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"Emma! It's time for school! I'm not going to be late... again!"
Emma groaned as she kept practicing her pull-ups. Allison was always annoying, but now she was absolutely driving Emma crazy.
"One-hundred and twenty-eight..."
Emma counted off with each successful pull. She usually wouldn't care if she was late for school. It had been a living hell recently (thanks a lot, Helena!), but she wanted to get there at a decent time. If for anything, to check on Arnold. He acted really strange the previous night. Arnold had always been so sweet and kind, but he fought like an angry pro during that fight. Usually, it was Emma who displayed that type of rage. He seemed so freaked out about all of it and some moves he used against Henry... well, even Emma didn't know how to do them, and she had been training as a fighter for six years now. Her father was the heavyweight kickboxing champ, after all. She had a lot to live up to, and she was never one to give up on a challenge. She loved to fight. There weren't really words on how to describe it better.
But Arnold? He always acted like a meek, little kitten. And she could have sworn she saw his eyes glow dark red for a second. Did it scare her? Not really. Emma had bipolar disorder, so she could understand having anger issues. Though she still couldn't understand how he could leave a dent in Henry's Camaro without breaking his hand...
"Emma?"
Ellie, Emma's little sister, had entered her room. "Allison says to tell you she's about to have a stroke if you don't come down in a few minutes."
"I should be so lucky," Emma muttered as Ellie giggled. "Mom really picked a perfect day to go awol. It's both of their faults. I have to take those damn meds again. They knock me out senseless, no matter what time I take them at night, which makes it a pain in the ass to wake up on Allison's perfect schedule."
"I think that it's the school's schedule, actually," said Ellie thoughtfully, pushing her horned-rim glasses back up her nose.
"...One-hundred and thirty," Emma sighed as she dropped herself down from the bar-mounted to her bedroom wall. "Regal High's a joke, sis." Emma grabbed a towel laying on her dresser and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Just a bunch of rich losers pretending to be something they're not."
"Even Arnie and Hec?" Ellie asked quietly.
"No, not them," Emma gave a small grin. "They're about the only people who really are comfortable in their own skin... most of the time."
"You know Mom and Allison just want you to take those pills because they're worried about you, right?"
Emma looked at Ellie sweetly. Her younger sister was thirteen and had the same red hair as Emma; only styled in tight braids. Freckles lined her naïve face. She needed to grow up... but Emma refused to be the one who made her do so.
"Sure, sis. I know."
Emma threw on her favorite faded t-shirt over her sports bra, along with a white-jean jacket. She was still wearing her yoga pants and sneakers, too. She grabbed her backpack, pausing to stare at the clearly ripped apart chains inside. Likewise, she shook off an eerie feeling and grabbed her iPhone. When she passed Ellie, she ruffled her hair as the latter cringed and scrunched her nose. "Don't you want to take a shower before you go? You're kind of stinking up the house."
"Then, you should be happy that I'm going to be spreading my stink all over Regal High and not here," Emma laughed. "Don't worry, it should all be gone by the time I get back."
"Really...?" Ellie raised her eyebrow.
"Maybe... or maybe not," Emma smirked. "We'll both find out tonight, though."
*****
EMMA HAD TO LISTEN to Allison lecture her repeatedly about the positives and negatives of punctuality for the entire ride over to Regal High. She seriously needed to get her own car. During the lecture marathon, Emma drifted off into a deep sleep...
*****
EMMA DREAMED SHE WAS walking inside a large, dark tunnel. It had many spiraling staircases leading in various directions. She held her white dress up with her hand, so her sandal-covered feet wouldn't trip on the hem, while her other hand carried a brightly lit torch. Soon, she finally reached her destination.
She knocked on a large, brass, mechanical door as it swung open automatically. She hesitated, but then entered cautiously. When her eyes met the sight of her beloved suspended in bronze shackles, her heart sank.
"Ares! What did he do to you?" She went to rush to the God of War's aid, but an invisible barrier stopped her. "...Grecian Powder."
"An excellent deduction, my love." Came a raspy voice from the shadows. It was Hephaestus. The battle-scarred and disfigured God of Forges and Fire. He was wearing brass armor that matched his door and various other inventions while carrying a large hammer he called Oxen. "Tell me, did you ever shed a tear when it was I who was imprisoned? Or did you not feel any guilt at all?"
