"Emma stood in front of me, tellin' me what I'm supposed to be..."

____

"You really think you can keep a drug-dealers daughter out of trouble?"

And at the end of this single statement, the synapses fired off in Royce's brain like the sound effects in a pinball game.

A drug-dealer's daughter.

Emma was the fucking daughter of a drug dealer.

And somehow, this little blonde was ruining her boyfriend's life.

Now, more than ever Royce had to find out, because that night at Jesse Fisher's last party was starting to trickle back from her memory and make more sense.

The yelling and shit about her dad...Jesse came from money and silver spoons--his dad was the mayor of the fucking city of Seattle--and if Emma was a drug-dealer's kid, she either had everything or nothing...

...or, quite possibly both.

Royce had to know where she knew this girl from, now. She had to know why Emma thought she was so familiar. She had to have the answers to each and every one of these questions.

Despite Calum, who didn't really want to talk about her. Despite his reluctance to answer questions. What Royce did not know was that in his mind, things were going well. Things were like, really good between the two of them. Royce did not know that Calum really wasn't trying to fuck all that up.

Not for Emma.

But, the seed had been planted.

Royce knew Emma and she didn't know where from...but now, none of that wasn't stopping her from finding out.

So on New Year's Eve, a few days before the start of their second semester, she corners Luke in Lola's kitchen.

And she doesn't mix words.

"What's this thing you guys have going with Emma?"

Luke almost chokes on his drink.

"Wha-What do you mean, Royce?"

"I think you know what I mean, Luke."

"No," he grins with an innocent head-shake, "don't think I do."

She pokes him in the chest. "Luke--"

"Ow! Look, Royce, if you wanna know so bad why don't you ask Calum?"

"He won't tell me," she mutters. "That's why I'm coming to you."

"Well," he rubs his chest, "I'm flattered, because I just love being your second-best choice. I really do..."

"Oh lord, Luke..."

"But, that's not a conversation I can have."

"Why?"

Because Calum would probably kill him.

He shrugs. "Just can't."
__

"The girls cannot know about this."

The boys had agreed. It was Calum's decision, but everyone was on board with it. This one was going to the grave.

But Royce didn't know this. All she knew was that Luke wouldn't talk about it, Calum definitely wouldn't, and apparently, neither would Ash.

"Ugh. Hearing that name gives me hives, Royce."

"But, Emma--"

"Do you want me to break out in hives, Royce?"

"Dammit, Ash!" She had exclaimed on that same night. "What the hell're you doing working for a drug-dealer anyway?"

"Hey, whoa!" He had hissed, voice hushed as he physically dragged her out of earshot and away from the other girls. "Who the fuck told you that?"

"I--" She shakes her head. "It isn't important, is it? I mean, Look, Ash," she sighs, "she says she knows me--"

"Emma?"

She hums. "And I'm just trying to figure out where from."

"She's probably lying to you, honestly--"

"But, Ash--"

"Seriously, Royce. Don't think about any of that fucking shit she's said. Please."

"Ashton--"

"Please?" He shakes his head. "Please? I swear..." He stares across the room, "Seriously, she's not fucking worth it."

So, Royce is feeling slightly defeated when she finally returns home. She expected her friends to be a bit more helpful, because yes, yes she did consider Luke and Ash to be her friends.

But they, like Calum, weren't worth shit when it came to Emma.

How did they hate her that much?

And why did they keep that bitch around?

One thing is for sure, she's given up trying to ask the boys...especially Calum.

"Oh, and tell Mali I said hi."

"Eew," Calum replies as Royce sits now, curled up against her pillows, cell phone against her ear on the day before school starts up again. "Since when are the two of you friends."

"Since she got me a Christmas present."

"I got you a Christmas present," Calum snorts, "And my gift is better than hers."

"Um..." Royce giggles, fingering the silver poppy necklace she hadn't taken off since he'd surprised her with it.

"Don't you fucking dare say--"

"Okay, okay," she laughs, "Yours was definitely better..."

"Thank you."

"...but, you can still tell your sister I said hi."

"Fine. Whatever. Ew."

"Thanks," Royce is grinning. "I love you."

And her smile stretches wider because she can hear him start smiling, too.

"Yeah. I love you, too."

"I know. You fucked up and told me first, remember?"

"Wow. Way to ruin it, Royce. Way to ruin it."

__

"You look so happy," Tobe says as she enters the kitchen, meeting her brother at the table.

"And," she pulls a face, "now I'm sad."

"Smile, man."

"Hush, Tobe."

"You look so much better when you smile, Roycie," Tobe grins. "So, smile."

"Hush, Kirk Franklin."

"Just trying to give you the gospel to get you through the day, friend."

And Royce laughs. She laughs because Tobe always made her laugh.

