Chapter 4

‘Hey you hungry? I’m hungry. You got anything to eat in here? Or can we go to a McDiddy’s drive through and get some fries or somethin’?’ said Shah from the front.

‘I have a box of muesli bars in the glove compartment. Help yourself,’ said Eric as he was driving.

‘I was talking about some real food,’ she said but it didn’t stop her from opening the glove compartment and reaching for the muesli bars.

‘You want some, honey?’ asked Shah, handing the box to Emma behind her. Emma declined. Shah shrugged ‘More for me then,’

A muffled sound came from Eric’s backpack. Shah opened his backpack and handed him his phone. He switched it to loudspeaker, one hand on the wheel the other holding his phone.

‘Hello?’ he answered.

‘Hey baby. You haven’t called me all week. I thought something was wrong with your phone. Eric I’m really really-’

‘Hey Gemma, you’re on loud speaker,’ he interrupted.

‘I don’t mind if people listen,’ the voice said

‘Look I’ll call you back. Goodbye,’ he said and hung up.

‘Sorry about that’, he apologised. The car was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.           

‘Shamiqua your house was number thirteen right?’

‘…over there,’ Shah said and pointed. Eric pulled into the driveway.

‘Hey sis call me later about the … homework,’ she said to Emma behind her. Emma got the message and received a kiss on the cheek as they said their goodbyes to each other.

As soon as Shah had shut the car door behind her Eric turned round to Emma and smiled his famous smile ‘How would you like to be promoted to front seat Emma?’ he proposed.

‘I don’t know Eric, do you think I’m ready?’ she joked back.

‘Just jump over.’

Soon enough Emma found herself settled into the front seat next to Eric. Eric reversed out of Shah’s driveway and resumed to normal driving. Next stop was Emma’s place. Eric could see Emma out of the corner of his eye. Eric found this arrangement much easier. His neck was getting a little cramped from sneaking glances via the rear view mirror.

Emma’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out from the pocket of her jeans and flipped it open. It was a text message from Shah.

Shah

12-Mar-09 6:05pm

Hu is Gemma? SHAH IS ON IT

‘On what?’ Emma accidentally said out loud to her phone

‘Sorry what was that?’

‘Um, nothing.’

There was an awkward silence that followed. Emma looked out the window whilst tapping a rhythm on her leg with her fingers. They were at a traffic light now. Eric broke the silence.

‘Do you want to know something? Out of my five years at this school that was my first detention today,’ he confessed. Emma laughed.

‘Why am I not surprised Saint Eric of Oaklea High?’

He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t so bad. It was actually quite exhilarating. Do you reckon we’ll get in trouble for leaving detention early?’

‘Ha! Yeah right. Reynolds is probably too busy cooking up the worst punishment in the history of punishments for Tom.’

‘Oh Really? What do you reckon Tom did when he ran after him?’

‘Well, the last time Reynolds fell for the same ‘runs in a cup’ trick he mistook the janitor’s closet as the bathroom and well, Tom jammed the door with a chair. But knowing Tom, he would have tried something different to challenge himself.’

For the rest of the car ride Emma told Eric of many of Tom’s pranks he had pulled over the years and before they knew it, they were parked outside Emma’s house.

Eric wiped a tear, trying to control himself from bursting into even more laughter.

‘Do you want me to walk you to your door? It’s quite dark right now,’

Emma undid her seatbelt and clicked the door open.

‘Oh no it’s cool. I mean, my house is only a few feet away.’

‘Well, ok. Goodnight Emma.’

‘Thanks Eric for the ride and um…yeah,’

Emma was halfway to the door. She didn’t see the garden gnome in her pathway. She stumbled and fell on top of it. The weight of her leg over the gnome had caused the gnome to collapse inwards. She screamed in pain as its broken sharp edges penetrated into her leg. Lucky for Emma, in her given circumstances, Eric was waiting idly in his car making sure she made it safely to the front door. He ran out of the car and to Emma’s rescue.

‘Oh my God, Emma. Are you okay?’ he said. He knelt by her side.

‘Holy crap on a cracker, what do you think?’ she said through her clenched teeth.

‘Which leg is it?’

‘The left! The left!’

‘I can’t see anything. I have to bring you inside.’

‘I can’t walk! I-’ Eric lifted her gently up from the ground. Emma was up in the air cradled in his arms.

‘Put my arms around my neck,’ he said. Wow, this is just like a Disney movie thought Emma. And then remembered the piercing pain in her leg.

‘Ow. Ow. Ow owoww’

Eric kicked open the door and lay her on the couch.

‘What the hell is going on?’ called Emma’s dad as he was coming down the stairs. His eyes dilated as he saw his daughter writhing in agony on the couch and a boy he had never seen before ripping open the leg of her blood drenched jeans. Eric looked up.

‘Your daughter had a bit of an accident Mr Matthews.’

‘What the hell Emma,’ he said

‘There’s a piece of the gnome’s nose lodged into her calf. I don’t want to move it because it’ll just cause more bleeding,’ said Eric.

‘What? I’m bleeding?’ she looked at her leg for the first time. She couldn’t even see her leg because there was blood everywhere. Emma could feel her head spinning. The room, Eric’s face and her dad became blurry and then everything went black.