Winter Break

Emma didn’t mention the video when we next met. I expected her to say something about it. Ask how I liked it or tease me some other way. Nothing. I would think it was odd, but Emma wasn’t normal by any measure. Her unpredictability was legendary and trying to figure out what she was thinking or planning was foolish. All I could do was mentally prepare myself for whatever she ended up throwing at me.

As midterms loomed, we got serious about preparing for them. She even brought others with her, including Ryan. In the days leading to the slew of tests, the study group had grown to six people including myself and Emma. In a way, I was glad for the company. There were a few times when they tried goofing off but I put a quick stop to it. Emma might have been able to wrap me around her finger with ease, but this was my domain, and here, I was king. The others seemed taken aback by my stern demand for the bullshit to stop. I wasn't going to waste my time helping them study if all they wanted to do was mess around. I surprised myself. Considering most of my time was spent being twisted this way and that by Emma’s whims, having others bend to my authority—especially these popular kids—was unexpected. Being in the group also protected me from Emma’s… other side. The entire time she was on her best behavior as she crammed as much as she could. Once more, I found myself wishing this was the Emma I knew. Life would be so much easier if she wasn’t… well… her.

My strict guidance had an unexpected side effect. Somehow in the process, I had been adopted by the group. No longer did I sit alone at lunch, the ones I studied with insisting I join the larger group at the table. I was grossly out of place at the table and completely out of my depth, but being able to see Emma in her natural state was worth the embarrassment of being outside most of the jokes and stories they shared. I was still mostly invisible to the group, but every so often, Emma would glance my way and give me that big smile of hers. Considering the nature of things, I didn’t expect this to continue beyond break. This was a temporary thing. A thanks of sorts for me helping them. At the end of the day, I wasn’t their friend and it seemed obvious that none of them were actually interested in changing that.

Due to the frequency of our meetings, my rewards had been ‘downgraded.’ She never missed an opportunity to upload pictures to the drive we shared, but the videos stopped. It made sense. Not only were we meeting a lot, but there wasn’t much time for her to… collect… material. She actually apologized for running out but made it up to me by sending me sets of three to six photos. Each set was with one guy, but the sheer amount of them she had set my mind spinning. I was sure some guys were featured multiple times, but it was still a staggering amount of photos she had available. There in the back of my mind was a voice whispering that it wasn’t just blowjobs she was giving them. Thinking like that always made me feel torn between dread and interest. I knew what was awaiting me in the next level and I couldn’t decide if I was mentally prepared for it.

“Finally done.” I glanced over as Emma moved to stand beside me. Tiny snowflakes danced in the air around us. She looked up, breathing out slowly and sending a white plume into the air. I said nothing, watching her and wondering what she had in store for me next. “When do you leave?” she asked, looking at me.

“Going to the airport at noon tomorrow.”

“When are you going to be back?”

“Twenty-eighth.”

“Hmmm. Lucky dog. Sun, sand, and ocean far as the eye can see. Going to be a paradise.” I rolled my eyes. “Lot’s of beach babes too.”

“True. Looking forward to that.”

Her eyebrow moved upwards. “Oh?”

“Lilian’s going to be there.”

“Your brother’s girlfriend… right?”

I was surprised she remembered. I’d only mentioned her a few times in passing. “Yeah.” Her intense stare lingered and my discomfort rose. “What?”

“Trying to imagine an older version of you.”

“Don’t bother. We are nothing alike.”

“Now I’m really curious.” She grinned. “Have a picture of him?” I said nothing, pointedly looking away. The last thing I needed was her knowing what my brother looked like. It would only give her more ammunition to use against me. “Come on,” she said, grabbing my arm and tugging on it. “I know you do.”

I shook my head.

“Pic for a pic?”

I continued to shake my head. She puffed out her cheeks. At first, I thought she was going to drop it. Should have known better.

“What if I promise the picture will be a unique, one-of-a-kind picture? One that no guy but you will ever get.” I tried to mask my emotions, but I wasn’t fast enough. She had seen I was interested. “Just a quick peek… that’s all I ask.”

Hating myself every step of the way, I pulled my phone out and went to the gallery. I found the block of photos from our Thanksgiving trip. Pulling one with James in it, I turned the phone towards her so she could see better.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed, a white cloud billowing out in front of her as she looked down at the photo. “He’s your brother? I mean… Look at you! Look at him! What I wouldn’t do to—”

“And that’s enough of—” Before I could react, she snatched the phone out of my hand. “Hey! Emma! Emma give that back!”

She was already flipping through photos, swiping as she stayed one step ahead of me. The only reason she lasted as long as she did was because I hadn’t put my full effort into catching her. When I finally did catch up, it was because she had stopped. Moving up beside her, I glanced over her shoulder to see what photo had grabbed her attention.

Recognizing it immediately, I grabbed at my phone, ripping it out of her hand. “I remember that one!” she teased. I’d completely forgotten to delete the dick pic that had elevated me to the second level. Face burning, I made sure to rectify that mistake immediately.

“A pic for a pic, remember?” I said, deflecting the conversation and turning it back to her.

Her smile lingered, but there was a serious glint in her eye. “I remember.” Her head tilted slightly as she strolled over to me. “Interested in what it is?”

My mouth went dry as she lingered uncomfortably close. Her hand went out, holding it as if she expected something from me. Looking at it, I turned my eyes back up to her. “Your phone.”

“No way,” I said, holding it against my chest.

“Phone, or you get nothing.”

Heart thumping, I slowly deposited my phone into her waiting hand. She played around with it before taking a deep breath. Leaping up, her arm hooked around my neck, pulling me down towards her. Yelping in surprise I stumbled forward as she held the phone out. “One… two…!” I heard the camera click. As sudden as her attack was, she pulled away.

“Ugh. You take terrible photos.” She had the phone out. Right there on the screen was a picture of the two of us together. I looked like a mess, my surprised gaze on her. Emma on the other hand was as photogenic as always. “Want a redo?”

I was still shocked over what I was seeing. A photo of her and me together. It almost looked like a couple taking a goofy picture together.

“Yes, please.” My poor heart was stuck in turbo mode as my eyes never left the tiny screen.

“Hmm. Pick a number, one through six.”

“Why?”

She grinned. “Nothing is free, Isaac.”

I sighed. “Three,” I said, picking the middle. She grinned but said nothing more.

Holding the camera up, I shifted to get a bit closer to her. After a lot of awkward shuffling, she finally snapped. “Oh my god. Just put your arm around me already so we can take this!”

My legs were weak as I did what she said. Together, we looked up at the camera. My smile was a bit awkward, but hers…

“Three…two…”

Just before I heard the camera snap, I felt it. A warm wetness against my cheek. I nearly forgot to breathe as I stared at the small screen on my phone. There, captured forever, was Emma planting a kiss on my cheek. This one _definitely _looked like a couple.

Jerking away from her, I stared over at her in disbelief, my free hand pressed against the cheek she had kissed. I could still feel the lingering touch of her lips. “Wha—”

She had an impish grin on her face as she backed away. “Have a good trip, Isaac.”

“Emma! What was that for!”

“A holiday bonus.” I stared at her, too stunned to say anything more. She rolled her eyes, laughing lightly. “Don’t give me that look. Before you get too excited, just remember where those lips have been!”

With a giggling laugh, she waved goodbye and walked away.