A.N. This is a story about how Ashley and Craig started dating, or something like it, because the writer's of Degrassi didn't elaborate too much on it. It's just my version of it. I wrote it because mostly all the Craig/Ashley shippers at talked about how they wished they knew how Craig and Ashley started dating and stuff, and this is my response. It takes place during the end of Tears Are Not Enough. I don't own any of these characters. I also don't own the song Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band, after which the story was named. Enjoy the story!
The lights brightened as the sweet, melodic song faded. The other couples broke apart from each other almost quickly, just so that they can dance with other partners to a new, cheesy pop song.
But Ashley and Craig held onto each other longer, and to them, it felt as if the world around them wasn't in existence. Her head rested on his shoulder, her arms warmed around his waist. His arms were around her shoulders, but he pulled away from him a little, lifted her chin up, and kissed her softly on her forehead.
Then, as the song ran into its first chorus, she pulled away from him completely, her cheeks a bright scarlet. She ran her hands through her short hair and looked down at the ground. He dug his hands into the back pocket of his jeans and looked down as well.
"I, uh, need to get home," he said, somewhat embarrassed. He headed right for the door, half-hoping she'd stop him, half-hoping she wouldn't.
But she did. She walked in tune with him, at his side. "Wait, I'm coming with you. I want to walk you home."
"Wow, a girl walking a boy home? That's a first," Craig said playfully.
"Well, if you'd like me to stay, then I could. It looks like Jimmy could use a dance partner," Ashley retorted, lingering behind him.
He stopped right when she did and said, "I want to you walk me home." Then, he scratched his head and rephrased his statement. "Or, er, rather, I'd like to walk you home."
Ashley smiled, blushing, looked up at Craig and said, "I would like that."
At that moment, he brought his hand out of his pocket, dangerously playing with the idea of holding on to her soft hand in his calloused one. But he decided he'd wait for the perfect moment, the moment when she had let him in.
"All right," he said, placing his hand back into his pocket. "Uh, well, let's go."
The night air was cool for June, with a breeze here and there. The two walked on, in silence. The music could be heard from the outside steps of Degrassi, where Ashley and Craig stood at that moment.
"Ellie's going to be pissed that I left so early without telling her," Ashley informed Craig.
"You want to go back inside and tell her, then?" he asked her.
She turned to him, a mischievous smile playing on her face. "No," she answered softly. "It's better this way."
Craig smiled at her and at what she had said. "Yeah, you're right. It is better this way. It feels like we're on a dangerous mission or something."
"A dangerous mission to get you home?" Ashley joked around.
"Yeah," he answered back. "I'm, uh, I'm in danger of falling asleep right before I reach home."
"I'm sure you wouldn't," Ashley said. "And if you did, then I'd try to accomplish carrying you the rest of the way."
That stopped Craig right in his tracks. If he didn't love this girl at the beginning of Kwan's Taming of the Shrew assignment, then he was head-over-heels in love with her now.
"You'd really attempt to carry me home if I fell asleep right now?"
"I wouldn't attempt to, Craig. I'd accomplish it."
"Even if I fell asleep right here, right in front of the school."
"Well, then, I'd try. But I'm not making anyone any promises," she laughed. She took off her blackened lei and scratched the back of her neck. "Man, this thing is starting to irritate me."
"Well, here, let me hold it," Craig said, taking it from her, and gingerly placing it around his own neck.
"Thanks, but be careful. That thing will itch your neck until the end of next year."
"Well, I'm looking forward to it," he said. "What are you doing now?"
"My grass skirt…it's bugging me too," she said, pulling the skirt off.
"Give it to me then…I'll wear it."
"It's amazing that you still have your sense of humor after…never mind," Ashley said turning her gaze away from Craig's eyes.
"It's okay, you can say it," Craig said to make her feel relaxed.
"I can't. It just doesn't feel right."
"Okay, then."
"How are you doing, anyway? I know I asked you this before, when be began dancing. But it's been a while since then and…"
"You checking up on me?" Craig asked with a laugh. "I have my very own Nurse Joy."
"Nurse Joy?" Ashley asked, in confusion.
"Yeah, you know, like in the fifth grade, all the boys were really obsessed with Pokemon, right?"
"Yeah…but I don't see where this is going."
"Well, in the Pokemon TV show, there was always this one character, and her name was Nurse Joy. She took care of all the Pokemon when they were ill."
"Are you suggesting that you, yourself are a Pokemon?" Ash asked.
"No," Craig laughed. "It's just that, you seem to be taking care of me a lot. I mean, with this whole thing, dealing with my dad, trying to calm me down, constantly asking me if I'm all right—offering to carry me all the way home if I passed out right here, right now."
"Well, that's what great friends are supposed to do, right? Help out their friends in times of need."
"Yeah, but you've been there for me more than others."
"I like being there for others. It compensates for when people weren't there for me when I needed them."
"Well, I'm here for you if you need me."
Ashley nodded her head, understanding what Craig meant and where he came from. "Yeah, I know."
"How far away from your house are we, anyway?"
"Not that very far. I kind of live nearby."
"Oh, well, that's kind of upsetting," Craig said.
"Upsetting why?"
"Because, I like this, Ash. I like just walking with you, just the two of us, no one watching us, no one talking about what they see. It's just the two of us—opening up to each other."
"Well then, if this is what you want," Ashley said, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk pavement. "Then I'll deliver."
