A/N: This is a rewritten version of Young Hearts. This one will be better. Takes place after both Ashley and Manny learn Craig's been playing them, and Caitlin and Joey get back together.
Young Hearts
By Strider
Chapter 1
Ashley dreaded homeroom. She knew Craig would be there. And the last thing person she wanted to see was the one who ripped her heart out. "I love you," he had said after she gave him her grandfather's guitar for a Christmas present, which she took back in the end when learning of his affair with Manny. Correction, his DESTINY with Manny.
A few people knew about it. Paige, Terri, Ellie, Marco, Emma, JT, Toby, Spinner, and even Jimmy who was very supportive and comforting. Everyone knew that he still loved Ashley. They dated for a whole year. Now that was a commitment! But they moved on. Him with Hazel and her with…well, now nobody.
She found herself a few more class rooms from Mrs. Kwan's room. She felt her pace become slow, having to drag her feet along the hallway.
She was coming up to the gym when she looked inside suddenly to find a young man, no more than 16 or so, sitting on the bleachers with a drawing pad in his lap. He was drawing away with serious focus in his blue eyes. His hair was dark and nicely cut, though long around the sides and back, the popular way how it was. He wore a white long-sleeve shirt underneath a black t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and black shoes. Anybody could tell thought that he had a body on him. Tight and ripped.
This was the first time Ashley ever saw him at Degrassi. A new student perhaps. Whoever he was, she was having a hard time looking away from him. Then again, from such handsome looks, what girl could?
Marco would even be having a fit if he saw him.
"You know when the bell for homeroom rings?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off his drawing.
Snapped out of her trance, Ashley replied, "Actually, it should be ringing anytime here." A brief pause as she slowly walked up towards him. "Are you new here?"
"Yeah." The new student finally had finished his drawing and looked up to Ashley. "I'm Caleb. Caleb Ross." he held out his hand.
"Ashley Kerwin." Ashley smiled and shook his hand, forgetting about Craig and Manny for a moment. "Is this your first day?"
"Have you seen me around before?" he teasingly smiled. Ashley's cheeks turned red with embarrassment when realizing her mistake, but her smile remained on even though her eyes were down at her feet shyly.
"Yeah, it is. My mom and I moved her before Christmas." Caleb replied as he placed his drawing pad and pencil back in his book bag and walked off the bleachers. "So, who you got homeroom for?"
"Mrs. Kwan. She's right down the hall. You?"
"Same." Caleb shrugged. "Guess that means I won't have the pleasure of asking you if I could walk you to class."
Ashley laughed. "Well, you don't have to--I mean, you could if you…"
"Then, I will. Miss Kerwin, may I have permission to escort you to our homeroom before we are considered late?" he asked with good politeness and descent manners like a gentleman.
"You may." Ashley answered and walked with Caleb out of the gym to Mrs. Kwan's class.
"So, tell me about yourself." Ashley insisted.
"What do you wanna know?" he asked.
"Well, where are you from originally is a good start." Caleb nodded his head. "Well, I was born and half raised in Dallas, Texas, then my mother moved in with my grandparents after a fallout with my dad, AND THEN we moved down here when she got a perfect job for her."
Ashley looked concerned for a moment. "Fallout?"
"My dad was a heavy drinker. They would always get in fights with how much he drinks. Soon, she just couldn't handle it and left." Caleb explained, and Ashley nodded her head in accepting the answer. Another brief silence had taken place as the two walked down the hall. 'God, I have to look like an idiot right now,' Caleb thought, thinking how stupid it looks to be walking next to a pretty girl and not talking at all. "What about you?" he asked her.
"I was practically born and raised here. My parents are divorced as well. My mom's married again, and my dad….well, he's out of the closet."
"Whoa." Caleb said surprised.
"Yeah, but we've come to terms with it. I actually like his boyfriend. He's like a third dad to me as well." Ashley smiled. "Are you some sort of artist?"
Caleb chuckled at that. "What?" Ashley asked, a bit defensively. "Nothing. Yes, I am an artist. But I love all kinds of different arts. Drawing and painting just happens to be my specialty. I like about anything in art from music to the Martial Arts."
"Martial Arts?!" Ashley laughed. "Martial Arts aren't necessarily art."
