Just Once More (COMPLETE)

Emery found herself more refreshed the next morning after getting almost fifteen hours of sleep. It was nine in the morning when she made her way down to the kitchen. Her mom was just finishing up putting all the plates away after the dishwashing cycle.“Hey, honey,” Mrs. Warden greeted her daughter as she sat down at the table. “How are you feeling this morning?” She’d been worried all night that Emery was overexerting herself once again with all the volunteering she was doing.“I’m good.” Emery drank the orange juice her mom had brought over to her. “I have to be at the hospital at noon, then leave there to do my afternoon walks with the dogs at the animal shelter at four.” She was telling her so she wouldn’t worry when she wasn’t home at the usual time.Mrs. Warden brushed back Emery’s hair from her forehead, out of her eyes. She didn’t feel any type of fever brewing that Emer

The sound of her cell phone buzzing alerted Emery to the incoming call. She’d spent almost two hours playing and walking the dogs at the shelter, which was enough to exhaust anyone. After that experience, she ate, got a shower, and laid down for a quick nap. The number that showed was Austin’s. Emery assumed he was making good on his promise to call after practice. “Hey.” She sat up on her bed and brushed the hair back off of her face. It wasn’t like he could see through the phone or anything, but as a natural instinct, she wanted to look semi-normal and not have her hair flipped out in all different directions. “Hey,” Austin repeated Emery’s greeting in the same soft tone she’d used. “Sounds like you were already sleeping.” He looked at his clock once more. It was only nine o’clock. There was no way a seventeen-year-old girl was going to be sleeping this early during the summer. “Almost. It was a busy day at the shelter.” Emery stood up and walked around a b

    “Who the hell is that?” Dylan, one of Austin’s good friends, nudged him as they got closer to the field. He nodded his head in the direction of Emery, who was still seated where Austin had told her she could sit. “That’s Emery, she came with me.” Austin kept his eyes on her. As if she could feel him watching her, Emery looked up from her cell phone and saw him walking toward her. She gave him a small wave and he held up his helmet to show that he’d seen her. “Isn’t that like fairy girl or whatever your girlfriend calls her?” Dylan thought he recognized her from around school and all the times that Apryl and the other girls had said shit about her. Even though they were good friends, Austin was ready to flatten him out right now. “First, don’t say shit about Emery. Second, Apryl isn’t nor will she ever be my girlfriend again.” Austin walked away from Dylan and headed over to where Emery was. “Having fun yet?” He sat down on the be

  “Emery, are you sure you don’t want to go?” Mrs. Warden wanted to give her daughter one last chance for the dinner and play, but she knew that she would probably say no. “I think Austin and I are just going to hang out.” Emery hadn’t told her mother about the party he was taking her to. Why have her mom worry when she needed some time out. She slipped on her sneakers and glanced at the clock. It was almost seven-thirty, so she knew Austin would be calling soon. “That’s great that you two have hit it off so well. You’ll have to invite him over soon.” Mrs. Warden held out her arms as her husband slipped her light jacket on her. “I’m not sure what time we’ll be back, but have fun with whatever you and Austin decide to do.” She gave Emery a small peck on the cheek, then took her husband’s arm as he led her outside. Emery waved to them as they walked out the door, then sat down to wait for Austin’s call. Finally, ten minutes later, her cell rang wit

  Austin walked inside the house after Emery made the offer. It was a normal-looking house with tons of pictures hanging around of Emery from the time she was a baby until now. He stood just inside the doorway until she led him in the direction she wanted him to go. They walked down one of the short hallways and through double doors into a room that looked like a family room. He followed her over to the flower cushioned sofa that was positioned in front of a large, thin screen television and sat down next to her. Not too close, but enough where his leg was touching hers. “Why? I mean, if she did lie, why would Apryl do that?” Emery had to start somewhere to maybe trust Austin again and get over the fear that he could be deceiving her. Austin shrugged. He had no clue why Apryl did anything that she did. “I wish I could give you a reason, but I don’t have one.” Austin held his hand next to Emery’s to see if she’d pull away again. When she didn’t, he put hi