"You don't have to deliver," Craig said.
"I want to." Then she patted the space beside her and said, "Come on, Manning. Pull up some cement."
He hesitantly sat down next to Ashley, and watched her as she gazed up at the sky, mesmerized by the sight of the stars. He looked up as well and said, "You know, I never really liked the stars."
"Really, why not?"
"Well, in theory, the stars are just a big ball of gas, right?"
"Yeah," Ashley answered.
"Well, I don't see something made up of a big ball of gas as something that's beautiful, you know?"
"Well, what's beautiful to you, Craig?" Ashley asked.
"To be honest?" Craig asked back as Ashley nodded her head in response. He lowered his head to get the perfect glimpse of her eyes. "You are," he practically whispered.
Ashley drew back from him a bit, and stared at him as if he said something ludicrously ridiculous. She shook her head and looked down at the pavement in embarrassment. "No, no, no. You're kidding me. I'm far from beautiful," she begged to differ.
"Okay then, you aren't beautiful," he said, changing his answer. Ashley looked up as if to tell him off, but he continued. "You're radiant, and perfect just the way you are."
"You're not just saying that, are you?"
It was Craig's turn to shake his head, and he looked at her, with a glint in his eyes that exposed his soul to hers. "No, I'm not just saying that…and I'm not lying to you. You're beautiful and radiant and perfect just the way you are, Ashley."
"Even with this short hair and the dark eye shadow and the blackest of black clothing, I'm beautiful?" she asked him.
"Of course, of course you're beautiful."
"Why would you lie to me like that?" Ashley joked.
"I wouldn't lie to you, Ashley. I'm telling you the truth."
"You're not very good at it," she said. "And why are you telling me this anyway?"
"Isn't it obvious why I'm telling you all of this?" Craig asked. Ashley, lost in oblivion, shook her head 'no'. "Ashley, I like you."
She pulled away, as if in disbelief. She tucked whatever hair was there to tuck behind her ear, and looked at him in shock.
"Ash?" Craig asked her, shaking her gently.
"I, uh, got to get home," Ashley said, getting up from the ground.
"Oh, yeah, that's right," Craig said, getting up from the ground as well.
Craig felt a little stupid and embarrassed for revealing his true feelings to Ashley. Of course she wouldn't be too happy about it. You've made her uncomfortable around you, he thought to himself.
The rest of the walk home was in silence. After Craig's revelation, Ashley just didn't feel like talking at all. Craig just walked beside her, his hands in his jean pockets, and he stared at the back of her head. When the two of them got to the porch of Ashley's house, they stood in front of each other in awkwardness.
"So, uh, I guess this is good night then," Ashley said.
"Uh, well, yeah," Craig said back, carefully watching what he said around her. "I guess I'm going to go now. I really need to go home and…"
Before Craig could walk away from Ashley and embarrass himself more than he had already that night, Ashley pulled him back toward her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly on the lips. Then, Craig had kissed her back, harder, but still gentle. Ashley kept her eyes closed even after Craig had pulled his lips away from her, as if she wanted the kiss to linger on her lips forever.
"Well, then, I'll see you around or something," Craig said, after a moment of silence. Again, he began to walk down the porch steps and head on home. He couldn't help but feel as if he was guilty for kissing Ashley. But it felt too good for him.
"Craig, wait," Ashley said. He turned around and stared at her.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I, uh, I like you, too," Ashley told him. "I, um, I really like you too."
Craig smiled, wide. Ashley walked up to him and kissed him once again. When they broke apart from each other, Craig ran his hand through Ashley's hair. "Good night," Craig said, holding on to Ashley's hand.
"Thank you, Craig. I had such a good time," she told him.
"I'll call you during the summer and see if we can go out or something, like to the movies or mini-golfing," Craig told her.
"I'd love that," Ashley said, nodding her head. "I'll see you later." Craig kissed her one last time before walking away and turning in for the night.
When Ashley walked into the house, her mother and Jeff were sitting in the living room, listening to light music and reading different materials.
"Hey, Ashley," Jeff said, putting down his book. "You're awfully early. Toby's not even home yet."
"Yeah, I didn't feel like dancing tonight, Jeff," she answered back, sitting on the chair next to the loveseat her mother sat on.
"Who was that guy who brought you home?" her mom asked.
It was the first time that Ashley didn't feel like accusing her mother for spying on her. She replied, "A classmate at school."
"Does your classmate have a name?"
"His name is Craig, mom," she said.
"And do you like this Craig?" her mother interrogated more.
"As a matter of fact, mom, yes, I do like him," Ashley asked, not letting her mother ruin her good mood. "And he likes me back."
At the Jeremiah household, Craig was in his room. He sat on the bed and thought of the night he had experienced. The song he was listening to was Dave Matthews Band's Crash Into Me.
He scratched his neck, for it itched really badly, and then remembered Ashley's black lei around his neck. He also remembered the grass skirt he had put on just to amuse her. He stood up to take off the grass skirt, then gingerly placed it on the back of his computer desk chair. Then, he took off the blackened lei and held in his hands. He dropped on the bed, facing the ceiling. He brought the lei to his nose and breathed in the scent of Ashley—Sweet Pea from Bath and Body Works. He closed his eyes and wrapped himself in an ecstasy of Ashley Kerwin.
Oh, and you come crash into me
Baby, and I come into you
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream