Will of Siders chapter 2

~Chapter Two~
Black Outs







Robby didn't necessarily hate her first day, but she didn't enjoy it either. As she found out, she shared three classes with Emery Roland, the boy that had been drawing in her first hour class of Etymology, and also three classes with Derek, the blonde boy that had also been there. Each class she had Emery in, Derek was there too. She also saw a few of the people that had been at their lunch table. For the life of her, though, she couldn't figure out why it mattered to her one way or the other. Why was she seemingly fascinated by them? Maybe it was because of their actions in first period. Maybe it was because they seemed painfully familiar to her somehow, even though she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Maybe she was just going crazy.

Gunny's words kept ringing through her head about how she couldn't become their friend. She hadn't really asked why after a certain point and Gunny hadn't elaborated much, but usually that was okay with her. For some reason, though, she wanted more information this time. Chelsea had a crush on Emery, that was basically all she knew. She talked about him all lunch and that was how she knew that Emery's eyes changed color at times, according to her. They were usually a warm mahogany but in the winter they grew darker, a deep burgundy color, and in the summer they changed to what looked like a kind of hazel. Or so she said, anyway. Truthfully Robby wasn't sure why she remembered that.

But at lunch it had seemed that no one messed with Emery and Derek and their friends. No one had walked near their table and they hadn't gone up to anyone except to get their lunches and throw their things away at the end. Robby wasn't sure what to make of them, exactly, but they intrigued her even though she wasn't sure why.

And so the next day at school, she found them in class early, Derek and Emery, sitting where they had been the day before in the back of homeroom, near the window with Derek next to it. They were whispering to each other in hushed tones and Emery started laughing. Robby neared the two of them, slowly beginning to frown. She took her seat and figured they would just ignore her like they did yesterday. Somehow, this hurt her. She used to not really care one way or the other but she found herself aching to become a part of their group. Maybe it was because everyone claimed it was impossible. Maybe it was because they seemed closely knit. Maybe it was a mixture of a lot things--bottom line was that she wanted in.

"You know, one of these days, Cher is going to kick you out of her car. And I'm going to laugh as you roll on the ground and we drive away," Derek said, giving Emery a look.

Emery blinked at him, smirking. "That's a little harsh, don't you think? Pfft." He scoffed. "And you call yourself my friend."

Derek rolled his eyes. "You keep flipping through the radio stations like that, and one of those two sisters are going to smack your or something."

"Or something," Emery mocked, grinning. "You're too tense, dude, you need to chill out and relax a little."

"Oh, like you? I don't know if I can take your kind of relaxing, Em," Derek told him. Robby smirked as she watched them before she glanced away. Only about two other people had filtered into the room thus far and they were seated near the front.

"What's wrong with how I relax?" Emery asked.

"Personally, I don't think cheesecake is a comfort food."

"Take that back, you heathen!" Emery said in a flabbergasted voice, as though he couldn't believe Derek would dare say something bad about cheesecake. Robby snickered quietly to herself. These two were amusing, she had to admit, and it just made her all the more curious about their group and why Gunny said she shouldn't try and befriend them. What did that mean?

"No," Derek said simply.

Emery glared at him and then sighed, looking away. That was when he caught Robby looking at him and Derek. Robby flushed deeply and quickly averted her gaze even though she was sure he'd seen that she was staring at the two of them. 'Please don't notice,' she thought silently to herself.

"You must be the new girl," Emery said quietly, causing her to look up at him. His mahogany brown eyes were soft and set on her, and she fought down a blush. He had nice eyes…

'Wait, what am I thinking?' she thought, practically screaming the words through her mind.

"Uh…yeah," she finally answered Emery. "I'm Robby."

He nodded, smiling. He had a nice smile, she noticed…not that she hadn't noticed it before…or that she was even looking, but…ah, hell, he had a nice smile. "I'm Emery," he said, even though she already knew. He jerked a thumb behind him, toward the blonde. "That's Derek. Derek, be nice."

Derek had begun to scowl but he stopped, sighing at Emery's words.

"Don't mind him," Emery told her. "He's a jerk at times."

"Hey!" Derek protested.

"A friendly jerk," Emery amended with a smirk. Derek swatted him upside the head and he chuckled. "Sorry if we're bothering you. Usually we're the only ones back here."

"You're not bothering me," Robby said slowly. Mostly they were intriguing her and amusing her. Sure, sometimes it was hard to listen what with the way they were talking, but it wasn't like Robby understood what was going on anyway.

