Running from the Truth

So why are you running away?

Why are you running away?

After graduation everyone pretty much ran away from everything.

Toby ran from the loneliness he felt.

Ellie ran to get away stress that almost made her go back to past habits.

Craig ran away from the fact that Manny moved on.

Paige ran away from Spinner and his problems, while trying to deal with her own.

Jimmy ran away to start over and become someone.

Jay ran away from the pressures of being a dad.

Manny, Sean, and I stayed right here, but avoided sensitive subjects, like our old friends.

Manny was 3 months pregnant when J.t. died and a few days after graduation she had a baby boy and named him James Tiberius Yorke Santos Hogart, a long name but a meaningful one.

Jay couldn't handle raising the baby so he left. Now she, Sean, and I live in a 5 bedroom house with her son and our daughter Beverly Ann Cameron. Manny's son is almost 4 and our daughter is 3 and a half.

But everyone all ran from one thing after graduation. Pain.

Losing J.T was the hardest thing we've all had to go through. He brought us all together.

We're only friends because J.T. merged all different people together. He had that power.

Coming to the cemetery after the ceremony was probably the most dramatic thing we've ever been through.

Flashback

"Hey J.T.," Jimmy greeted "We got your diploma for you. We even got it framed."

He bent down and placed the frame next to the headstone.

"We also got you an assortment of flowers, we would've gotten choclate, but Spinner was hungry and would've eaten them all."

"HEY! Sitting listening to Emma's speech for about a year made me hungry."

"My speech did not take a year, Gavin."

"Yes it did Em; it was a total bore fest."

"Fine it may have been a bit long, but if Liberty hadn't left the country I wouldn't be valedictorian."

Right then and there was a weak spot.

See, Liberty left for the U.S.A after J.T. died. It was on hard on all of us, watching her run away that much but we learned to deal. Her family went with her, including Danny and Derek too.

Mia had gone back to Lakehurst, being at Degrassi hadn't been beneficial to her.

And the rest of us are here, but only for the next few days. Most of the group were leaving to wherever they were going for college. Rome, Paris, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, and more. We were all separating, only Manny, Jay, Sean and I were staying, and of course, J.T.

These last days were going to be memorable, but today, this moment, right here, mattered the most. It was the day when we all part from J.T.

Ellie kneeled down next to the headstone, running her fingers over the cold words.

Tears began to form in her eyes, then she looked up at us.

"Why does good bye have to be so hard?"

"Who says it's goodbye?" Craig replied.

"Face it Craig, most of us are leaving, we won't be as close as we were."

"Who says. We can be as close to each other as we want to be. You make it sound as if you're never coming back."

" I agree with Ellie." Jimmy stated. " Once we go off to college, who says we'll be the same. We may be completely different people. Maybe some of us want to forget this place."

"Why would you want to forget your life." Spinner asked amazed.

"Spinner this isn't my life anymore. I'm not the same anymore. After the shooting and J.T. I don't even know who I am. I need to start over on a clean slate.'

"So that means forgetting your friends too." Sean stated

"No. I never said that. I don't think I can deal with being here anymore. I need to be someone."

"Whatever." Spinner said shaking his head.

"I started again." Ellie said quietly. "The night he died. I couldn't take it. I was in so much pain. Staying here will only hurt me more."

"Ellie, you can't do this. You're not the only one in pain." Toby said.

"Oh yeah, at least I express myself in some way Toby. All you do is sit there, you don't speak, nothing."

"Oh yeah because writing on your wrists is a great way to express yourself El. Good job, I'll get right on that." He said loudly. "you think you've had it rough, step in my shoes for a day. You have no idea what I go through.

"Then tell us." Manny said crying now.

Most of us were crying. Everyone but Jay. He never cried. Not even at the wake or funeral. And then….

"STOP IT!" Jay pleaded. "Just stop fighting. Stop, please. Not here, he wouldn't want us to fight."

Jay Hogart cried. He sobbed right in front of us.

No one knew how torn up he was about this, not even Manny.

"You guys, he's right." Paige said. "He wouldn't want us to fight right before we leave."

Truth was J.T. had some type of affect over us. We could never fight around him. We were always happy with him, smiling or laughing. It was in his blood, making people happy. That's what he lived for. To see that he could make at least one person smile everyday. And even though he's not there with us he makes us smile every single day.

I started to smile, not realizing everyone was staring at me like I was crazy.

"Remember when we all became friends."

Everyone nodded ad reflected on one of the most memorable days that changed our lives forever.