVE than any girl can offer."

The blonde teen walked to Jessica face to face. "And that someone was "you." Because you think you're fucking better than me."

"BECAUSE I AM BETTER THAN YOU!" Jessica stepped back, her face turning red. She glared at the teen, her fists clenched. "You think that because you have blonde hair and blue eyes you can act like this? You think you're better than me just because of that?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Emma asked, but her face didn't convey any emotion other than Levi's stunned expression.

The brown-haired teen laughs uncontrollably. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! You are a spoiled rich brat who thinks she matters to everyone around her! Girls like you do not care about anything other than beauty and fashion! Look at you: You are a walking cliché. You have no depth, no sense of self-worth, and you live life for the sake of looking pretty to others. No wonder nobody takes you seriously!"

Jessica smiled widely as she pointed at Emma. "I TOLD BENJAMIN WHAT TYPE OF GIRL YOU TRULY ARE A SLUTTY, GREEDY BITCH WHO WILL DATE ANY HOT BOY FOR MONEY. DO YOU KNOW GUYS WON'T GO OUT WITH SLUTS LIKE YOU? THAT'S WHY BEN CHOOSES ME OVER A DUMB, UGLY, COW-"

"No, he didn't," Emma replied before Jessica could finish her words. Jessica stopped mid-sentence, her face red.

Emma crossed her arms and glared at her. "You don't know anything about Benjamin, so don't talk about him like you do."

Jessica clenched her teeth as Emma continued. "If I act like that while dating Ben, he'll dump me long ago. Benjamin is the kindest, most intelligent, and hard-working person I have met. He is the reason why I wake up every morning. He's the one I want to be with forever...but I take that for granted."

Emma walked over to Jessica and whispered into her ear. "Don't make up stories about me just because I look more attractive than you. I was a virgin before I met Ben."

Jessica felt her face flush with anger. Emma glared at Jessica before storming off to the car. Jessica shook her head in disbelief, feeling embarrassed by the outburst.

She glanced one last time at Jessica as she opened the car door. "Ben did not dump me because he believed your lies...He dumped me because I was a horrible girlfriend. Goodbye, Jessica."

Jessica couldn't find the right words to say. She felt ashamed and embarrassed. When Emma got into the car, her younger sister hugged her.

"OH MY GOD, Emma! You were such a badass! I'm so proud of you." Iris said, tears streaming down her face. Emma smiled, feeling relieved and grateful that her sister was there to support her.

"Iris Bright!" Their mother's voice called out from the car wheel. "What have I told you about speaking like that?"

She said, shaking her head. Emma and Iris exchanged a look and then burst out laughing.

Mrs. Bright rolled her eyes before starting the car. "Well, I hope you're proud you got over your breakup and moved on with your life." She drove off, leaving Emma and Iris still laughing.

As they drove off the main road, Emma immediately remembered something. "Mom, wait! Stop the car!"

"*sigh* what now, Emmaline?"

When Mrs. Bright stopped the car, Emma scrolled down the glass window facing Levi.

"Levi, give this message to Ben: Tell him I forgive him and...I'm sorry."

Levi nodded, and Emma rolled up the window. Mrs. Bright drove away, leaving a single man standing in the street heading for Brooklynville.

.

.

.

They had been traveling for hours and were exhausted. The sun had started to set, and the stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. The road stretched out before them, still long and winding.

Normally, the drive to Brooklynville takes approximately 30 minutes. However, they had driven for hours and were still nowhere near their destination. As they drove, their exhaustion began to take its toll. The journey seemed endless.

"How the heck did this happen?" Emma asked, looking at a map.

"We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere," replied her mother, eyes still fixed on the road.

"Are you serious? How did we miss a turn?!" Iris screamed.

Her mother sighed. "We'll just have to keep driving until we find our way... Or we could just turn back."

"Turn back?" Emma jumped up from her seat. "We can't just turn back now. Not after I told Jess off."

Iris giggled while Emma glared at her as she said, "Yeah, it will be very engrossing to see her."

"Knock it off, you two," their mother said.

Emma and Iris stopped, looking at their mother guiltily. She sighed and said, "I know you two want to tease each other, but let's not do it right now. Anyway, you're right. We can't just turn back now. I'll phone the homeowner to give directions because this map didn't help us."

Scrolling down the window, Mrs. Bright threw out the map. "And it looks like we're about to run out of fuel, so we'll have to find a gas station soon." She drove forward and continued the journey.

