CHAPTER 1 - THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
It was an early September mourning. The first day of school. Craig walked up the steps and into Degrassi. The first thing he saw was Manny giving him an evil look.
"Nice to see you too Manny." Craig said answering her look. Manny walked up to J.T.
"Hey J.T. did you just hear something?" Manny said thinking this would offend Craig or something. But Craig didn't even notice, someone had caught his eye. Someone he'd never seen before. 'She must be new.' he thought to himself.
"Hey Craig," Spinner said giving Craig a little punch.
"What the hell Spin?" Craig answered.
"Whoa dude what's wrong with you?" Spinner replied.
"Nothing. Do you know who she is?" Craig asked pointing but no one was there.
"Uh.. who? Are you seeing things dude?" Spinner said looking confused.
"No, she was right there!" Craig screamed looking around. He turned around face to face with her.
"Hi" she said quietly.
"Oh, hi. Sorry I didn't mean to bump into you." Craig replied turning red.
"Don't worry about it. Anyways I'm lost, maybe you could help me?" She asked.
"Sure, what are you looking for?"
"Media Immersion with Simpson." she answered.
"Oh, I have that too. Do you wanna stop by my locker quick so I can get my books and then I'll show you where it is?" Craig said.
"Sure." she said in a soft shy voice. They began walking down the hall in silence. 'Should I ask him his name?' She thought to herself.
"By the way I'm Craig." Craig said. 'Whoa that was weird' she thought not noticing he had stopped. Craig looked up from his locker to see her walking away. "Hey wait, my locker?" he said.
"Oh, sorry Craig. My name's Haley." she said.
"That's a beautiful name," he replied grabbing his books he stood up and looked at her. 'She has the most amazing eyes' he thought. She noticed he was looking into her eyes. She looked back into his and then quickly looked away pretending to look at the clock.
"The bells going to..." she was interrupted by the bell, "ring." she said smiling slightly.
"Oops, it's only the first day. I think Snake'll forgive us."
"Snake?" she asked looking a bit confused.
"Mr. Simpson's friends with my step dad. They all call him Snaked and his wife is Spike. Old high school nick names or something. Spike's Emma's mom." he said looking for Emma to point her out and realized they were the only ones in the hall. "We better get to class." he said turning her the right direction. As they walked in Mr. Simpson looked at them and Craig quickly thought of something to say, "Locker trouble."
"Sit down." he said and they sat in the closest open seats.
"Sorry I forgot he's been a little cranky since he got cancer." he began telling Haley.
"Mr. Manning." Craig looked up. "I did not tell you to sit and start chatting.
"Sorry Snake." Craig managed to get out.
"Craig, it's Mr. Simpson in class."
"Oh yea sorry Mr. Simpson." Craig said feeling himself turning red. Haley looked at him and silently laughed. Craig looked at her and saw her smile. He couldn't help but stare at her the whole hour. Since Ashley and Manny both dumped him, he hadn't wanted to even look at another girl. Even his friends who were girls he tried to avoid. He wanted nothing to do with girls but this girl was different. She looked at him and he quickly turned to face his computer screen, which was blank. He looked at someone else's, 'shit' he thought. He was too busy staring at Haley to realize they were doing something. He raised his hand.
"Yes Craig?"
"Can I be excused?"
"Why?"
"I don't feel good."
"Yes you can go." Craig logged off his computer, got up and went to the boy's washroom. He stared into the mirror. 'She'd never fall for me and even if she did people would talk and she'd find out about the whole Ashley and Manny thing.' The thought was making him really feel sick. He ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. He turned the corner and ran into Haley.
"Oh sorry Haley." he managed to spit out. His mind was racing.
"Don't worry about it. Craig are you okay? You ran out of Simpson's class so fast I didn't get a chance to ask you something."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just day dreaming and didn't realize we were suppose to be doing something." Craig said.
"Oh." Haley said a little surprised." Craig, why were you so nice to me before class?"
"What do you mean?" Craig asked.
"Well people keep telling me you're this horrible guy, but you didn't seem horrible." Craig sighed. He thought 'Maybe I should tell her about Ash and Manny and maybe she won't hate me as much as she would if she heard it from someone else." He was ready to tell her everything when Ashley came.
"Haley what are you doing with him." Ashley said stressing the word him. Craig looked at Ashley. She seemed even more beautiful than she did when they were together. He missed her but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He did something really stupid that he could never take back. Neither Ashley or Manny would ever take him back after he lied to both of them. His thoughts were interrupted by Haley's voice.
"We were just talking, Ash. No big deal." she said.
"It is a big deal. Trust me you don't want to end up hanging out with the wrong people."
"Ash, he's right there you know." Haley answered.
"I don't care. He knows he's trash anyways." Ashley said.
"Trash? That's harsh. Come on, he can't be that bad. What could he possibly have done to you?" Haley asked. 'Shit she's going to tell her everything' Craig thought.
"We dated a few months ago." Ashley said pausing. 'Please stop' Craig begged Ashley in his mind. "He decided to go and cheat on me with Ms. Slut." she said pointing at Manny Santos. "He told her he had broken up with me when he didn't and we both ended up breaking up with him." 'Thanks Ash' Craig thought.
"Ash I'm really sorry" Haley said a bit shocked. "Let's go to lunch." she said and they both walked away. 'This is going to be harder than I thought' Craig thought. He walked down the hall to meet Jimmy, Spinner and Marco for lunch.
