Emma's Descent

Chapter 1: The Long Road

August 25th

Emma sighs. The seat that she was sitting in was beginning to feel as if it were burning. She was now so tired of this drive. Hour six began to take a toll on her as she thought about how far she now was from home.

All she ever knew was Willow Creek. That was the same for most of Willow Creek. For most of the car trip, she put Willow Creek in the rear-view mirror, but now, she had come to worry about her prospects. This was such a big change.

She looked in the backseat of the car. The middle row of seats had been put down to fit all of Emma's things. Boxes and boxes of books, clothes, memories... Everything she owns. They all told a tale of a girl on the straight and narrow. Never having gone to any of the barn parties or cabin ragers that her peers and gone to in their time at Willow Creek High.

Her introspection was interrupted by one of the sounds that had pushed her to leave in the first place.

"Oh, honey, don't look sad... This is a whole new horizon for you!" Maggie said, keeping her framed eyes on the road the whole time. Emma looked over at her mother.

Emma replied: "I didn't think it would feel like this... I thought I'd never look back, but this is too weird."

"Oh, I felt the same when Grandma drove me over to Riverside. I couldn't wait to get out, but when I did, I knew immediately that I would always miss it."

"I'm just scared that I'll get to Riverside and won't be able to figure it out... I'm not great with strangers..."

"Well, that's the thing with college, it's a time for you to spread your wings, meet new people, learn new things about yourself. I learned a lot getting my teaching degree here, and I think you will too."

"I just hope it's not as bad as Willow Creek High." A pained expression grew on Emma's face. Memories invaded her thoughts. She had some pretty rough years at Willow Creek. She was at one time quite unpopular, bullied for her disheveled appearance and constant bookreading. The other girls were cruel.

It was only in junior year that things turned around. She met a group of girls in the volleyball club who taught her and encouraged her with a bunch of things. Teaching her how to dress, how to do her makeup. There was one thing she was never taught, however, how to do anything involving sex. Not that she would ever be allowed to.

"It was just so sad to say bye to Lila. I'm not sure I'll be able to ever end up becoming friends with someone similar at Riverside, let alone anyone." Emma looked down at her worn sneakers with a little bit of farm mud still on them. "I don't have the easiest time making friends..."

It was this that made Maggie look away from the two-lane highway that had only the occasional truck on it. She looked down at her daughter, slumped in her seat.

"Darling... It's okay... I believe in you. You've really grown into a beautiful woman over the past few years... There's no way you're gonna be alone. I promise." She paused; she knew she couldn't keep that promise. "I know it's scary, but I can't recommend enough that you really put yourself out there, say yes to any social opportunity, join clubs."

"I know, Mom. I just wish that Lila, Sophie, and Tessa were also going. Just anyone who I could confide in." She remembered the night she found out she was the only one accepted to Riverside. A sinking feeling that the other girls were a little more okay with. She looked out at the fields of corn whipping by, looking longingly into the horizon.

"Well, if you ever need anything, Ruth will always be out there, no matter what," Maggie reassured. "And I'll make sure we come visit you out there come October for your birthday."

"Thanks, Mom. I think I'm gonna miss you the most out there." Emma looked softly at her mom, the golden rays of the afternoon sun making Maggie look both angelic and ephemeral. Maggie and Emma shared a look for a moment. A moment of sincere love and bittersweetness.

"Oh, baby, I'm gonna miss you so much, too." Maggie's manicured hand reached over to Emma's head and pulled her in for a forehead kiss. "And I'm sure Clara will miss you just as much."

"A likely story." Clara was going through those teen years. No longer her sweet little sister, now, Clara was pushing away her family, becoming distant. How she ended up so popular and how, for so much of Emma's life she was unpopular was a question that had perplexed Emma for the past couple of years. Maybe she had it in her, too. But the last words they shared were not ones of sisterly love, but of cruelty and rebellion.

"She didn't mean it." Maggie had tried to keep the peace between them, but she couldn't always be there when they fought. "You know, teenagers, there's just a period where all they do is be mean. You went through it too, remember?"

"I know, but I feel like I was never _that _mean with anyone. Just kinda distant." Emma mused.

Maggie looked slyly at Emma. "I definitely remember those years for you pretty distinctly. I know we're past them, but you definitely said some hurtful things in those years."

"I know. I was just so angry all the time. It wasn't cool."

Maggie once again looked sweetly at her daughter. "It doesn't matter now, it's about who you are now; and now, you're my brilliant, beautiful daughter."

Emma looked up at Maggie, flushed in the face. "Thanks, Mom, you've always been there for me."

A silence then overtook them. Emma looked back out the window, and Maggie refocused on the road. For another 15 minutes, they were in each their own world, worried about the same thing.

Eventually, they hit the outskirts of Omaha. A destination for Emma, but not for too many others. In the distance were some tall buildings, but the flatness of the city was extremely apparent as they pulled down the highway. It was the city Emma had been to a fair amount, usually to visit Ruth. It certainly had at least some nightlife that Willow Creek would never be able to offer in a million years.

"There it is." Maggie pointed to an arch in the distance. It was covered in ivy, only a couple of stories taller than the surrounding buildings. Emma and Maggie both recognized this as the Riverside University Archway Garden, one of the only distinguishing features of Riverside as a university.

Emma looked at it with trepidation. There was no going back now.

(Author's note: This story will be a bit of a slow burn, corruption over a long time; but, when it gets raunchy, it'll be really raunchy.)