Photographs
Before you read: I wrote this quite some time ago, before the Craig-comes-back episode. This was my little (and far less dramatic) take on it. Also, it's in Manny's point-of-view but it's not for die-hard Cranny fans. And that's all I'd like to say.
0oOo0
Manny sees the photographs Craig has of Ellie in his darkroom.
She doesn't understand why he keeps them there – maybe to spare her feelings or something. All she knows is that they're never out in the open. They're always in the darkroom, never out in the light.
Manny keeps her mouth shut, she never asks. But sometimes Craig will take her into the darkroom, to show her some new pictures of Angela or to load some film or whatever– and Manny will see them there, on the table. There's like four or five – she didn't count exactly. Ellie's smiling in one of them, her head resting in her hands. The others are candid shots, one of her talking to Marco, except that part of Marco's face is missing and then there's one of her in the caf, and then one of her sitting in the halls, reading a book. They're all in black and white.
Craig doesn't ever seem to take them out of the darkroom. They just lie there on that table.
He's got pictures of Manny in frames in his bedroom. In color, all of them. None of them are candid. There's one of the both of them, that Craig timed with his camera. They both have on plastic smiles and Manny's hand is protectively covering his chest.
She called Emma once and told her after she noticed this.
"I think you're overreacting," she had said, sounding a little bit distracted. "Craig loves photography. He takes pictures of everyone."
"But I just don't get it. He doesn't leave any pictures in there. The ones of Ellie have been there for ages."
"Maybe he just finds her alluring."
Manny doesn't think Emma meant it to sound the way it did, but she slammed down the phone anyways.
0oOo0
When Craig comes back to Degrassi, he spins Manny around and kisses her.
Everyone comes by – Jimmy, Marco, and Ellie, of course – even though they're supposed to be in school. Ashley comes, too, but it's not awkward. Maybe for Manny, though.
He hugs them all, but Manny watches closely when he turns to Ellie. Ellie smiles a little and reaches her arms out to him. He stares back at her, with this sort of amazed look, and hugs her back, closing his eyes.
Manny doesn't want to consider it confirmation. She doesn't want to even think about it so, she says in her perky little voice, "Come on, guys, let's go inside! I'm sure Craig has tons of stories to tell."
Craig and Ellie break away, but their eyes linger. Manny's already rushed inside.
0oOo0
Manny comes over that weekend. She lets herself in, like always. She hears Craig bustling about in the kitchen. She glances at the darkroom, the back at the kitchen, and creeps in silently. Sometimes Manny asks for pain.
Someone gasps as she closes the door behind her.
"Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me!" says the voice.
"Ellie?"
"Manny?"
"What are you doing here?" Manny places a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing.
"Craig invited me. . ." she says.
"Oh."
"Have you seen these pictures? They're amazing."
"I know," she says like it's obvious, because Craig is her boyfriend and she knows him better than anyone.
Ellie stares at the picture in her hand in wonderment.
"There are a lot of you, you know." Manny doesn't mean to say it, but it slips out.
"What?"
"There are a lot of pictures of you," she tries again, her voice breaking a bit.
"Oh."
"Right there, on that table." She points.
Ellie glances at Manny skeptically and then makes her way over to the table. Gently, she picks up the stack and flips through them.
"I. . . don't really know what you want me to say," Ellie says honestly, looking back at Manny.
"He's like pratically in love with you, you know. He tells me he loves me everyday but it just sounds so empty sometimes. And then yesterday with you two hugging it was like. . ."
"Manny." Her voice is a whisper, hitting Manny's eardrums with soft uncertainty.
Tears threaten to spill from her eyes, but she holds them back.
"He doesn't love me."
"These pictures don't mean anything."
"But you want them to."
Ellie can't form a coherent response.
"Look at them, they're all pretty. You're a pretty girl, Ellie. And you're like his perfect model. They're all in black and white and so artsy. And all I get are dumb cheesy ones in these bright colors and us looking so forced and fake."
The door opens then, and Craig treads through, staring at both of the girls, dumbfounded. He's got two glasses of Coke in his hands.
"What's. . . going on here?"
"Nothing," Manny says suddenly. "I was just leaving."
She pushes past him and down the hall. She shuts the door behind her violently, tears streaming down her face.
0oOo0
"What happened?" Craig asks Ellie after Manny leaves. He escorts her to the living room, handing her one of the glasses.
"I don't know," she says, taking a sip. "She saw some pictures you took and freaked."
"Pictures?"
Ellie blushes a little. "Yeah. Ones of. . . me."
"Maybe I should go find her."
"She thinks you don't love her."
Silence falls.
"Craig," she says softly. "Why am I here and not Manny?"
He glances around uncomfortably.
Her breath catches in her throat momentarily. "Craig. . . do you love Manny?"
He finally meets her gaze and it's like his eyes are pleading with hers.
He shakes his head.
0oOo0
The phone rings once, twice, thri –
"Hello?"
"Manny?"
"Oh, hey, Craig."
"Manny, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"The whole. . . Ellie thing. And the pictures. I didn't mean to upset you."
"Oh."
"Can we talk?"
"What do you think we're doing right now, silly?"
"No. I mean. . . talk."
"Craig. . ."
"Manny, I can't do this anymore."
Click.
END