It was three hours after school and we just walked out of detention. Emily looked pale and just held her bag pack tightly. Devin hadn't said a word since Emily yelled at us to shut up.
He was trying to play the good guy and I didn't care. We saw James' car pull up in the driveway. I had no idea how he knew the exact time to come but I was glad he did. Walking closer to the car, I noticed it was one of his men. I sighed in relief 'cause I wasn't just going to start explaining shit to James.
I opened the door and Emily entered inside. I sat in the backseat with her and relaxed on the seat. Devin opened the passenger door and sat in front. I saw the expression on his face and I was glad he felt it.
It was the same thing I felt the other night when he sat beside Emily and was so close to her. I turned to Emily who was already sobbing gently. She hardly made sounds but her eyes were watery and her face red.
I thought of offering my handkerchief to wipe her tears and letting her rest her head on my shoulder. Emily was pretty mad at detention and I didn't know if she'd want it. I decided to try at least, the worst she could do was yell.
"Come here," I said turning to her and gesturing her closer to me.
I was expecting a rejection but it didn't come. Instead, she shifted closer and let me wrap my arms around her. I held her warmly against me and gave her the wipe. She took it and snorted. She wiped her nose with the wipe and used her hands to clean her eyes.
"It's fine, Emily."
When she gave a nod and relaxed her head on me, a content smile crept on my lips. I liked it when she felt this comfortable around me.
Devin didn't say a word, he seemed to be regretting everything he said in anger. James' driver came to a halt and when I looked out through the window, I saw we already got home.
"We're home," I whispered and she flinched. She adjusted from me, picked up her bag, and opened the door. I did the same and turned my state to Devin. We looked at each other for a second before the driver sped away.
The moment we got home, Emily ran to the room. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took off my jacket. Emily was still feeling bad and I understood her. I just had no idea what to do in this situation. Was I supposed to comfort her and tell her Devin didn't mean what he said?
Hell no, I wasn't going to do that. I thought of calling my best friend but I hadn't talked to him in a while. I was a jerk and it wasn't nice to only call when you needed something.
I checked the kitchen for Mom but she wasn't there. I poured some of the fresh juice in the fridge into a tumbler. I drank it all and then walked out.
I took hesitant steps to the room and paused in the doorway when I saw Emily. She was hugging her legs and whimpering and sniffing. I walked in and dropped the jacket on the bed.
She needed some time to think and I could give her that. I left without saying a word and strolled to the kitchen. I was starving and I knew she was too. I thought of easy food to prepare and decided to make scotch eggs. It was the easiest meal I could make in twenty minutes.
I got 300g of good-quality pork sausage, black peppercorns, cooked ham, apple & onion stuffing mix, and chopped sage, and took a second to think of what next I needed.
"Fuck yeah, flour uuh, oil, and thyme."
I learned how to cook from my biological mom. She didn't cook as much as my stepmom did but I had to always be around her, so I learned faster with her.
I got the frying pan and poured the eggs into the pan. I left it to simmer for a few minutes then scooped it and placed it on a flat plate.
I grabbed the rest ingredients and turned them into a small bowl, I blended them to combine them, then divided them into six equal balls. I rolled the sausage meat around the egg and then repeated the process with the rest five.
When I was done with the tedious process, I lowered as many eggs as you I could into the oil, and allowed it to cook for ten minutes. When it got crispy and golden, I seeped it on kitchen paper and left it to cool a little.
Emily better like this 'cause I made her some delicious scotch eggs. I turned it into a tray and added a glass of fresh juice. I was hyped and wanted to scream Chef Xavier but I wanted it to appear as a surprise.
I took the tray and carefully walked back to the room. She was no longer sobbing and not in sight. I looked around the room and couldn't catch a glimpse of her.
As I stood wondering where she could have gone, I heard water splashing from the bathroom. I felt the sudden need to bathe. Not just to bathe but to bathe with her and help her scrub her back. I dropped the tray on the table and took a few steps toward the door.
I stopped when I thought of the possibility of getting caught and getting into trouble. Dad wasn't around and Mom could make it back at any time. It was better to stay safe since they already had suspicions about my relationship with Emily.
I stormed out of the room and went to the back door. I locked the back door and smiled. There was no way I wouldn't hear the door open if someone tried to open it. I walked to the front door to lock it too but the doorbell rang.
"Damn it, they're back."
I blurted under my breath and opened the door.
"Hey."
Devin was standing in the doorway with a box of pizza. I had no idea why he was with a box of pizza but I felt like tossing it to his face.
"Can I come in?" He asked raising his brows.
"What are you doing here?"
I didn't want to get into a fight or anything. I just wanted him to explain what he was doing here and get back.
"I want to apologize."