THE TENSION IN THE BROOKS HOUSEHOLD COULD HAVE BEEN CUT WITH A KNIFE. Of course, if given the knife, Emerson would've stabbed someone with it, or herself but there was no knife. Only Lucas Brooks, who stormed into her bedroom at seven-fifteen in the morning. Throwing open the curtains and allowing the dreary cloud covered sky to feed into Emerson room.

      "Bitch," Emerson mumbled into her pillow, her dark brown hair covering her face so that she couldn't see when Lucas walked out of her room. 

      Or when he came back with a cup of water that he threw on her. The cold water clung to Emerson's skin as she shot upright, her heart pounding in her chest. The shock of the splash triggered a surge of adrenaline, and before she could fully comprehend what had just happened, her fury took over. Her breath came in jagged gasps as she shoved her tangled hair out of her face, her mind fixating on one thing: Lucas.

"Lucas!" she yelled, the words feeling sharp and raw on her tongue. Without a second thought, she shoved the blankets off, her feet hitting the cold floor with a thud as she sprang from the bed.

She didn't even bother to look at the mess of her room, her focus solely on catching up with him. She stormed through the hallway, barely pausing to steady herself as she darted toward the stairs. She could hear his footsteps just ahead, the sound of him moving too quickly for her to keep up.

"Lucas!" Emerson's voice cracked as she charged down the stairs, her chest tightening with every step. Her blood was boiling, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it. She had had enough of his taunts, his smugness, his treatment of her like she was nothing.

Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw him—the back of him, walking toward the kitchen, likely headed for the front door. That was when Will appeared, his tall frame blocking her path with an intensity she hadn't expected.

"Emerson, stop," Will's voice was calm but firm, his hands immediately reaching out to hold her shoulders.

"No!" she yelled, struggling against his grip, the anger inside her surging again. "Let me go! I'm not done with him yet!"

But Will was unmoving, his arms like steel. He didn't shout, didn't raise his voice, just stood there, solid and unmoving as she tried to push past him. Behind them, Ella appeared in the doorway of the living room, her face pale, her eyes wide with concern.

"Emerson, please," Ella said softly, her voice breaking through the chaos, "what are you doing? Why are you soaking wet?

"Ask your goddamn son, Ella!" Emerson shot back, her voice tight with fury. "He's the one who threw water on me. He can't just do that and not expect anything to come from it."

"Emerson, he's just messing with you," Will said, his tone softer now, trying to de-escalate her, but his grip remained steady. "It's not worth it. He was just waking you up for school—"

"Waking me up?" Emerson's laugh was bitter and sharp. "He poured water on me, and you're telling me it's just waking me up?"

Ella stepped forward, her hands outstretched in a calming gesture. "It was a harmless joke, Emerson. It isn't worth all of this."

But Emerson was too angry to listen. The words just made her feel more trapped, like she didn't have a choice, like they were all trying to control her. "A joke! This doesn't seem like a joke to me." She shouted, shaking off Will's hands with a force that surprised both of them.

Will didn't budge. His arms came back around her, holding her steady. "Chasing after him like this, it's not going to fix anything. Just let it go Emerson."

"I don't care!" She cried, the raw emotion in her voice making it crack. "He can't do this to me and get away with it!"

Ella's face softened, her heart breaking at the sight of Emerson's pain. "And he won't," she whispered. "But right now, you need to calm down."

The words stung more than they soothed. Emerson shook her head violently, her hands trembling with the weight of everything she couldn't say. But no matter how hard she fought, no matter how badly she wanted to break free and find Lucas, Will wouldn't let her go. She knew it was an overreaction, a very big over reaction, but she won't be a pushover. Every word, every touch from Will and Ella only seemed to fuel the fire of frustration building inside her. It felt suffocating, like she was trapped in a cage she couldn't escape.

      "Please, Emerson, you need to calm down," Will's voice was quiet but insistent as he gently pulled her away from the stairway. She felt his hands slip from her arms as he stepped back, letting her move past him toward the kitchen. But she didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to be anywhere near them, not with everything she was feeling.

      Her gaze flicked to Ella, who stood in the doorway, her face a mixture of concern and guilt. "We're not trying to hurt you," Ella said softly. "But you need to get ready for school."

      Emerson's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't care about school," she muttered under her breath.

      Ella took a cautious step forward, but Will stepped in between them, his eyes meeting Emerson's with a silent plea. "You've got to get dressed, Emerson. You can't skip today, it's the first day."

      Her head swam with confusion. She hadn't asked for any of this—the new house, the new rules, the constant tug-of-war between trying to adapt and not wanting to be here at all. She didn't know how to fit in with Ella and Will, didn't know if she ever would.

