Temporary✔️

| Five

PUTTING ON her second converse, Emery hears a honk from directly outside her house. Confused she raises from the floor, peaking through her window to see a horrific sight.

Harven was there, waving from his stupid car.

Emery huffs, speeding down the stairs and outside, until she's standing by his window. She crosses her arms, furrowing her eyebrows at him.

"What are you doing in front of my house? Honking?" Emery jerks her head in confusion.

"You're kinda intimidating me right now." He raises his brows. She gives him a thin lipped smile, instead of strangling him.

"What are you doing here, Harven?" She asks, hoping he'll stay on track, though his mind moves a mile a minute.

"Right, well I have to drive my girlfriend to school, or nobody will buy this. I always drove Lana." He says. She can't help but admit he was right, this would make an firm entrance.

"Okay, I'll be back." She runs inside, grabbing her bag and a banana, though she doesn't get out before her mom enters the kitchen.

"Is that Harven out there? I'm glad you guys are hanging out." Her mom smiles.

It's right on the tip of her tongue, we're most definitely not hanging out, I hate him to the moon and back.

"Oh-I-my car is acting up. I thought I would ask for a favor." She lies, wanting to say anything besides that she's doing this voluntarily.

"Oh, do we need to get it fixed?" Her mom asks, concerned.

"No! I-uh, watched a very informative YouTube video, it'll be fine by tomorrow for sure. Bye mom!" Emery slips out of the house, leaving her mom confused, but still oblivious.

She enters Harven's car for the first time in her life. She's finding that her recent life decisions are throwing her into a lot of things she wanted to avoid. Like a lot of things.

They begin the smooth and quick drive to school, which is silent save for Harven's obnoxious music.

"What even is this?" Emery asks, making a face at the radio. She regrets forgetting to bring along her earbuds. Sigh.

"I like the loud beats, great isn't it?" He continues to bob his head.

"Yeah,  fantastic." She responds, trying her best to block the sounds by discreetly covering her ears. Thankfully it wasn't a long drive. Still,  fifteen minutes of this can do things to a person.

They arrive, and panic immediately sets in. Emery knew nothing about the whole big couple dating thing. We're they supposed to hold hands? Hopefully not, that seemed dreadful to Emery. Really, really dreadful.

There were people forming in front of the school, in the lawn, like they always did in the morning. Harven was a spectacle, basically. Emery didn't see the appeal.

They began to notice a difference in the passenger seat, probably the first sign: the contrast between Lana's snowy hair and Emery's dark, chocolate hair.

"Um," Emery slowly turned to Harven with a shocked face, "what the hell." She breathes.

Harven scoffs, taking a second look at the forming crowd of rowdy high schoolers.

"It's nothing, if anything better. Follow my lead." Harven steps out, quickly jogging over to Emery's side before anybody can get to him.

He opens the door, plastering a smile on just for his little Emery. He worries the facade is slipping.

She reluctantly steps out, rolling her eyes at his polite manner. She makes it a point to avoid eye contact with the hawks in front of them.

As soon as they are on their way to the doors, Harven slips a quick arm around Emery's waist. Her initial reflex was to slap it away. She doesn't, only only only, because her deep eyes catch the gaze of Ethan's.

His priceless expression almost makes the weight of Harven's arm disappear, and she pushes through. Still, she keeps the little distance that she can. It counts for something.

Harven hates it just as much, almost wincing when he feels his arm relax. He never relaxes around Emery. He should be pinching her or something. Just like the old days.

Childhood memories make him smirk just now.

When they're inside, still matching pace, there are just as many people lining the lockers. They stare and talk in hushed whispers, just as expected.

You see, they are very much aware of the rivalry. So many times have they seen Emery fall victim to Harven's merciless pranks. They know to never mention neither of their names to the other.

It common knowledge in this school, unlike with Emery and Harven's family.

So, it's understandable that they have a couple questions and concerns. Or you know, a boatload of them.

Emery's eyes widen and her always moving eyebrows raise upon seeing May. The sudden realization had hit her brain:

I didn't even tell her!

So there she is, May, Emery's best and very loyal friend, watching her walk around with a sworn enemy on her hip. May thinks she must be very behind on something.

They round the corner. "Okay okay okay," Emery slips out of Harven's light grip ungracefully, "We made our entrance, I need to go explain a few things." Emery rushes out.

"Me too actually." Harven nods, pulling out some hand sanitizer from his pocket, giving his hand a generous glob.

Emery ignores it, rushing off in the direction May went. Her speed walk is very "middle-aged -mom-in-a-track-suit-on-her-morning-jog" esque.

Emery finally spots May, chatting away with some of the other girls that Emery isn't familiar with. May only stops when Emery taps on her shoulder.

Emery coughs awkwardly, "erm...a word?" She says.

May raises a brow, but walks away from the others.

Emery narrows her eyes. "Were you helping them speculate rumors? About me!" Emery gasps.

May shrugs. "I'm about as lost as them so...yeah." She says.

Admittedly, Emery did feel bad about letting it slip her mind about telling May. How could she explain this without being sent to a mental hospital? With her behavior lately, that seemed a fitting place.

"I'm...dating Harven. But like not really! Kind of...complicated? The situation called for it. Well that makes it sound horrible..." Emery trails off, thinking of better word choices.

May just stands, with her lost face, which starts at her wrinkled forehead and ends with her thin lipped mouth.

"Um-explain that again?"