Walking towards the back of the store she spotted a small puppy in one of the glass cages, Walking up to it, she noticed that it had bright blue eyes, and it looked very sad.

 

“Hey puppy, what’s wrong?” she asked, knowing it wouldn’t respond.

 

The puppy whimpered and lay down on its paws. Emma tapped on the glass and the puppy glanced up at her.

 

After asking a passing employee if she could see the dog, the employee walked into the back room, shortly reappearing with the puppy in her arms.

 

About thirty minutes later, Emma said goodbye to the dog and walked out of the store to go next door to Beyond Image.

 

Emma didn’t like the store very much because it was mostly Roxy and Hurley. The only reasons she would go in there were: the dickies, hoodies, skateboards, and TJ.

 

TJ worked there. He was almost seventeen years old and Emma thought he was a cool guy and pretty cute.

 

He was 5’11”. His hair was half black and half fire engine red. His ears were gauged and his nose was pierced. On the top of his wrists he had two star tattoos.

 

TJ and Emma had known each other for about two years. They had a lot in common and they’d talk about music, concerts, piercings, and tattoos.

 

“Hey TJ! What’s up?” Emma asked as she approached the counter that TJ was standing at.

 

“Yo Emma!” TJ replied with a smile on his face. “Hey, I get off in an hour. You still gonna be around? Maybe we could catch a movie or somethin’.”

 

“Hey, that’d be fun! I’ll still be around. I’ve got until 10:00ish until my dad gets home, sooo I’m free until then.”

 

Emma and TJ were just friends, although Emma found him very attractive, she never thought of him like that.

 

“So, how’s life?” TJ asked her.

 

“Hmm... life.... well, it still sucks!” Emma said with a laugh.

 

“Really, how so?”

 

“Oh, school, people, Arizona in general!”

 

“Yeah, Arizona does suck! Another dry Christmas” TJ replied.

 

It was three weeks before Christmas, and Peoria was still as dry as ever.

 

“Ugh, I hate it here! Can’t wait to move!” Emma said.

 

“Move? You’re moving? When?” TJ asked.

 

“I dunno. Probably not until summer time. After Warped Tour.” Emma said Warped Tour with a huge grin on her face.

 

“Aw yes, Warped Tour. Green Day is coming this year!”

 

“And you say that like I wouldn’t know!” Emma said with a playful attitude.

 

When her parent starting fighting was when she really got into music. She absolutely loved Green Day, and owned all of their cd’s and a few band shirts. She hadn’t seen them live yet, but she would this summer.

 

“Yeah yeah yeah, you little obsessed freak!” TJ playfully replied back.

 

“Heh! Thaaaat’s me!” she said, drawing out the ‘a’.

 

“Ya know, your cool for an EIGHTH grader!” TJ said, exaggerating her grade level.

 

She was in the middle of her eighth grade year at Apache Elementary.

 

TJ was a junior in High School and he went to Ironwood. He hated school just as much as Emma, but he had more friends and also had a girlfriend, named Samantha.

 

Emma didn’t have any close school friends. If she had to pick a best friend it would be TJ. She also didn’t have a boyfriend. The guys were all jerks, except TJ, but he already had Samantha. Emma never even thought of them like a couple. Only friends. TJ thought the same.