      "Fine," she snapped, turning toward the stairs. She needed space—away from them, away from the suffocating weight of their concern. With a quick, angry motion, she stormed up the stairs, the sound of her footsteps heavy on the wood floor.

      The moment she reached her room, she slammed the door shut behind her. The familiar privacy of her space did little to calm the fire that burned inside. She ruffled through the ruined piles of clothing on the floor, before she found an outfit she loved—an added bonus was that it would piss off Ella and Will. She quickly pulled on the low-rise blue jeans and a long sleeve off the shoulder green top.

      She folded the bottom of the shirt higher, showcasing more of her torso and the piercing on her bellybutton, before grabbing for a brush. Her fingers trembled as she dragged it through her damp, tangled hair that had already begun to curl up. Her reflection in the mirror wasn't the one she wanted to see. Her fair skin looked paler, and her brown eyes still expressed the anger, the bitterness and the uncertain she felt.

      "You're not going anywhere," she muttered under her breath, scowling at her reflection. "You're stuck. Just like always."

      But even as she spoke, part of her knew that she wasn't really talking to herself. She was talking to the version of her that still clung to the past, still thought she could go back. But that wasn't possible. The life she had been forced to leave behind wasn't coming back, no matter how much she wanted it.

      Emerson slammed the brush down onto the vanity and pulled on her shoes, the frustration boiling over. She had no choice but to move forward, even if every part of her wanted to run. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.

      With one last look at the room she couldn't fully claim as her own, Emerson walked toward the door. But before she could open it, she stopped, her hand resting on the knob for a long moment. The house felt silent again, the weight of the tension hanging thick in the air.

      "Just get through today," she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath. It was all she could do. Just get through it.

Emerson's footsteps were heavy as she descended the stairs, still burning with the anger that had built up since the water was thrown on her. She had no intention of letting Ella and Will control her—not today, not ever. She wasn't just going to shrink into the background. She was done playing by their rules.

As she walked into the kitchen, Will and Ella's eyes immediately locked on her. Will's expression hardened when his gaze landed on the bellybutton piercing, and Emerson could feel his judgment even before he spoke. Ella looked shocked, but there was an unmistakable tension in her shoulders, her lips pressing together as though trying to hold back words.

"Emerson," Will started, his voice stern. "What is that?"

Emerson raised an eyebrow and threw her shoulders back, her chin tilted up defiantly. "It's a piercing. What's the problem?" She crossed her arms over her chest, not backing down.

Ella's voice came next, softer but with a sense of disbelief. "You're living under our roof now, Emerson. This is—this is a little much. We didn't expect this kind of behavior."

"I didn't ask to live here," Emerson shot back quickly, the words coming out before she could stop them. She could see the way both of their faces tightened at her response, but she wasn't about to apologize. "I didn't ask for any of this." She gestured toward the house, the room, the whole situation. "And you haven't even been in my life for years. You can't come back now and tell me how to control my body."

Will clenched his jaw, trying to keep his anger in check. "You're under our roof now, and that means you follow our rules. We're just trying to make sure you're safe, Emerson. You can't just do whatever you want."

Emerson scoffed, her anger flaring. "Safe? You think a piercing is going to hurt me? You haven't even been here, and now you think you can come in and control my every move?" She shook her head, the anger building like a storm inside her. "You can't control me. I didn't ask for your help, and I don't need your rules."

Ella took a deep breath, her voice quivering slightly. "We're not trying to control you. We just—"

"You are trying to control me," Emerson snapped. "You're just doing it in a different way. You're telling me what I can and can't do with my body, when you haven't been in my life for years. You don't get to tell me anything."

Will, visibly frustrated but still trying to keep his voice even, added, "You can't just make decisions like this on your own. There are consequences. You might not understand—"

"Understand?" Emerson cut him off, her voice cold. "I understand more than you think. I've been on my own. I've had to make my own decisions. And I'm done letting people tell me what to do."

For a long moment, silence filled the room. Ella opened her mouth, but Emerson could see she was struggling to find the words. Will, too, seemed at a loss. There was a part of them that wanted to protect her, to keep her from making mistakes, but Emerson wasn't listening anymore.

After a tense pause, Ella hesitated before speaking again, her voice softer, but still laced with concern. "Look, Emerson, we don't want to push you, you're right, it is your body and you got that long before you came under our care. But maybe we could help you with something else—maybe a car? You need one for school, right?"

Emerson's chest tightened at the offer, her thoughts immediately going to the one thing she couldn't escape—the feeling that everything they did was a way to tie her down, to put her in their debt. She wasn't stupid. She knew what this was.

