Props and Mayhem

It had been a few days since Emme had last spoken to Jaime. New Year’s had passed, and she hadn’t been able to help thinking about him and what he was doing. The guys were probably having a blast, and she wished she could have been spending the holiday with them. She could only imagine what sort of shenanigans they were up to. School had started up again, and Emme dwelt less on Jaime and more on her homework. In fact, she hadn’t even told him whether or not she wanted to start their relationship over.
Finally, she sat down and decided that she had to answer him, one way or the other. It was time for some intense soul-searching.
She loved him still, even though she was trying her best not to. She at least knew that much. He was sweet, and he treated her fantastically—well, except for that time when he broke up with her. But even that could be forgiven. He’d explained his reasons so well, and they made sense. He’d made the decision with her in mind, and his intention was never to use her or be a jerk. Emme knew that now.
Then she had to ask herself if she was being too trusting. Was she too naive? And was he going to do the exact same thing? He’d sworn he wouldn’t, but people could lie.
Ugh.
Emme’s phone vibrated and she still hadn’t made a choice. Who was interrupting her thinking time? She leaned over to read the text, and realized that it was from Alex. And she was on her way over to work on their Astronomy projects. Emme scrambled up off the bed.
Crapcrapcrap. She’d totally forgotten that Jayne was coming over after school. She never forgot things. Well, almost never. But still.
She’d have time to think later. Actually, maybe Jayne could help. It would be nice to have someone to talk everything through with.
Emme hurried around the house, making sure everything looked fairly presentable. She knew Jayne wouldn’t care, but at the same time, she wanted to make sure that Jacob’s underwear wasn’t laying on the floor or anything. Then she put on Falling In Reverse and relaxed for the next few minutes that she knew she had left. It was time to clear her mind.
What felt like moments later, Alex’s familiar white Buick pulled up.
Emme saw it out of her peripheral vision and she got up, stretching, and made her way to the door. The doorbell rang and she shuffled over a little bit faster. As she opened the door, smiling, a wave of déjà vu hit her. She was instantly reminded of the last time Jayne had come over, right before the two of them had left for London.
But instead of Jayne shivering on her stoop, as she had been the last time, Emme was startled by a different sight entirely. Her vision was flooded with red and her nose stimulated by a healthy, almost veggie-like smell. It smelled like life. As Emme opened the door, a bouquet of red roses had been thrust into her face.