"Actually, they are. It's like, when you see one or two guys in a fighting position, you can see the discipline of both their bodies, their minds and their souls. It's like a breathtaking painting that can tell an entire story. When the fighter moves, it's like going into a next chapter of a book."
Ashley looked stunned. Never had she heard anybody explain something so beautiful like Caleb had.
"Okay, so maybe I learned that from Kung-Fu, so sue me." he grinned. She laughed at the joke as they both entered homeroom. Ashley suddenly came to a halt, her smile and happy expression faded when her eyes fell on the one sight she dreaded to see.
Craig. He was sitting next to Jimmy and Spinner, looking rather depressed. Let him. For all that he put her through, let him.
Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason. Maybe it was that she didn't pay enough attention to him? Maybe…it was…it was all her fault that Craig preferred Manny over him.
Caleb seemed to notice her quick change of emotions the moment they came to homeroom. "You ok?" he asked concerned.
Ashley said nothing, but took her seat, avoiding eye contact with Craig, while Caleb was left alone to think about what just happened.
Caleb sighed and took a seat, though it was not next to Ashley. Mrs. Kwan walked back into the room just as the principle's morning announcement came to play. Caleb though hardly heard a word the principle was saying. He was too busy watching Ashley. The way how she seemed to be fighting off tears, how the corners of her beautiful mouth were downwards in a saddened frown.
While the announcement went on, Caleb took out his notebook and quickly drew. As the morning announcements were concluded, Caleb had just finished his latest sketch. With Mrs. Kwan's back turned, Caleb whispered to Terri sitting next to Ashley and handed out the rolled up sketch. "Give this to Ash." Caleb said when Terri looked over at him. She nodded and took the sketch, then handed it to Ashley.
Ashley looked puzzled at first, until she unraveled the sketch. The sketch was a drawing of her, just now. Sitting on her chair in Mrs. Kwan's class. Caleb didn't even miss one single detail of her clothes or the surroundings. It was nearly perfect!
Only one thing though. She was smiling in the drawing. She didn't know why, until she saw the message on the bottom of the sketch.
"You're even more beautiful when you smile." it said, with Caleb's initials at the bottom.
Ashley smiled and looked over at Caleb. "Thank you." she mouthed. He returned her smile and nodded his head.
So it looked like the new school day would turn out good after all.
Young Hearts
By Strider
Chapter 1
Ashley dreaded homeroom. She knew Craig would be there. And the last thing person she wanted to see was the one who ripped her heart out. "I love you," he had said after she gave him her grandfather's guitar for a Christmas present, which she took back in the end when learning of his affair with Manny. Correction, his DESTINY with Manny.
A few people knew about it. Paige, Terri, Ellie, Marco, Emma, JT, Toby, Spinner, and even Jimmy who was very supportive and comforting. Everyone knew that he still loved Ashley. They dated for a whole year. Now that was a commitment! But they moved on. Him with Hazel and her with…well, now nobody.
She found herself a few more class rooms from Mrs. Kwan's room. She felt her pace become slow, having to drag her feet along the hallway.
She was coming up to the gym when she looked inside suddenly to find a young man, no more than 16 or so, sitting on the bleachers with a drawing pad in his lap. He was drawing away with serious focus in his blue eyes. His hair was dark and nicely cut, though long around the sides and back, the popular way how it was. He wore a white long-sleeve shirt underneath a black t-shirt, faded blue jeans, and black shoes. Anybody could tell thought that he had a body on him. Tight and ripped.
This was the first time Ashley ever saw him at Degrassi. A new student perhaps. Whoever he was, she was having a hard time looking away from him. Then again, from such handsome looks, what girl could?
Marco would even be having a fit if he saw him.
"You know when the bell for homeroom rings?" he asked her, not taking his eyes off his drawing.
Snapped out of her trance, Ashley replied, "Actually, it should be ringing anytime here." A brief pause as she slowly walked up towards him. "Are you new here?"
"Yeah." The new student finally had finished his drawing and looked up to Ashley. "I'm Caleb. Caleb Ross." he held out his hand.
"Ashley Kerwin." Ashley smiled and shook his hand, forgetting about Craig and Manny for a moment. "Is this your first day?"
"Have you seen me around before?" he teasingly smiled. Ashley's cheeks turned red with embarrassment when realizing her mistake, but her smile remained on even though her eyes were down at her feet shyly.
