"Threat? They think I'm a threat?" Emerson asked astonished.

"Yes, that is what I just said," her father snapped.

She looked at him and started laughing. Principal Davids and Richard Paige gave each other weary glances. However, Richard lost it a few minutes later.

"This isn't a laughing matter, Emerson! This is serious! This could destroy our lives! You need to grow up you--"

"I think we all need to calm down for a second," Principal Davids' said, staring at Richard.

He had Emerson and her father sit down, and he gave Richard a few moments to calm down.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. We are going to find whoever did this and expel them for videotaping during school hours. Then we will have a school meeting about bullying, and you will have to apologize to your--"

"I can't," Emerson said shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Principal Davids asked.

"I mean I can't apologize for something I'm not sorry for. Sure, I'm not proud of hitting my brother, but I would've done it again. He was disrespecting someone I care about, and if slapping him teaches him he shouldn't say things like that, then I can't apologize. So many people have to deal with disrespect because they are unique and I can't stand by and let it happen when I know it's wrong. So I'm sorry, but I can't apologize. Not today, not tomorrow, and not next week. I can't," I stubbornly shook her head, and crossed her arms.

"Okay, well you'll receive a detention. You have to be punished, we can't just let this go by or else it'd look like we have favorites," Principal Davids finished.

"I'll take the detention," she said, standing up to leave.

"I'll see you at home where we'll be finishing this discussion," Richard Paige said sternly giving her an annoyed look.

"I wish you the best of luck, Emerson. The light is always at the end of the tunnel," Principal Davids said giving her a knowing look.

She gave him a cautious worried look, before hurrying out of the office.

~~~

Emerson walked into the empty classroom. Mrs. Avacadosincerta, the one Spanish teacher, was in charge.

"Emerson, ¿qué haces aquí?" She asked.

"Defiende lo que cree, incluso si estás parado solo," she said after hesitating.

"Buen trabajo en tu español," Mrs. Avacadosincerta smiled.

"Gracias!" Emerson said before sitting down.

Soon the room filled with seven other students, one including Kevin. He spat on her while walking towards a seat in the back. Emerson counted to five in her head backwards. He isn't worth it.

"You okay?" Charlie Mathews asked.

Emerson looked up at him wide eyed.

"Um, yeah. I guess?" She said, but it came out more like a question.

He sat in a desk next to her, and she couldn't help but internally scowl at the blush creeping up her neck. Charlie had gorgeous dark green eyes and darker sandy blonde hair.

"Stupid question. It's not everyday your best friend goes missing and you get harassed for it. People like Kevin act like jerks when they don't get what they want," he said.

"This is going to sound weird, and nosy, but what is someone like you doing in detention?" I whispered, giving him a curious look.

"I could ask you the same thing, Emerson Paige," he smiled, giving her an amused look.

"Quiet class!" Mrs. Avacadosincerta shouted over the talking.

Emerson took out a sketch book and started doodling a tree. Gnarled bark, leafless, a deteriorating swing, and the last of the flowers before winter's deadly freeze.

(http://pre12.deviantart.net/1e40/th/pre/f/2013/035/3/9/tree_drawing_by_reconzile-d5tud2s.jpg)

Charlie looked over and saw the drawing, an awed smile on his face. He had a small smile on his face as he pulled out his own sketch book and drew a lollipop tree. The kind where there were two parallel lines and a circle on top. He added the little squiggle line of grass, the six circle flowers, and a 2D swing. He tapped Emerson's arm and turned the sketchbook towards her.

She stifled a laugh, and she added a bird on his drawing. He pointed at her tree and mouthed, 'how?'. She shook her head with a smile. She tried to hide her big toothy smile, but couldn't help it as she showed him how to draw the outline of the tree.

Then they filled it in, drew the swing, and the flowers. His was okay for his first time. She wrote on the top of his sketch: Now do it 15 more times a day until you're satisfied with how it looks.

He gave her a look, like you've got to be kidding me, and she shook her head no as she tried to laugh quietly.

The teacher gave them an amused look and put a finger to her lips.

'How long do you have detention?' He wrote on her sketchbook.

'2 weeks' she wrote.

'three', he wrote.

'three?!' she underlined with a question mark.

He shrugged, and they shared a smile.

~~~

"We have scheduled an interview with you and--"

"I won't do it," she said giving Martin a stubborn look.

Martin used to watch over Emerson and her brother when they were younger. He got his position as their father's campaign manager when Richard came home angry. Richard was drunk, and throwing things. Maisey got into some trouble with the camera's again, and Richard didn't know how to get out of it. Martin came up with the wise idea of feigning innocence; tell the truth, but withhold the sour stuff. Victimization, he called it. Since then he has been by Richard's side during his career. Martin was a respectable individual despite his flaws. He had heart, which is something Richard had long frozen and removed; now driven by greed.

"What do you mean you won't? I'm giving you a chance to clear your name! This could ruin your future," Martin reasoned.

"This has to do with my father's campaign, so lets both stop pretending you care about me and my 'future'," Emerson said sitting at the counter.

"I do care about your future Emerson, and I always will." Martin Kuliker said sympathetically. "Do you not remember me watching you when you were younger?" He added with a amused smile.

"I'll only do it if it's on the Erin Tiffany Show," she said looking at him, trying to act serious.

"But that's a program for--"

Emerson narrowed her eyes.

"Only if you do one with the Humphrey's," he offered.

"The Carson's," she said.

"Fine, the Carson's and Erin Tiffany Show," Martin said with a small smile.

Emerson let out a smile, and gave him finger guns, "Well good luck with the campaign."

Martin rolled his eyes, "Go have fun, do something stimulating!"

"Will do Martin!" She said leaving the kitchen.

A/N: Thanks for reading!!!

What do you think of Martin?

How about Emerson's family?

Charlie? ;)

What happened to Tamara? Any ideas?

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AND STAY BEAUTIFUL!!! ;)

~Tapqueen101