Of course, she was right all along. When Emma got back on the bus, she went and found her group of friends. They were all chatting away about their fun night of partying. Hidden behind the group was Melissa sitting in Zac’s lap as she talked with everyone else. “Emma!” she called when Emma got close to the back of the bus. “Come sit by us! I heard you got stuck with that freaky new girl.” Melissa put her hand on Emma’s knee as she sat down. “You poor thing, it must have been an awful long and lonely night.” She patted Emma’s knee with a frown.

“Where are my manners?! Zac, this is Emma. Emma, you remember Zac.” Melissa leaned forward. “We started dating this morning, isn’t that exciting?!” Melissa pulled away from Emma and kissed Zac on the mouth as if to prove her point. The mysterious pool long forgotten, it was time to go back to her normal life. Julie, a girl across the aisle from Emma gave her a small sad smile. The group, knowing exactly what had just happened, was quite for a few moments before Melissa busted into a story about how great and romantic her night was.

The ride home was long and miserable for Emma. She tried to tune everyone out, especially Melissa, but the Queen Bee made a special effort to keep Emma in the conversation. Getting to the school was a relief for Emma. As soon as she grabbed her bags she made a bee line for her car. Melissa stepped into her path before she could get too far. “Aren’t you going to have breakfast with us?” She asked sweetly. Emma sighed and shook her head. “I didn’t get much sleep, and my parents are probably expecting me.” She lied.

Melissa smiled and kissed Emma’s cheek. “That’s fine, one less person to take my mind off of Zac!” She beamed and skipped back to where everyone was waiting. Emma made her way to her car, got in, and drove home. Once inside her house, she threw her bags onto the floor near the door and called out, “Mom? Dad? Anyone home?” Her voice echoed in the long, cold, and empty hall way. No reply. Emma grabbed her phone and made her way to the kitchen. 

A bright pink sticky note was on the fridge. Emma grabbed it and read it, knowing what it would say before she even began. “Darling Emma, your father had to leave this morning for business he will not be back for several days. I got called into work, I will be late. Don’t wait up. There is food in the fridge, and the credit card on the counter, eat what you like. Love Mom.” Emma wadded up the paper and threw it against the wall. 

A salad and a sandwich was what her mom had left her for lunch. Emma grabbed the food, the credit card, and her phone then made her way up to her room. With the television on for noise, Emma eat in silence by herself. After she finished, she laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. 

With another sigh she rolled off her bed and went to her bathroom. She might as well wash off the night. She turned on the bath, poured in some bubble, turned on her iPad and undressed. A few moments later she was sliding into the tub with a sigh of contempt. She leaned her head back and relaxed in the bubble bath.