"Yeah, it is. My mom and I moved her before Christmas." Caleb replied as he placed his drawing pad and pencil back in his book bag and walked off the bleachers. "So, who you got homeroom for?"
"Mrs. Kwan. She's right down the hall. You?"
"Same." Caleb shrugged. "Guess that means I won't have the pleasure of asking you if I could walk you to class."
Ashley laughed. "Well, you don't have to--I mean, you could if you…"
"Then, I will. Miss Kerwin, may I have permission to escort you to our homeroom before we are considered late?" he asked with good politeness and descent manners like a gentleman.
"You may." Ashley answered and walked with Caleb out of the gym to Mrs. Kwan's class.
"So, tell me about yourself." Ashley insisted.
"What do you wanna know?" he asked.
"Well, where are you from originally is a good start." Caleb nodded his head. "Well, I was born and half raised in Dallas, Texas, then my mother moved in with my grandparents after a fallout with my dad, AND THEN we moved down here when she got a perfect job for her."
Ashley looked concerned for a moment. "Fallout?"
"My dad was a heavy drinker. They would always get in fights with how much he drinks. Soon, she just couldn't handle it and left." Caleb explained, and Ashley nodded her head in accepting the answer. Another brief silence had taken place as the two walked down the hall. 'God, I have to look like an idiot right now,' Caleb thought, thinking how stupid it looks to be walking next to a pretty girl and not talking at all. "What about you?" he asked her.
"I was practically born and raised here. My parents are divorced as well. My mom's married again, and my dad….well, he's out of the closet."
"Whoa." Caleb said surprised.
"Yeah, but we've come to terms with it. I actually like his boyfriend. He's like a third dad to me as well." Ashley smiled. "Are you some sort of artist?"
Caleb chuckled at that. "What?" Ashley asked, a bit defensively. "Nothing. Yes, I am an artist. But I love all kinds of different arts. Drawing and painting just happens to be my specialty. I like about anything in art from music to the Martial Arts."
"Martial Arts?!" Ashley laughed. "Martial Arts aren't necessarily art."
"Actually, they are. It's like, when you see one or two guys in a fighting position, you can see the discipline of both their bodies, their minds and their souls. It's like a breathtaking painting that can tell an entire story. When the fighter moves, it's like going into a next chapter of a book."
Ashley looked stunned. Never had she heard anybody explain something so beautiful like Caleb had.
"Okay, so maybe I learned that from Kung-Fu, so sue me." he grinned. She laughed at the joke as they both entered homeroom. Ashley suddenly came to a halt, her smile and happy expression faded when her eyes fell on the one sight she dreaded to see.
Craig. He was sitting next to Jimmy and Spinner, looking rather depressed. Let him. For all that he put her through, let him.
Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason. Maybe it was that she didn't pay enough attention to him? Maybe…it was…it was all her fault that Craig preferred Manny over him.
Caleb seemed to notice her quick change of emotions the moment they came to homeroom. "You ok?" he asked concerned.
Ashley said nothing, but took her seat, avoiding eye contact with Craig, while Caleb was left alone to think about what just happened.
Caleb sighed and took a seat, though it was not next to Ashley. Mrs. Kwan walked back into the room just as the principle's morning announcement came to play. Caleb though hardly heard a word the principle was saying. He was too busy watching Ashley. The way how she seemed to be fighting off tears, how the corners of her beautiful mouth were downwards in a saddened frown.
While the announcement went on, Caleb took out his notebook and quickly drew. As the morning announcements were concluded, Caleb had just finished his latest sketch. With Mrs. Kwan's back turned, Caleb whispered to Terri sitting next to Ashley and handed out the rolled up sketch. "Give this to Ash." Caleb said when Terri looked over at him. She nodded and took the sketch, then handed it to Ashley.
Ashley looked puzzled at first, until she unraveled the sketch. The sketch was a drawing of her, just now. Sitting on her chair in Mrs. Kwan's class. Caleb didn't even miss one single detail of her clothes or the surroundings. It was nearly perfect!
Only one thing though. She was smiling in the drawing. She didn't know why, until she saw the message on the bottom of the sketch.
"You're even more beautiful when you smile." it said, with Caleb's initials at the bottom.
Ashley smiled and looked over at Caleb. "Thank you." she mouthed. He returned her smile and nodded his head.
So it looked like the new school day would turn out good after all.