Beep! Beep! Beep! Emma rolled over in her bed and hit the snooze button on her alarm, allowing herself 10 more minutes of sleep. As the alarm went off again she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and groaning to herself she switched off the alarm and literally rolled out of bed. She sat on the floor up against her bed, yawning to herself. Today was the first day back at school. She finally got the energy to stand up and make her way to the bathroom. Fumbling with the shower knobs she turned it on and stripped down and got in the shower. The warm water slowly helped her regain full consciousness. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel around her body.

 

****

 

“Benji! Benji… wake up man!” Benji could hear Joel say as he shook him awake. “C’mon man, we can’t be late on our first day. Dude! WAKE UP!”

 

“I’m awake, I’m awake.” He mumbled as he shuffled down the hallway to the bathroom.  Returning to his room with his teeth brushed and hair gelled he pulled on an MXPX shirt and zipped up his black dickies cut-offs. Slipping on his black converse, he and Joel headed out the door to wait for the bus.

 

****

 

Arriving at the bus stop in her black tank top, dark pink dickies, and black cons, Emma met up with the guys. They exchanged hugs and greetings then stepped onto the bus, filling the back seats, like they had the previous year.

 

They all went through their first 3 classes of the day, disappointed to find out that they didn’t share any. Emma met up with Roxi after the 3rd class and they both sauntered on over to their regular table where the guys eventually showed up. Now that they were big bad sophomores, they took the liberty upon themselves to make fun of the ‘little freshmen’. They noticed a group of little freshmen boys leaning up against the building. They seemed to have good taste in music, according to the array of band shirts they were wearing. One of the boys had shoulder length dread locks and was wearing a Silverchair t-shirt. He looked as if he was the shyest of the group. Benji and Paul had noticed the shirt and instantly engaged in a conversation about the band. Aaron, Joel, Emma, and Roxi all finished their lunch and sat, listening to Benji and Paul exchange band facts.

 

The bell rang and they were off to their next class. As Emma entered the band room for Jazz band, she noticed the kid sitting in the corner, isolated from everyone else.

 

“Hey. What’s up?” she greeted him as she sat in the chair next to him.

 

“Hi.” He replied sheepishly.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Billy, what’s yours?”

 

“Emma. What do you play?”

 

“Guitar. You?”

 

“Bass.”

 

“Cool. Are you a sophomore or a junior?”

 

“Sophomore.”

 

The two exchanged small talk until the teacher started class.

 

 

With the first day of school finally behind them, Emma, Joel, and Benji all rode the bus home. Since the only homework they had been given was to get papers signed, Emma walked home with the twins and chilled at their house, since hers was empty as usual.

 

Around 6pm the twin’s father came home. He had apparently had a few drinks and was definitely not in a good mood. Sarah, and the other three were watching TV in the family room when he entered. Grabbing Joel’s arm and lifting him up, he shoved him towards the TV and ordered him to turn it off. Joel hit the TV stand and the movies that were stacked on top of it came crashing to the floor.

 

“Clumsy boy.” His father chuckled as he entered the kitchen. “Hey babe, what’s for dinner?”

 

Joel had turned off the TV and the four sat there, listening to the conversation coming from the kitchen.

 

“I told you I wanted dinner to be done and ready when I got home.”

 

“Honey, it’ll be ready in five minutes, you got home early.”

 

“Oh sure, blame it on me. What are you good for anyways?”

 

Pots and pans could be heard clanking against cabinets and the tile floor then the sound of the back door slamming shut. They all sat there for a while, this was typical in the Combs’ household. Next would come their mothers whimpers and cries as she finished preparing the meal, then their father would come back in the house after smoking a few cigarettes and would pretend nothing had happened as he sat at the table eating the food she had made, not giving any thanks to her at all. Then they would all separate to their own rooms and go to sleep, like nothing had happened.

Emma left around 10:30pm and ventured off to her own house, still vacant with her dad filling the night shift at work.

 

She walked up the steps to her door, unlocked it, walked in shutting and locking the door behind her, and walked down the small hallway to her room.

 

Around 12:00pm Emma woke up to get a drink, she noticed a light on in the living room and heard a woman laughing followed by her father’s laughter. Walking into the room with the light there was a woman sitting on the couch next to her father. Emma watched the two for a moment, her eyes filling up with tears. Who was this woman? Her father had never said anything about her. They were looking at old photo albums and didn’t notice Emma’s presence until they heard her door slam.

 

Back in the sanctity of her own room Emma grabbed her book bag, a pair of clothes, and some books she’d need for school the next day. She could hear footsteps coming down the hall as she pulled open her window. Stepping out of it she made her way across the back yard and jumped the fence. Creeping up to Benji’s window she lightly tapped on the glass as she cried. Benji looked out the window and saw Emma, opening it he noticed the tears.

 

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?!” he worried.

 

“No… I… my… my dad has a… a woman over…” she managed to say through sniffles.

 

Benji held her hugging her as she cried softly into his shirt. The two snuggled up in his bed, Benji wrapping his arms around her as they fell asleep.

 

 

(WOOO!!!! FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER!!! Aren’t you all just so … amazed?! Yeah well I figured I’d finish this chapter and start working on the next one since it takes me FOREVER to finish one now. Well, in this chapter Emma’s really hurt that her dad has a woman over if ya didn’t get that fact. And the reason to that is that he’s never home for her and now that he’s home he has someone with him who he’s been spending time with instead of his own daughter… catch my drift? I hope so. Oh yeah!! Billy is finally introduced…

the title is the alanis morisette song… ‘univited’)

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