"I wouldn't be too worried about Etymology," Emery told her gently. She frowned at him, because how had he known what she'd been thinking? "I mean, the semester is almost over, right? So even if you do learn a little of what's going on, I doubt they'll make you take the final."

"Thanks," she said, feeling a little better about the subject now after hearing his words.

"No problem," Emery said in return.

The five minute bell rang and people filed into the classroom somewhat haphazardly and groggily, most of them clearly still half asleep. Robby herself had always been a morning person. She hated waking up, that was true, but once she was awake, she was fine. It didn't take her long to wake up, usually, unlike her brother Sam. Mornings were his worst enemy.

The teacher, Mrs. North, entered the room and smiled at everyone as she made her way to her desk, flicking her bangs out of her face as she tucked the locks behind her ears.

"We need to go to the you-know-where today," Emery whispered to Derek. It was clear that Robby wasn't supposed to hear him, but she did anyway. For some reason, the words 'you-know-where' had more of a meaning than she would have thought. Suddenly, just like a few nights ago when she'd gone on her walk, she could see her breath puff out in front of her as she exhaled as though she had just breathed out a trail of smoke. Startled, she froze in her seat and released another slow breath. This time it was normal and all she could do was shiver at the tendrils of uneasiness that were beginning wrap tightly around her heart.

"Why?" Derek asked with a grimace when Robby glanced at them out of the corner of her eye.

Emery just gave him a look, his eyes narrowed and more serious than Robby had seen them before. Derek sighed, tightened his jaw, and nodded once before he looked out the window.

Emery sighed as well and rubbed absently at his head, a small, faint frown crossing his face. Then he shook his head and glanced at Robby. Robby averted her gaze, hoping he hadn't noticed her looking. For a moment, it seemed that his gaze lingered on her, and she couldn't figure out why. Suppressing the urge to shift somewhat uneasily in her seat, she focused instead on what the teacher was doing, even though she was only stacking papers on her desk.

The final bell rang and Mrs. North stood to smile at the class and address today's lesson. Robby tried to follow along, but seriously, she still had no idea what this class was all about. Why had she been put in here anyway? She certainly didn't pick it.

"Okay class," Mrs. North said, "I need a few volunteers to come up here and divide these words and tell me what part of speech it is and whether it's Greek or Latin."

Robby shifted uneasily in her seat, still having no idea what she was talking about. Emery seemed to notice.

"I can let you borrow my note cards if you want," he offered in a friendly tone of voice. "It would probably help you."

"Okay, thanks," Robby murmured, shocked. Hadn't Gunny said that no one could befriend Emery and his group? If so, why was Emery being so friendly? Was he always like this? If he was, then it was hard to believe that no one could befriend them.

"Mr. Thurman, stop tipping in your chair," the teacher said, giving Derek a look. Now that Robby looked at the blonde, he had his chair tipped back, leaning against the back wall. Now he scowled and stopped, letting his chair drop forward. "Would you like to come up here and do one of these?"

"Uh, no," Derek said. "I'd rather not."

Mrs. North smiled. "Ah, yes, but that wasn't necessarily a question."

"I have misconstrued your meaning," Derek said with a roll of his eyes. The teacher brightened at the use of the word as Derek stood and began making his way to the front of the class, but not before sending Emery a glare when he snickered at him.

"Derek hates going to the front of the class," Emery told Robby with a grin on his face. "I think it's hilarious to watch him."

Robby only nodded, unsure as to what to say as she watched Derek pick the word symphony. She watched as he divided it, still utterly confused in this class.

Sym/phon/y, Derek divided the word. Underneath sym he put together, and underneath phon he put sound. He wrote noun next to the word, along with Greek. Then he took his seat and scowled at Emery.

"Shut up," he mumbled at the black-haired boy.

Emery shrugged. "I think it's funny."

"Of course you would."

Emery shook his head as the teacher called on others to divide the other words. Robby watched them as well. How was she ever going to pass this class?

"Don't worry about it," Emery said, seemingly sensing her thoughts again. She frowned at him and saw that he, too, seemed confused about something. What, though? Then he shook his head and rubbed at his eyes.

"Thanks," she sighed.

Derek scowled at the two of them, even though she wasn't sure as to why. What had she done to make him look at her as such? She looked away and toward the front of the class, where people were still dividing words while Mrs. North watched them. She swallowed back a sigh.

There was no way she was going to be able to pass this class, so she hoped Emery was right and that she wouldn't have to participate in the final.

She startled when she suddenly heard a low thump and a startled intake of air from Derek. Quickly, she turned her head and saw that Emery was on the ground, pale and motionless, and Derek was already kneeling down next to him, worry present and heavy in his eyes even though it was apparent he was trying to hide it. Everyone in the class was silent and Mrs. North cleared her throat.

