one.
(Emily I'm Sorry)
ACT ONE — CHAPTER ONE
1996
"Emily, breakfast!" An older woman stood with her hands on her hips and her blonde hair pulled into a slicked-back bun, not a strand out of place.
Emily's mother always made an effort to look as put together and perfect as possible. The girl almost admired the woman's determination, even if it meant she was always on top of Emily to be just as perfect.
The teenager walked into the kitchen with a small smile, she stole a quick glance at the table hoping her father would have already left for work. Unfortunately, Emily wasn't so lucky.
Things had been awkward, to say the least, ever since he caught his precious daughter kissing another girl.
Emily knew he would find it to be...wrong.
That would be the entirely typical response of her overly religious father, luckily for her though his shame would prevent him from saying a word about all of this to her mother. At least until she was on that plane to nationals.
"Morning," Ash walked into the kitchen, offering the others a small smile.
"Actually Mom, I'm not that hungry." The blonde claimed, staring at the tasteless plate of eggs.
The woman frowned disapprovingly, "You have got to eat something, Emily."
The teenager sighed, pulling out the wooden chair, and plopping her backpack on the floor beside it. Emily silently ate a few bites of the scrambled eggs, and Ash took the seat beside her. Also choking down the eggs— the woman wasn't the best cook.
Emily's mother cleared her throat, "Emily, honey."
The blue-eyed girl looked up at the sound of her name, "I found this on the hallway floor, and figured the clasp must've come undone."
The dainty cross hung off a gold chain in her mother's hand, "Oh," the girl said quietly.
The thing was the clasp hadn't come undone.
When her father had caught her kissing the other girl, they got into a fight. The man claimed she was throwing away her faith, and she argued that he did the same when he cheated on her mother.
Ashley was only her half-sister by blood, despite the fact that Emily was closer with the other girl more than anyone else in the entire world.
Emily felt guilty about using her in the argument against their father, but it was far too late to go back on that.
During the same fight she had discarded the tiny gold cross necklace, it felt wrong to wear it around her neck. Proudly showing off all her beliefs, just didn't feel right after finally admitting to herself that she was different.
Emily still had a sense of belief in her faith, even if her— attractions didn't follow the rules.
"I've been looking for that everywhere," Emily faked a smile, gently lifting the necklace from her mother's hand, "Thanks."
Emily could feel her father's judgment from the other end of the table, as she reclasped the necklace around her neck, "Okay, I'm gonna go now. Jackie and Shauna should be here momentarily."
"Wait for me!" Ash choked down one more bite of the horrible eggs, quickly standing up from her chair.
Emily's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "Oh, I figured you were gettting a ride to school with Greg."
Greg was Ash's boyfriend, in Emily's opinion he was kind of an asshole, he is a genuinely mean person. At least he always had been to her... ever since Emily turned him down freshman year.
Ashley rolled her eyes, "Nope. It turns out he's kind of an asshole."
"Ashley. Watch your language."
"Sorry Dad," she apologized quickly, then walking with Emily to the door.
"Just a fair warning— Jackie has been kind of a lot recently." Emily whispered as they arrived to the car.
"Jackie is always kind of a lot." Ash shrugged.
Their friend had been on a rampage trying to get Emily a date to prom, and now they weren't even going.
Emily tugged the door open and slid across the backseat of Shauna's car, making room for her sister beside her.
"Hey, what'd we miss?" Emily asked, smiling at Shauna and Jackie.
"Oh nothing much—" Jackie started but Shauna interrupted her within seconds, "Just Jeff climbing out of Jackie's bedroom window. What a sight."
Emily laughed, "I'm sure that was entertaining."
Jeff was Jackie's boyfriend, he had been on and off for the entirety of high school. Emily supposed he was okay, seemingly just a sweet guy.
Shauna pulled the car into motion pulling out of the driveway, "So Ash," Jackie started, "No Greg today?"
Ash scoffed from beside Emily, she leaned up in between Shauna and Jackie's seat, "He's a complete asshole. A cheating scumbag, asshole."
