The Book of Emma Brown

Chapter 5

Frightened but convinced, Emma decided to help Alex. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as he sounded and did need Emma's help. Emma wish she knew the truth, but chose to take the risk by helping this mysterious teenage boy escape from the pages of this book.

Emma and Alex had decided to grab a bite to eat at the local diner to discuss the whole situation. The diner was almost full and noisy from chatter. People of different ages, mostly students, were lining the booths and chairs at the counter. The seats were a lipstick red and the walls a plain white. There was also splashes of blue neon lights and glossy brown wood tables around them. The bright summer sun was reaching into the restaurant and tickling the customer's backs as they sat and ate.

Emma sipped her vanilla milkshake. The cold, sugary drink spread across her tongue, who threw a protest at such temperature; but the taste buds overruled. She swallowed the drink and took another sip. "So what's the plan?" She said, and looked cautiously at Alex.

He picked up a fry and inspected it, as if counting the grains of salt on the stick. "Well," he started, "In order for me to get out of this book, I think we have to skip to the end of the book....maybe."

"Skip to the end?" Emma murmured in thought.

Alex looked up from the fry. "Well, if we theoretically fast forward to the end of the book, I figure there's no point in the book for keeping me here. So it'll let me go." He popped the small fry in his mouth and brushed the excess salt from his hands.

Emma paused and contemplated his words. "So you want my life to end faster?!"

Alex looked up at her. "No, no, no. When the book ends, you don't die...in a way. I mean, it's complicated."

"Complicated?!" Emma began to raise her voice but was shushed by Alex.

"Listen," he pinched his nose again and squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. "I don't know exactly how to get out. I don't even know why I got sucked into a book in the first place. I'm guessing here, but it's what makes the most sense. Unless you've got any better ideas, then that's what we have to go off of."

Emma sighed. She knew he was right. She put herself in his shoes. The thought of being trapped in a book made shivers crawl down her spine.

"Emma? Are you listening?" Alex snapped his long fingers in her pale face.

"Yeah, sorry. Continue." Emma began sucking on her straw once more.

"I was saying, at the end of the book, there's an event that sort of wraps up the story." He hesitated and stared at his hands.

"Well, what is it?" Emma impatiently said.

Alex fiddled with his fingers, gave a small laugh, coughed, and then opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. He looked all around the diner, trying to find the words to fill his empty orifice with.

Emma knew he was stalling, "For goodness sake, just spit it out!" Emma shouted at him. This received a few worried glances from other customers at the bar and at the booths around them.

Alex paused again before he leaned forward and whispered, "How much have you actually talked to David Reynolds?"

"Oh my gosh." Emma exclaimed in disbelief and leaned back in the booth seat and folded her arms. Her eyes leaped to the window and she held her gaze in embarrassment.

"Hey, well, at the end of the book, you two..." He stared at Emma; hoping not to finish the sentence and she would catch on.

"We what?" Emma asked with an angry tone. She was anxious about what Alex would say next.

"Well, kiss."

"WHAT?!? You can't be serious!" Emma glared fiercely as her heart flipped inside her. She knew there was something off about this. How could David Reynolds kiss me? This has got to be a prank!

"I am serious! It's like the last couple of pages, maybe a chapter before the ending." Alex looked helplessly at Emma.

Emma shook her head in disbelief, "I knew talking to you was a mistake. This is all a joke you and your friends are playing on me to try to get me to confess I like him. Well I know how high school works, buddy! I can't believe I even believed you for a second!" Her face flushed and tears welled up in her eyes at the realization that it was all fake. This kid had convinced her she was just words on a page, and even more devastating: toyed with her feelings for the boy she loved.

A five dollar bill was slapped down onto the table by Emma as she slid out of the seat, grabbed her book bag, and began retreating away. She stomped down the row between booths and bar towards the old glass double doors that lead to the street. She held back the tears at the thought of what Janet might say about the situation.

Comforted by the thought that Janet would most likely beat him to a pulp, she ignored Alex's protests. "No! Em, wait, please!" his voice was filled with dread and despair as Emma walked away, and she could hear it too. Something inside her made her heart sink at the sound of his voice, but she still continued towards the door. Alex didn't shout at her in fear of any more disturbing glances, but only stood up and began following after Emma. She gave one last angry look at him while continuing to walk.

Emma's face smacked against a hard surface. Ow! Man, I really do need to start paying attention. She wobbled a bit and looked up to see that she had to ran into a body, a very handsome body. David Reynolds' body, in fact. Speak of the handsome Devil. Hang on, did David really just show up right after I was talking about him? Then the thought of how something so coincidental could have happened then. Maybe I am in a book...

"Hey, careful next time." David's silky smooth voice flowed into Emma's ears. She froze as he wrapped his manly hands around her shoulders and helped steady herself from the impact. She was hesitant with shock to even breathe, but when she did she was engulfed with his scent. The stench of an intensely strong cologne of oak wood and sweat and the underlying smell of paper was shot up her nose. "You okay?" David looked down at the girl. Her dull eyes were wide and she was still frozen.

After a second longer than awkward, she went out of shock. "Oh, gosh I'm so sorry, David. I didn't see you there." She looked him up and down as the thought of what Alex had said about David popped back into her mind. The color of roses grew on her cheeks and she looked away. When she looked back at David, she gasped, "Oh my stars I think I got makeup on your shirt! I am so sorry! I am so clumsy, oh my gosh. I can get you a new one or wash it for you-"

David looked down at his white shirt underneath his varsity jacket and laughed and the mascara and foundation stain. "It's alright. I have like fifty of this exact same shirt."

This made Emma laugh and she apologized once more. She adjusted the strap on her bag still laced around her shoulder as David winked and made a move to go around her. She watched him stride to a seat with her heart still hammering in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex hiding behind the booth she was sitting at moments ago. She mentally rolled her eyes at this. Then she watched Alex mouth to her across the diner: talk to him. Emma sighed and looked back at David, who was now only a few feet away from her. She knew Alex was right. If she didn't talk to him now, she might never get the courage to ever again. This was one of the few moments where they shared more than an awkward look in class or smirk in the hallway. She had to talk to him right now.

"Hey, David!" Emma jogged back up to him as graceful as she could and smiled at him. "Are you doing anything Saturday?"

Her mind was screaming. What was she thinking? Talking to her lifelong crush after she had imprinted him with her face on his shirt; asking to hang out! Her thoughts raced at an insane speed. Her heart was out of control and the butterflies in her stomach were dying to be set free.

"Uh, don't think so." David said and locked eyes with Emma and she froze for another moment.

"Oh, ok well I was thinking, um, we could like, hang out or something." Emma fiddled with the hem of her blue dress nervously. This is not going well. He's definitely going to say no to a girl like me.

"Sure! What did you have in mind?" Emma's eyes widened slightly. This is going well!

"Uh, how about ice cream?" Emma thanked her mind for working so fast all the time, or she would not have come up with such a brilliant answer.

David laughed and said, "I can always go for ice cream with a cute girl. What time?" David looked back down at Emma as she thought. Let's see, I usually get some homework done at around three or four, so maybe around seven might work- wait, did he just call me cute?

"Seven. At Dairy Queen."

"Sounds good. See you then, Emma!" David smiled that perfect smile and walked away to the bar counter and sat down. He ordered some sort of drink, and even looked back at Emma one more time. He smiled a somewhat sheepish smile that was different then signature smirk and then looked down at his feet. Emma was absolutely frozen. She wouldn't be able to move after this one. Luckily that was Alex's cue to rush up from his hiding spot and tug on Emma's arm out of the diner.