Chapter 2

After Lara left, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I had done something to upset her. Then again, this kind of closed off and abrupt behavior was not uncommon with her. Lara also seemed really insistent about me going to the concert this weekend with Emerson. I supposed if it mattered that much to her, I'll do it. I sighed as I laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling. I had finished dinner and told my parents that I was going to my room to study. Instead, I was in my room overthinking, which I always tended to do.

I opened Emerson's contact and stared at the text box. I knew I should text her, but what was I supposed to say?? I typed in a message into the box. 'Hey Em, ik its been a while since we last talked..." I cleared the text and tried again. 'Emmy! I can't wait 4 the concert!!! I love the Golden Webs! How have you been?' I groaned and deleted the message again. Ugh... This was hopeless... I looked at my phone again. 'Why did you pick me?' I sighed and rested my phone on my chest and nibbled on the ends of my hair. I heard a chime and I felt the color drain from my face because I swear that sound sounded a lot like the delivered message chime. I quickly looked at my phone and sure enough, the message had sent.

"No, no, no..." I frantically watched as the status went from delivered to read. I saw the response bubbles come up, signifying Emersons response. 'bc its been 2 long and I miss u.' I breathed a sigh of relief as I read her response. Same old Em... 'rly?' The response was immediate. 'yeah! ...and well, I saw ur insta pics and I couldn't help myself.' I chuckled to myself.

'what is tht supposed to mean?'

'nothin 😳 so am I gonna see u this weekend?'

I bit my lip before typing out my answer.

'Yeah ig so. What should I wear?'

'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I knw EXACTLY wht u should wear. I have the cutest outfit that might fit u. ur coming over 2 my house tmm. No excuses.'

'whatever u say...'

'k I gtg. See u tmm! Bye cutie 😘'

'mhmm. Ttyl'

I put down my phone and smiled softly. I had forgotten how much I liked talking to Emerson. She was still super friendly and sometimes said weird things, but I was kind of relieved that she didn't hate me. I was actually kind of excited to go to her place tomorrow. I got under my covers and hugged Rosy (my stuffed rhino I've had since I was eight) to my chest. Please let tomorrow go well.

I tapped my foot anxiously as I waited for the bell to ring to end class. I had been counting down the minutes all day, and this was my final class. I willed the clock to go faster until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Lara, who had a annoyed expression on her face.

"I've been trying to get your attention for 10 whole minutes. What's up with you?"

I grinned. "I'm going over to Emmy's tonight to get ready for the concert." Lara raised an eyebrow. "Just yesterday, you were so resistant to even go. Why the change of heart?" I shrugged. "I guess I forgot how much I missed her." Lara looked at the floor.

"You said you're going over to her house tonight?" she sounded disappointed. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, next week, we'll have a sleepover to make up for it. Sound good?" She waved my hand off her. "I'm not a kid, Vi. I don't care what you do with your time. You don't need to 'make up for it'. Besides, I'm the one who wanted you to do this."

I was kind of surprised at Lara's sour attitude. She'd always been kind of pessimistic, but she never snapped at me like that. "Okay. Sorry..." I looked away. I had the feeling that something was bothering her, but I decided not to press. Luckily, the awkwardness that occurred afterwards was cut short due to the bell. I jumped up and grabbed my bag. I turned to say goodbye to Lara, but she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had to be somewhere... I made my way out of the school and stood in the courtyard. I pulled out my phone to text Emerson.

'Hey, meet me in th--"

My text was interrupted by someone tackling me in a hug. "Vivi!!" I grinned. Only one person called me by that nickname. Emerson linked her arm in mine, something we used to do all the time, and leaned into me. "Hey Em. You wasted no time, huh." I chuckled. "I just couldn't wait to see you! It's been so long and—Oh! My mom's here, come on!" She pulled me to her mom's car with me barely hanging on behind her.