"Take Mr. Roland to the nurse, please, Mr. Thurman," she said, as though it were normal for Emery to pass out like this. If it was, then why? Robby frowned down at Emery and Derek worriedly.

"Help me," Derek said suddenly, looking at Robby.

Robby blinked at him stupidly. "Um…what?"

"Help me get him up," Derek reiterated, and Robby quickly knelt on Emery's other side.

She grabbed his arm while Derek grabbed the other, and together, they hauled Emery to his feet. He was a little lighter than Robby would have thought, which caused her to frown, and his skin felt warm to the touch. What did that mean? If this happened often, why? Was it something to worry about? Mrs. North didn't seem overly concerned and no one else in the class was acting like it really mattered, but Derek seemed worried.

Together, they maneuvered Emery out of the classroom and down the hallway. Not a word was spoken between them, mostly because Derek seemed consumed in his own thoughts, his mouth curled into a thin line, and she was busy wondering what had happened. She wanted to ask about it but it didn't seem like the time or place for that sort of thing at the moment.

They entered the nurse's office soon enough and put Emery down on one of the light brown beds there, his head safely positioned on a pillow. The nurse followed them. She was a little, chubby woman with curly red hair and a waddle to her step. "What happened?" she asked, looking at Derek.

"He blacked out," Derek said gruffly.

The nurse nodded. "I'll call his aunt," she said as though it happened all the time. She turned to leave but Derek stopped her.

"She's busy," Derek said, "I'll take him home."

"A student can't-" the nurse started, turning around.

Derek's gaze narrowed into cold slits. "I said I'll take him home," he said in a monotonous voice, pitched low and quiet yet stern. The nurse got this strange, vacant look on her face and then nodded. Robby watched, stunned and very confused as to what was going on.

"Very well," she said slowly in a flat tone of voice. "But you must report back to school immediately."

"Of course," Derek said in a tone of voice that left Robby wondering if he really even meant to do as the nurse said.

The nurse sighed. "I'll go write you a pass." She quickly hurried out of the room, waddling as she did so.

Robby frowned at what had happened, wondering why the nurse had changed her mind so suddenly. Derek looked at her. "Thanks for helping me," he told her. "You can go back to class now, though."

"Oh…um…" She was being dismissed? Just like that? "Are you sure? I can stay if-"

"I'm sure," he said, cutting her off. "Thanks for the help."

She hesitated but then nodded slowly and turned, exiting the nurse's office, wondering what had just happened.


*        *        *        *        *


Derek watched as Robby left the room and disappeared from view. His body thrummed with a nervous energy. There was something about Robby that was…off. It put Derek on guard and he didn't quite like it. Yet there was also something familiar about this energy, too, something he couldn't quite place no matter how hard he tried. At the moment, though, his mind was a little consumed with worry for his friend. He turned his attention toward Emery.

He hadn't driven to school today, so he had no car to drive. Gas for Emery's aunt's old car was expensive and since he didn't have a job, he didn't like using it and having Emery's aunt pay for the fuel. Why was it his and not Emery's, then? Mostly because Emery showed absolutely no interest in driving. And anyway, it wasn't really anyone's…just one Derek used from time to time.

True, they had gotten a ride to school today. Cherish and her sister, Salem, had picked the two of them up this morning. He couldn't take Cherish's car, that was true, but that didn't mean he couldn't take Rubyn's. He had a spare key for Rubyn's car, mostly for just such emergencies as this.

It wasn't uncommon for Emery to black out. It came with being who he was, or so they assumed. It happened often enough that they knew there was nothing to be done about it. Head scans showed nothing was wrong, and the people at the hospital couldn't find anything wrong with him at all. Derek would know, after all. They had been friends long enough.

Emery and Derek had met when they were three-years-old and starting pre-school. Emery had been quiet then, which still seemed strange for Derek. Derek had been angry. He hadn't liked being separated from his mom but his parents had been busy through the day and so it was best for him to go to pre-school. The two of them had become friends and the rest was history.

So he had known Emery for practically all of his life. Emery had gotten his first black out when he was nine. He had been at Derek's house when it had happened and Derek had panicked and called for an ambulance because his mom had been at work and his father had gone to the store for a minute. The EMTs hadn't been able to find anything wrong with Emery to make him lose consciousness, which only added to the worry at the time. Emery had been awake and alert when the EMTs had gotten there, and so they hadn't taken him to the hospital, figuring that Derek's panic was only due to his overactive nine-year-old imagination.