It was an early September mourning. The first day of school. Craig walked up the steps and into Degrassi. The first thing he saw was Manny giving him an evil look.
"Nice to see you too Manny." Craig said answering her look. Manny walked up to J.T.
"Hey J.T. did you just hear something?" Manny said thinking this would offend Craig or something. But Craig didn't even notice, someone had caught his eye. Someone he'd never seen before. 'She must be new.' he thought to himself.
"Hey Craig," Spinner said giving Craig a little punch.
"What the hell Spin?" Craig answered.
"Whoa dude what's wrong with you?" Spinner replied.
"Nothing. Do you know who she is?" Craig asked pointing but no one was there.
"Uh.. who? Are you seeing things dude?" Spinner said looking confused.
"No, she was right there!" Craig screamed looking around. He turned around face to face with her.
"Hi" she said quietly.
"Oh, hi. Sorry I didn't mean to bump into you." Craig replied turning red.
"Don't worry about it. Anyways I'm lost, maybe you could help me?" She asked.
"Sure, what are you looking for?"
"Media Immersion with Simpson." she answered.
"Oh, I have that too. Do you wanna stop by my locker quick so I can get my books and then I'll show you where it is?" Craig said.
"Sure." she said in a soft shy voice. They began walking down the hall in silence. 'Should I ask him his name?' She thought to herself.
"By the way I'm Craig." Craig said. 'Whoa that was weird' she thought not noticing he had stopped. Craig looked up from his locker to see her walking away. "Hey wait, my locker?" he said.
"Oh, sorry Craig. My name's Haley." she said.
"That's a beautiful name," he replied grabbing his books he stood up and looked at her. 'She has the most amazing eyes' he thought. She noticed he was looking into her eyes. She looked back into his and then quickly looked away pretending to look at the clock.
"The bells going to..." she was interrupted by the bell, "ring." she said smiling slightly.
"Oops, it's only the first day. I think Snake'll forgive us."
"Snake?" she asked looking a bit confused.
"Mr. Simpson's friends with my step dad. They all call him Snaked and his wife is Spike. Old high school nick names or something. Spike's Emma's mom." he said looking for Emma to point her out and realized they were the only ones in the hall. "We better get to class." he said turning her the right direction. As they walked in Mr. Simpson looked at them and Craig quickly thought of something to say, "Locker trouble."
"Sit down." he said and they sat in the closest open seats.
"Sorry I forgot he's been a little cranky since he got cancer." he began telling Haley.
"Mr. Manning." Craig looked up. "I did not tell you to sit and start chatting.
"Sorry Snake." Craig managed to get out.
"Craig, it's Mr. Simpson in class."
"Oh yea sorry Mr. Simpson." Craig said feeling himself turning red. Haley looked at him and silently laughed. Craig looked at her and saw her smile. He couldn't help but stare at her the whole hour. Since Ashley and Manny both dumped him, he hadn't wanted to even look at another girl. Even his friends who were girls he tried to avoid. He wanted nothing to do with girls but this girl was different. She looked at him and he quickly turned to face his computer screen, which was blank. He looked at someone else's, 'shit' he thought. He was too busy staring at Haley to realize they were doing something. He raised his hand.
"Yes Craig?"
"Can I be excused?"
"Why?"
"I don't feel good."
"Yes you can go." Craig logged off his computer, got up and went to the boy's washroom. He stared into the mirror. 'She'd never fall for me and even if she did people would talk and she'd find out about the whole Ashley and Manny thing.' The thought was making him really feel sick. He ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. He turned the corner and ran into Haley.
"Oh sorry Haley." he managed to spit out. His mind was racing.
"Don't worry about it. Craig are you okay? You ran out of Simpson's class so fast I didn't get a chance to ask you something."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just day dreaming and didn't realize we were suppose to be doing something." Craig said.
"Oh." Haley said a little surprised." Craig, why were you so nice to me before class?"
"What do you mean?" Craig asked.
"Well people keep telling me you're this horrible guy, but you didn't seem horrible." Craig sighed. He thought 'Maybe I should tell her about Ash and Manny and maybe she won't hate me as much as she would if she heard it from someone else." He was ready to tell her everything when Ashley came.
"Haley what are you doing with him." Ashley said stressing the word him. Craig looked at Ashley. She seemed even more beautiful than she did when they were together. He missed her but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He did something really stupid that he could never take back. Neither Ashley or Manny would ever take him back after he lied to both of them. His thoughts were interrupted by Haley's voice.
"We were just talking, Ash. No big deal." she said.
"It is a big deal. Trust me you don't want to end up hanging out with the wrong people."
"Ash, he's right there you know." Haley answered.
"I don't care. He knows he's trash anyways." Ashley said.
"Trash? That's harsh. Come on, he can't be that bad. What could he possibly have done to you?" Haley asked. 'Shit she's going to tell her everything' Craig thought.
"We dated a few months ago." Ashley said pausing. 'Please stop' Craig begged Ashley in his mind. "He decided to go and cheat on me with Ms. Slut." she said pointing at Manny Santos. "He told her he had broken up with me when he didn't and we both ended up breaking up with him." 'Thanks Ash' Craig thought.
"Ash I'm really sorry" Haley said a bit shocked. "Let's go to lunch." she said and they both walked away. 'This is going to be harder than I thought' Craig thought. He walked down the hall to meet Jimmy, Spinner and Marco for lunch.