"Damn, I'm sorry Ash." Jackie spoke, "I did warn you about him." Emily pointed out.
"I don't need an 'I told you so' Em." Ash sighed, "I wasn't-"
Emily started to defend herself, "Yes you were," Shauna spoke, "You love being right."
Emily could tell that Shauna was speaking in a light hearted way, but she always wondered what her friends really thought about her.
"The hell is this bullshit?" Jackie exclaimed, that pulled Emily out of her thoughts quickly. She directed her attention out the window and spotted the sign.
"'We are proud of our boy's varsity baseball. Go jackets!' ? Really?" Emily deadpanned.
"These assholes were under five hundred all season. Shauna, honk at that thing!" Jackie exclaimed, reaching over Shauna and honking the horn.
"No they're just gonna think we're saluting mediocre baseball." Shauna stated.
"No, they'll know." Jackie stuck her head out the window seconds later, "Try undefeated bitches! We're going to mother fucking nationals!"
They all laughed at Jackie's antics. The girl always made everything more fun, she was the glue that held their group together.
Emily could barely remember when it wasn't her, Shauna, and Jackie. For the entirety of high school they were all closer than ever, before that Laura Lee was Emily's best friend.
The two ended up growing apart when Emily began posing questions about the religion they were both raised on.
"Hey, you okay?" Ash posed a question to Emily who was zoned out.
"Oh...yeah. I was just thinking." She spoke, "About what? Aidan?" Ash asked teasingly.
Emily scrunched up her nose, "No. Why would I be thinking about him?"
"Because," Ash smiled, "You totally like him."
"Do you know me at all Ash?" Emily deadpanned.
Emily certainly did not have a crush on Aidan. He wasn't her type.
"You know you're gonna have to go out of your comfort zone and date someone at some point." Ash stated.
"I've dated people." Emily started to defend, "Like who?" Jackie turned around in her seat, Emily pressed her lips together.
"What about-" she spoke up again, "Luke doesn't count we were in like seventh grade and you only went to the dance with him because I set the two of you up."
"Give her a break guys," Shauna started, "Emily can date when she wants to date."
"Thanks," she whispered, and Shauna gave her a small smile.
Shauna was always the supportive one, Jackie and Ash meant well but they also didn't know. Shauna did, she knew and she understood.
If there was one thing that Emily knew for sure about Pep Rallys. It was that the team always had the best locker room dance parties.
The team danced around singing Shoop by Salt-N-Peppa.
Emily danced with Natalie for a few seconds her eyes lingering on the girl for just a moment too long.
Emily entered the bathroom portion of the locker room with a small smile on her face.
"Hey Lottie, can I borrow your eyeliner?" Emily asked with a sweet smile, and Lottie handed her the pencil, "Sure."
"I'm the only freshman who got asked you know." Allie said to Van.
The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes, that girl was always focused on things like prom and popularity. Nationals apparently was something to complain about to Allie.
"I know." Van replied continuing to paint the younger girl's face.
"It's so unfair." She whined, "My dress was going to be amazing."
Unfair? Seriously? Emily sighed leaning closer towards the mirror trying not to smear the eyeliner.
"Well hey, at least you can wear it next year." Van noted, and Allie shook her head with a sigh.
"You don't get it Van, cause nobody asked you." Allie deadpanned.
"Okay, you're done." Van stated, and Allie smiled stealing one last glance at herself in the mirror.
"Jesus Christ." Lottie shook her head, and they all laughed.
It was ridiculous, really. There were far bigger issues to worry about outside of missing some little school dance.
It's not like Emily could even go with who she wanted to without drawing all eyes on her. And without hateful comments.
"Does someone wanna tell Kelly Kapowski to maybe worry less about prom and more about not fucking up Nationals?"
"Oh come on—"
They all hovered in the mirror messing with their hair and readjusting makeup.
"If she plays like she did at states." Lottie continued
"Don't worry. That's not gonna happen." Taissa stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
Emily would like to know simply what the other girl was plotting.
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