"No," she said sharply, her voice cold as ice. "I don't need your help with that. You think giving me a car will make me owe you? You think I'm just going to accept your handouts, just like that? No thanks. I don't want your charity."

Ella recoiled slightly at the rejection, her face a mixture of disappointment and sadness. Will's expression didn't change, though there was a flicker of frustration in his eyes. "Emerson, it's not about that—"

"It's exactly about that," Emerson shot back. "You think buying me a car is some magic fix, but it's not. It's just another way to keep me in your debt. I'm not playing that game."

      Ella opened her mouth to argue, but Emerson didn't wait for her to finish. She was done.

      "I'll find my own way," Emerson said, grabbing her backpack from the hallway and walking toward the door. The weight of their disappointment lingered in the air, but she didn't care anymore.

      She wasn't going to be controlled. She wasn't going to accept their pity or their offers. She just needed to get away, to breathe and find some space that didn't come with conditions or strings attached.

      When she stepped outside, the cool morning air hit her skin, grounding her for just a moment. Her mind was already made up. She wasn't going to deal with them today.

      As she walked down the driveway, she noticed Lucas's car parked at the curb, the engine idling. He was leaning back in the driver's seat, his usual cocky smirk on his face as he looked her way.

      "You really gonna keep walking, or you want a ride?" Lucas called out, his tone laced with mockery.

      Emerson didn't hesitate. Without a word, she tossed her backpack into the passenger seat and climbed in, slamming the door behind her.

      She wasn't going to let them control her. Not now, not ever.

      "Take me to school," she said, her voice flat.

      Lucas glanced at her sideways, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Sure thing, princess. There is such thing as please and thank you."

      Emerson didn't respond. She sat silently in the passenger seat of Lucas's car, the hum of the engine filling the space between them. Her fingers drummed absently on her knee as she stared out the window, the rain that had started falling earlier now misting the world around her. All she wanted now was to get through the day, to make it through the hours and back home without more drama, without feeling like everything was spinning out of control.

      Lucas parked, his tires screeching slightly as he came to a stop. Emerson threw open the door without waiting for him and stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air. She immediately felt the weight of all the eyes that would be on her today. It was a feeling she'd become all too familiar with over the years—being the outsider, the one people stared at but didn't really want to know.

      Her shoes splashed in the wet puddles beneath her feet as she headed toward the entrance of the school, a strange mixture of frustration and resentment brewing in her chest. She hadn't asked for any of this. She hadn't asked for her father's abuse, her mother's overbearing concern, or this new life that was being forced on her. She didn't even ask to be in Forks, Washington, of all places. She could feel Lucas's eyes on her back, but she didn't care. She didn't need him to make her feel better. She didn't need anyone.

But then, like a flash of lightning cutting through the haze, she saw him.

      The mystery guy.

      It was like the universe had decided to throw one more thing into the mix on her already messed-up day. He was standing with a group of others, leaning casually against the side of the building. There where three guys—including him—and two girls, each of them dressed for a runway and not high school. His dark hair tousled just enough to look like he didn't care but still put together. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a confident presence that made him stand out from the crowd.

      But that wasn't the worst part.

      The worst part was that he was looking straight at her.

      She didn't know why, but something about the way he gazed at her made her blood run cold. Maybe it was the recognition, or maybe it was just the fact that she hadn't expected to see him here, of all places. He was the guy she'd hooked up with a week and a half ago when her life was completely shit—definitely someone she hadn't exactly planned to run into again.

      Her stomach twisted, but she didn't stop walking. She wasn't going to let him see how much he affected her. She wasn't going to let him get under her skin on her first day at this damn school. She'd learned the hard way not to let people in, especially people like him.

      Her feet carried her forward as she tried to push the moment out of her mind, but she could feel the brunette's eyes on her, the weight of that gaze settling in the pit of her stomach. Emerson had no idea what to do with the emotions swirling inside her. She wasn't sure if she was embarrassed, turned on, or just annoyed that her body had the nerve to feel anything after that night.

      The bell rang, snapping her back to reality, and the hallways shifted into motion. Students rushed to their classes, some of them glancing at Emerson as she passed, but she barely noticed them. Her heart was still racing from the moment she had locked eyes with the brunette, and now she had to focus—had to get through the day without losing it.

      Either way, one thing was certain: today was going to be harder than she'd expected.

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KENNEDY SPEAKS :

live, laugh, love emerson and lucas, bc trust
they will be besties in the end. but emmy doesn't
understand the concept of a joke, so she's learning
BUT EDDIE IS HEREEEEE