Her brother always made her feel better.

"Also..."

"Oh no..."

"Mom says dinner is next week. Says your boyfriend's invited."

Royce blinks. "That's next week?"

Tobe hums. "After school starts."

"Great..."

"Paige is bringing Zayn if that makes you feel any better."

It would, if Paige wasn't still pissed at her. And it didn't help that Paige's friends were also pissed.

"Kind of," she says, "not really."

And Tobe nods, and Royce is grateful for her brother because she didn't even have to explain herself for him to understand why she was quiet.

"Hey," he offers, "she'll come around."

"Really?" She cocks an eyebrow, "'Cause this is Paige were talking about, remember?"

"She'd do anything for your butt, Royce. Remember that."

"You are so weird, Tobe, I cannot..."

"But you love me, just like Paige loves you," he taps his temple, "I know you know, fam."

"Yeah..."

"Like, remember that time Chris totaled her car? She didn't speak to him for like, a long time."

"Oh god, she was so pissed."

"She's talking to him now, though," Tobe offers, and he grins as Royce rolls her eyes, "I know these things. So you should feel better. And smile some."

"Maybe I'll smile if she doesn't leave me here tomorrow."

"C'mon," Tobe grins, "she won't leave you here. It's not like school's fun."

"Truth."

He chuckles, "Anyway, she can't stay mad at you for long."

"Well..." And Royce grabs an apple from the bowl, following her brother up the back stairs, "We'll see, man...We'll see."

"You know I'm right, girl."

"Occasionally."

"Right."

"And, Tobe?" She spins on her heel, halting her journey up the steps, "Wait--I've got a question."

He lifts his eyebrows over his mug. "Yeah?" He asks, voice reverberating through the ceramic. "What's up, fam?"

"You know...you know, Emma, right?"

"Emma...?" He chuckles. "Emma, who? Every white girl at school is named Emma."

"Okay, that's a lie, but--"

"But?" He grins. "But, is it though?"

Royce rolls her eyes hard, "Tobe, I swear..."

"My ex-girlfriend's name was Emma, Royce," he shrugs casually. "She was white."

"Alright, Emma's a common name--"

He nods smugly, "Thank. You."

"I know black Emma's too, though."

"Nah. You don't."

"Goodbye, Tobe," Royce grunts. "I'm talking about Emma...that chick...the one who..." She snaps her fingers as Tobe continues to stare at her like she's crazy. "The one who sells your weed!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tobe hisses, lunging to cover his sister's mouth with his hand. "You tryna get me kicked out of the house, man? What the hell, Royce?"

"Okay, okay," she exclaims, her words muffled by the palm over her lips.

Until she slaps his hand away.

"Boy, if you don't get your filthy fingers off my mouth--"

"Girl," he snorts, "I ought to be the one worried. I don't know what the hell you and Calum stay up here doing..."

"Alright, alright," she exclaims at once, holding up her hands, "now, we've digressed too far from what the fuck I actually wanted to talk about."

"Which was...?"

"Emma. The--the Emma who knows Michael."

And Royce kind of grind to herself because she actually remembered his name for once.

Calum would be proud.

Tobe nods knowingly. "What about her?"

"What's like...what's her deal? Who is she, really?"

Her brother lifts an amused brow. "We doing an expose on her or something?"

"Tobe, Jesus..." she rolls her eyes. "Can't you just answer the question?"

"I mean, what do you want me to say?" He exclaims. "You want her life story or something? 'Cause I don't know her like that, Roycie," he shrugs, "Sorry."

"But...you know her, right?"

"I mean...through Mikey..."

"Michael..." And for the first time like ever, Royce is excited to be able to go to school the next day because why didn't she think of that? Why didn't she think of asking Michael?

"I mean...?" Tobe shrugs again, "We aren't that tight? Y'know?"

"I get it," she nods. "You only really know her through him."

He nods. "Apparently though, your mans and his friends don't fuck with her too heavy, though."

"That," Royce nods, as she takes a seat on the stairs, "is the one thing I do know," and she sighs as Tobe takes a seat beside her. "Wait, how'd you find that out?"

"It's just what I heard," he says, and Royce blows air from her face with an annoyed chuckle, because everything Tobe said was just so nonchalant. "Apparently Mikey promised he'd take care of her for Snake, and--"

"Snake?" Royce sputters.

"Yeah..." Tobe chuckles beside her on the steps. "You know him or something?"

"I mean..." Snake was the owner of that club...The Reptile Room...the place where her mom went to get high.

She nods. "Actually, Tobs, I think I might."

___

Soooo I'm sorry y'all have been waiting so long for these updates. I'm tryna do better I promise!

But comment and vote bc I love all Yalls comments and votes <3

emma || imagine dragons