Except, it hadn't been his imagination. Emery had black outs. No one knew why. They didn't seem to affect him too much, other than the fact that he blacked out and woke confused and disoriented. That was why either he or one of the other members at their lunch table shared classes with Emery. One of them was always in one of his classes simply because they knew what to do for his black outs. They knew how to handle the situation. Emery's aunt had gone to the school board a couple of years ago and had demanded that Derek or Emery's other friends had to be there with him just in case of a black out.

Usually, his black outs weren't this sudden. There was usually a warning, a bad headache that escalated into a pain that left him unconscious, or dizziness or fatigue, but this had been sudden. Derek had looked over and Emery had toppled over. That wasn't normal, even for them. Plus his friend had a fever--he'd felt it against his skin when he and Robby had been helping Emery to the nurse's office. That wasn't normal either.

Swallowing, Derek shook the thoughts out of his head as the nurse entered the room again and handed him a yellow pass. Nodding at her in thanks, she sighed and left the room again. Using his mind abilities on her wasn't something he liked doing, but it did come in handy. Plus, he was fully capable of taking Emery home. May worked through the week and didn't need to be bothered.

Rubyn wouldn't mind if he took his car. Once he learned of Emery's black out, he would easily forgive Derek. That was why they'd made this arrangement in the first place, after all.

Derek sat on the edge of the bed Emery was on and lightly touched his hand to his friend's shoulder. It would be easier to move Emery if he was awake, and it would certainly help put Derek's mind at ease. So he shook his friend a little. "Em--Hey, c'mon, wake up. You've thoroughly scared the shit out of me enough for today."

Seeing Emery suddenly topple over and become pale and motionless certainly wasn't something he enjoyed watching. It was worrying. That, and the fact that he had a fever. The black outs were common--the fevers…not so much.

"C'mon--Emery. Wake up--Em!" He shook him a little more harshly but still gentle.

Emery groaned and blinked his eyes open slowly. The usually bright and energetic color was dimmed with confusion and pain, but his eyes brightened in recognition after a moment as he looked at Derek. "What…happened?" he murmured quietly, wincing.

"Black out," Derek said simply, frowning at him. "What the hell, Em? There was no warning or anything!"

"Mmm…"

Panic flared. "Em? Hey. Keep awake, okay? I have to take you home and I don't want to have to drag you. Again."

"Mmm…"

The panic threaded through Derek. It wasn't often that Emery had a hard time waking up after he blacked out. Usually he woke, confused and in pain, but he stayed awake easily enough. "Em? Hey. C'mon, stay awake," he said quickly, his voice still gentle even though his heart sped up in worry for his blood brother.

Yes, blood brother. He and Emery had done the ritual when they were eight-years-old, a year before the black outs and all that came with it had started, back when things were normal…

"I'm awake," Emery murmured as he blinked his eyes at him. "Dude…why are there two of you? One of you…is scary enough."

Derek let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh huh, I'm sure." He paused. "Can you stand, Em?"

"Hmm? Oh. Sure," Emery said, shakily sitting up. Then he groaned and clutched desperately at his head.

"Headache?" he asked even though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"What do you think?" Emery snapped.

Derek sighed. Yeah, definitely a bad headache. Emery always got snippy when he had them, but Derek couldn't blame him. "C'mon--I'm taking you home."

"…Walking?" Emery asked slowly, as though the thought made him physically ill. He paled a little and gagged as though he was going to be sick.

"No--I'm taking Rubyn's car. He won't mind. Are you ready to get out of here? You look like shit."

"Thanks…you're so…freaking kind…" Emery murmured, taking deep breaths, his eyes closed as he swallowed thickly. "Just…gimme a minute…Gonna…puke…" He lunged for the wastebasket next to the small bed and heaved out the contents of his stomach violently, his body trembling with the effort. Startled, Derek watched him and then helped ease him so he was sitting on the bed again. His friend was shivering, his skin feverish.

"What's wrong?"

This wasn't just a black out…he knew it, even though the thought scared him a little, because this was his best friend, his blood brother, he was talking about.

"Dunno…head hurts…" Emery mumbled, rubbing gently at his temples.

Derek nodded tightly. As much as he wanted to help his friend, he knew he couldn't…at least not here. "C'mon--lean on me, okay? Let's get you out of here. And then we're going to have a serious talk," he said as he gently guided Emery to his feet, allowing his friend to lean against him for support.

"Aw, man…I'm in trouble again?" Emery muttered.

"Of course you are."

"Damn it."