Emerson opened the backseat door and let me climb in with her following close behind. Her mom turned and smiled at me. "Violet! What a wonderful surprise. It sure has been a while since I've seen you. Look how big you are!" I smiled. "It's nice seeing you again as well Mrs. Beckett." As we drove to Emerson's house, Emerson was showing me videos on her phone and talking about anything and everything.

I was relieved when we arrived at her house because all of her talking was starting to overwhelm me. She pulled me to her room and shut the door behind her. I looked around, reminiscing in the memories we made here in this room. Not much seemed to have changed. She still had the same shelves against the wall with all of her makeup and books lined up perfectly organized. Her ceiling fan was still missing one blade, and her closet door was still decorated with flowers stickers.

Emerson sat down on her bed gently and smiled at me softly. This was the calmest she'd been today. "We've made so many memories here…" she murmured. I sat with her and smiled. "Yeah. Remember when we had that sleepover during the storm and you were afraid of the thunder, so I would kiss your forehead and let you cuddle me while we slept?" Emerson looked at me. "I do! You were always so good at calming me down." She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed happily. "I'm really happy you came over." I nodded. The weight of Emerson's head on my shoulder was making me feel some sort of way. Like I was sleepy and aloof, and safe. It felt like I being wrapped up in a warm blanket. At this point, all I could think about was just snuggling deeper into this warm fuzzy feeling. I wanted to swim in it, let it consume me. Without much thought, I wrapped my arms around Emerson and laid back onto the bed, taking her with me.

She made a small sound in surprise but didn't protest or try to slide away. Instead, she curled into me like back when we were kids. We laid together in silence, the only sounds being our breathing. She looked up at me and smiled. The same smile I'd always known and cherished. "Vi," Emerson whispered, and I could feel her warm breath on my neck. "Yeah?" I whispered back. "This is nice, but I think we should get ready now." I sighed softly. "Just a while longer?" I murmured, tucking my chin into her shoulder. She shivered and her face grew warmer. "Well... Okay. Just a little..." she said in a small voice.

I remembered that Emerson had sensitive ears so whispering into her ear probably wasn't a good decision. That would explain why she went red. I wondered what would happen if I were to accidentally mess with her. Just a little. I smirked mischievously and leaned into her ear. "Hey, Emmy," I whispered, and she stiffened, her ears burning. "Wh-what?" she said quietly, obviously feeling embarrassed. "I know your secret." I grinned. Emerson let out a small squeak. "What are you talking about... I-I don't have a--" I blew into her ear gently and she yelped, scurrying away from me. I burst out laughing, sitting up.

Emerson pouted and crossed her arms, face still red. "Violet! That's not fair..." I grinned. "What? You told me you had sensitive ears before; I was just seeing if they were still sensitive." She put her hands on her hips. "Of course, they are! You better watch your back; I know where you're sensitive too." She grinned evilly. I rolled my eyes. I'd never told her where I was sensitive. It was my thighs and no one except Mom knew that. I had made a point to keep that information from everyone.

"Sure. So, where's that outfit you said you had?" I looked around. Emerson's face lit up. "Oh yeah! Hold on, I'll get it." She trotted over to her closet and started pulling clothes out. "It's gonna be hot at the place we're going so I picked out something a bit skimpy. Let me know if it shows too much skin." I watched her toss things out of her closet, some not even clothes. I wonder if she still has those drawings we did in her closet from when we were 5.... Something soft hit me in the face, bringing me out of my thoughts. I took it off my face to see what it was. It was... A pair of panties?? And not just any pair, a skimpy, risqué pair that I didn't even think Emerson would own.

"Uhh... Ems? Why did you throw a thong in my face?" I folded them and set them on the bed. She poked her head out of the closet to look at me. "Huh? Thong? "Oh, that was supposed to be for later..." She grinned mischievously. I felt my face grow warm. "W-What's that supposed to mean?!" I sputtered, not sure how to take that. She just winked at me and went back into the closet. A few seconds later, she came out with some clothes in her arms.

