Emily Rose Hudson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
emilyrosehudson) wrote2009-04-22 02:14 am
emilyrosehudson) wrote2009-04-22 02:14 am
Entry tags:
AU possibilities.
I.
The bell rang signaling the end of the school day and Emily waded out into the sea of students headed for the front door. Dad had gotten his wish that she attend public school and it was a huge one. She was in the last months of her eighth grade year and looking forward to high school. Although, she'd heard the new school would be even larger than this one. Still, lots of her friends were zoned for the same school. So, it wouldn't be a completely new situation. That helped.
"Emily!" She heard her name called over the din of stomping feet and the rustle of backpacks that marked the weekend crush to escape. On the steps outside the large front double doors, she paused by the metal hand railing that bisected the concrete steps and waited for her friend Heather to catch up. They shared a couple of classes and Emily had visited her house a couple of times. Heather had never visited Emily's, but she didn't seem concerned by the lack of invitation.
"Hey." Emily smiled at her friend as she leaned against the railing. Like all good herd animals, the rest of the school's population parted around them and kept on going. "How was math?"
"Hate it. The usual." Heather flashed a grin and shrugged. Her curly, bright red hair bounced against her shoulders. "English?"
"I speak it. Why isn't that enough?" Emily complained and heaved a dramatic sigh. Then both girls laughed. They were both good students. But, like all young teenagers, classes were a common topic of complaint. "I can't stop long. Dad's already waiting in the parking lot somewhere." He was always on time.
Heather nodded. "I know. Just wanted to see if you wanted to do something on Saturday? My Mom already said I could invite you."
Before Emily could answer, a hand on her shoulder distracted her and she turned. A boy with a mop of tousled blond hair grinned at her from the other side of the hand railing. Daniel was in her History class. They had bonded a bit over their mutual love of baseball. "The Yankees are playing on Saturday, too..."
"It's not nice to eavesdrop," Heather commented. She was fighting a smile, though. Daniel was, in her opinion, unbelievably cute. Even had a dimple!
"It's an away game," Emily reminded him with a head shake. He kept insisting they should see a game together. Like that would ever happen! "Just have to catch it on TV."
"Okay." Daniel sighed and then grinned again. "I'll see you Monday, then!"
As Emily was opening her mouth to say goodbye, he leaned over and kissed her! Right on the mouth! Behind her, she heard Heather giggling and off in the distance... she could swear she heard growling.
II.
A thump and another crash echoed throughout the house. Emily winced and folded herself tighter into her little corner. A small nook under the stairs in the unfinished basement made a decent hiding place if nobody was looking too hard. She had always been tiny, but a couple months of neglect had dwindled her down closer to frail.
Benjamin was clutched tightly to her chest by thin arms streaked with dirt and mottled by bruises. She didn't like this place. It was cold and dirty and the people were mean. And she missed her Mommy so bad.
But, she couldn't cry. They hated when she cried. It made them mad. So, she was quiet. So much so that she'd almost forgotten what her own voice sounded like. Didn't matter. Nobody but Benjamin listened.
On a world-weary social worker's desk, somewhere, was a name and a phone number never called. Once a deadbeat dad, always a deadbeat dad, the woman had decided long ago. These days, if the number wasn't local, she didn't bother with it. Wrote in 'no answer' on the form and shuffled the child off to -- she hoped -- a better home somewhere else.
The bell rang signaling the end of the school day and Emily waded out into the sea of students headed for the front door. Dad had gotten his wish that she attend public school and it was a huge one. She was in the last months of her eighth grade year and looking forward to high school. Although, she'd heard the new school would be even larger than this one. Still, lots of her friends were zoned for the same school. So, it wouldn't be a completely new situation. That helped.
"Emily!" She heard her name called over the din of stomping feet and the rustle of backpacks that marked the weekend crush to escape. On the steps outside the large front double doors, she paused by the metal hand railing that bisected the concrete steps and waited for her friend Heather to catch up. They shared a couple of classes and Emily had visited her house a couple of times. Heather had never visited Emily's, but she didn't seem concerned by the lack of invitation.
"Hey." Emily smiled at her friend as she leaned against the railing. Like all good herd animals, the rest of the school's population parted around them and kept on going. "How was math?"
"Hate it. The usual." Heather flashed a grin and shrugged. Her curly, bright red hair bounced against her shoulders. "English?"
"I speak it. Why isn't that enough?" Emily complained and heaved a dramatic sigh. Then both girls laughed. They were both good students. But, like all young teenagers, classes were a common topic of complaint. "I can't stop long. Dad's already waiting in the parking lot somewhere." He was always on time.
Heather nodded. "I know. Just wanted to see if you wanted to do something on Saturday? My Mom already said I could invite you."
Before Emily could answer, a hand on her shoulder distracted her and she turned. A boy with a mop of tousled blond hair grinned at her from the other side of the hand railing. Daniel was in her History class. They had bonded a bit over their mutual love of baseball. "The Yankees are playing on Saturday, too..."
"It's not nice to eavesdrop," Heather commented. She was fighting a smile, though. Daniel was, in her opinion, unbelievably cute. Even had a dimple!
"It's an away game," Emily reminded him with a head shake. He kept insisting they should see a game together. Like that would ever happen! "Just have to catch it on TV."
"Okay." Daniel sighed and then grinned again. "I'll see you Monday, then!"
As Emily was opening her mouth to say goodbye, he leaned over and kissed her! Right on the mouth! Behind her, she heard Heather giggling and off in the distance... she could swear she heard growling.
II.
A thump and another crash echoed throughout the house. Emily winced and folded herself tighter into her little corner. A small nook under the stairs in the unfinished basement made a decent hiding place if nobody was looking too hard. She had always been tiny, but a couple months of neglect had dwindled her down closer to frail.
Benjamin was clutched tightly to her chest by thin arms streaked with dirt and mottled by bruises. She didn't like this place. It was cold and dirty and the people were mean. And she missed her Mommy so bad.
But, she couldn't cry. They hated when she cried. It made them mad. So, she was quiet. So much so that she'd almost forgotten what her own voice sounded like. Didn't matter. Nobody but Benjamin listened.
On a world-weary social worker's desk, somewhere, was a name and a phone number never called. Once a deadbeat dad, always a deadbeat dad, the woman had decided long ago. These days, if the number wasn't local, she didn't bother with it. Wrote in 'no answer' on the form and shuffled the child off to -- she hoped -- a better home somewhere else.