Five minutes had passed since they first approached a gas station. Mrs. Bright deals with fuel and calls the homeowner while the sisters step out of the car and head to the bathroom.

Emma walked out of the bathroom and headed to the small vending machine where there was a person standing next to it. Minding her own business, Emma turned to the shelves and started looking for a snack.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and heard a gruff voice. "What's ya looking for, young lady?"

Startled, she spun around and saw a tall, burly man with a menacing look on his face. She was frozen in fear and couldn't move or speak. He stepped closer and she could smell whiskey on his breath.

Emma looked around to see if her mother was there fueling her car but there was no sight of her.

"Hey, are you deaf? I ask a question, what is ya looking for?" The man repeated his question.

Emma looked around before answering his question. "Uh, Pringles. I'm buying Pringles."

"Buying Pringles? huh?" the older man smiled. "How about I help you look for them? I think it's behind aisle 10. Care to follow me?"

"No, thanks. I'll be okay." Emma quickly replied, hoping the creepy man would take a hit and back off her space.

But he didn't. He stepped closer and continued to insist. Emma felt a chill running down her spine and her heart started racing. She knew she had to take action and get away from him quickly.

But before she could do that, a male voice appeared from behind her. "HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE?"

Emma turned around and saw the same guy in a hoodie. He removed his hoodie, causing her to feel butterflies and heart racing. He was handsome with brown hair, green eyes, and smooth fitted tanned skin. She couldn't look away.

"And who are you supposed to be? Her boyfriend?" The old man asked angrily.

"No. I was minding my own business until I noticed a stalker harassing a girl. I stepped in to help her out."

The old man gasps. "I'm not a stalker! I was trying to help this girl look for her Pringles!"

"I never asked you to help me!" Emma snaps at the old man.

"Uh, but even so!" The man continued. "I was trying to help you!"

A smirk spread across the young male's face. "Oh really?" he asked. "How about you settle this conversation with my dad? He's a cop."

The old man turned pale. The old man quickly backed away, muttering an apology. The young man's smirk widened as he watched the man hurry away. He felt a thrill of power at having bested the old man.

She blushed as she looked at the young male. "Thanks for standing up for me."

"It's no problem, I'm happy to help." He smiles before leaving.

"No wait don't walk away!" Emma blurred her words without thinking.

Confused, the young man turned around. "Huh? Why not?"

Emma felt embarrassed, why did she say that out loud? She feels like she wants the ground to eat her.

"What I meant was...can we chat for a bit?" Emma said feeling a burn in her cheeks.

"Sure, I'm down to chat." The male shrugged before leading to a wall next to her.

Emma followed him, her heart beating rapidly. She couldn't believe he agreed to chat. "So, umm, what's your name? My name is Emmaline Bright."

He smiled. "Hey, Emmaline, I'm Calvin Ashton."

"He's named Calvin? That's so cute!" Emma thought.

"So, where are you from?" Emma asked.

"West Lane" He replied looking down.

"West Lane?" You mean you live far away? West Lane is about 120 miles away."

"Yeah, well the journey is worth it. What about you? Where are you from?"

Emma bit her lip. "Dawn Avenue"

"Dawn Avenue?" Is it only 20 miles away? You're sure lucky to traveling that short."

"No, believe me when I say Mom took a wrong turn and it took us three hours to get to this gas station. We ruined out of fuel because we were traveling too long."

The young man looked at her in shock, then laughed. "Really? Three hours? Is that all it takes to get to a gas station?"

Emma felt overwhelmed. She tried to laugh it off, but it came out as a nervous giggle. "Y-yeah, it's just a few minutes away. I guess I got a bit lost." She smiled weakly.

Emma laughed until she changed the subject. "Anyway, where are you heading to?"

Laughing, Calvin wipes his eyes. "Brooklynville. I'm moving there."

"Brooklynville?" Oh my god me too"

His face lit up with surprise. "No way! We're both moving to Brooklynville? That's crazy."

"I know, weird. Well, anyway I was hoping to move there and attending at Eastwood Academy. What about you? Which school are you learning?"

Calvin was about to answer her question a few moments later, Mrs. Bright called after her daughter. "Emma it's time to leave. The car is filled up and I know where Brooklynville is."

"Oh, I guess this is goodbye," Emma said with a fake smile. "Maybe give me your phone number or we can chat online?"

"Yeah, sure but I don't think that's necessary." He replied with a smirk. "It's because we'll be going to the same school."

Chapter end