"Found it! Here, put it on!" She eagerly shoved the clothes onto my lap. I looked at them and then back at her. "Oh, right. I'll turn around." She put her hands over her eyes and turned around. I sighed and stood up and set out the clothes. She had picked out a cropped t-shirt with a short black skirt, some knee-high socks and... some weird strappy things. I changed into the shirt and skirt and pulled the socks on. Then I tapped Emerson on the shoulder. She turned around. "I couldn't figure out what these things were." I held up the straps. She laughed. "Those are garters, silly. Here, I'll help you put them on. Lift your skirt." I turned red and held my skirt down, taking a step back. "Wh-What? No...! That's... Why would I...?"

Emerson gave me an exasperated look. "Do you want me to help you or not?" Finally, I stepped towards her and hesitantly lifted my skirt. I couldn't look at her, so I turned my attention to the wall as she began to put the garters on. Her hands slid against my thigh as she worked and I bit my lip, my face burning. Did she even have any idea what she was doing to me? Her hand brushed the inside of my thigh, and a whimper escaped my throat. Emerson paused and looked up at me, confused. "Are you okay?" I nodded quickly. "Yep. Perfectly fine." I mumbled and Emerson got back to work. After what felt like hours, she stood up. "All done. Take a look." I turned to her full-length mirror and stared at my reflection. I looked... like an E-girl... "Uh... Don't you think I look.... well, like an E-girl?" I chuckled nervously. Emerson tilted her head. "An E-girl? Hmmm... Well..." She walked a circle around me. "In my professional opinion, you're only an E-girl if you say shit like 'uwu' or 'nya'" She smirked. "I'll show you a real E-girl. Wait here." She scampered into her closet and closed the door.

I was curious as to what she was doing because there was a lot of noise coming from the closet. A few minutes later, she came out and oh. My. Holy. God. She was dressed in the complete E-girl attire. Short skirt with thigh highs, an anime crop top showing through an oversized hoodie. To top it off, she even put on the overly cute E-girl makeup and colored contacts. She walked over to me, and I was so shocked that I couldn't move. She sat on the floor in front of me with her legs in a 'W' shape. She looked up at me the same way a puppy would and bit her lip.

"H-hewwo daddy, uwu. I-I was wondering..." She pressed her forefingers together like she was in an anime. "...If you could maybe play with me?" She put her hand on my foot. "I-- Wha...?" I had no words. She was really good at this. I wondered if she posted this kind of stuff on the internet... Her hand began to slide up my leg, making me yelp. She smiled. "Come on... Play with your puppy for a little while..." She pouted. "I promise I'll be good..." I couldn't take any more of this.

 I jumped back, face burning and scowled at her. "Emerson..." I mumbled, not daring to look at her. I felt something warm close around my hand and I looked up at Emerson, who had taken my hand in hers. She held it to her cheek and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you so flustered. I was just playing around." I nodded. "It's okay. And for the record, I wasn't flustered, I was just… embarrassed. It's not like I was attracted to that or anything…" Those were complete lies. The butterflies in my stomach still haven't settled yet. What was wrong with me? I couldn't be attracted to Emerson. Besides, she was way out of my league.

Emerson laughed and pressed her lips to my cheek. "Really? I thought you were attracted to that kind of stuff. Did you finally grow out of it?" I nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm into, uh, more dominant demeanors now." That was partially true. I had been beginning to find a more dominant role to be really attractive lately.

Emerson nodded. "Huh. Interesting. Well, hold on one second while I take this stuff off." She skipped back to the closet, and I sat down on her bed with a sigh. Sometimes, that girl was really unpredictable. I thought about the way the butterflies had fluttered excitedly in my stomach when Emerson touched me. I squeezed my legs together. I needed to get a grip.

