Placed during the summer between Seasons 2 and 3. After watching Craig's character development, I felt that what he really needs to complete his healing is to help someone else out of a similar situation. So, here you go. Crash, OC, and quite a bit of Hazel, along with the other Grade 10ers.
Much credit for the setup and activities of the retreat goes to the South Granville High School Asheboro Leadership Retreat. Even though none of the people involved will probably ever read this, I'll just add credits, Mr. and Mrs. Jocys, and Mrs. Neems, you will never know exactly how much you did for me.
*****
Joey pulled in to the long line of cars at the Degrassi school parking lot. Mr. Simpson had organized a weekend-long "leadership retreat" for the students. It was basically an excuse for everyone, kids and parents both, to get a stress-free weekend halfway through the summer.
Joey turned to look at Craig. He was sleepily blinking his eyes at the ceiling. After a month and a half of on-again off-again therapy, Craig finally looked like he was starting to deal with his father's death. Of course, their companion in the back seat, Ashley, was helping with that.
"So, all set?" Joey broke the silence.
"Yeah. Back here Sunday at 5," Craig went over the plans again, "you take me and Ashley back home."
Ashley smiled at Joey in the mirror. "And I want to thank you again for letting me sleep over until my Mom gets back."
"Well, so long as you don't mind having 500 Barbies as your roommates on Angie's floor," Joey slipped in the quick reminder to the couple about the sleeping arrangements.
"Oh, yeah, their painted eyes will stare at you in your sleep." Craig waved his hands creepily. "They'll all whisper, 'Ashley, join us Ashley!'"
Ashley laughed and got out of the car.
Joey gave one last look at his son. "You sure you're going to be okay away from me for a while?"
Craig let out a patient sigh. He had been expecting Joey to get protective at the last second. "Hey, you said this retreat would be good for me, Joey. Besides, don't think of it as being away from me. Think of it…like I'm over at Mr. Simpson's. He's got the cell phone, anyway, if anything happens."
"Well, hey, then, just…" Joey cut off his usual parental preamble about being responsible. He could see Craig fidgeting a little to get out of the car. "Just have fun," he finished.
"Thanks, Dad." Craig gave Joey a quick hug and hopped out of the car.
Craig hoisted his backpack and jogged to the end of the line to get on the bus. Ashley was waiting for him at the back. "So, he read you the riot act?"
"No," Craig dropped his backpack and went fishing for his permission form. "He's actually being pretty cool about this. Even cooler than usual."
"Well, let's hope it keeps up," Ashley agreed.
Craig gave a quick smile to Mr. Simpson as he passed. The smile he got back was genuinely happy to see him, not the oh-it's-Craig-didn't-he-flip-out-in-front-of-the-whole-school smiles he had been expecting to get from everyone.
Craig and Ashley froze at the front of the bus. The retreat had been for grade 10 and up: Craig spotted all his classmates, minus Spinner. There were only single seats left, scattered throughout the bus. "Maybe see if someone will switch?" Craig suggested.
Terri shot Craig a quick smile, and he waved back, but Terri was already sitting next to someone. Craig felt a slight warmness in his heart from her words of comfort at the end of last year.
Craig found a seat next to a girl with black hair. "Hey, would you…" he started to speak, but the girl was fast asleep, slumped against the window.
Craig cast a look around, and spotted Ashley getting waved into a seat next to Ellie. So much for that idea. Ellie wouldn't approve of getting ditched for the boyfriend. Besides, they'd have plenty of time to be together on the trip, itself.
Craig sat down, and pulled out his mp3 player. He put the buds in and cranked music over Mr. Simpson's last second "ground rules" speech.
His eyes went to the girl next to him. Her long black hair was waved mostly covering her face, and Craig couldn't see much of it. Oddly enough, it took Craig looking down at her backpack and spotting the giant yin yang on it before he recognized her. She was in his English class, Annie? No, Danni. Danni Welker. Because Ms. Kwan would call her Danielle on the roll.
At least, if she woke up, it wouldn't be awkward now. But as the bus began to move, and Craig felt himself gently rocking back and forth, he was surprised that anyone on the bus was awake. He leaned his head straight back and felt his eyes drift closed.
Craig jerked awake as he was being thrown forward. His hands shot out to keep from slamming his head on the seat in front of him. The groans emanating from throughout the bus showed that Craig hadn't been the only one asleep.
"Sorry, sorry," he heard the bus driver yelling back. As Craig peeked up to the front, he could see a line of red taillights. Hello, traffic.
Danni was curled over in the seat, grimacing in pain. Craig bent double to look at her. "Hey, you okay?"
Danni shot back up to sitting. Her brown eyes looked him over. "Yeah, just…hit my elbow."
"Always the funny bone," Craig commented.
Danni gave a weak smile, and began bending and straightening her arm to try to diffuse the pain. She flipped her hair behind her ears, and adjusted the unbuttoned long-sleeve dress shirt she was wearing like a jacket.
"Didn't know you'd be coming along," she looked up at Craig.
"Anything to get me out of the house," Craig rolled his eyes. "One teensey nervous breakdown and nobody leaves you alone."
Danni began hysterically laughing, and trying to nod in between breaths. "Oh, wow, you're not kidding."
"Oh, had some personal experience, there?" Craig questioned.
Two heads poked up over the seat in front of them and turned around in unison. Paige and Hazel both had slight smiles on their faces.
"Gee, hon, much as we'd like to see Ash get put in her place, I don't think that one's really interested in your kind," Paige deepened her grin.
"Ash and I are fine. We're just talking." Craig paused, but the girls didn't stop looking at him. "Go away?" he slowly finished.
Paige and Hazel shot each other their patented know it all look, and faced back to the front.
Before Craig could even ask, Danni supplied, "Paige is convinced I'm a lesbian. As if. And even if I was, I wouldn't be interested in her bleach-blond ass anyway."
Craig chuckled. "They're just threatened by anything they can't control. Me, Ash, Ellie. And, apparently, you." He smiled. "You should fit in with us just fine, provided you pass our initiation."
"Initiation?"
Craig held up his ear buds. "Progressive or alternative?"
Danni pulled out a pair of headphones. "Try electronic."
Craig pulled a face. "That over-produced stuff?"
"It's better than you think…" Danni waved the headphones in his face. "Step over to the dark side, Manning."