"Hephaestus," Emma said as calmly as she could. "It doesn't have to be this way. What Ares and I did was wrong; we should have trusted your word instead of Hades."
"But you didn't," said Hephaestus, smacking his lips as he spoke. "Neither of you did! My best friend and brother! And the only goddess I ever loved! You let me suffer in Tartarus — FOR A CENTURY!"
Emma gave another heartbreaking look at Ares, who was barely fading in and out of consciousness. His beaten and stabbed body had golden ichor pouring from every wound. He was dying.
"You found the Deicide?"
"Aye," Hephaestus chuckled. "That I did. The one substance that can kill a god or immortal. What do you think dear old Oxen is made from? Certainly not brass. If you don't get Ares back to Olympus for Apollo to heal, there'll be one more vacancy to fill on the Mountain."
"What do you want?" Emma asked him.
"Your hand in marriage," Hephaestus licked his lips.
"If I do so," said Emma as tears ran down her face, "will you call Hermès and allow him to bring Ares to Apollo?"
"Aye, I will," Hephaestus chuckled maliciously. "Do we have a bargain?"
"Yes," said Emma tearfully, "we do."
"Aphrodite... no... don't do this... please..." Ares begged. "Let me die... instead of living a life... without you..."
"I'm sorry, my beloved," Emma said in agony. "But love is pain... and I love you too much to lose you to death. This is the only way..."
*****
"EMMA, WE'RE HERE."
Emma forced herself to open her eyes and tried to force the tiredness in her body away. Allison was looking at her worriedly. Emma rolled her eyes and stepped out of the Mustang. She eyed the school parking lot, looking for her target of choice, ignoring Allison's concerned questions until she found him.
Henry Wheeler was walking into the empty metal shop classroom. Emma snuck in and locked the door behind them. Henry snapped around quickly as Emma snickered at his appearance. His swollen eyes black, and his leg had a visible bandage wrapped around it, right underneath the end of his shorts.
"What do you want?" He glared at her.
"I want you to leave Arnold and me alone," said Emma, firmly.
"You think I want any more of that asshole's crazy?" Henry asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Look, Arnold doesn't live in a world with rich daddies and their holier than thou lawyers. But I do. So, can you honestly tell me that there's not a hefty lawsuit in his future?"
Henry smirked. "There might be; Dad was pretty pissed about my baby."
"Your car?" Emma asked in disgust.
"Well, yeah," Henry smacked his lips. "Y'know... if you want me to keep my dad's lawyers out of this, you could be my baby for one night. What do you say?"
Emma gave him an appraising look and smiled sweetly at him. "I'd say..."
"Yeah...?" Henry leaned in close to her as Emma grabbed his right arm and twisted it, pushing his face right onto the nearest metal desk.
"...either you drop it or I'll break your arm into little splinters," Emma said softly. "How does that work for you... baby?"
"FINE! YOU WIN! I'LL LEAVE BOTH OF YOU ALONE!"
"And no lawyers or bribed cops?"
"NOOO! GOOD, GOD — I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT!"
Emma let go of his arm and patted him on the back. "That's a good baby. By the way... your fly's down."
*****
EMMA WAS WALKING TO her locker after class as she spoke on her phone. "Yeah. The medicine is called... oh, man... I don't even know how to pronounce that... it starts with a C, has an R in the middle, and ends in an E. Yeah! That's it! At least, I think so, anyway. It does say that it treats R.A., right? Thank goodness! Okay, I need you to deliver it to 3455 North East Avenue, Regal City Subdivision. Thanks again, Mr. Oswald. Bye."
Emma smiled happily as she got her textbooks out of her locker for English Class. That's one crisis averted. I can't wait to give Arnold the good news! She thought excitedly. At times like these, she was happy to be rich and have thirty different pharmacists in her contacts.
She had almost made it to class when she saw Arnold talking to Hector Ramirez. She was about to say “Hi!”, when she heard Hector say: "Oh, come on man! First, you go all Viper Kai on Henry Wheeler, which is all over YouTube —"
Arnold shrugged in embarrassment. "Don't remind me. I still don't know who the hell filmed everything that happened. It's just so stupid."
"— and then I see you talking to some hot older chick on your porch this morning that you said you hadn't figured out yet?"
Emma's heart tightened. Some hot older chick?
"I told you she's not like that," Arnold waved it off as if it were nothing. "She's just a friend, okay?"
"Hey, no need to defend yourself with me, buddy," Hector grinned. "I'm just happy you're not still pining after Emma. That relationship is never going to happen; it's not worth the time."
"Hey," Arnold shot Hector a small glare. "Emma's worth every second of my time. She's the only girl for me. There's not anyone else who could hold a candle to her."
"That's nice," said Hector as Emma hid behind a row of lockers while the two boys walked by. "It's great to have unrealistic and dangerously high expectations. Maybe, I should make 'High Hopes' your ringtone."
"Just keep it up, Hec," Arnold grinned as he shook his head.
"I'm just saying that you need to keep your options open until you know it's a sure thing."
"Like you and Pria?"
"Exactly, like Pria and me! We're soulmates, y'know? Reincarnated lovers from eons ago in vain of Romeo and Juliet."
"You're a total spaz. You know that, right?"
"Hector Spaz Ramirez. I like the sound of that. Y'know what also has a nice ring to it?"
"What?"
"Mrs. Pria Spaz Ramirez! You think I should run that by her later?"
"Definitely go for it. Put a ring on it."
"But should I do it before or after French Class?"
"See? Now, I can't tell if you're still joking."
"Oh, I am."
"Thank goodness."
"Or am I? I really don't know anymore."
Emma waited until both of their laughter died out and put her head in her hands. Arnold likes me? Like, really likes me?
*****
"EMMA? WHAT WERE YOU thinking?" Allison said in exasperation out on the school's football field. Dressed in her cute sports ensemble, Allison prepared for cheerleading tryouts and stretched her legs as she berated her twin.
"Look, I wasn't really going to break his arm," Emma sighed. "...Well, I might have thought about it for a second."
"You can't keep taking risks like that," said Allison, shaking her head in frustration. "Not just because you have a crush on Arnold Regan!"
"I — I don't have a crush on Arnold," Emma said in shock. "I... I don't know how I feel about him."
"Oh, please," Allison scoffed. "You broke Helena's nose for berating him."
"She deserved it!"
"Then you nearly broke Henry's arm for destroying Mrs. Regan's medication."
"I was repaying him for standing up for me!"
Allison rolled her eyes and said, "Since when do you need anyone to stand up for you?"
"Well... I... don't roll your eyes at me! That's my thing!"
"And I saw the charge at Mr. Oswald's Pharmacy in SoHo on our Visa account," Allison smirked. "Care to explain that?"
"I... I... Oh, crap," Emma sighed in comprehension. "I'm crushing on Arnold Regan." Emma let the thought sink in a little more and smiled. "I have a thing for Arnold Regan. And I think he has one for me too."
"Well, duh," Allison laughed. "It's all pretty obvious."
"But how do I... how do I tell him...?"
"That's not for me to decide," said Allison. "I don't even think you and Arnold are good for each other. But I know, you'll have to find that one out for yourself, though."
"Oh, come on, Allison!" Emma pleaded. "You're so much better at this crap than me! This is the one time I actually want you to lecture me."
"I'll try not to take offense to that," Allison sighed. "If you want to, take my Mustang. I can get a ride home with Hiro today, if I need to. All you have to do is pick Ellie up from middle school, and then you can go riding in search of noodle-arms."
"Seriously?"
"You have your license," Allison shrugged. "You might as well use it."
"Did I ever tell you that you're a decent sister?" Emma grinned.
"I could stand to hear it more often," Allison grinned back. "Just promise me you'll stay out of trouble."
"Of course! No worries," Emma smiled as she took in a run.
"There goes Ms. Try-Emma-Everyone-Has!" Emma could hear Helena shouting at her. But that didn't matter; nothing could ruin this feeling... this excitement in her heart.
*****
EMMA LOVED HEARING the engine of Allison’s Mustang roar as she drove through the city. Though she was eager to drop Ellie off back home. She was ready to talk to Arnold... even if she wasn't sure what to say. But Ellie had convinced her to go get a snack at CK. They had just entered the fast-food hangout as Emma spotted Arnold... sitting across from a striking, older (18 maybe?), girl dressed in a tank top and leather jacket combo with long, black hair, almost down to her waist. This must have been the hot, older chick that Hector mentioned earlier. And she was hot; even Emma had to admit it.
She could just make out what they were talking about.
"I don't know about this, Amelia," Arnold sighed. "I don’t think I'm the person you're looking for."
"But don't you owe it to yourself to find out," said Amelia, gazing deeply into his eyes.
"If it’s destiny, shouldn't it work itself out anyway?" Arnold said thoughtfully.
"Destiny is a funny thing," said Amelia. "It always struggles against those who fight against it. I know you feel it, don't lie to yourself. Something's changed inside you."
"...You're right," said Arnold. "I can't lie to myself anymore. I guess... I guess I need to give destiny a try for once. I need to give you a try..."
"Emma... what's wrong?" Ellie asked her.
"Nothing's wrong, sis. Did you get your Chicken Fries?"
"Yeah."
"Then, let's go home," said Emma. "I'm getting tired."
"Your meds?"
"Yeah, they're kicking my ass right now," Emma lied, trying not to let there be a catch in her throat. "Let's just go."
*****
WHEN EMMA AND ELLIE got home, Allison and their dad were already setting the table for dinner.
"Hey, girls!" Mr. Berggrias beamed at them.
"Hey, Dad," Emma managed to get out.
"Dad!" Ellie squealed. "I missed you! Why were you gone so long?"
"I had a title to protect, sweetie," Mr. Berggrias smiled as he hugged Ellie and then Emma. "But that's all about to change because... I'm retiring from pro fighting!"
"Really?" Ellie smiled.
"What?" Emma asked in disbelief.
"I know," said Allison. "It's great, isn't it?"
"No, it's not," said Emma. "It's bull-shit! Why would you give up your career, Dad?"
"Well, someone needs to watch over you girls, don't they?" Mr. Berggrias tried his best to force a smile. That might have fooled most people in the world, but not Emma. She knew her dad better than he knew himself.
"Why can't Mom just watch over us like she's been doing?"
The smile on Mr. Berggrias's face faded instantly. "Your mother... why don't we have dinner first and then..."
"...She's gone," said Emma, "isn't she?"
"She's run off with Finn Williams, my old manager," Mr. Berggrias sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Took you long enough to figure that one out," Emma glared.
"Emma — don't!" Allison tried to defuse the situation. "Why don't we all just sit down and talk about this over dinner?"
"It's okay," said Mr. Berggrias. "Truth is, Emma's right, but it doesn't change matters, anyway. I don't know where they've run off to, but they've drained half of fifty bank accounts. We still have enough to live off, to keep all of you girls in school and send each of you to college, but it won't be like it used to. I'm sorry."
"Then you definitely shouldn't retire!" Emma glared at her father, balling her fists. "We can take care of ourselves! Don't give up just because you screwed your marriage over!"
"On the contrary, Emma," Mr. Berggrias said, his eyes flaring, "I think it's obvious you girls need all my attention! Especially you, Emma! Do you know how many blogs, tabloids, and gossip magazines are running articles about your mental illness and sex life? That you've already slept your way through your entire high school after being there for only two days!"
"...You really think that, Dad?"
"...Emma, honey, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to —!"
"No, go ahead," Emma tried to hold back her tears. "Keep on slut-shaming me for something I didn't even do. Call me crazy because I fight to protect my friends. You know why? It just doesn't matter to me. You and your shitty opinion doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm just going to go to my room because I've lost my appetite."
*****
EMMA SLAMMED HER BEDROOM door behind her as tears started pouring down her face. She pounded on her dresser, where she saw pictures of her whole family over the years... as well as her, Hector, and Arnold. She couldn't take it anymore and started shrieking as she cried, throwing the pictures into the wall one by one. The door slowly opened as Allison walked in cautiously.
"Emma, it's going to be okay."
"NO — IT'S NOT! GET OUT!"
"I'm not leaving you, Emma."
"GET OUT! YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW ALL ALONG!”
Emma collapsed on the floor, still sobbing. Allison bent down and hugged her gently. "...No... I didn't."