Emerson finally emerged from her closet dressed in casual clothing. A baggy t shirt and barely visible shorts. She had also taken all of her makeup off. She walked up to me and stared at me in silence. "Uhhh…. What are you doing?" I chucked nervously. "Stand up." I tilted my head. "What? Why?" She leaned in close to me. "Because I said so." I was confused but did as I was told. "Good girl. Now, sit." Was she playing some kind of game? I sat back down on the bed. "Ah, ah. No puppies on the bed. Sit on the floor. "Puppy?" Emerson looked at me in disapproval. "Puppies don't talk either." I couldn't help but blush a little. I slowly slid off the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Sit like a puppy. On your toes." I did as I was told, sitting on my toes and bringing my arms up to my chest.

"Good girl." Emerson sat on the bed and patted her knee. I crawled over and rested my chin on it. She stroked my hair gently and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I was literally being treated like a dog. But on the other hand, it reminded me of when we would play pretend when we were younger. "Who's my lil cutie?" Emerson cooed. My heart jumped excitedly. "…is it me...?" I said quietly. She took my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. "Yes, it is! Such a smart girl!" I wasn't sure why I was playing along with her like this, but something about her made me want to do nothing but please her.

Emerson looked at her phone. "Oof, it's getting late… hey, do you wanna sleep over?" I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! Um, let me ask my mom." Emerson nodded and ruffled my hair before standing up. I pulled out my phone and texted my mom.

'can I sleep over at Ems?'

'Sure. Just don't forget to do the dishes after the concert.'

I turned to Emerson. "She said yes." Emerson grinned. "Awesome. You can borrow one of my large tshirts to sleep in. I nodded. "So, where am I sleeping?" Emerson laughed. "The bed, of course!"

I tilted my head. "What about you? Where are you going to sleep?"

She laughed. "With you! Duh. Just like when we were kids!"

I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. I mean, it was fine when we were kids, but now that we're older it just seems a little...

"What's up?" Emerson had noticed my conflicted expression. I chuckled nervously. "Oh, I was just thinking that it's been a while since we've done that..."

Emerson smiled and threw an arm around my neck. "Aw, don't worry. I'll be here to hold you if you get scared." she said jokingly as she pressed a kiss on the top of my head.

I chuckled. "Me? Scared? Yeah, right. You still can't sleep without a nightlight!" I pointed to her unicorn nightlight plugged into the corner of her room. She blushed red in embarrassment. "That's just--! Look..." 

I knew by the way she stared at the floor that I had won. I smirked and ruffled her hair. "Still afraid of the monster under your bed too?" I asked smugly.

She glared at me. "Of course not! Just because I believed that stupid story you told me when we were five, doesn't mean I still do! I was terrified of my bed for three years because of you, you know..." she crossed her arms and pouted. I laughed.

Soon, we decided to get ready for bed. Emerson gave me a spare toothbrush and went to the bathroom while I changed in her room. She had given me a pair of tennis shorts and a large t-shirt to sleep in.

Emerson had always been fond of oversized t-shirts. She really loved music, so she got t-shirts of all her favorite bands. Her favorite was her Nirvana one. She always kept that one packed away so that it would stay looking new.

Tonight, I was wearing a Green Day t-shirt. Not my favorite band, but I wasn't going to complain. When Emerson came back from the bathroom, I noticed she was also sporting a band t-shirt. Metallica. 

I also noticed that she had a towel wrapping her hair. "Did you take a shower?" 

She nodded, taking the towel off and shaking her hair out. "I always shower before bed. Don't you?" 

"No, I shower in the morning." I walked past her to the bathroom and started getting ready. I tied my hair back into a sloppy bun and inspected the bathroom. It was tidy and had all the bathroom essentials. Soap, perfume, lotion, even little mints. 

I stared at the mirror while I brushed my teeth. Specifically at the little photo taped to one side of it. It was of Emerson and I. We were about seven then. We had gone to the fair together and our parents bought us both candied apples. But mine had fallen off it's stick onto the ground.

I remember crying over my lost treat when Emerson had offered to share hers with me. The photo was of the moment when we had both taken a bite of the apple at the same time. I rinsed my mouth after I finished brushing my teeth and stared at the picture a while longer before heading back to the bedroom.